Donald Trump has said Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘really let him down’, as he met with his UK counterpart Sir Keir Starmer for talks at Chequers.
“The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with president Putin. But he's let me down. He's really let me down,” the US president said, adding that “we’re sending lots of weapons to Nato”.
“Nato is paying for those weapons in full, but we’re sending them.”
The UK prime minister said the two countries are working together to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to get him to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine.
It comes as the Trump administration sends Ukraine its first missiles for Patriot air defence systems and HIMARS rocket launchers under a new Europe-funded scheme.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the first two batches, worth $500m (£366m) each, will “definitely include missiles for Patriot and HIMARS”.
Ukraine is bracing for a heavy autumn offensive from Russia, with Vladimir Putin’s forces accelerating strikes on its shattered energy system, including gas infrastructure.
‘Putin really let me down’: Trump says he thought war in Ukraine would be ‘easy to solve’
What is a no-fly zone? Poland and Ukraine call for protection of European airspace
Ukrainian man given life sentence for running Bali drugs lab
Tsunami warning issued briefly after strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Russia’s Kamchatka
Key Points
- Trump says US would help secure peace after Russia's war in Ukraine ends
- Watch: Trump says Putin has really let him down
- EU looks to accelerate ban on Russian LNG in 19th package of sanctions
- Zelensky says he visited frontline Donetsk region
- Trump says 'good news' coming up on Ukraine war
Five killed in Russian attacks over last day, Ukrainian authorities say
08:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneFive people have been killed and seven injured in Russian attacks over the last day, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The fatalities occurred during a Russian air strike on the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on Thursday, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Two women, aged 62 and 65, and three men, aged 65, 67, and 74, are understood to have died.
The Air Force said Moscow launched 86 drones across Ukraine overnight, 71 of which were intercepted.
RECAP: Ukraine says it will received $3.5 billion defence boost for US weapons
07:42 , Nicole Wootton-CaneUkraine is expecting $3.5 billion by next month for a critical fund to procure US weapons, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday.
It comes through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which brings together contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to facilitate the acquisition of American-made weapons, munitions, and equipment.
Pictured: Russian drone attack in Kyiv overnight
07:19 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
How Europe can help Ukraine against Russia by investing in its defence industry
06:45 , Arpan RaiWith little chance of Nato membership for Ukraine, the country's Western allies have bought into an alternate strategy for helping it repel Russian aggression: invest billions in Ukraine's weapons industry so it can better defend itself.
If the strategy works, Ukraine's weapons industry will eventually be able to help equip US and European armies, too, with cutting-edge drones and other military technology being developed in the midst of its war with Russia.
One recent advance in Ukraine's homegrown arsenal is a quadcopter drone that can evade Russian jamming devices, fly more than 20km (12 miles) and drop six kg(13 pounds) of guided explosives onto tanks and other high-value targets.
"The Ukrainians are the leaders in the world in terms of drone technology," Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration's special envoy for Ukraine said last week at a conference in Kyiv.
"We are working with Ukrainians now to make sure we have got this drone technology exchange, which I think is very important."
Europeans have been taking the threat from Russia more seriously since the second Trump administration began signaling that Nato members shouldn't be overly reliant on the US to defend them.
Anxieties across Europe were heightened last week after Russian drones launched from Belarus were shot down in Polish airspace.
‘Putin really let me down’: Trump says he thought war in Ukraine would be ‘easy to solve’
06:30 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has said that Vladimir Putin “really let me down” over his failure to take steps to end the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a press conference at Chequers alongside the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, the US president said he believed the conflict would be the “easiest to solve” due to his personal relationship with the Russian leader.
Hopes of a potential peace deal have not materialised following a summit held between Putin and Trump in Alaska last month, during which Mr Trump urged the Russian president to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. Since then, Mr Trump’s various deadlines and ultimatums for the Russian leader to engage with proposals have passed without obvious consequences.
