Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump Jr warns US could end support for Kyiv ahead of London peace talks

Starmer to meet Zelensky as Russian bombardment continues

Starmer to host Zelensky and EU leaders for peace talks after Russia launches overnight air attacks on Kyiv

UK troops join Nato exercise as Finland prepares for potential Russian invasion

Europe has promised Ukraine a ‘reassurance force’ when the war ends – but will it enrage Putin?

Key Points

• Trump could walk away from support for Ukraine, Donald Trump Jr reportedly says
• Starmer to host Zelensky and EU leaders for peace talks
• Russian strikes kill 1 as US and Ukraine officials wrap up third day of diplomatic talks
• Zelensky says he has had a 'substantive' phone call with US peace envoy Steve Witkoff

I have spent years waiting for Putin’s assassins to come for me – the stakes now feel higher than ever

It is the revelation that should shake Britain to its core.

This week, the public inquiry into the 2018 novichok attack on former spy Sergei Skripal – a “reckless demonstration of Russian power” that left deadly residue in a perfume bottle. That discarded bottle ended up in the hands of Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother from Amesbury, who sprayed it on her wrist, believing it was a gift. She died four days later, in excruciating pain.

Yvette Cooper put it plainly: “Putin and his agents are an active threat to Britain’s citizens, our security and our prosperity.”

Bill Browder reports:

I have spent years waiting for Putin’s assassins to come for me

Starmer speaks to Dutch PM ahead of meeting with Zelensky

The prime minister held a call with Dick Schoof on Sunday morning, in which he briefed his Dutch counterpart on the meeting with Mr Zelensky and French and German leaders.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair "agreed the need for sustained international support for Ukraine's defence" and "reiterated that Ukraine's security is vital for Europe's security".

They both also committed to "always stand with Ukraine", including through the "coalition of the willing" led by the UK and France.

Putin declares Russia will take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region by force

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Moscow intends to seize full control of Ukraine's Donbas region through military force, unless Ukrainian troops withdraw – a demand Kyiv has unequivocally rejected.

The declaration, made in an interview published on Thursday in India Today, follows Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which escalated an eight-year conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces across the Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Speaking ahead of a planned visit to New Delhi, Mr Putin stated: "Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories," according to footage broadcast on Russian state television.

How a ‘reassurance force’ could work in Ukraine: will it enrage Putin?

After months on the sidelines of US-led peace talks, Europe is trying to rise to the challenge of guaranteeing Ukraine’s post-war future in the event of a ceasefire.

Britain and France are leading the push for a so-called reassurance force in Ukraine to retrain the army and uphold a peace deal if it emerges.

Thousands of allied troops could be sent to cities across Ukraine to help the army recover its strength and stand as an independent deterrent to Russian aggression – if both sides can agree to terms.

The Independent’s James C. Reynolds has more below:

How Europe’s ‘reassurance force’ could work in Ukraine – and will it enrage Putin?

Russian strikes kill 1 as US and Ukraine officials wrap up third day of diplomatic talks

Russian missile, drone and shelling attacks overnight and Sunday killed at least three people in Ukraine, after U.S. and Ukrainian officials wrapped up a third day of talks aimed at ending the war.

A man was killed in a drone attack on Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region Saturday night, local officials said, while a combined missile and drone attack on infrastructure in the central city of Kremenchuk caused power and water outages. Kremenchuk is home to one of Ukraine’s biggest oil refineries and is an industrial hub.

Russian strikes kill 1 as US and Ukraine officials wrap up third day of diplomatic talks

Watch: President Zelensky says he has had a 'substantive' phone call with US peace envoy Steve Witkoff

The Independent View: There is still a way European leaders can help achieve a positive outcome for Ukraine

Still, no doubt, bathed in the warm, if also absurd, glow of being the first ever recipient of the Fifa Peace Prize, Donald Trump might be in the mood to promote a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, it would be nice to think. This would, aside from anything else, strengthen President Trump’s insistent claim on the Nobel Peace Prize, which has not quite been superseded in prestige by the cynical golden trophy that the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, presented to him.

There is still a way European leaders can help achieve a positive outcome for Ukraine

Starmer to host Zelensky and EU leaders for peace talks after Russia launches overnight air attacks on Kyiv

Sir Keir Starmer will meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday alongside other EU leaders as Ukraine considers next steps after US peace talks.

