Latest news with #Honestly
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
CNN's Tapper rips media smear campaign against Hur, WSJ report on Biden decline without mentioning own network
CNN anchor Jake Tapper has taken aim at the media's treatment of those who sounded the alarm about former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline before it was fully exposed at the now-infamous presidential debate, despite the fact that his own network was guilty of lobbing such attacks. As Biden was actively seeking reelection, there were two explosive moments that drew attention to his mental acuity before the debate. The first was in February 2024 with the release of the Hur report, which determined the Justice Department would not seek criminal charges over the then-president's mishandling of classified information, in part because a jury would deem him as a "sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory." The report also revealed Biden couldn't remember key dates, such as when he was in office and when his son Beau died. The second was in June 2024, weeks before the debate, when The Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report titled, "Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping," a months-long investigation by reporters Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes involving more than 45 sources who were either directly involved or briefed on meetings with Biden, who they said "appears slower now, someone who has both good moments and bad ones." Jake Tapper Declares Biden White House Lied About 'Cheap Fakes' After Cnn Peddled Narrative In 2024 On Bari Weiss' "Honestly" podcast Thursday, Tapper spoke about how the Biden White House went to "war" with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who he described to Weiss as a "serious civil servant," and how members of the media participated. "A lot of people in the media are very complicit and part of the smear machine against Robert Hur," Tapper told Weiss. "Robert Hur is smeared and cannot get a job for months. And he was – honestly, if you look back at what he said, that was polite!" Read On The Fox News App Shielding Biden: Journalists Shed Light On The Media's Cover-up Of A Weakened President He also praised "great reporters" Linksey and Hughes, noting they, too, were viciously attacked. "[They] are garroted by the Democratic Party and by journalists and by media critics, and by journalism professors and this whole industry of people who claim to be non-partisan assessors of truth… that had to have been traumatizing for them," Tapper said. What Tapper failed to mention was that CNN was among those "complicit" in Team Biden's attacks on Hur and The Wall Street Journal. Jim Acosta, who at the time was Tapper's CNN colleague, wondered aloud if Hur's assessment was "out of bounds," while CNN commentator and former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield accused Hur of "editorializing" his report, and then-CNN political analyst John Avlon wondered why "some spin on the ball" was included. One of CNN's go-to legal experts, Jeffrey Toobin, scolded Hur for making "unnecessary points" about Biden's advanced age, characterizing the special counsel as a "Republican partisan" who "trashed" the president despite not bringing charges. "Part of that report was an outrage, was a disgrace," Toobin said at the time. "I mean, the idea that they that he would make such a big point of Biden being elderly is not something a prosecutor needed to do." Credibility Crisis: Press Dismissed Hur Report On Biden's Memory Issues Long Before Concerns Became Undeniable CNN liberal pundit Paul Begala similarly attacked the "partisan Trumper" for "editorializing way out of his league," even suggesting Hur was motivated to seek revenge on Biden for voting against William Rehnquist, for whom Hur had clerked, during his Supreme Court confirmation as Chief Justice in 1986 when Biden served as a senator. "This guy has donated to Republicans. He is a partisan," Begala said. "The only job he had was to indict or not indict, and to add all this — the only thing he didn't add was the legal disclaimer that this is a political ad in support of Donald Trump. It was a total cheap shot." CNN's then-senior political analyst Gloria Borger immediately took Biden's side, insisting, "This is not a man who's going to forget the day his son died" and echoed Biden's falsehood that Hur was the one who brought up Beau's death in the interview when, in fact, it was the president. Perhaps Biden's biggest defender at CNN at the time was its media reporter, Oliver Darcy (who has since left the network), who declared Hur's depiction of Biden's mental state "didn't match reality." "The acknowledgement from some, but not all, news outlets on Tuesday about the true nature of Biden's deposition marked another embarrassing moment for the national press, which has floundered at pivotal moments in the lead up to the crucial 2024 presidential election," Darcy wrote in March 2024. "The deposition transcripts not only indicated that Biden appeared fairly sharp during his testimony, joking with investigators and retelling stories with granular detail, but that Hur was misleading in how he presented some of the information included in his report." "Hur chose to portray the president as a mentally diminished elderly man who struggled to recall basic information during his deposition, raising alarm bells about whether he had the fitness to serve in the nation's highest office. Hur's characterization of Biden played directly into a years-long campaign waged by Biden's political opponents and the powerful right-wing media machine to depict the president as a senile, aloof man," he continued. Credibility Crisis: Biden's Late-night Allies Go Quiet After Damning Cognitive Decline Revelations Following The Wall Street Journal's report, several CNN anchors stressed that the paper's story heavily relied on Republican criticism of Biden and called out