Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held a “very important” conversation on Friday afternoon, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said.
The presidents discussed the supply of air defences to Ukraine, which was partially halted by Washington this week over concerns about stockpiles at home, according to a report in Axios.
They also discussed escalating Russian aerial attacks, after Moscow’s forces fired 550 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Friday - which Kyiv says is the largest attack of the war so far.
“A very important and meaningful conversation between the Presidents,” said Andriy Yermak, adding that further details would come “soon”.
The phone call took place after a Polish minister warned Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin is “mocking” his efforts towards peace, following a huge Russian air attack on Kyiv.
Kyiv’s authorities said at least 23 people were injured and heavy damage was sustained to railway infrastructure, buildings and cars.
“President Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts,” Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told the US president in an X post.
Meanwhile, Dutch and German intelligence agencies both said on Friday Russia has made “widespread” use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Key Points
- Trump and Zelensky hold 'important conversation'
- Putin is 'mocking' your peace efforts, Trump told
- Russia fires record 550 drones and missiles in war's largest attack
- 23 injured in massive Russian drone attack on Kyiv
- Trump says he has made 'no progress at all' after phone call with Putin
- Russian use of banned chemicals in Ukraine 'widespread' - Dutch intelligence
Trump and Zelensky discuss air defence and Russian air attacks in call - report
15:31 , Alex CroftDonald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky discussed air defence and escalating Russian attacks on Ukraine during their phone call, according to a report in Axios.
Washington halted the transfer of some air defence systems to Ukraine over concerns about its systems at home, a decision which Kyiv says will damage its ability to defend itself against increasingly intense Russian air attacks overnight.
From Thursday night into Friday, Russian forces fired 550 drones and missiles into Ukrainian territory, which Kyiv says is the most since the war began.
The largest drone attacks from Russia have all come in the past month, as it scales up drone production.
Trump and Zelensky hold 'important conversation'
14:54 , Alex CroftUkrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Friday an “important conversation between presidents” had taken place.
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky had been expected to talk to US president Donald Trump on Friday.
It comes one day after a call between Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin brought “no progress” towards peace.
Zelensky confirms Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap
14:28 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Ukrainian service personnel had been returned home in a fresh prisoner swap with Russia.
Moscow’s Defence Ministry had earlier announced the swap.
Unusually, Mr Zelensky did not specify how many prisoners had been returned.
Our people are home. Most of them had been held in Russian captivity since 2022.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2025
Today, our defenders who fought for Ukraine in various regions – the Donetsk region and Mariupol, the Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions – are coming back. These are warriors of the Armed Forces,… pic.twitter.com/HR6PCPyXGO
Germany expects Slovakia to approve EU sanctions package on Russia
14:00 , Alex CroftGermany expects Slovakia to approve a new European Union sanctions package on Russia soon, as Bratislava's reservations have been addressed, a government spokesperson said in Berlin on Friday.
"There were reservations on the part of Slovakia, which, to my knowledge, have been resolved in negotiations over the last few days," said the spokesperson.
Analysis | Putin may be mocking Trump over Ukraine - but the US president won’t do anything about it
13:59 , Alex CroftThe announcement that the US is suspending promised weapons such Patriot air defence missiles, will inevitably entrench the already strong belief that Trump has taken Putin’s side after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and that the US is no longer a real ally in the defence of Europe.
Pentagon officials suggested the suspension was a “pause” in delivery of Patriots, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles mounted on Ukrainian F-16 aircraft as part of a review of US supplies worldwide.
But the US has not declared a pause in supply to any other nation. Israel is the largest recipient of US military aid by far and has recently enjoyed an uptick in supplies of bombs and missiles even as it stands accused by the United Nations of “ethnic cleansing” and its prime minister has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Our world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Putin may be mocking Trump over Ukraine - but US president won’t do anything about it
Russia occupies two northeastern cities - DeepState
13:29 , Alex CroftAccording to an authoritative battlefield map, Russian forces appear to have gained ground in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
The villages of Milove and Stroivka have been occupied by the Russian army over the past day, the DeepState group of military analysts said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Russia also advanced near Topoli in the Kharkiv region and Piddubne in the eastern Donetsk region.
Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine ‘widespread and growing’ European intelligence warns
12:58 , Alex CroftRussia has been accused by European intelligence agencies of “widespread” use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine.
While it was already accused of using tear gas in its three-year war in Ukraine, German and Dutch intelligence agencies say Moscow has expanded its use of chemical weapons on the battlefield, including the use of potentially-lethal chemical choking agent chloropicrin.
