The proposed summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been called off, with the US president saying he did not want a “wasted meeting”.
The White House has been reportedly left dismayed by Moscow’s refusal to budge on the Ukraine war, leading a preparatory meeting between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov expected in Budapest to also be postponed.
A White House official told The Independent on Tuesday that there are no plans for the presidential summit in the “immediate future”.
European leaders have called on Mr Trump to demand an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine based on present battle lines. But Putin has been telling his US counterpart that he wants Kyiv to hand over the entirety of the Donbas.
Two senior European diplomats told Reuters the postponement of the Rubio-Lavrov meeting suggested the US is reluctant to carry out with a Trump-Putin summit unless Moscow yields from its maximalist demands.
Earlier in the day, Russia had admitted it has “no idea” when a highly-anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin will take place.
Key Points
- No plans for Trump-Putin meeting in near future, White House official says
- Trump: Putin summit on hold because I did not want a wasted meeting
- Europe and Ukraine working on 12-point proposal to end war
- Ukraine uses British Storm Shadow missiles to strike chemical plant in Russia
- European leaders issue joint statement backing Trump position on ending war
- World is experiencing 'most fragile security moment since World War Two', warns Russian spy chief
Top EU official sceptical of potential Putin-Trump ceasefire deal
01:30 , Alex CroftUkraine's allies are concerned over the war-hit nation’s position on the battlefield and diplomatically, amid fears that Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin could sign a bad ceasefire deal, weakening all of Europe.
The outcome of their meeting could be a disaster not just for Ukraine but also for Europe, European officials have said.
“We see president Trump’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. Of course all these efforts are welcome, but we don’t see Russia really wanting peace,” top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas told reporters in Luxembourg yesterday.
“Russia only understands strength.”
Ukraine and its allies have long called for an immediate ceasefire with troops in place, while Moscow has demanded Ukraine cede further territory before it would halt fighting.
Mapped: The crucial Ukraine region Trump says should be ‘cut up’ between Zelensky and Putin
00:30 , Alex CroftA critical region of Ukraine became the centre of a heated debate between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump during a White House meeting, according to reports.
Vladimir Putin has long demanded that Ukraine cede the Donbas to Moscow, a chunk of eastern Ukraine the majority of which has been occupied by Russian forces since its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At an explosive meeting in Washington, DC on Friday, the US president is said to have told Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms or risk facing destruction.
President Zelensky’s visit to the Oval Office allegedly turned into a “shouting match”, with Trump resorting to profanity, sources told the Financial Times.
Trump reportedly aside maps of the Ukrainian frontline, urging Zelensky to surrender the Donbas region to Russia, seemingly adopting points Vladimir Putin made to Trump in their call the day before.
But it was reported that Zelensky succeeded in bringing Trump back to endorsing a freeze of the current front lines.
Click here to see the map of the Donbas region, and where the frontline cuts through it.
Mapped: The crucial Ukraine region Trump says should be ‘cut up’ for Putin
Trump: Putin summit on hold as I did not want a wasted meeting
23:38 , Alex CroftUS president Donald Trump said on Tuesday, when asked why his planned summit in Hungary with Russian president Vladimir Putin was put on hold, said he did not want to have a wasted meeting.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he had not made a determination about the meeting, which the president had wanted to hold soon in Budapest.
Russia launches overnight attack on Kyiv - mayor
23:35 , Alex CroftRussia launched an overnight air attack on Kyiv, with Ukraine's air defence units trying to repel it, Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, said on Wednesday.
"Stay in shelters!" Klitschko said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters' witnesses heard explosions in what sounded like air defence units in operation.
Ukraine uses British Storm Shadow missiles to strike chemical plant in Russia
23:34 , Alex CroftUkraine's military said late on Tuesday that it struck a chemical plant in southern Russia's Bryansk region that it described as vital to Moscow's war effort, in an attack that included Franco-British Storm Shadow air-launched missiles.
"A massive combined missile-and-air strike was carried out, including with air-launched Storm Shadow missiles that penetrated Russia's air defence system," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
"The results of the strike are being assessed," it said.
It described the plant as a "key facility" producing gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel.
The Independent could not independently verify the report.
The Russian Defence Ministry said in a Telegram post on Tuesday evening that within four hours in the afternoon its air defence units destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region.
