The Kremlin will not accept any presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory as part of European proposals for security guarantees.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: It was the advancement of NATO military infrastructure and the infiltration of this military infrastructure into Ukraine that could probably be named among the root causes of the conflict situation that arose.
"So we have a negative attitude towards these discussions."
Peskov praised US president Donald Trump efforts to end the war as “very important”, following US-Russian summit in Alaska earlier this month.
This comes as the US is reportedly prepared to offer intelligence assets and battlefield oversight and take part in a European-led air defence shield for Ukraine as part of post-war security guarantees, according to the Financial Times.
Last week, Trump suggested the US might provide air support as part of a deal to end the war. He told Fox News: "We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably... by air," though he didn't elaborate.
Key Points
- Russian troops inch forward in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region
- US offers air and intelligence support to postwar force in Ukraine - report
- Kremlin rejects NATO troops in Ukraine
- Map: Where have Putin troops entered in Ukraine?
- Trump says Putin not meeting Zelensky as 'he doesn't like him'
- Ukraine says Russian losses near 1.08 million since start of invasion
UK energy bills rise as wholesale gas prices remain 75% above pre-Russian invasion levels
18:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Household energy bills to rise by 2% despite falling wholesale prices
Woody Allen responds after Ukraine slams director for appearing at Russian film festival: ‘Disgrace and insult’
17:00 , Bryony Gooch
Woody Allen responds after Ukraine slams Russia festival appearance
Russia slashes 2025 economic growth forecast to 1.5% from 2.5%
16:30 , Steffie BanatvalaRussia sees 2025 economic growth at 1.5%, one percentage point lower than the earlier official forecast, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said at a Kremlin meeting on Wednesday.
Russia's economy grew robustly over 2023 and 2024 despite multiple rounds of Western sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but is slowing sharply this year.
Domestic activity has become strained by labour shortages and high interest rates introduced to tackle inflation, which has accelerated under record military spending.
Explained: How Norway's upcoming election is linked to Ukraine?
16:00 , Steffie BanatvalaNorway’s September election could impact Europe’s energy amid the Ukraine war.
The country is Europe's top gas supplier, replacing Gazprom after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Its role is set to grow as the European Union plans to phase out use of Russian gas by 2027, but exploiting new oil and gas reserves is critical to slowing down an expected production decline.
The election could decide whether Norway opens new areas for exploration, or if oil companies will remain restricted to existing ones, depending on the influence wielded by the Greens, Liberals and other small parties.
More radical proposals to stop exploration completely are unlikely to gather sufficient support.
Watch: Russia strikes key Ukraine energy facility in large-scale drone attack
15:30 , Bryony GoochUkraine launches tender for lithium deposit site in Kirovohrad region, PM says
15:00 , Bryony GoochUkraine has launched a tender for the right to mine a lithium deposit site in its central Kirovohrad region, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday.
The tender for the "Dobra" site is expected to be the first project in a joint investment fund with the United States that was signed in April as part of Kyiv's efforts to keep Washington onside in its war against invading Russian forces.
The deal, heavily promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump, gives the U.S. preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals deals and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction.
"The site contains significant reserves of lithium, which is of strategic importance for energy and technology," Svyrydenko wrote on the Telegram app.
"We are looking for an investor who will ensure not only extraction, but also the development of value-added production in Ukraine."
She said an official announcement would be published in the next two months, followed by three months of accepting bids, and then a decision to determine the winner.
Pictures: aftermath of Russian drone attack in Sumy region
14:30 , Steffie Banatvala
Ukraine says Russian move to quit treaty against torture is 'admission of guilt'
14:00 , Bryony GoochUkraine criticised Russia on Wednesday for setting out plans to withdraw from the Council of Europe's treaty for the prevention of torture, saying the proposal was a tacit admission of guilt by Moscow.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of war crimes and torturing civilians and prisoners of war since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Russia denies the allegations.
According to a Russian government website, the government announced plans on Monday to quit the Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which was signed by Moscow in 1996.
"This step is effectively an admission of guilt - of systematic torture and an attempt to evade responsibility for gross human rights violations," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moscow's decision would need to be approved by President Vladimir Putin and passed in a vote in parliament before it comes into force, the website said.