‘Putin let me down’: Trump says he thought Ukraine war would be ‘easy to solve’
Trump says 'good news' coming up on Ukraine war
06:13 , Arpan RaiNot for the first time, Donald Trump hinted at a coming positive development in the war in Ukraine as he addressed a press conference alongside Keir Starmer in the UK yesterday.
“The Russia situation, I hope we’re going to have some good news for you coming up,” he said at Chequers, without sharing details.
The US president said he feels obligated to end the war in Europe.
“Millions of people have died in that war, millions of souls... They’re being killed, and I feel I have an obligation to get it settled for that reason,” he said.
The US leader has hit a dead end with his push to broker a ceasefire and get Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine. Sir Keir said he and Trump had discussed how to "decisively increase the pressure on Putin" and that Trump had "led the way here."
Ireland sends 34 vehicles and demining robots to Ukraine
05:42 , Arpan RaiIreland has delivered 34 military vehicles and three demining robots to Ukraine as part of its non-lethal military aid, the Irish government said yesterday.
The transfer of aid was done under Operation Carousel 3 by the Irish Defence Forces and transferred to Poland for handover to the Ukrainian military, the government said in a statement.
Tanaiste and defence minister Simon Harris said the important donation shows Ireland’s “steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal invasion”.
“It is imperative that we continue to stand firm in the face of ongoing Russian aggression and support Ukraine in whatever way we can,” the minister said.
The aid includes ambulances, trucks, vans, minibuses, and double cab Ford Rangers, along with three Reacher Robots to support demining operations.
Ukraine receives 1,000 bodies of soldiers killed in war with Russia
05:22 , Arpan RaiUkraine has received the remains of 1,000 service personnel killed in the war during its latest exchange with Russia, Ukrainian officials said yesterday.
“Repatriation measures took place today. 1,000 bodies, which according to the Russian side belong to Ukrainian servicemen, have been returned to Ukraine,” the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram in a statement.
More than 7,000 mostly unidentified bodies have been brought to Ukraine in recent months in multiple exchanges, a result of talks between the two sides in Istanbul earlier this year.
In a statement, Kyiv's coordinating council for prisoners of war said officials would work on identifying the bodies.
Watch: UK and US 'working together' to end wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Starmer says
05:15 , Arpan RaiFragments from downed drone damage Kyiv trolley bus lines
04:40 , Arpan RaiFragments from a downed Russian drone damaged trolley bus lines in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early hours today, the head of the city's military administration said.
Tymur Tkachenko said drone fragments had fallen in several locations, including on a road in central Shevchenkivsky district.
"The trolley bus network has been damaged," he wrote. "According to preliminary reports, there are no injuries."
Two air raid alerts were announced in quick succession after midnight in the city.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said drone fragments had also fallen in another district.
Trump says there are ways to end Ukraine war
04:30 , Arpan RaiDonald Trump has said he still believed there would be a solution to the conflict, and that one of the ways to get there was for Europe to stop buying Russian oil.
"Ultimately, if oil prices go down, or if Russia is not selling oil, they have no choice but to settle and European Union nations or the Nato nations... when they're buying oil from Russia, that's not the greatest thing," Trump said.
Earlier this month, Trump told European leaders that countries in the continent must stop buying Russian oil, claiming that it is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine.
On Sunday, the US president made a lengthy post on Truth Social and said he believes the Russia-Ukraine war would end if all Nato countries stopped buying oil from Moscow and placed tariffs on China of 50 per cent to 100 per cent for its purchases of Russian petroleum.
Since 2023, Nato member Turkey has been the third largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Other members of the 32-state alliance involved in purchasing Russian oil include Hungary and Slovakia.
Trump says US would help secure peace after Russia's war in Ukraine ends
04:10 , Arpan RaiThe United States would help to secure peace after Russia's war in Ukraine is settled, president Donald Trump said.
"After the war is settled, we would help secure the peace. And I think ultimately that'll happen," Trump told Fox News last night.
Trump also said that helping to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine had been more challenging than he anticipated and that he was "very disappointed" in Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"The one I thought was going to be easiest (to settle) was going to be Russia-Ukraine, because of my relationship with president Putin. So I'm disappointed," Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Moscow to reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine or face new sanctions, only to see the deadlines ignored.