former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who gave the only on-the-record statement, for appearing to flip-flop on Biden's sharpness in previous comments (the Journal reporters later explained it as a tactical PR move at the time for McCarthy to bolster cooperation with the Biden White House). CNN's Boris Sanchez grilled Hughes over Democratic allegations that her story was "slanted," a question that would be unfathomable to a journalist covering Donald Trump. Darcy erupted at The Wall Street Journal, insisting its reporting "suffers from glaring problems," lecturing the paper it "owes its readers — and the public — better." "It is difficult to imagine that the newspaper, or any outlet, would run a similar story declaring that Trump is 'slipping' behind the scenes based on the word of top Democratic figures — despite the fact that the Democratic leadership has demonstrated a much stronger relationship with the truth in recent years than their Republican counterparts," Darcy wrote. Credibility Crisis: Wall Street Journal Report On Biden 'Slipping' Was Smeared By Media "More broadly speaking, The Journal's piece pointed to a continued problem roiling the news media as it covers the 2024 election. Trump is permitted to fall asleep in court and make nonsensical public statements on a routine basis without any serious questions raised about his mental acuity," the ex-CNN pundit continued. "Meanwhile, Biden is judged on an entirely different standard." A spokesperson for CNN declined to comment. Original article source: CNN's Tapper rips media smear campaign against Hur, WSJ report on Biden decline without mentioning own network
New York Post
6 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
CNN's Jake Tapper rips media smear campaign against Hur, WSJ report on Biden decline without mentioning own network
CNN anchor Jake Tapper has taken aim at the media's treatment of those who sounded the alarm about former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline before it was fully exposed at the now-infamous presidential debate, despite the fact that his own network was guilty of lobbing such attacks. As Biden was actively seeking reelection, there were two explosive moments that drew attention to his mental acuity before the debate. The first was in February 2024 with the release of the Hur report, which determined the Justice Department would not seek criminal charges over the then-president's mishandling of classified information, in part because a jury would deem him as a 'sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.' The report also revealed Biden couldn't remember key dates, such as when he was in office and when his son Beau died. The second was in June 2024, weeks before the debate, when The Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report titled, 'Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping,' a months-long investigation by reporters Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes involving more than 45 sources who were either directly involved or briefed on meetings with Biden, who they said 'appears slower now, someone who has both good moments and bad ones.' 5 Jake Tapper appears during a book conversation in New York City on May 27, 2025. Getty Images On Bari Weiss' 'Honestly' podcast Thursday, Tapper spoke about how the Biden White House went to 'war' with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who he described to Weiss as a 'serious civil servant,' and how members of the media participated. 'A lot of people in the media are very complicit and part of the smear machine against Robert Hur,' Tapper told Weiss. 'Robert Hur is smeared and cannot get a job for months. And he was – honestly, if you look back at what he said, that was polite!' He also praised 'great reporters' Linksey and Hughes, noting they, too, were viciously attacked. '[They] are garroted by the Democratic Party and by journalists and by media critics, and by journalism professors and this whole industry of people who claim to be non-partisan assessors of truth… that had to have been traumatizing for them,' Tapper said. 5 President Joe Biden is helped up by Secret Service and Air Force Academy officials after falling on stage during the Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado Springs on June 1, 2023. AFP via Getty Images What Tapper failed to mention was that CNN was among those 'complicit' in Team Biden's attacks on Hur and The Wall Street Journal. im Acosta, who at the time was Tapper's CNN colleague, wondered aloud if Hur's assessment was 'out of bounds,' while CNN commentator and former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield accused Hur of 'editorializing' his report, and then-CNN political analyst John Avlon wondered why 'some spin on the ball' was included. One of CNN's go-to legal experts, Jeffrey Toobin, scolded Hur for making 'unnecessary points' about Biden's advanced age, characterizing the special counsel as a 'Republican partisan' who 'trashed' the president despite not bringing charges. 'Part of that report was an outrage, was a disgrace,' Toobin said at the time. 'I mean, the idea that they that he would make such a big point of Biden being elderly is not something a prosecutor needed to do.' CNN liberal pundit Paul Begala similarly attacked the 'partisan Trumper' for 'editorializing way out of his league,' even suggesting Hur was motivated to seek revenge on Biden for voting against William Rehnquist, for whom Hur had clerked, during his Supreme Court confirmation as Chief Justice in 1986 when Biden served as a senator. 'This guy has donated to Republicans. He is a partisan,' Begala said. 'The only job he had was to indict or not indict, and to add all this — the only thing he didn't add was the legal disclaimer that this is a political ad in support of Donald Trump. It was a total cheap shot.' CNN's then-senior political analyst Gloria Borger immediately took Biden's side, insisting, 'This is not a man who's going to forget the day his son died' and echoed Biden's falsehood that Hur was the one who brought up Beau's death in the interview when, in fact, it was the president. 