In March, a United Nations Commission said that Russia's "widespread and systematic" use of enforced disappearances and torture of Ukrainians during its war in Ukraine amounted to crimes against humanity.
The Netherlands and 40 other OSCE member states have also called for an independent investigation into allegations of torture and mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces.
German jets reportedly scrambled to intercept Russian spy plane over the Baltic
13:30 , Bryony Gooch
German jets reportedly scrambled to intercept Russian spy plane over the Baltic
Intelligence source claims explosion hit key Russian oil pipeline supplying military
13:00 , Steffie BanatvalaA source in Ukraine's military intelligence has said a ‘powerful explosion’ erupted near Ryazan city in western Russia, damaging an oil pipeline supplying Moscow.
The source told the Kyiv Independent that the pipeline helps supply fuel to the Russian military.
Consequentially, “the transportation of petroleum products to Moscow (through the pipeline) has been suspended indefinitely," the source said.
Kremlin rejects NATO troops in Ukraine
12:38 , Steffie BanatvalaThe Kremlin called US peace efforts in Ukraine "very important" but rejected European security guarantee proposals and NATO troop deployments, in its daily briefing.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said high-level talks must be well-prepared and claimed Russian strikes target only military-linked sites, despite reports of targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Watch: JD Vance suggests World War 2 ended with 'negotiations' as he defends Ukraine-Russia talks
12:30 , Bryony GoochUkrainian drone attacks on oil refineries have some Russian regions running on empty
12:00 , Bryony Gooch
Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries have some Russian regions running on empty
Kremlin praises US efforts to resolve Ukraine conflict but says it doesn't like European proposals
11:44 , Bryony GoochThe Kremlin on Wednesday praised efforts by the United States to achieve peace in Ukraine, saying this month's US - Russia summit in Alaska had been "meaningful and necessary."
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow took a negative view of European proposals regarding security guarantees for Kyiv. He reiterated Russia's longstanding position that no troops from NATO countries should be deployed to Ukraine.
German jets scrambled to intercept 'Russian spy plane' over Baltic Sea - report
11:30 , Bryony GoochTwo German air force Eurofighter jets scrambled to intercept a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday according to German outlet Deutsche Welle.
NATO's air command gave the order to intercept the aircraft, which was flying in international airspace with its transponders turned off and without submitting a flight plan.
Moscow is suspected of using such aircraft to gather information about NATO military activity on the Baltic coast, particularly in Poland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Poland has had to scramble jets numerous times along its borders throughout the war.
Watch: Ukraine unveils devastating new ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile that can strike deep inside Russia
11:00 , Bryony GoochChina says it is not reasonable for it to join nuclear disarmament talks with US and Russia
10:30 , Bryony GoochChina has said that it is neither reasonable nor realistic to ask the country to join nuclear disarmament negotiations with the United States and Russia.
Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, made the remarks after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had discussed nuclear arms control with Russian President Vladimir Putin and wanted China to be involved too.
"The nuclear forces of China and the United States are not at the same level at all, and the strategic security environment and nuclear policies of the two countries are totally different," Guo said.
In pictures: Russian soldiers display flags, following alleged capture of Ukraine's Zaporizke in the Dnipropetrovsk
10:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russia attacked Ukrainian energy and gas transit infrastructure overnight, energy ministry says
09:30 , Bryony GoochUkrainian energy ministry said that Russia attacked energy and gas transit infrastructure in six Ukrainian regions overnight.
Russian forces significantly damaged gas transport infrastructure in Poltava region and struck equipment at one of the key substations in Sumy.
Ukraine's main gas production facilities are located in Poltava and Kharkiv regions.
Russia launches 95 drones and missiles at Ukraine
09:02 , Bryony GoochRussian forces attacked with 95 drones and missiles from the directions of Kursk, Millerovo, Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, and Chauda in temporarily occupied Crimea.
The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and unmanned systems, and mobile fire groups, according to Ukraine’s defence forces.
Armed forces shot down 74 drones and missiles as of 9am in the north, south and east of the country with 21 hitting nine different locations.