The ministry rarely reports any damages inflicted by Ukraine in the war that Russia started with its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk region, said in a Telegram post that Ukraine was attacking the region with drones and missiles on Tuesday afternoon. He added that no one was injured in the attack and no damage was reported.
Poland arrests eight under suspicion of preparing for acts of sabotage
23:30 , Alex CroftPoland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has confirmed that Polish security services detained eight people suspected of preparing to carry out acts of sabotage in various regions on Tuesday.
“ABW (the internal security agency), in cooperation with other services, detained eight people in various parts of the country in recent days, suspected of preparing acts of sabotage,” the Polish leader wrote on X/Twitter.
“Further operational activities are continuing," he added.
On X, the minister responsible for special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, said, “The matters ... concern reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure elements, the preparation of means to carry out acts of sabotage, and the direct execution of attacks.”
Officials have reported being attacked with the use of arson and cyberattacks as part of a “hybrid war” waged by Russia to affect nations supporting Ukraine. Russia has denied the accusations.
The Independent's Sam Kiley in Kramatorsk: As Trump toys with Zelensky over territory, Russia continues to pick off civilians on the front line
22:30 , Maira ButtAnalysis | Cancelling the Putin-Trump Budapest summit ends the fantasy the US president can deliver peace in Ukraine
21:50 , Alex CroftWhat a relief that Vladimir Putin is more of a bully than a strategist. Had he been as savvy as Benjamin Netanyahu, he would have suckered the US president into backing a “ceasefire” that meant a victory and impunity.
Instead the White House has announced that planned talks between Donald Trump and Putin to be held in Budapest are off. They were cancelled after the US president said that the current front lines should be frozen as part of an immediate ceasefire.
Putin had reason to believe that he’d renewed backing from the US president for his demand that Ukraine must hand over more territory than Russia has already stolen as part of a deal to stop the shooting – because Trump had earlier said as much.
Our world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Cancelling the Budapest summit ends the fantasy Trump can deliver peace in Ukraine
Russian bombardment plunges hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians into blackout
21:29 , Daniel KeaneRussian attacks have let hundreds of thousands of people without power in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region.
Ukraine’s energy ministry said that the regional capital, also called Chernihiv, and the northern part of the province had lost all electricity supply after strikes on power facilities.
Reuters said that the outages had seen hundreds of residents go to “invincibility points” - tents with stoves and generators set up by authorities to give locals access to hear and electricity.
Ukrainian parliament amends 2025 budget
20:30 , Daniel KeaneUkraine's parliament has voted to amend the country's budget for this year, raising defence spending to a record level as the war with Russia dragged on into its fourth year.
Lawmakers approved the increase of about $7.7 billion, raising Ukraine's defence spending to a total of about $70.86 billion this year.
"We understand that the situation is constantly changing, and it is a forced necessity to increase spending to resist aggression effectively," Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.
"The government, with the support of the partners, has the sources to secure additional spending for Ukraine's defenders."
External power supply to be restored to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
19:30 , Daniel KeaneThe external power supply at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine is expected to be restored by Saturday, the Russian-installed management told Reuters.
Repair work began at the plant, which has had no power since late September, on October 18. The plant currently produces no electricity, but needs power to ensure fuel in the reactors remains cool and no meltdown occurs.
Russian troops seized the plant - Europe's largest, with six reactors - soon after the conflict in Ukraine began in 2022.
Full report: ‘No plans’ for Trump-Putin meeting ‘in the immediate future’ despite president’s claims of Hungary summit: White House
18:59 , Alex CroftThe White House is walking back President Donald Trump’s plan for talks on ending the four-year-old Russian war against Ukraine just days after he claimed he would meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest next month.
A White House official told The Independent there are “no plans” for a sit-down between Trump and Putin “in the immediate future” because Secretary of State Marco Rubio had conducted a “productive call” with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov which made an in-person meeting between the two top diplomats “not necessary.”
News of the scrapped meeting plans comes just days after what Trump described as a similarly “productive” call with Putin on the eve of last Friday’s visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Our White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:
‘No plans’ for Trump-Putin meeting ‘in the immediate future’: White House
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers ride a military buggy in Donetsk
18:30 , Daniel Keane
What do we know about Europe's new 12-point proposal for peace?