5 US State's Attorney Robert Hur speaks to the press after a court hearing in Baltimore on Nov. 21, 2019. TNS via Getty Images Perhaps Biden's biggest defender at CNN at the time was its media reporter, Oliver Darcy (who has since left the network), who declared Hur's depiction of Biden's mental state 'didn't match reality.' 'The acknowledgement from some, but not all, news outlets on Tuesday about the true nature of Biden's deposition marked another embarrassing moment for the national press, which has floundered at pivotal moments in the lead up to the crucial 2024 presidential election,' Darcy wrote in March 2024. 'The deposition transcripts not only indicated that Biden appeared fairly sharp during his testimony, joking with investigators and retelling stories with granular detail, but that Hur was misleading in how he presented some of the information included in his report.' 'Hur chose to portray the president as a mentally diminished elderly man who struggled to recall basic information during his deposition, raising alarm bells about whether he had the fitness to serve in the nation's highest office. Hur's characterization of Biden played directly into a years-long campaign waged by Biden's political opponents and the powerful right-wing media machine to depict the president as a senile, aloof man,' he continued. 5 President Joe Biden stumbles up the stairs of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews. C-SPAN Following The Wall Street Journal's report, several CNN anchors stressed that the paper's story heavily relied on Republican criticism of Biden and called out former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who gave the only on-the-record statement, for appearing to flip-flop on Biden's sharpness in previous comments (the Journal reporters later explained it as a tactical PR move at the time for McCarthy to bolster cooperation with the Biden White House). CNN's Boris Sanchez grilled Hughes over Democratic allegations that her story was 'slanted,' a question that would be unfathomable to a journalist covering Donald Trump. Darcy erupted at The Wall Street Journal, insisting its reporting 'suffers from glaring problems,' lecturing the paper it 'owes its readers — and the public — better.' 'It is difficult to imagine that the newspaper, or any outlet, would run a similar story declaring that Trump is 'slipping' behind the scenes based on the word of top Democratic figures — despite the fact that the Democratic leadership has demonstrated a much stronger relationship with the truth in recent years than their Republican counterparts,' Darcy wrote. 5 President Joe Biden makes the sign of the cross during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York City. Reuters 'More broadly speaking, The Journal's piece pointed to a continued problem roiling the news media as it covers the 2024 election. Trump is permitted to fall asleep in court and make nonsensical public statements on a routine basis without any serious questions raised about his mental acuity,' the ex-CNN pundit continued. 'Meanwhile, Biden is judged on an entirely different standard.' A spokesperson for CNN declined to comment.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ye Admits To Being Inspired By Drake And Copying His Music
Drake has been vocal about how much Ye has inspired his artistry for his entire career, even calling him his favorite artist. The artist formerly known as Kanye West recently returned the favor. He hosted another live stream this week with Drizzy's Toronto affiliate Top5, and gave the 6 God props. 'The thing about Drake's music is he got sh*t that's copies of what I do,' West said. Meanwhile, he had no issue admitting that he had tried to duplicate the For All The Dogs artist's sound. 'I'll have copied a Drake flow a lot of times. I got sh*t that once Drake took over the algorithm was copies of Drake.' The Donda 2 artist didn't specify the songs that he was moved by, or which songs of his were copies, but he did reveal some more unknown information. According to Ye, the 'Nokia' artist was going to be featured on Donda and Donda 2. He also claimed that he was supposed to work on the 2022 house album Honestly, Nevermind. The public is well aware of all that Drake and Ye have done for each other. They have collaborated on records like 'Forever' and 'Glow,' plus some contributions beyond just featuring on each other's songs. The five-time Grammy winner wrote 'Yikes' from the controversial artist's self-titled 2018 album, and Ye produced 'Feel No Ways' from Drake's 2016 album Views. Outside of music inspiration, the Chicago producer has been inspired by Drizzy's legal battle with Universal Music Group. 'Yo, I'm so happy right now, you don't understand,' he recently said in a video on X. 'With this UMG, Drake, Kendrick situation, Super Bowl, Grammys — this sh*t was driving me and you know where it should be driving me, but this is the biggest victory in music history right here.' He resolved that he would never insult the father of one again, calling himself 'Team Drake.' Despite his recent critiques of Kendrick Lamar, he said he was also 'Team Kendrick' and 'Team all of us.' He even suggested that K. Dot pursue litigation with UMG. 'Everything is worth everything for a moment like this, where we stop going at each other and we go at the slavemasters.' More from Ye Vows To "Get His Kids" In Emotional Rant Amid Custody Battle With Kim Kardashian Drake Concocts Perfect Scent In Ad For New Summer Mink Parfum Boosie Responds To Ye Saying He "Smells Poor" And Brings Up His "Incestuous" Revelation
The Star
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Iran can't enrich uranium, could only import it for civilian program, Rubio says