US offers air and intelligence support to postwar force in Ukraine - report
08:52 , Bryony GoochThe United States has said it is prepared to provide intelligence assets and battlefield oversight to any Western security blanket for post-war Ukraine and take part in a European-led air defence shield for the country, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
They cited four officials who said the US would be ready to contribute surveillance and reconnaissance as well as air defence assets.
This would enable any European-led team on the ground, the report added.
Donald Trump last week suggested they might provide air support as part of a deal to end the war.
"We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably... by air," Trump told Fox News, though he didn't elaborate.
Russian attack damaged energy sector facility in Ukraine's Poltava, governor says
08:10 , Bryony GoochA Russian drone attack overnight damaged an energy sector facility in Ukraine's central Poltava region, its governor said on Wednesday.
The attack temporarily cut power to consumers, which has since been restored, Governor Volodymyr Kohut said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
The overnight drone attack also cut power in parts of the northern city of Sumy after Russia struck critical infrastructure facilities, local officials said.
All water utility facilities were without power and relied on emergency backups as of Wednesday morning, according to the head of Sumy city military administration Serhii Kryvosheienko.
Healthcare facilities also used backup power sources, he said.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it downed 74 drones out of 95 launched by Russia overnight, while 21 drones struck nine locations around the country.
Ukrainian Energy Ministry said last week that energy facilities had been attacked 2,900 times since March 2025 alone.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, but says energy systems and other infrastructure are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort.
Ukrainian drone attack sparks fire, evacuation in Russia’s Rostov
07:32 , Namita SinghDebris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone sparked a fire on the roof of an apartment building in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, forcing the evacuation of 15 residents, acting Rostov regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on Wednesday.
"Most importantly, no one was injured," Slyusar said on the Telegram messaging app, adding the fire was contained.
Russia's air defence units destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 15 over the Rostov region, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.
The ministry publishes data on the number of drones Russia destroyed, not how many Ukraine launched.
Slyusar said drones were brought down in seven different districts in the region, with falling debris damaging roofs and facades of several residential houses.
Tass state news agency reported that at least seven apartment buildings were damaged following the drone attack in the centre of Rostov-on-Don.
The reports could not be independently verified.
Trump's doubling of tariffs on Indian imports takes effect, hiking tensions
07:06 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump's doubling of tariffs on goods from India to as much as 50 per cent took effect as scheduled on Wednesday, escalating tensions between the world's two largest democracies and strategic partners.
A punitive 25 per cent tariff imposed due to India's purchases of Russian oil adds to Trump's prior 25 per cent tariff on many products from India.
It takes total duties to as high as 50 per cent for goods such as garments, gems and jewellery, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and chemicals - among the highest imposed by the US and on par with Brazil and China.
The new tariffs threaten thousands of small exporters and jobs, including in prime minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat.
India's commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, an official from the ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said exporters hit by tariffs would receive financial assistance and be encouraged to diversify to markets such as China, Latin America and the Middle East.
A US Customs and Border Protection notice to shippers provides a three-week exemption for Indian goods that were loaded onto a vessel and in transit to the US before the midnight deadline.
These goods can still enter the US at prior lower tariff rates before 12.01am on 17 September.
Russia attack damaged energy sector enterprise in Ukraine's Poltava, governor says
06:51 , Namita SinghA Russian attack overnight damaged an energy sector enterprise in Ukraine's Poltava region, its governor said on Wednesday.
The attack temporarily cut power to consumers, which has since been restored, governor Volodymyr Kohut said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine says Russian losses near 1.08 million since start of invasion
06:32 , Namita SinghRussia has suffered around 1,078,750 casualties in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022, according to Kyiv’s military.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a Facebook post that 920 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the past 24 hours.
US and Russian officials discussed energy deals alongside latest Ukraine peace talks
06:26 , Namita SinghThe US and Russian government officials discussed several energy deals on the sidelines of negotiations this month that sought to achieve peace in Ukraine, according to five sources familiar with the talks.
These deals were put forward as incentives to encourage the Kremlin to agree to peace in Ukraine and for Washington to ease sanctions on Russia, they said.