He warmly welcomed Putin at what was billed by the White House as a peace summit in Alaska in mid-August but failed to secure major concessions.
Watch: Trump says Putin has really let him down
04:00 , Athena StavrouEU defence chief to convene talks on 'drone wall' to protect against Russia
03:00 , Athena StavrouEuropean Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on Thursday he plans to convene talks with defence ministers next week on creating a "drone wall" along the EU's eastern border - a project infused with urgency by a Russian drone incursion into Poland.
Kubilius told Reuters that some European Union countries had already been discussing the idea of a line of defence against drones before last week's incursion and the EU's executive arm now wanted to move quickly to turn the concept into reality.
‘Putin really let me down’: Trump says he thought war in Ukraine would be ‘easy to solve’
Friday 19 September 2025 00:01 , Athena Stavrou‘Putin let me down’: Trump says he thought Ukraine war would be ‘easy to solve’
Poland turns to Ukraine for drone warfare expertise
Thursday 18 September 2025 23:04 , Tom BarnesPoland's defence chief travelled to Kyiv on Thursday in search of Ukrainian help in developing his country's drone warfare capabilities, just over a week after Russian drones entered Polish airspace and exposed Nato's vulnerability to drone warfare.
Drones used for defence and attack have taken a central battlefield role in the more than three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, transforming how wars are waged, and countries are keen to master the new and quickly developing battlefield technology.
"We will be signing an agreement concerning co-operation between the (defence) ministries, but also acquiring capabilities when it comes to operating drones," Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in published comments.
Trump says he is very disappointed in Putin
Thursday 18 September 2025 22:03 , Tom BarnesDonald Trump said on Thursday that he was very disappointed in Russian President Vladimir Putin because the Russian leader has not agreed to end the war in Ukraine.
"I'm disappointed in Putin ... I'm very disappointed in him," Trump said in an interview with Fox News' "The Story with Martha MacCallum."
"The one I thought was going to be easiest (to settle) was going to be Russia-Ukraine, because of my relationship with President Putin. So I'm disappointed," Trump added.
EU looks to accelerate ban on Russian LNG in 19th package of sanctions, EU official says
Thursday 18 September 2025 21:00 , Steffie BanatvalaThe European Commission is discussing a proposal to accelerate a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas in its 19th package of sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, an EU official said.
The package is due to be presented to member states on Friday.
Pictures: Trump says Putin ‘really let me down’ amid stalled peace efforts
Thursday 18 September 2025 20:00 , Steffie Banatvala
The weapons Ukraine hopes will help resist Russian invasion
Thursday 18 September 2025 19:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Poland wants to benefit from Ukraine's knowledge about drones
Thursday 18 September 2025 18:00 , Steffie BanatvalaPoland wants to benefit from Ukraine's knowledge and skills regarding drone warfare, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has said as Warsaw and Kyiv announced the creation of a joint operational group for unmanned systems.
"We want to benefit from your knowledge and skills, and we want Polish companies, both public and private, to be able to participate in this together," Kosiniak-Kamysz said during a news conference in Kyiv.
Uzbekistan takes stake in Russia-backed Eurasian Development Bank
Thursday 18 September 2025 17:00 , Steffie BanatvalaUzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree this week on the country's accession to the Eurasian Development Bank, a Russian-backed alternative to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development.
The decree signed on Tuesday provides for Uzbekistan to pay $168.411 million from its state budget for EDB membership, becoming the bank's seventh member and third largest shareholder, with a stake of 10%.
Zelensky says he visited frontline Donetsk region
Thursday 18 September 2025 16:30 , Steffie BanatvalaPresident Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that he visited Ukraine's frontline Donetsk region.
Zelenskiy said on X that he had met soldiers taking part in fighting to recapture land near Dobropillia after Russian troops made rapid advances in the area in August.
"Step-by-step, the warriors are liberating our land: since the start of the operation, 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and seven settlements have been reclaimed," he added.