Mr Zelensky will meet Sir Keir in Downing Street along with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The meeting comes amid continued talks between Ukrainian and US officials on a Washington-backed plan to end the war. Ukraine’s negotiators were in Florida for three days last week for talks with Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

On Sunday, cabinet minister Pat McFadden said that Ukraine’s security and self-determination would be “at the heart” of the leaders’ discussions in London. He said that talks were at a “really pivotal moment”.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who is due to step down in January, told a defence forum that a deal to end the Ukraine war was “really close” and that it now depended on resolving just two main outstanding issues.

Read more here:

Starmer to host Zelensky and EU leaders for peace talks on Monday

Zelensky says Ukraine peace talks 'constructive' but 'not easy'

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has provided an update following a phone call with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“The American representatives know the basic Ukrainian positions,” the leader said on Sunday.

“The conversation was constructive, although not easy.”

Zelensky is due to meet French president Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as German leaders in London on Monday.

Ukraine deserves a dignified peace, and whether there will be peace depends entirely on Russia – on our collective pressure on Russia and on the sound negotiating positions of the United States, Europe, and all our other partners. Russia must be held accountable for what it is… pic.twitter.com/C9pyHxUQw5

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 7, 2025

As sea drones force Russia to retreat, Ukraine examines ways to launch more complex attacks

The commander of sea-drone operations for Ukraine's military intelligence agency says more complex strikes against Russian forces are expected next year, after Kyiv's uncrewed fleet succeeded in curbing the movements of Russia's once-dominant Black Sea navy.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the head of the specialised maritime drone unit, Group 13, said Ukraine's attacks have forced Russia to adapt, limiting opportunities for major Black Sea strikes seen earlier in the war.

"Today, we've likely reached a plateau," said the officer, who is identified only by the call sign ‘13th’ under Ukrainian military protocol.

"We are effectively limiting the enemy's movements, but those dramatic, high-profile strikes we saw earlier haven't happened for quite some time. That's because the enemy has adapted."

Last month, Ukrainian officials said sea-attack drones were used in strikes against vessels in Russia's sanctions-evading "shadow fleet" of oil tankers.

The commander declined to comment on those operations.

The officer said Russian naval vessels "barely operate," often venturing only up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) from port to fire missiles before retreating.

"They constantly hide. And in a way, that's also a result of our unit — because you can imagine the cost of maintaining a fleet that cannot operate at sea."

The officer spoke in uniform, his face covered and eyes obscured by tinted glasses. For security reasons, the intelligence agency asked that the location and other details of the interview not be disclosed.

Drone technology has become vital to Ukraine's military, offering inexpensive tools for reconnaissance and strikes in countering Russia's invasion. Its two sea-drone programs are run separately by its military and domestic intelligence services.

UK will 'turn the tide' on illicit finance in anti-corruption summit

The UK will "turn the tide" on illicit finance at a landmark anti-corruption summit in London next year, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Yvette Cooper confirmed on Sunday that Britain would host the summit at Lancaster House on June 23-24 2026.

The summit, first promised by her predecessor David Lammy, will bring together governments, businesses and campaigners to agree "tough international action" to combat corrupt practices.

Ms Cooper said the summit would target illicit gold used to fund the war in Ukraine; property used by criminals to hide their cash; and cryptocurrency, which she said was "increasingly exploited by people smugglers".

Arguing that "dirty money fuels crime on the streets of the UK and drives conflict and instability overseas", she said the government was "committed to turning the tide" on corruption.

Analysis: Europe needs to stop its magical thinking and get ready for war with Russia

It’s been a busy week in the politics of European defence. But every major news point from the week has confirmed how much danger Europe is in, and how little some of its key allies are willing to do about it, writes Keir Giles.

The findings of the UK’s inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, released this week, demonstrate not only Russia’s ruthlessness but also the severe impact that even a limited Russian attack can have on unprepared societies like Britain.

But in the same week, the latest iteration of the so-called “peace process“ over Ukraine demonstrated once again how Europe as a whole is still paralysed by denial and magical thinking over the nature of the threat from Russia and what is needed to withstand it.

In part, this results from a degree of necessary play-acting on the part of European leaders. They know that in public, they have to engage with the United States on its terms, and pretend that US negotiations with Moscow over the heads of Ukraine and Europe are a meaningful step towards eventual peace.

We have to hope that is what lies behind NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s nonsensical declaration that Donald Trump is the only man in the world that can bring peace to Ukraine – and that he hasn’t genuinely forgotten that Vladimir Putin can end his war at any moment.