18:09 , Alex CroftAs we reported earlier, European nations are working with Ukraine on a 12-point proposal to end Russia's war along current battle lines.
Here is what we know about the plan, as reported by Bloomberg News.
- A ceasefire would be put in place on the present battle lines, serving as the basis for any future talks.
- Ukraine would receive security guarantees
- Ukraine would receive funds to repair war damage and
- A pathway to rapidly join the European Union would be set out for Kyiv,
- Once a ceasefire is agreed and both sides commit to halting territorial advances, both sides would look to secure the return of all deported children to Ukraine and the exchanges of prisoners.
- Negotiations would begin on the governance of occupied territories, though neither Europe nor Ukraine will legally recognise any occupied land as Russian, the report added, citing sources.
Botox injections could help pain relief for Ukrainian war amputees
17:55 , Daniel KeaneBotox is widely known to iron out wrinkles, but it could also help ease phantom limb pain in Ukrainian war amputees, researchers have found.
It is estimated that more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians have lost limbs since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Most amputees experience some degree of stump pain or "phantom limb" pain, where the patient can still feel real pain in the amputated limb.
But a study led by Northwestern Medicine and Ukrainian physicians, which involved 160 amputees treated at two hospitals in western Ukraine between 2022 and 2024, revealed this pain could be significantly reduced using Botox.
Read our full story below.
Botox injections could help pain relief for Ukrainian war amputees
'The Russians wanted too much,' says senior European diplomat
17:42 , Alex CroftTwo senior European diplomats have weighed in on the postponement of the meeting between Russian and US foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio.
The move may be a sign that the Americans could be reluctant to go ahead with a Trump-Putin summit unless Moscow yields from its demands, they told Reuters news agency.
"I guess the Russians wanted too much and it became evident for the Americans that there will be no deal for Trump in Budapest," said one.
The Russians "haven't at all changed their position, and are not agreeing to 'stop where they are'," said the second diplomat. "And I assume Lavrov gave the same spiel, and Rubio was like: 'See you later'."
Europe and Ukraine working on 12-point proposal to end war
17:29 , Alex CroftEuropean nations are working with Ukraine on a 12-point proposal to end Russia's war along current battle lines, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
A peace board chaired by US president Donald Trump would oversee the implementation of the proposed plan, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Under the plan, Ukraine would receive security guarantees, funds to repair war damage, and a clear pathway to rapidly join the EU, the report added.
No plans for Trump-Putin meeting in near future, White House official says
16:22 , Alex CroftThere are no plans for US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin to meet "in the immediate future," a senior White House official said on Tuesday, days after Trump floated another summit with his Russian counterpart.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov also have no plans to meet in person, the official told The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg, saying their call on Monday was "productive."
The preparatory meeting was postponed due to differences in opinion on the ceasefire.
European leaders have called on Mr Trump to demand an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine based on present battle lines, but Putin has repeatedly demanded that Kyiv cede more land.
In case you missed it: European leaders issue statement backing Trump's stance on ending war
16:15 , Maira ButtEuropean leaders including those of Britain, France, Germany, Ukraine and the European Union have issued a joint statement in support of US President Donald Trump’s position on ending the fighting between Ukraine and Russia.
“We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the statement published by several European governments including the UK on Tuesday, said.
“We must ramp up the pressure on Russia's economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace. We are developing measures to use the full value of Russia's immobilised sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs.”
The Independent View: If Ukraine falls, it won’t just be Donald Trump’s fault
15:45 , Maira ButtFor a man who prides himself on conducting diplomacy by instinct and through personal relationships, Donald Trump’s susceptibility to Vladimir Putin has long puzzled observers – and rightly caused extreme distress to those who stand to lose the most from it. He really doesn’t seem to be able to see Vladimir Putin for what he is: a cunning, ruthless and cruel imperialist, and a danger to the West.
Cost to send UK peace troops to Ukraine would be well over £100 million, says John Healey
15:15 , Maira Butt
Cost to send UK peace troops to Ukraine would be well over £100 million, says Healey
Russian drone attack kills four and injures four others
14:43 , Maira ButtA Russian drone attack has killed four people in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. Four others have been injured in the strike, according to the Suspilne broadcaster who cited police.