Russia has been cut off from most international investment in its energy sector and from striking major deals due to sanctions following the Ukraine invasion that began in February 2022.
The officials discussed the possibility of Exxon Mobil re-entering Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project, three of the sources said.
Exxon, the top US oil producer, has held numerous discussions with Russian state-controlled oil firm Rosneft about re-entering the project after receiving approval from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control under the administrations of both former president Joe Biden and president Donald Trump, said a separate source familiar with the matter.
The talks were held during US envoy Steve Witkoff’s trip to Moscow earlier this month when he met with Russian president Vladimir Putin and his investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, three of the sources said.
They were also discussed within the White House with Trump, two of the sources said.
Map: Where have Putin troops entered in Ukraine?
06:01 , Namita SinghRussia claims capture of two villages in Dnipropetrovsk, disputed by Ukraine
05:30 , Namita SinghUkraine’s military has denied Moscow’s assertions that Russian forces have taken full control of two villages in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Russian defence ministry announced that its troops had seized Zaporizke and Novogeorgiivka, settlements situated just inside the oblast.
However, Ukraine’s general staff rejected the claim, saying that fighting was still ongoing.
Battlefield monitor DeepState, which maintains close connections with Kyiv’s military, reported on Tuesday that Russian units had “occupied” both villages and were “consolidating its positions [and] accumulating infantry for a further advance”.
The Dnipropetrovsk region does not fall among the five territories that Russia has illegally annexed – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea.
Donbas: Why Russia wants eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland
05:10 , Bryony Gooch
Putin fawns over Trump as ‘light at the end of tunnel’ for US and Russi
05:00 , Bryony Gooch
Inside the Ukrainian firm building drones to strike Russia
04:50 , Bryony Gooch
Putin has ‘made good faith effort’ to engage in peace talks – Trump official
04:04 , Namita SinghSteve Witkoff said he thought Russian president Vladimir Putin wanted to bring an end to the war.
"I think he (Putin) has made a good faith effort to engage. He certainly did at the Alaska summit. But it's a very complicated conflict," Mr Witkoff, the US special envoy, said on Fox News.
President Donald Trump held a summit with Putin in Alaska on 15 August and a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as Nato and European leaders, at the White House on 18 August.
Following those meetings, Mr Trump said Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin would hold a bilateral meeting before a trilateral meeting that would also include him.
But as progress stalled, the Ukrainian president said Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting between him and Mr Putin. Russia has said it does not believe the agenda for such a meeting is ready.
"I think that we may end up seeing a bilateral meeting," Mr Witkoff said. "My own opinion is that the president is going to be needed at the table to finish a deal."
Russian troops inch forward in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region
04:00 , Bryony GoochRussia has captured two villages in Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian open-source researchers confirmed on Tuesday, as Kremlin troops press an offensive amid a stalling diplomatic effort to end the war.
Ukraine's outmanned and outgunned military has struggled to fend off grinding Russian advances in much of the east as Moscow increases pressure on Kyiv to give up territory in any peace negotiations.
Russian forces now occupy the villages of Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka, according to DeepState, a group tracking battlefield developments. Moscow's defence ministry had previously reported capturing both villages.
Ukraine's military on Tuesday dismissed reports that Russian troops had occupied the villages as false.
"Russians have entered (there) and are attempting to establish a foothold," Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov told Reuters, referring to Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka. "Our forces are fighting to maintain their positions."
Russian forces said in July they had taken their first village in Dnipropetrovsk, which is not among the five Ukrainian regions Russia has claimed as its own territory.
DeepState's map shows at least two other Dnipropetrovsk villages either occupied or the site of fighting, comparatively minuscule areas in the region of over 31,000 square kilometres.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had previously dismissed the significance of Russia's push into the region, describing it last month as aimed at achieving a "media victory".
Witkoff to meet Ukrainians in New York this week
03:58 , Namita SinghUS special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday that he will meet with representatives from Ukraine in New York this week.
The Trump administration official said Washington continues to talk with Russia as the United States seeks an end to Moscow's war in Ukraine.