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on upon his arrival at the Quai d'Orsay, France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart in Paris, France April 17, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo (Reuters) -Iran will have to stop enriching uranium under any deal with the United States and could only import what is needed for a civilian nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ahead of talks between Tehran and Washington on Saturday. However, Iran has already made clear that its right to enrich uranium is not negotiable. When asked about Rubio's comments, a senior Iranian official, close to Iran's negotiating team, again said on Wednesday "zero enrichment is unacceptable." The U.S. is seeking to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb and President Donald Trump has imposed a "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions and threatened to use military force if Iran does not end its nuclear program. Iran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon and says its nuclear program is peaceful. U.S. and Iranian officials will meet in Oman on Saturday for a third round of talks on Tehran's disputed nuclear program. "There's a pathway to a civil, peaceful nuclear program if they want one," Rubio told the "Honestly with Bari Weiss" podcast on Tuesday. "But if they insist on enriching, then they will be the only country in the world that doesn't have a 'weapons program,' ... but is enriching. And so I think that's problematic," he said. U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff last week said Iran does not need to enrich past 3.67% - a remark that raised questions as to whether Washington still wanted Tehran to dismantle its enrichment program. Witkoff then said a day later that Iran must "stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment." Rubio said on Tuesday that Witkoff was initially talking about "the level of enriched material that they would be allowed to import from outside, like multiple countries around the world do for their peaceful civil nuclear programs." "If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one just like many other countries in the world have one, and that is they import enriched material," he said. The U.N. nuclear watchdog - the International Atomic Energy Agency - has said that Iran is "dramatically" accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level. Western countries say there is no need to enrich uranium to such a high level for civilian uses and that no other country has done so without producing nuclear bombs. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Humeyra Pamuk, John Irish, writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rubio: Ukraine peace deal unlikely this week
A deal to end the war in Ukraine is unlikely to come about this week, Marco Rubio admitted after he pulled out of scheduled peace talks in London. Asked if we agreed with Donald Trump's previous claim that a deal could come about within days, the US secretary of state told the Honestly podcast: 'I don't know about by the end of the week. I'm hopeful that we can get to something quickly. 'And I remain hopeful that we can get something done because this is a terrible war and it needs to end.' The US president said earlier on Truth Social that a deal was 'very close' but criticised Volodymyr Zelensky for 'harming' peace negotiations by rejecting a proposal to recognise Crimea as part of Russia. Talks broke down in London on Wednesday over Mr Trump's seven-point plan to end the war, which included the US recognising Crimea, which was invaded by Russia in 2014. Thanks for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here's a reminder of what happened today: European foreign ministers abruptly postponed talks in London to discuss a US plan for peace in Ukraine Donald Trump's vice-president warned Ukraine and Russia to accept the US peace proposals or face the country walking away Three explosions were heard in Moscow's central business district this afternoon Trump launched another blistering attack on Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of 'prolonging' the war We'll be back tomorrow with more news and analysis from the conflict. Volodymyr Zelensky is 'moving in the wrong direction when it comes to negotiations', the White House has said. 'The president's frustrated. His patience is running very thin. He wants to do what's right for the world. He wants to see peace. He wants to see the killing stop, but you need both sides of the war willing to do that,' Karoline Leavitt, the White House's spokesperson, told reporters. 'And unfortunately, President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction.' Steve Witkoff, envoy for Donald Trump, is expected to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday, US news site Axios reported this evening. It will be their fourth meeting in three months. Mr Witkoff pulled out of peace talks in London earlier today after it emerged Kyiv was not ready to accept a US proposal to end the war. US president Donald Trump's seven-point proposal for ending the Ukraine conflict may be many things, but it most certainly is not a peace plan. It is a blueprint for more war, writes Con Coughlin. Surrender, capitulation, betrayal, appeasement, abandonment. These are the words that better describe the egregious apology of a peace deal that the Trump administration is currently hawking around Europe. For, rather than attempting to address the fundamental causes of the conflict – namely Russia's unprovoked invasion of a sovereign state – Trump and his band of fellow travellers have reached the perverse conclusion that the best way to achieve peace in Ukraine is by rewarding Russian president Vladimir Putin for his blatant act of military aggression. A deal to end the war in Ukraine is unlikely to come this week, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of State, has admitted. 'I don't know about by the end of the week. I'm hopeful that we can get to something quickly,' Mr Rubio told the Honestly podcast when asked when he expected a deal. 