Russia says terms for peace remain unchanged
14:40 , Maira ButtRussia has said its terms for peace have remained unchanged since it began its military action against Ukraine in 2022.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was surprised by an “unscrupulous” CNN report that suggested the White House had postponed its meetings with Russia this week due to diverging views about the end of the conflict.
“I want to officially confirm: Russia has not changed its position compared to the understandings that were reached during the Alaska summit,” Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday.
He said he had told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the same during a phone call on Monday.
Ukraine raises defence spending by $7.7bn
14:15 , Maira ButtUkraine’s Parliament has voted to increase its defence spending by $7.7bn for the next year, it was announced on Tuesday.
The bill was based by 297 lawmakers, a comfortable majority.
The country is forced to spend a significant amount of its annual budget on fighting Russia, after it invaded its territory in February 2022.
Mapped: The crucial Ukraine region Trump says should be ‘cut up’ between Zelensky and Putin
13:51 , Maira ButtMapped: The crucial Ukraine region Trump says should be ‘cut up’ for Putin
Ukrainians brace for another winter of power cuts as Russia shifts tactics
13:27 , Maira ButtAs the lights went out in her hometown, 40-year-old Zinaida Kot could not help but think about her next dialysis treatment for kidney disease. Without electricity, the machine that keeps her alive stops working.
Kot is among millions of Ukrainians who are bracing for another winter of power cuts and possibly blackouts as Russia renewed its campaign of attacks on the country’s energy grid. Analysts and officials say that this year Moscow has shifted tactics, targeting specific regions and gas infrastructure.
Ukrainians brace for another winter of power cuts as Russia shifts tactics
Zelensky to visit Brussels and London later this week
13:05 , Maira ButtReuters news agency is reporting that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Brussels to attend a summit of the European Council on Thursday.
The summit is expected to discuss Ukraine and European defence, among other things, the European Union says.
Mr Zelensky is then expected to travel to London on Friday to attend a meeting of Kyiv's allies known as the "coalition of the willing".
In Pictures: Ukrainians survey destruction in aftermath of Russian drone attack
12:45 , Maira ButtPeople gather next to destroyed shops following what local authorities called a Ukrainian overnight drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Bataysk in the Rostov region, Russia on 21 October 2025.
Russia closely watching Nato nuclear deterrence exercise, says Kremlin
12:05 , Maira ButtRussia’s military has said it is paying close attention as Nato’s ongoing nuclear deterrence exercise gets underway, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
It said it will carefully analyse its progress and intent, as it takes place in the Netherlands.
The Steadfast Noon exercise began last week and involved 71 aircrafts from 41 nations.
Top EU official sceptical of potential Putin-Trump ceasefire deal
12:04 , Maira ButtUkraine's allies are concerned over the war-hit nation’s position on the battlefield and diplomatically, amid fears that Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin could sign a bad ceasefire deal, weakening all of Europe.
The outcome of their meeting could be a disaster not just for Ukraine but also for Europe, European officials have said.
“We see president Trump’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. Of course all these efforts are welcome, but we don’t see Russia really wanting peace,” top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas told reporters in Luxembourg yesterday.
“Russia only understands strength.”
Ukraine and its allies have long called for an immediate ceasefire with troops in place, while Moscow has demanded Ukraine cede further territory before it would halt fighting.
Kremlin says 'no dates mentioned by anyone' for Trump-Putin summit
11:39 , Maira ButtAfter speculation that a highly-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would take place in Budapest this week, the Kremlin has announced that no date has been set for the summit.
Trump had said that a summit could take place within two weeks, but Moscow never provided any timings.
CNN reported that a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had been postponed due to divergences about a possible end to the war.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to have external power supply restored by Saturday
11:25 , Maira ButtExternal power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plan will be restored by Saturday, Russian management told Reuters on Tuesday.
The plant has had no power since late September, and work began on 18 October. It produces no electricity at the moment, but requires power to ensure nuclear reactors remain cool to prevent a meltdown.
The IAEA warned that backup diesel generators failed “it could lead to a complete blackout and possibly causing an accident with the fuel melting and a potential radiation release into the environment, if power could not be restored in time”.