Explained: What is a no-fly zone? Poland and Ukraine call for protection of European airspace
Thursday 18 September 2025 16:00 , Steffie Banatvala
What is a no-fly zone? Poland and Ukraine call for protection of European airspace
In full: Trump says he thought war in Ukraine would be ‘easy to solve’ but Putin ‘really let me down’
Thursday 18 September 2025 15:49 , Steffie BanatvalaTrump says he thought war in Ukraine would be ‘easy to solve’ but Putin ‘let me down’
Trump says 'sending lots of weapons to Nato'
Thursday 18 September 2025 15:42 , Steffie BanatvalaTrump added that they are sending “lots of weapons to Nato”, as he met Sir Keir Starmer for talks at Chequers.
“Nato is paying for those weapons in full, but we’re sending them, and we’re doing a great job at getting them what they need, and we appreciate the fact that they’re taken care of, because the United States is into that war for 350 billion dollars and just really very sad.
“Just got out of control.”
Russia says it will answer Japan's new 'unfriendly' sanctions
Thursday 18 September 2025 15:30 , Steffie BanatvalaRussia's foreign ministry said that Japan's new sanctions against Russia were unfriendly and would not go unanswered.
Japan last week expanded its sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, targeting additional individuals and entities and lowering the price cap on Russian oil.
"Japan's latest unfriendly actions will not go unanswered," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
"But our response will be well thought out and based on national interests. We will continue to take appropriate countermeasures, including those of an asymmetric nature," Zakharova said.
Starmer says US, UK working to pressure Putin to get peace in Ukraine
Thursday 18 September 2025 15:27 , Steffie BanatvalaSir Keir Starmer has said the UK and US are working together to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to get him to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine.
"We have discussed today how we can build our defences, further support Ukraine and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree a peace deal that will last," Starmer told reporters.
Trump says Putin has 'really let him down'
Thursday 18 September 2025 15:25 , Steffie BanatvalaDonald Trump has said Putin ‘really let him down’, as he met Sir Keir Starmer for talks at Chequers.
“The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with President Putin. But he's let me down. He's really let me down,” the US President said.
“You thought were going to have an easy time or a hard time and it turns out to be the reverse.”
Russia hands over remains of 1,000 Ukrainian service personnel: Kyiv
Thursday 18 September 2025 15:00 , Steffie BanatvalaUkraine has received the remains of 1,000 service personnel killed in the war that began with Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion during its latest exchange with Russia, Ukrainian officials said.
More than 7,000 mostly unidentified bodies have been brought to Ukraine in recent months in multiple exchanges, a result of talks between the two sides in Istanbul earlier this year.
In a statement, Kyiv's coordinating council for prisoners of war said officials would work on identifying the bodies.
Ukrainian military in counteroffensive on eastern front: Zelensky
Thursday 18 September 2025 14:30 , Steffie BanatvalaUkraine's military is carrying out a counteroffensive operation against Russian forces on the eastern front, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Zelensky described fighting as heavy in the area of Dobropillia and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
"In fact, our forces are depriving the occupier of the opportunity to carry out a full-fledged offensive operation, which they had been planning for a long time and counting on," he said in a video address.
Pictures: Polish forces hold military exercises 'Iron Defender' with NATO soldiers
Thursday 18 September 2025 14:00 , Steffie Banatvala
ICYMI: Poland kickstarts 'Iron Defender' military exercise
Thursday 18 September 2025 13:30 , Steffie BanatvalaPoland kickstarted its military exercise Iron Defender-25, just days after Russia violated its airspace with a drone incursion.
Deputy polish defence minister Cezary Tomczyk said Poland had been preparing for many months and was holding its own exercises.
More than 30,000 troops from Poland and allied nations will take part in drills across Orzysz, Ustka, Nowa Dęba, the Baltic Sea, airspace, and cyberspace.