Dutch intelligence said the chemical is dropped from Russian drones to force soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, as Russia looks to continue making gains on the battlefield despite international efforts towards peace.
The chemical, which was widely used during World War One, can cause irritation of the lungs, eyes and skin and can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.
Read the full report:
Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine ‘widespread’, warns European intelligence
Germany to boost military service scheme
12:30 , Alex CroftGermany's new military service scheme will train recruits over a six-month period in simple tasks like guard duties, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Friday, as the country seeks to boost its defences after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
With the help of the scheme - which is to be voluntary, with the possibility of drafting recruits if uptake is deemed too low - Germany hopes to double the number of its trained reservists from the current 100,000.
The defence ministry declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
In pictures: Firefighters work after Russian attack sees flames erupt
11:59 , Alex Croft
Putin is 'mocking' your peace efforts, Polish foreign minister tells Trump
11:47 , Alex CroftPolish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has told Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin is “mocking” his peace efforts.
He urged the US president to restore full weapon supplies to Ukraine, after the US withdrew some military support citing the need to keep some of its machinery at home.
“Massive Russian attack last night has caused fires and much damage, including to the Polish consulate in Kyiv,” Mr Sikorski wrote on X.
“President Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts.
“Please restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor,” he added.
Massive Russian attack last night has caused fires and much damage, including to the Polish consulate in Kyiv.
— Radek Sikorski (@radeksikorski) July 4, 2025
President Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts.
Please restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor.
Russia and Ukraine carry out another prisoner swap, Moscow says
11:31 , Alex CroftRussia and Ukraine exchanged another batch of prisoners of war on Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement, without specifying how many soldiers were involved in the swap.
The warring sides have exchanged prisoners several times - the latest on June 26 - as part of an agreement struck in Istanbul last month.
Watch: Trump warns Putin 'not looking to stop' war with Ukraine
11:01 , Alex CroftRussia hammers Kyiv in largest missile and drone barrage since war in Ukraine began
10:29 , Alex CroftWaves of drone and missile attacks targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial attack since Russia's war in Ukraine began, injuring 23 people and inflicting damage across multiple districts of the capital.
Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, the country’s air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, while Russia used 11 missiles in the attack.
Full report here:
Russia hammers Kyiv in largest missile and drone barrage since war in Ukraine began
Russia comes under attack from Ukrainain drones
10:00 , Alex CroftRussia’s Rostov region and the Sergiyevo-Posadsky district near Moscow came under drone attack overnight into Friday, Russian authorities have reported.
Drones attacked several cities, damaging cars and residential buildings in the Rostov region, the regional governor Yury Slyusar said. Debris from one of the drones dropped on a local stadium, he added.
Russian authorities also said a high-rise building was destroyed in the village of Dolotnika, where a floor slab collapsed killing a pensioner. A total of 200 residents were evacuated, authorities said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Watch: Ukrainians run for cover as Russia strikes in biggest overnight attack of war
09:29 , Alex CroftRussia expands use of chemical weapons, says Germany
08:58 , Alex CroftRussia has increased its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency said on Friday, citing evidence it obtained alongside its Dutch counterparts.
Russia uses not only tear gas, but also "the more dangerous chemical chloropicrin, which can be lethal in high concentrations in enclosed spaces" in Ukraine, the BND said in a statement.
"This represents a more serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of this lung warfare agent under all circumstances," it said.
The defence minister and chief of military intelligence in the Netherlands told Reuters.
Russian use of banned chemicals in Ukraine 'widespread' - Dutch intelligence
08:30 , Alex CroftReuters is reporting that Dutch intelligence has gathered evidence of widespread Russian use of banned chemicals in Ukraine.
This includes dropping a choking agent from drones to drive soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, the report says according to the Netherlands’ defence minister, Ruben Brekelmans.
Dutch intelligence accuses Russian forces of also using chloropicrin, a banned warfare agent first used by Germany during World War One. It is the first time Russia has been reported to use these substances.
"The main conclusion is that we can confirm Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons," Mr Bekelmans said
"This intensification is concerning because it is part of a trend we have been observing for several years now, where Russia's use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normalized, standardized, and widespread."
Zelensky: Russian drone attacks 'deliberately massive and cynical'
08:00 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky has spoken out on Russia’s overnight drone attack, which he says was one of the largest yet.
Russia will not stop its strikes without large-scale pressure, Mr Zelensky said on Friday.
"For every such strike against people and human life, they must feel appropriate sanctions and other blows to their economy, their revenues, and their infrastructure," he said on X, calling the attack "deliberately massive and cynical".
"Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror," he added.