'And I remain hopeful that we can get something done because this is a terrible war and it needs to end.' Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expected a deal to happen this week. The Ukrainian delegation had productive talks with Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump's envoy, in London after planned negotiations were downgraded, Ukraine's defence minister has said. 'We talked about our consistent position regarding a ceasefire, also about security guarantees. For my part, I believe the meeting was very productive and successful,' Rustem Umerov said in televised comments shortly after Mr Trump attacked Volodymyr Zelensky on Truth Social. The US recognising Crimea as Russian would be a 'violation of international law', according to Stefan Wolff, professor of international security at the University of Birmingham. 'It is unlikely that a majority of Ukraine's remaining allies would follow suit, but other countries more closely aligned with Russia already might,' Mr Wolff told the Kyiv Independent. Meanwhile, Aaron Gasch Burnett, security expert and senior fellow at Democratic Strategy Initiative, said the recognition would 'open up a can of worms on all kinds of potential global conflicts'. 'Authoritarians will learn that all they really have to do is invade their neighbour, stick it out, and then eventually they'll be rewarded for it - that imperialism pays,' he said. At the centre of Donald Trump's latest attack on Volodymyr Zelensky is Crimea, an occupied Ukrainian territory which was invaded by Russia in 2014. The Ukrainian president said today that Ukraine would 'not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea' after it emerged the US would recognise Russia's claim over the territory as part of a peace deal. 'There is nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution,' Mr Zelensky said today. Mr Trump said Ukraine would not have to recognise Crime as Russia but appeared to justify Vladimir Putin's claim over the territory. He wrote on Truth Social: 'Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn't they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired? 'The area also houses, for many years before 'the Obama handover,' major Russian submarine bases.' Peace in our time – or something like it. That was what Ukrainian, European and American foreign ministers were meant to plan in London today. By the time world leaders gather in Rome for the Pope's funeral on Saturday, the deal to end Europe's bloodiest war since 1945 might have been in the bag. Instead, it has all fallen apart. First, Marco Rubio, America's Secretary of State, pulled out. Then Steve Witkoff, the US envoy charged with speaking to Vladimir Putin, cancelled. In an apparent response, the French and German foreign ministers also withdrew. Now, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy has ditched the whole idea of the summit as it had been envisaged. The downgrading of the talks adds to the sense that any hopes of an imminent deal to end the conflict hinge on events in Moscow, where Putin and Witkoff will meet this week for the fourth time. Russia's foreign ministry has accused the UK of wanting an 'open confrontation'. Speaking after it announced the banning of 21 British politicians, Russia's foreign ministry said: 'The comprehensive nature of the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the UK and hysterical statements by officials of that country, in which threats are interspersed with lies and outright rudeness in our address, indicate that London does not intend to step back from its choice in favor of open confrontation with Russia.' Ukraine has said it is 'committed' to US-led efforts to end the war with Russia after JD Vance threatened to abandon negotiations if a deal was not reached soon. 'We emphasised that we are committed to the peace efforts of US President Donald Trump,' Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak said after talks in London. 'We are grateful to our partners for their firm support and common desire to end the war as soon as possible.' Russia has banned 21 UK politicians from entering the country, according to state media. TASS, a Kremlin-aligned news agency, said the decision to add these MPs to the so-called 'stop list' had been taken in response to London's 'confrontational policies'. 'In response to London's ongoing confrontational policies, which include efforts to demonise our country, fabricate many anti-Russian narratives with the aim to reduce Moscow's influence on the international stage, and continue funnelling weapons to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev, a decision has been made to include a number of members of the UK Parliament in the Russian stop list,' a statement from the Russian foreign ministry read. 'Work to expand the Russian stop list will be continued,' the ministry said. Russian-state media did not report which MPs had been banned. The Kremlin has already banned a significant number of British politicians from entering the country, including Cabinet ministers Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner. Members of the French Foreign Legion and British soldiers have started a joint military exercise in northeastern France, applying urban warfare lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, according to reports. A French officer, perched on a British armoured vehicle camouflaged with branches in the small town of Jeoffrecourt, translated commands for armoured infantry troops from Britain. The FFL and the Royal Welsh First Battalion were part of a team trying to capture this town of 5,000 residents during a two-week training exercise yesterday. The exercises come as Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are spearheading European efforts to send what they call a 'reassurance force' to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. 