Europe needs to stop its magical thinking and ready for war with Russia

Trump could walk away from support for Ukraine, Donald Trump Jr reportedly says

President Donald Trump could walk away from the Ukraine-Russia war, his eldest son has told a Middle East conference according to reports.

Speaking at the Doha Forum 2025, Donald Trump Jr said his father “may” walk away from Ukraine. The Guardian and Sky News reported Mr Trump Jr as saying: “What’s good about my father and what’s unique about my father is you don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s unpredictable”.

Mr Trump Jr’s comments come after US and Ukrainian negotiators spent three days in talks in Florida over the future of a post-war Ukraine.

He also said that Ukraine was a “far more corrupt country than Russia” and said that the “American public doesn’t have the appetite [for further funding of Ukraine’s military efforts]”.

Ukraine at ‘pivotal moment’ as Zelensky prepares for London talks, says minister

Ukraine faces a “pivotal” moment as Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to visit London for talks on peace proposals, a senior UK minister has said.

The Ukrainian president will meet Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Monday along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Their meeting comes amid continued talks between Ukrainian and US officials on a Washington-backed plan to end the war.

On Sunday, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said Ukraine’s security and self-determination would be “at the heart” of the leaders’ discussions.

He told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “The principle behind the talks will be for Ukraine to be able to decide its own future.

“This is a really pivotal moment now. Everybody wants the war to come to an end, but they want it to come to an end in a way that gives Ukraine that freedom of choice in the future.

“So, that means not just an end to the war but also security guarantees for Ukraine in the future, and not a completely toothless organisation which is unable to decide its future.”

The UK has consistently pushed for any peace deal to include security guarantees for Ukraine, both from the US and in the form of the British and French-led “coalition of the willing”.

Recap: Russian strikes kill 1 as US and Ukraine officials wrap up third day of diplomatic talks

Russian missile, drone and shelling attacks overnight and Sunday killed at least three people in Ukraine, after US and Ukrainian officials wrapped up a third day of talks aimed at ending the war.

A man was killed in a drone attack on Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region Saturday night, local officials said, while a combined missile and drone attack on infrastructure in the central city of Kremenchuk caused power and water outages. Kremenchuk is home to one of Ukraine’s biggest oil refineries and is an industrial hub.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing” the cold.

Two people were killed and seven others wounded Sunday in shelling by Russian troops in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, according to the regional police.

Russian strikes kill 1 as US and Ukraine officials wrap up third day of diplomatic talks

Sir Keir Starmer talks with Dutch prime minister ahead of Zelensky meeting

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to the Dutch prime minister ahead of his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.

The Prime Minister held a call with Dick Schoof on Sunday morning, in which he briefed his Dutch counterpart on the meeting with Mr Zelensky and French and German leaders.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair "agreed the need for sustained international support for Ukraine's defence" and "reiterated that Ukraine's security is vital for Europe's security".

They both also committed to "always stand with Ukraine", including through the "coalition of the willing" led by the UK and France.

Kremlin says Trump's new national security strategy 'corresponds in many ways with our vision'

The Kremlin welcomed a move by US President Donald Trump's administration to revise its national security strategy and stop calling Russia a "direct threat," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

Mr Peskov told the state-run TASS news agency the updated document dropped language describing Russia as a direct threat and instead urged cooperation with Moscow on strategic stability issues. "We considered this a positive step," he said.

The strategy, signed by Trump, also warned that Europe faces "civilizational erasure", that it was a "core" US interest to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, and that Washington wanted to reestablish strategic stability with Russia.

"The adjustments that we see correspond in many ways to our vision," Mr Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin when asked about the new US strategy.

How a ‘reassurance force’ could work in Ukraine: will it enrage Putin?

After months on the sidelines of US-led peace talks, Europe is trying to rise to the challenge of guaranteeing Ukraine’s post-war future in the event of a ceasefire.

Britain and France are leading the push for a so-called reassurance force in Ukraine to retrain the army and uphold a peace deal if it emerges.

Thousands of allied troops could be sent to cities across Ukraine to help the army recover its strength and stand as an independent deterrent to Russian aggression – if both sides can agree to terms.

The Independent’s James C. Reynolds has more below:

How Europe’s ‘reassurance force’ could work in Ukraine – and will it enrage Putin?