Firefighting efforts and debris removal are still ongoing after another Russian strike. This was one of the most large-scale air attacks – deliberately massive and cynical. In total, 550 targets were launched, including at least 330 Russian-Iranian “shaheds”, along with missiles,… pic.twitter.com/vnn31oST0z
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2025
Injury toll of Kyiv attack rises to 23
07:29 , Alex CroftThe injury toll of Russia’s huge air attack on Kyiv has now risen to 23, in strikes which came just hours after Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin.
A total of 14 of the injured were hospitalised. Ukrainian authorities said.
Russian forces fired 550 drones and missiles at Ukrainian territory, the majority of which at the nation’s capital, according to the Air Force.
Railway infrastructure, buildings, and cars have been damaged or erupted in blazes throughout Kyiv, the city’s authorities said.
A photo shared by Oliver Carroll, foreign correspondent for The Economist, showed the dawn skies filled with huge clouds of grey smoke.
“Another air raid alert in Kyiv. It’s been pretty unrelenting since 1am, so 4 hrs now. Part of this is about Russian launch capacities: they can’t do everything in one go. But part is about tactics of exhaustion: of air defence workers; and of the population as a whole,” he wrote in a post on X.
One killed in drone attack on Russia's Rostov
06:57 , Arpan RaiA Ukrainian drone attack on the Rostov region killed at least one woman and forced the evacuation of scores of people from their homes, acting governor of the region in Russia's south said this morning.
The most serious damage in the Ukrainian aerial attack on its neighbour was reported in the Azov district of the Rostov region, acting governor Yuri Slyusar, where the roof of a 40-apartment building was destroyed.
Some 120 residents were being evacuated, Mr Slyusar said on Telegram in the early hours today.
The defence ministry said that it destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones over the region. There was no comment from Ukraine.
Ukraine drones damage power infrastructure in Sergiyev Posad near Moscow
06:47 , Arpan RaiUkraine launched a drone attack on the Sergiyev Posad district near Moscow in the early hours today, injuring one person and leaving parts of the religiously significant centre without power, the head of the district said.
At least four explosions were recorded in the district – some 75km (47 miles) from the Kremlin – and that a power substation was damaged, leaving swaths of the district without electricity, local official Oksana Yerokhanova said.
In photos: Smoke shrouds Kyiv as Russia fires record 550 drones and missiles at Ukraine
06:39 , Arpan Rai
Breaking: Russia fires record 550 drones and missiles at Ukraine
06:19 , Arpan RaiRussia has launched 539 drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukraine air force said this morning.
This is a record high for the number of aerial weapons used by Russia in an overnight onslaught in its more than three year old war, and the first time the combined total has crossed 500.
The military said its air defence units shot down 270 drones while 208 more were lost - referring to electronic warfare the Ukrainian military uses to redirect them - or they were drone simulators lacking warheads.
Air defence also downed two cruise missiles, it added.
Ukraine drones damage power infrastructure in Sergiyev Posad near Moscow
06:14 , Arpan RaiUkraine launched a drone attack on the Sergiyev Posad district near Moscow in the early hours today, injuring one person and leaving parts of the religiously significant centre without power, the head of the district said.
"I ask everyone to remain calm, not to approach the windows, not to photograph the work of the air defence," Oksana Yerokhanova said.
She said that at least four explosions were recorded in the district – some 75km (47 miles) from the Kremlin – and that a power substation was damaged, leaving swaths of the district without electricity.
The district's administrative centre, the town of Sergiyev Posad, is considered the religious centre of the Moscow Region and a spiritual heart of Russia's Orthodox Church.
The city's monastery, the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius that was founded in the 14th century, is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that its air defence units destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones overnight over five Russian regions.
The ministry, which only reports how many drones its forces destroy, not how many Ukraine launches, did not list the Moscow region as one where drones were downed.
Trump says he is 'disappointed' in Putin
06:03 , Arpan RaiPresident Donald Trump told reporters early on Friday he is "disappointed" with Vladimir Putin and does not think the Russian president will stop the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump also said he will speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky today.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Trump said that a phone call with Mr Putin resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky says he will speak to Trump about weapons halt
05:55 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will speak to Donald Trump in the coming days about the suspension of weapons supply.
In his comments after meeting with major European Union backers in Denmark, the Ukrainian leader said: “I hope that maybe tomorrow, or close days, these days, I will speak about it with president Trump.”
The US has paused some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine due to low stockpiles, according to the US officials.