"I'm meeting with the Ukrainians this week. So I will be meeting with them this week in New York, and that's a big signal. We talk to the Russians every day," Witkoff said on Fox News.
Watch: JD Vance suggests World War 2 ended with 'negotiations' as he defends Ukraine-Russia talks
03:00 , Bryony GoochWatch: Ukraine unveils devastating new ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile that can strike deep inside Russia
16:46 , Steffie BanatvalaRecap: Russia being ‘disrespectful’ to Ukraine peace process, Downing Street says
02:00 , Bryony GoochRussia has been accused of being “disrespectful” to the peace process in its war with Ukraine, with the Government saying it is dragging its feet over talks.
Downing Street said Vladimir Putin was blatantly stalling progress, less than a fortnight since the Russian president met with US President Donald Trump in Alaska.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with European leaders, met Mr Trump in Washington days after the Alaska meeting to get an update on the talks.
“I think Russia cannot be more blatant about dragging its feet, and stalling the peace talks,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
“Ukraine has long been clear it’s willing to enter the… peace talks.
“But we continue to see Russia and President Putin prevaricate, these unrealistic asks and delaying tactics to ensure these bilaterals aren’t going ahead.”
Desperate search for Russian swimmer missing in cross-Bosphorus race
01:00 , Bryony Gooch
Desperate search for Russian swimmer who went missing in cross-Bosphorus race
Recap: Trump says Putin not meeting Zelensky as 'he doesn't like him'
Wednesday 27 August 2025 00:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Donald Trump believes Vladimir Putin is avoiding meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky simply due to personal animosity.
The US president has been pushing to arrange a peace summit between the two leaders but his efforts have so far been rebuffed by Moscow.
Asked yesterday why Putin was refusing to meet Zelensky, Trump appeared once again to sympathise with the Russian leader.
“Because he doesn’t like him,” Trump said, adding: “I have people I don’t like, I don’t like to meet with them.”
Trump added that there could be consequences if Putin and Zelensky do not meet soon, though he did not specify what those would be.
Ukraine says Russian forces have entered Dnipropetrovsk region
Tuesday 26 August 2025 23:48 , Alex CroftUkrainian forces have said that Russian troops have crossed into Ukraine’s eastern industrial region of Dnipropetrovsk.
The Russian military seeks to establish a foothold in the region, Viktor Trehubov, of the Dnipro Operational-Strategic Group of Troops told the BBC.
"This is the first attack of such a large scale in Dnipropetrovsk region," he said.
Russia has claimed over the past months that it had entered the area, claims which had not been acknowledged by Kyiv.
Ukrainian open-source researchers said earlier on Tuesday that Russia had captured two villages in Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, as Kremlin troops press an offensive amid a stalling diplomatic effort to end the war.
Russian forces now occupy the villages of Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka, according to DeepState, a group tracking battlefield developments. Moscow's defence ministry had previously reported capturing both villages.
Ukraine's military on Tuesday dismissed reports that Russian troops had occupied the villages as false.
"Russians have entered (there) and are attempting to establish a foothold," Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov told Reuters, referring to Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka. "Our forces are fighting to maintain their positions."
Watch: Ukraine unveils devastating new ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile that can strike deep inside Russia
Tuesday 26 August 2025 23:00 , Bryony GoochWoman who fled Ukraine to escape war stabbed to death in North Carolina train station
Tuesday 26 August 2025 22:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Woman who fled Ukraine to escape war stabbed to death in North Carolina train station
Trump envoy says officials 'working hard' to end war in Ukraine
Tuesday 26 August 2025 21:00 , Steffie Banatvala
US president Donald Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg said officials are "working very, very hard" on efforts to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine despite a lack of progress in talks.
Mr Kellogg said in Kyiv that officials are "hoping to get to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees" that address Ukraine's fears of another invasion by Russia in the future.
"That's a work in progress," he said of the potential security guarantees, after attending Ukraine's annual National Prayer Breakfast along with politicians, business leaders and diplomats.