Russia seized Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, shortly after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia inflicts terror on Ukrainian soil while Trump toys with Zelensky over giving up land
11:16 , Maira ButtRussian troops have pushed into the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk – and immediately begun the casual commission of war crimes, with the murder of at least three civilians who were trying to flee the invaders.
In footage shared with The Independent, an elderly woman lies on the verge of a road by a level crossing not far from the railway tracks on the outskirts of the city. She is wounded, and still.
A few yards away, a body lies on its back – inert, dead. Nearby, another victim lies collapsed next to the bicycle they had loaded with supplies before desperately bumping the wheels over the rails as the enemy approached. Slow and awkward, he or she must have been an easy target for Vladimir Putin’s vanguard.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley from Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine:
Russia inflicts terror on Ukrainian soil while Trump toys with Zelensky over land
Russia's air defence units destroy 55 Ukrainian drones, says RIA
10:30 , Maira ButtRussian state media, RIA, has reported that 55 Ukrainian drones were destroyed by Russian air defence systems overnight.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested US-made Tomahawk missiles to allow it to carry out attacks deep in Russian territory.
Poland warns Russia against travelling through its airspace ahead of Trump summit
10:05 , Maira ButtPoland has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against travelling through its airspace for an impending summit in Hungary with US President Donald Trump.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin in 2023, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children.
“I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court won't order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand the suspect to the court in The Hague,” Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Radio Rodzina.
“I think the Russian side is aware of this. And, therefore, if this summit is to take place, hopefully with the participation of the victim of the aggression, the aircraft will use a different route.”
The ICC warrant obligates member states to arrest Putin if he sets foot in their territory.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to avoid the airspace of several countries due to an ICC arrest warrant also issued against him for alleged war crimes.
Poland has a tense relationship with Russia, after the country engaged in drone incursions into its airspace last month, prompting its foreign minister to demand the imposition of a no-fly zone.
Poland arrests eight under suspicion of preparing for acts of sabotage
09:45 , Maira ButtPoland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has confirmed that Polish security services detained eight people suspected of preparing to carry out acts of sabotage in various regions on Tuesday.
“ABW (the internal security agency), in cooperation with other services, detained eight people in various parts of the country in recent days, suspected of preparing acts of sabotage,” the Polish leader wrote on X/Twitter.
“Further operational activities are continuing," he added.
On X, the minister responsible for special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, said, “The matters ... concern reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure elements, the preparation of means to carry out acts of sabotage, and the direct execution of attacks.”
Officials have reported being attacked with the use of arson and cyberattacks as part of a “hybrid war” waged by Russia to affect nations supporting Ukraine. Russia has denied the accusations.
Russia attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure cuts power to 'hundreds of thousands'
09:20 , Maira ButtA Russian attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s northern region of Chernihiv has led to power cuts affecting “hundreds of thousands” of people.
“Emergency crews in Chernihiv region are unable to begin work on restoring power supply due to continuous attacks by Russian drones,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday.
Where is the Donbas region?
08:52 , Maira ButtDonald Trump has told Ukraine it will have to cede vast swathes of its territory, including the entire Donbas region, which is almost 90 per cent occupied by Russia.
European leaders issuing a statement on Tuesday said that “the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations”.
European leaders issue statement backing Trump's stance on ending war
08:27 , Maira ButtEuropean leaders including those of Britain, France, Germany, Ukraine and the European Union have issued a joint statement in support of US President Donald Trump’s position on ending the fighting between Ukraine and Russia.
“We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the statement published by several European governments including the UK on Tuesday, said.
“We must ramp up the pressure on Russia's economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace. We are developing measures to use the full value of Russia's immobilised sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs.”
World is experiencing 'most fragile security moment since World War Two', warns Russian spy chief
08:19 , Maira ButtWorld security is at its most fragile since World War II, Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR intelligence service said on Tuesday.
"The world is now experiencing the most fragile moment for international security since World War Two, namely a period of qualitative transformation of the global order," Russia’s RIA cited him saying on Tuesday.
He said there is a “fierce struggle” between the world’s power centres with the aim to redefine the contours of the future political landscape.
“Our shared, and perhaps principal, task is to ensure that adaptation to the new reality proceeds without a major war, as has happened at previous historical stages.”