That decision led to Ukraine summoning the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington continuing, and caution that the move would weaken Ukraine's ability to defend against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
The Pentagon's move led in part to a cut in deliveries of Patriot air defence missiles that Ukraine relies on to destroy fast-moving ballistic missiles.
Kremlin describes Putin's call with Trump as 'frank and constructive'
05:27 , Arpan RaiThe Kremlin has said Russian president Vladimir Putin’s phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump was “frank and constructive”, even as the US president said he made “no progress at all”.
This is the sixth publicly disclosed call between the two leaders since Mr Trump returned to the White House. The two discussed the Ukraine war, the situation around Iran and in the broader Middle East.
Their chat was “businesslike and straight-to-the-point,” said Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin’s foreign affairs adviser. He added that Mr Trump and Mr Putin were “on the same wavelength”.
While discussing the Middle East, Mr Putin emphasised the need to resolve all differences "exclusively by political and diplomatic means,” the Russian official said.
The leaders agreed that Russian and US officials will maintain contact on the issue, he added.
Trump and Putin speak after Pentagon stops Ukraine missile shipments
05:18 , Arpan RaiPresident Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone yesterday after a top US defence official ordered a halt to arms shipments to Ukraine that would have been used to defend against invading Russian forces.
Mr Trump announced the call on his Truth Social account and said the conversation would take place at 10am ET.
The last time the two leaders spoke was on 14 June amid the Israeli-Iranian conflict that ended after Mr Trump ordered US bombers to attack a trio of Iranian nuclear sites and subsequently negotiated a ceasefire between the two nations.
Ten days before that, they also spoke on the same topic, at which point Mr Putin had offered to assist in the then-ongoing US nuclear talks with Tehran.
Andrew Feingberg reports from Washington DC:
Trump and Putin speak after Pentagon stops Ukraine missile shipments
14 injured in massive Russian drone attack on Kyiv
04:50 , Arpan RaiAt least 14 people were injured in Ukraine’s capital as Russia pummelled Kyiv with drones in an all-night attack, just hours after US president Donald Trump spoke to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The massive barrage of Russian drones has damaged railway infrastructure and set buildings and cars on fire throughout the city, authorities in the Ukrainian capital said in the early hours today.
More than eight hours into air raid alerts and just before they were called off at 5am (0200 GMT), Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that 12 of the injured were hospitalised.
A photo shared by Oliver Carroll, foreign correspondent for The Economist, showed the dawn skies filled with huge clouds of grey smoke.
“Another air raid alert in Kyiv. It’s been pretty unrelenting since 1am, so 4 hrs now. Part of this is about Russian launch capacities: they can’t do everything in one go. But part is about tactics of exhaustion: of air defence workers; and of the population as a whole,” he wrote in a post on X.
The skies above Kyiv right now. pic.twitter.com/YoiG7AQHcp
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) July 4, 2025
Authorities recorded damage in six of Kyiv's 10 districts on both sides of the Dnipro River bisecting the city and falling drone debris set a medical facility on fire in the leafy Holosiivskyi district, Mr Klitschko said.
The attacks were the latest in a series of Russian air strikes on Kyiv that have intensified in recent weeks and included some of the deadliest assaults of the war on the city of three million people.
Ukraine launches drones on Sergiyev Posad near Moscow
04:34 , Arpan RaiUkraine launched a drone attack on the Sergiyev Posad district near Moscow, injuring at least one person and with explosions reported in at least four locations, the head of the district Oksana Yerokhanova said in the early hours today.
"I ask everyone to remain calm, not to approach the windows, not to photograph the work of the air defence," Ms Yerokhanova wrote in a post on her Telegram channel.
Trump says US has already given Ukraine too many weapons
04:30 , Arpan RaiIn his first public comments defending the halting of weapons shipments to Ukraine, president Donald Trump has complained that the US provided too much already under the previous administration.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Iowa, Mr Trump said former president Joe Biden "emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves".
At a time Russia is escalating its offensive on the frontline, the US has withheld air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons.
Mr Trump also suggested he wasn't completely cutting off American assistance to Ukraine.
"We've given so many weapons," he said, adding that “we are working with them and trying to help them”.
Trump says he has made 'no progress at all' after phone call with Putin
04:30 , Arpan RaiUS president Donald Trump said his phone call earlier in the day with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
"I didn't make any progress with him at all," Mr Trump told reporters in brief comments at an air base outside Washington, before departing for a campaign-style event in Iowa.
A Kremlin aide said the Russian president reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict's "root causes."
The two leaders did not discuss a recent pause in some US weapons shipments to Kyiv during the nearly hour-long conversation, according to a readout provided by Mr Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov.