Archbishop who met with Putin admits he made a mistake by not calling for end to Ukraine war
Tuesday 26 August 2025 20:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Archbishop who met with Putin apologizes after not calling for end to Ukraine war
ICYMI: Report claims US has blocked Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia
Tuesday 26 August 2025 19:00 , Steffie BanatvalaThe US has reportedly been blocking Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Both US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (Atacms) and British-produced Storm Shadows depend on US targeting data.
A new review process brought in by Washington in late spring has blocked Ukraine from using Atacms at least one, the report claimed.
In response, Zelensky said Kyiv had recently been using its own weapons and not consulting with Washington over strikes.
Trump and Putin discussed Russia’s nuclear disarmament, says US president
Tuesday 26 August 2025 18:00 , Steffie BanatvalaDonald Trump has said he discussed nuclear disarmament with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during their joint talks in Alaska.
"I think the denuclearisation is a very, it's a big game," Trump said yesterday, speaking to the reporters.
"But Russia is willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it. We can't let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons," Trump said but he did not share more details.
Earlier this month, Russia declared that it no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of nuclear-capable intermediate range missiles.
The announcement was considered a warning that potentially sets the stage for a new arms race as tensions between Moscow and Washington rise again over Ukraine.
Zelensky says work on security guarantees for Ukraine should be sped up
Tuesday 26 August 2025 17:00 , Bryony GoochKyiv and its allies should speed up their efforts to draw up future security guarantees for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
"We must intensify our work to the maximum and ensure clarity and transparency in everything related to security guarantees," he said after a meeting in Kyiv with the chief of Britain's defence staff Tony Radakin.
Woody Allen responds after Ukraine slams Russia festival appearance
Tuesday 26 August 2025 16:30 , Steffie BanatvalaWoody Allen responds after Ukraine slams Russia festival appearance
Polish president's veto threatens Ukraine's Starlink access
Tuesday 26 August 2025 16:00 , Steffie BanatvalaUkraine's access to Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink could be cut due to the Polish president's veto of a refugee aid bill, Poland’s deputy prime minister has said.
Poland pays for Ukraine to use Starlink, which provides crucial internet connectivity to the country and its military as they try to push back invading Russian forces.
But Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Monday that the President’s veto of a bill extending state financial support to Ukrainian refugees would mean is no legal basis for paying for Starlink.
"This is the end of Starlink internet, which Poland provides to Ukraine as it wages war," he wrote on X.
Zelensky thanks first responders who are carrying out 'titanic tasks'
Tuesday 26 August 2025 15:30 , Steffie BanatvalaEvery day, the work of our first responders proves that they are true heroes. Our people carry out titanic tasks and always act to help as quickly as possible, to save as many lives as they can. After shelling, under repeated strikes, in frontline regions and in the rear – they… pic.twitter.com/zzt3qOK9WE
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 26, 2025
Pictures: Ukrainians pay respects for fallen soldiers
Tuesday 26 August 2025 15:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Polish government says president's Ukraine bill veto may cost 8bn zlotys (£1.62bn)
Tuesday 26 August 2025 14:50 , Steffie BanatvalaThe decision by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to veto a bill on aid to Ukrainian refugees could create 8 billion zlotys (£1.62 billion) in additional costs and necessitate an amendment to the budget, the interior ministry has said.
Belgian PM says best to leave frozen Russian funds in Euroclear for now
Tuesday 26 August 2025 14:30 , Steffie BanatvalaBelgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has said he thinks it would be best to leave frozen Russian funds at Belgium-based Euroclear until any peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
"A whole lot of these funds are immobilized in Brussels at Euroclear. I know that there are governments that are trying to seize the money. But I would like to warn that this is not so easy legally," De Wever told reporters during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.
Pictures: Russian soldiers display flags after capturing Zaporizke in Dnipropetrovsk
Tuesday 26 August 2025 14:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Zelensky provides military update: work with Coalition of the Willing needs acceleration
Tuesday 26 August 2025 13:30 , Steffie BanatvalaI held a meeting with the military: the situation on the frontline and in the border areas, formation of reserves, and work with partners on security guarantees.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 26, 2025
We discussed in detail the key needs of each sector and unit. It is very important that it is our units who define… pic.twitter.com/UylGMuRIks