Starmer speaks to Dutch PM ahead of meeting with Zelensky

The prime minister held a call with Dick Schoof on Sunday morning, in which he briefed his Dutch counterpart on the meeting with Mr Zelensky and French and German leaders.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair "agreed the need for sustained international support for Ukraine's defence" and "reiterated that Ukraine's security is vital for Europe's security".

They both also committed to "always stand with Ukraine", including through the "coalition of the willing" led by the UK and France.

Watch: Modi says India is 'not neutral' on Ukraine in talks with Putin

Man killed in Russian drone attack on Ukraine overnight

Russian missile and drone attacks overnight into Sunday killed at least one person in Ukraine.

A man was killed in a drone attack on Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region Saturday night, local officials said, while a combined missile and drone attack on infrastructure in the central city of Kremenchuk caused power and water outages.

Kremenchuk is home to one of Ukraine's biggest oil refineries and is an industrial hub.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call "weaponizing" the cold.

The latest round of attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday evening he had a "substantive phone call" with American officials engaged in talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida.

He said he had been given an update over the phone by US and Ukrainian officials at the talks.

Putin's top foreign policy aide tells Russian media 'radical changes' needed to Ukraine peace plans

Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov has told Russian media that the United States will have to “make serious, I would say, radical changes to their papers” on Ukraine.

His comments come as US and Ukrainian officials have finished three days of talks about plans for post-war Ukraine. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff spent four hours with president Putin this week.

Mr Ushakov did not clarify what changes Moscow wanted Washington to make.

Ukraine’s president Zelensky said on Saturday that he had had a long and “substantive” phone call with Mr Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The Kremlin has said it expect Mr Kushner to be doing the main work on drafting a possible peace deal.

Russian strike hits Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, cutting utilities, mayor says

Russian forces launched an overnight combined air strike on infrastructure in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, causing power and water outages, its mayor Vitalii Maletskyi said on Sunday.

Located on the Dnipro River, Kremenchuk is a major industrial hub and home to one of Ukraine's biggest oil refineries. The city has been repeatedly hit by Russian missiles, including a 2022 strike on a crowded shopping mall that killed at least 21 people.

Maletskyi said in a social media post that details of consequences of the strike would be released later on Sunday after damage assessment is completed. City services were working to restore electricity, water and heating in districts where supplies were disrupted, he added. Russia has intensified long-range strikes on Ukraine's power, heating and water infrastructure ahead of winter and seeking to sap public morale and disrupt industry after previous cold seasons in the nearly four-year war saw nationwide blackouts and emergency rationing.

A photo posted by the mayor showed a large blaze engulfing what looked like industrial buildings at night.

"We will restore everything," he wrote.

Deal to end Ukraine war is 'really close', Trump's Ukraine envoy says

A deal to end the Ukraine war was “really close” and now depends on resolving just two main outstanding issues, president Donald Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy has said.

The two issues are the future of Ukraine’s Donbas region and the Zaporzhzhia nuclear power plant.

US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, who is due to step down in January, told the Reagan National Defence Forum that efforts to resolve the conflict were in “the last 10 metres” which he said was always the hardest.

Speaking about the nuclear power plant and the future of the Donbas, he said: “If we get those two issues settled, I think the rest of the things will work out fairly well. We’re almost there. We’re really, really close”.

Russian forces reportedly take control of two villages in Ukraine

Russian forces have taken control of the villages of Kucherivka in Ukraine's northern Kharkiv region and Rivne in the eastern Donetsk region, the Russian Defence Ministry has said.

Moscow carried out group strikes on Ukrainian transport infrastructure, fuel and energy facilities, military airfields and long-range drone complexes, the ministry added.

The battlefield reports could not be independently verified.

Ukraine at 'pivotal moment' says UK minister ahead of London talks

Ukraine faces a "pivotal" moment as Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to visit London for talks on peace proposals, a senior UK minister has said.

The Ukrainian president will meet Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Monday along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Their meeting comes amid continued talks between Ukrainian and US officials on a Washington-backed plan to end the war.

On Sunday, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said Ukraine's security and self-determination would be "at the heart" of the leaders' discussions.

He told Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: "The principle behind the talks will be for Ukraine to be able to decide its own future.

"This is a really pivotal moment now. Everybody wants the war to come to an end, but they want it to come to an end in a way that gives Ukraine that freedom of choice in the future.

"So, that means not just an end to the war but also security guarantees for Ukraine in the future, and not a completely toothless organisation which is unable to decide its future."