'We look at what is happening in theatres of operation and new modes of action to integrate them,' Lieutenant Colonel Romain, an FFL training officer, told AFP. Last week, Kremlin-aligned media posted – and then deleted – a video that showed Russia's Espanola brigade remotely piloting a drone strike from a high-rise building in Moscow. Today's explosions took place near the building where last week's video was filmed. It is not clear whether that specific building was affected or whether the explosions were related to the war in Ukraine. Credit: X/@UKikasi | X/@Kirilenko_a Three explosions have been heard in Moscow's central business district. Russian state media, citing emergency services, said a car exploded in an underground car park of a shopping mall, sparking a fire. Footage showed thick black smoke billowing close to the Afimall City shopping centre on the banks of the Moskva River. There have been no official reports on casualties or the scale of damage. The blaze has now been put out, according to local authorities. It is not yet clear whether it was a deliberate attack or if it is related to the war in Ukraine. Last month, Kyiv's forces carried out their biggest drone attack on the Russian capital, killing three and shutting down its four airports. A year ago terrorists attacked the Crocus City Hall music venue in Moscow. Donald Trump's vice-president warned Ukraine and Russia to accept the US peace proposals or face the country walking away. During a visit to India, JD Vance said: 'It's time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process.' He added: 'The current lines, somewhere close to them is where you're ultimately, I think, going to draw the new lines in the conflict.' His remarks, which come as officials gather in London to discuss Mr Trump's seven-point plan to end the war, will likely infuriate both Ukraine and Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has said he cannot give up swathes of territory to Russia under his country's constitution. Vladimir Putin, his Russian opposite number, has publicly ruled out freezing the conflict in its current state while his forces are still advancing on the battlefield. Ukraine's peace negotiation team – led by Andriy Yermak, Mr Zelensky's chief of staff – will hold talks in London on Wednesday. The meeting was seemingly downgraded after Marco Rubio, the US state secretary, and Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump's lead negotiator, decided against travelling to the capital. Instead, senior security advisors from the UK, France, Germany and Ukraine will meet with Keith Kellogg, the US president's Ukraine envoy. The UK 'will never walk away from Ukraine', Downing Street has said in the wake of JD Vance's ultimatum. The US vice-president said that Russia and Ukraine should accept the US peace proposals or Washington would 'walk away' from talks. Asked about the comments, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'We've supported US-led efforts to secure a sustainable end to the war. I think that's what we all want to see. Ultimately, it has to be up to Ukraine to decide its future.' Pressed on whether Britain and the US were still 'on the same page' about how to achieve peace, he said: 'Yes, as I say, we are fully supportive of US-led efforts to secure a sustainable end to the war. We are absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.' He added: 'We will never walk away from Ukraine. We'll stand by Ukraine as long as it takes.' Poland's foreign minister sent a sharp message to the Kremlin over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, asking: 'Don't you have enough land?' In an annual address to parliament, Radek Sikorski described the difficult situation that Poland faces with the war across the border and the threat of its expansion, while voicing concerns about the 'disintegration' of Western unity. Addressing Russian leaders, the top diplomat said: 'Don't you have enough land? Eleven time zones and still not enough? Take care of better governing what is within your borders according to international law.' Poland, on Nato's eastern flank, is one of Kyiv's strongest supporters and strongly fears the Russian threat across its border. 'Anxiety, and the question of what will happen, have settled in Polish homes. Are we also at risk of Russian aggression? Are the relations between Europe and the United States heading towards a crisis? Can Europe quickly improve its defence capabilities?' European countries will demand that any peace deal has to include Ukraine's 'territorial integrity', France's presidency has said. Emmanuel Macron's office told AFP: 'Ukraine's territorial integrity and European aspirations are very strong requirements for Europeans.' The statement comes after JD Vance, the US vice-president, stated that both sides would have to 'give up some of the territory they currently own'. Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine is still insisting on an immediate full ceasefire with Russia. 'Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not rule out any format that can lead to a ceasefire and, ultimately, real peace,' the Ukrainian president wrote on X. 'Stopping the killing is task number one. I am grateful to everyone who is focused on this goal and helps us move toward ending the war.' Ukraine is ready to negotiate with the US but is not willing to surrender, the country's deputy prime minister has said. Speaking this afternoon, Yulia Svyrydenko said Ukraine would 'not accept a frozen conflict' and said Kyiv would not accept any agreement that 'empowers Russian aggression'. 'There will be no agreement that hands Russia the stronger foundations it needs to regroup and return with greater violence,' she wrote on X. 'A full ceasefire - on land, in the air, and at sea - is the necessary first step,' she said, adding that if Moscow instead opted for a limited pause, Kyiv would respond in kind. Russia's armed forces still lack certain weapons despite significantly increasing arms production last year, Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the state military-industrial commission this afternoon. According to Putin, Russian troops have received more than 4,000 armoured vehicles, 180 warplanes and helicopters, and over 1.5 million drones of various types. 