Hungary still opposed to phasing out Russian fuels faster than planned
Thursday 18 September 2025 13:00 , Steffie BanatvalaHungary has not changed position on phasing out Russian fuel, environment minister Aniko Raisz has indicated.
"I think you know our position. We are one of the few landlocked countries in the region. Our position has always been guided by the energy security for Hungary," Raisz told reporters in Brussels when asked if Hungary would support a faster phasing out of Russian fossil fuels or more sanctions on oil and gas.
"We know that we have important, important tasks ahead of us, but let's not daydream," she added.
Watch: Vladimir Putin observes joint military exercise with Belarus
Thursday 18 September 2025 12:30 , Steffie BanatvalaUkraine says it struck oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd overnight
Thursday 18 September 2025 12:26 , Steffie BanatvalaUkraine's military has said it had struck an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd region overnight.
Ukrainian special forces said the Volgograd oil refinery had halted operations, citing preliminary information in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Cyber attacks traced to Russia, China cost Germany €300bn over one year: survey
Thursday 18 September 2025 12:00 , Steffie BanatvalaCyber attacks cost the German economy almost 300 billion euros over the past year, according to a new survey.
The attacks are increasingly launched by foreign intelligence agencies rather than criminals.
Almost half of all companies that could identify the sources of attacks had traced them to Russia and China, while about a quarter traced them to other European Union countries or the United States.
"The trail leads relatively clearly and unambiguously to the east, with two countries at the forefront: Russia and China," said Ralf Wintergerst, Bitkom's head, unveiling the survey of some 1,000 companies. The survey was led by industry group Bitkom.
Trump, UK's Starmer to discuss Ukraine
Thursday 18 September 2025 11:30 , Steffie BanatvalaUK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to focus on foreign affairs when he hosts Trump at his Chequers country residence, hoping to persuade the US leader to take stronger action against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump pleased Europe by calling Russia "the aggressor" in the war last weekend but he is also demanding that Europe stop all purchases of Russian oil before he will agree to impose heavier sanctions on Moscow.
Russia gains far more than North Korea in military deal: report
Thursday 18 September 2025 11:26 , Steffie BanatvalaA new study has found that Russia and North Korea have an uneven military deal, with Russia benefiting much more.
The report, released by German think tank Friedrich Naumann Foundation, says North Korea has sent up to $9.8 billion in weapons and fighters to Russia since 2023.
In return, North Korea may have received between $457 million to $1.19 billion.
The two countries signed a major mutual defence agreement last year, raising concerns in the West.
Pictures: Poland's deputy PM, defence minister visit Kyiv
Thursday 18 September 2025 11:00 , Steffie Banatvala
Two Ukrainian drones attack major Russian petrochemical complex: senior official
Thursday 18 September 2025 10:30 , Steffie BanatvalaTwo Ukrainian drones attacked the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil processing and petrochemical complex, one of Russia's largest, in Russia's Bashkortostan region, Radiy Khabirov, the regional head, has said on his Telegram channel.
"We are assessing the extent of the damage. We're currently putting out the fire. All the (emergency) services are on site," he said.
He said there had been no casualties and that the complex's own security forces had opened fire at the drones.
Nato 'failed' in its duty to protect member states, says former chief
Thursday 18 September 2025 09:30 , Arpan RaiNato’s former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander and former British Army general Sir Richard Shirreff told The Independent that Nato had “failed” in its duty to protect member states.
“Last week Russia attacked a Nato country,” said Sir Richard, who is now chair of the Healix Risk and Security Advisory Board. “The whole purpose of Nato is to defend the airspace, land borders and the sea lines of communication. It ultimately does that through effective deterrence. Last week, that failed.”
He believes that the incursion was a “deliberate attack to probe Nato defenses”, adding that if Russia “smells weakness” it will persist in its aggression: “Nato has to respond with real strength.”
He said imposing a no-fly zone is “absolutely” the correct route to take.
In response to concerns of a wider war, he said: “This is an act of war against Russia, but it is in response to an act of war by Russia in a Nato member state. So it is entirely justifiable. In a very real sense, we are already at war with Russia.”