British soldiers join major exercise in the Artic

British soldiers joined a major exercise on Nato's snowy border with Russia as Finnish troops prepare to defend their country if their neighbour invades.

Around 50 men from the 3 Rifles, based in Edinburgh, spent six weeks training in the Arctic north of Finland, where they honed their survival skills in temperatures as low as minus 28C.

The C Company soldiers, who have previously had hot weather training in Kenya and Morocco, learned how to cope with icy immersion in water and how to avoid frostbite, and practised fighting in the snow and shooting while skiing.

They then joined the 3,000 conscripts, reservists and regulars from the Finnish Army's Kainuu Brigade on Operation Northern Ax, in the forests of Vuosanka, around 20 miles from Russia and 400 miles north of Helsinki.

The British reconnaissance specialists carried out operations alongside the Finns on a wide-ranging and sophisticated simulated battle which lasted for five days and nights.

The operation was designed to test their defence, delaying, night combat and attack tactics, with commanders following the troops' movement in real time to monitor their performance.

UK troops join Nato exercise as Finland prepares for potential Russian invasion

Czech president says Ukraine war echoes start of WW2

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Czech president Petr Pavel says Vladimir Putin’s attempts to grab land from Ukraine echo Adolf Hitler’s actions against neighbouring countries – including Czechoslovakia – that preceded the Second World War.

Pavel says Putin’s argument that he is acting in the interests of Russian-speaking people living in eastern Ukraine is particularly alarming to those familiar with Czech history.

“For Czechoslovakia, the German minority [in the Sudetenland] was used as a pretext,” Pavel said. “The same narrative is used by Vladimir Putin.”

He said Europe and the US’s appeasement of Russia represents a failure to stand up for Western values.

“What we are doing now, I wouldn’t call it a betrayal of Ukraine,” he said. “I would call it reluctance – reluctance to protect the principles we all claim to protect.

“If we allow Russia to come out of this conflict as a victor, we have all lost.”

Trump's peace plan has 'evolved since it was first presented'

Donald Trump's 28-point peace plan for Ukraine has "evolved since it was first presented", a Cabinet minister has argued.

It comes ahead of talks between Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz in Downing Street tomorrow.

Asked whether the prime minister would be able to tell the US president that the plan doesn't work for Ukraine, Pat McFadden told Sky News: "I think that 28-point proposal has evolved since it was first presented. And the European leaders have played a role in that, as of course, has the Ukrainian leadership itself.

"So there are a lot of points to be discussed, but the principle will be the same, which is to let Ukraine decide its own future here, and not to reward Russian aggression, both in terms of the end state on the battlefield, but perhaps even more importantly, in terms of Russia's ability to dictate Ukraine's future."

Europe has promised Ukraine a ‘reassurance force’ when the war ends – but will it enrage Putin?

How Europe’s ‘reassurance force’ could work in Ukraine – and will it enrage Putin?

'Difficult issues' remain after Miami peace talks, says Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the progress made at peace talks with US officials in Florida, saying the “next steps and the format” of further discussions had been agreed.

But with few new developments otherwise announced by either side, Ukraine’s ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna admitted that “difficult issues remain”.

Stefanishyna told CNN that “both sides continue working to shape realistic and acceptable solutions”.

“The main challenges at this stage concern questions of territory and guarantees, and we are actively seeking optimal formats for addressing them,” she said.

“More details will be provided once all information is compiled.”

Zelensky says next steps for peace talks 'agreed'

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the “next steps” for talks with the US about post-war Ukraine have been agreed.

Zelensky joined his negotiators for a "very substantive and constructive" call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during the third day of meetings in Florida.

"Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace," Zelensky said on Telegram.

He added that parties agreed "on the next steps and the format of the talks with America".

Sanctioned oil tanker is stranded off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

Bulgarian maritime authorities have launched efforts to evacuate the crew of the oil tanker Kairos stranded off the Black Sea port of Ahtopol and believed to be part of the “ shadow fleet ” used by Russia to evade international sanctions linked to its war in Ukraine.

Last week, the Gambian-flagged 274-meter Kairos caught fire after an alleged attack with Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea near the Turkish coast. It was sailing empty from Egypt toward the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

The 149,000-tonne Kairos, formerly flagged as Panamanian, Greek and Liberian, was built in 2002. It was sanctioned by the EU in July this year, followed by the UK and Switzerland.