'I know very well, and many here who are participating in our meeting today know it as well as I do: there are still not enough of these weapons. Not enough,' the Russian leader said. European foreign ministers abruptly postponed talks in London to discuss a US plan for peace in Ukraine. It came as an apparent response to the sudden withdrawal of Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, and Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy, from the discussions last night. The ministers were set to discuss a seven-point plan that would see Crimea formally recognised as part of Russia and leave Ukraine with no clear US security guarantee. A meeting of lower-level officials will instead take place, the Government announced this morning. Keith Kellogg, Trump's envoy for Ukraine, will represent the US. Mr Rubio said he would reschedule the London discussions for the coming months, while Mr Witkoff is expected in Moscow later this week for more talks with Vladimir Putin. The chances of a breakthrough in London had appeared slim after Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a central part of the US-proposed peace deal, saying Kyiv would not accept any deal that recognises Russia's occupation of Crimea. The first meeting of the day in London is under way. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and John Healy, Defence Minister, is currently speaking to Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, and Rustem Umerov, the defence minister. This is separate to talks scheduled with the US later today, which Mr Lammy had been planning to attend until Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, pulled out. The Kremlin has decried 'fake' reports claiming Vladimir Putin has agreed to end the war in Ukraine is the conflict is frozen along the current front line. Unconfirmed details of those proposals have appeared in various media outlets, but the Kremlin on Wednesday said it would not comment publicly on any of them, describing some as 'fake news'. It said discussions needed to take place in silence. 'We are also continuing our contacts... but of course there are many nuances around the settlement that need to be worked out, where positions need to be brought closer together and so on. This work is ongoing,' Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters. Credit: State Emergency Service of Ukraine The Kremlin said there were 'many nuances' around talks to end the conflict in Ukraine and that the positions of different sides involved in the talks had yet to be narrowed. Its comments came after talks between the US, Ukraine and European officials faltered at the last-minute on Wednesday after Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, abruptly cancelled his trip to London and negotiations were downgraded. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Russia was continuing dialogue on a possible settlement with Washington, but was not in contact with Europe or Ukraine. He stressed that Russia remains opposed to any European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine following a ceasefire. Russia has lost 1, 210 soldiers killed and wounded as well as 400 weapons and pieces of military equipment over the past day, according to Ukraine's military command. In its daily update, the general staff reported that Moscow's forces lost eight tanks, 11 armoured vehicles, 85 artillery systems, 138 aerial drones and 163 vehicles and fuel tankers over the past 24 hours. Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, and Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy, have pulled out of talks in London to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Mr Rubio had been expected to take part in the high-level discussions with Ukrainian and European officials, but Washington confirmed that he would no longer attend because of 'logistical issues'. In an apparent response, foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany and Ukraine have withdrawn from today's talks. The discussions will instead take place between five senior officials from the five nations. The downgrading in the level of diplomacy is in contrast to Washington's intensified efforts to secure a ceasefire. Mr Rubio warned last week that Washington would abandon talks unless there is progress within days. The talks follow a meeting in Paris last week in which US, UK, German and French officials discussed the US framework for a ceasefire. Mr Trump's controversial plan includes a freeze of the current front line, reduced sanctions on Moscow, and US recognition of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, reversing a decade of US policy. Ukraine will hold talks in London on Wednesday about ways to achieve a 'full and unconditional ceasefire' as a first step towards peace, Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, said on Wednesday. Mr Yermak has arrived in London with Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, and Rustem Umerov, the defence minister. He added that the path to peace 'is not easy' but stressed that Ukraine remains committed to efforts to ending the three-year war. His statements come after the foreign ministers of the US, Britain, France and Germany withdrew from the talks, which have been downgraded to lower-level officials. Should it be a surprise that the Americans have opted against sending their two heavy-hitters given that neither the Brits nor Ukrainians were confident of a breakthrough in London on Wednesday? Probably not. For the Ukrainians, they insist they still haven't seen the full and final peace plan (as reported by The Telegraph), and as it stands that is neither acceptable to Kyiv or Moscow. The Britons knew this, and were said to be annoyed at the way Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, appeared to pressure Ukrainian officials to accept a deal after a recent round of talks. European diplomacy on a Ukrainian peace plan can only move as fast as the Americans are able to move, and the downgrading of the latest meeting in London puts on full display the difficulties faced by Donald Trump to get Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table alongside Volodymyr Zelensky. The Trump administration has been attempting to dismantle initiatives aimed at investigating alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Since his inauguration, Donald Trump has moved to withdraw the US from an international group led by the European Union created to hold Moscow to account for violating international law in its invasion of Ukraine. The White House has also reduced the work of the Justice Department's War Crimes Accountability team and deconstructed a programme to seize the asserts of sanctioned Russian oligarchs. The administration has also vacated a coordinator position to gather intelligence on Russian atrocities committed in Ukraine, two people familiar with the matter told the Washington Post. 'The atrocities coordinator position is ... tasked with holding Putin responsible for the crimes he's committed against the Ukrainian people,' Jason Crow, a Democrat representative for Colorado who created the position alongside Mike Waltz, told the outlet. 'This position was created by Congress on a bipartisan basis, and the administration must empower whoever serves in this position to carry out their duties as required by law.' Russia launched 134 drones in overnight attacks targeting Ukraine, Ukraine's air force said on Wednesday. Air defence units shot down 67 drones, and another 47 drones were redirected by electronic warfare, the air force said. The attacks caused damage in six Ukrainian regions, it added Donald Trump has put forward a seven-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. Today in London, the US delegation, led by Keith Kellogg, will hear Kyiv's reaction. See 7.35am post for more details. Donald Trump will let Vladimir Putin keep almost all the territory he has seized from Ukraine under the terms of a proposed peace deal. The condition is part of a seven-point plan to end the war that leaves Ukraine with no clear US security guarantee. It will be discussed in London on Wednesday, when US officials will hear Kyiv's reaction. The proposal involves the US offering formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea and implies de facto recognition of other occupied territories. This would mean freezing the current front line, allowing Putin to keep almost all the territory Russia has gained. The plan does include some changes in Ukraine's favour. Russia would give up two small areas currently occupied by its troops. Ukraine would regain unhindered access to the mouth of the Dnieper river and Russia would withdraw from a second area of Kherson province. General Keith Kellogg, the US envoy, hopes to gain Ukraine's agreement to the plan on Wednesday. His colleague Steve Witkoff would then travel to Moscow and present it to Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin has offered to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the current front line, sources have claimed. The Russian leader made the proposal during a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg earlier this month, according to the Financial Times, citing 'people familiar with the matter'. Putin indicated he would be willing to withdraw Moscow's claims to parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - four regions it partially occupies, roughly 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory. In return, the US might accede to Russia's other major demands, including recognising its sovereignty over the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula and barring Ukraine from joining Nato. Explosions at a weapons and ammunition depot in Russia's Vladimir region that started on Tuesday have been 'gradually ending', according to the regional authorities. Schools and several businesses, as well as roads in Kirzhach district, where the detonations have been taking place, will remain closed on Wednesday, Alexander Avdeev said. 'Surveys and an assessment of the consequences are required,' he added. Four people were injured in the explosions of shells at the base, which also forced late on Tuesday the evacuation of about 450 people living nearby. The Kirzhach district in Vladimir is about 56 miles east of the Kremlin. Russia's drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets early on Wednesday, killing nine people. Moscow launched a wave of aerial attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure in east, south and central Ukraine overnight, officials said. The total number of casualties it not yet known. 'The Russians attacked a bus with employees of the enterprise who were on their way to work in Marhanets,' Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region council, said on Telegram. Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region said nine people were killed in the attack, with at least 30 injured. A series of powerful explosions ripped through one of Russia's largest weapons arsenals, triggering a huge blaze and giant mushroom cloud. Local authorities declared a state of emergency in the Vladimir region on Tuesday, where footage showed a massive fireball, followed by a pall of smoke. The initial blast triggered close to a dozen secondary explosions close to Barsovo, a town east of Moscow, where the 51st arsenal of Russia's Main Missile and Artillery Directorate is based. It is still unclear what caused the explosions which came a day before a new round of peace talks between US, Ukrainian and European officials in London as Washington intensifies its efforts to end the three-year conflict. We're bringing you all the latest from the war in Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
