Trump holds key that 'would bring Putin to negotiation table' - UK expert (2025)

2 days ago12:43 Ciaran McGrath

Russia is currently battling two major blows to its economy as it continues to funnel staggering amounts of money into its war machine. The annual inflation rate in the country hovers at just above 10%, recording a two-year high of 10.1% in February, though the Central Bank (CBR) projected an average annual inflation rate of 7-8% for this year.

This comes as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a statement warning that Moscow may not be able to fund its war effort for much longer due to "inflationary pressure". It said: "Labour shortages, alongside high levels of government spending, almost certainly mean inflation will remain above the CBR's target. Long-term inflationary pressure will highly likely exacerbate pressures on Russia’s ability to sustain high defence spending."

3 days ago12:23 Ciaran McGrath

Volodymyr Zelensky's head of office Andriy Yermak also said on Thursday that he had arrived in the French capital, alongside Ukraine's foreign minister and defence minister.

He said on X: "As part of the visit, a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings are planned with representatives of countries from the coalition of the willing and able to guarantee security - including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom."

3 days ago12:18 Ciaran McGrath

David Lammy is expected in Paris as a series of talks are scheduled between European leaders and Donald Trump's top team about efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

US secretary of stare Marco Rubio and the president's special envoy Steve Witkoff have travelled to the French capital for discussions.

The Foreign Secretary's trip to Paris is the latest in the UK's diplomatic efforts on the conflict.

Alongside France, the UK has been working to secure a coalition of nations who would be willing to help defend a peace deal in the event that one is reached.

3 days ago12:08 Ciaran McGrath

Russia has accused Estonia of endangering Baltic Sea security by seizing a Russia-bound oil tanker last week.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the move as a "provocative action" and warned Moscow would respond proportionately.

The vessel, named Kiwala, is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” targeted by EU sanctions in February for helping circumvent restrictions on Russian oil exports.

Estonia has defended the seizure, citing its obligations under international sanctions enforcement.

3 days ago11:45 Ciaran McGrath

In the run-up to the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a six-word plea, saying: "We must put pressure on killers".

He wrote on Telegram that while Ukraine is “literally protecting lives, Russia uses every day and every night to kill.”

He added: “We must put pressure on the killers and help life in order to end this war and guarantee a reliable peace”.

3 days ago11:15 Ciaran McGrath

The talks represent the highest level of transatlantic engagement about the war since February, say insiders.

European diplomats are understood to be ready to urge the US to put more pressure on Russia to agree an unconditional ceasefire.

One official told the BBC: "We want the US to use a bit more stick."

3 days ago11:10 Alice Scarsi

The first round of meetings part of today's talks has begun in Paris.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne at the Élysée.

3 days ago11:07 Alice Scarsi

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has insisted that Russia has no intention of returning areas of eastern Ukraine annexed since the start of the war.

He said: "The new regions are an integral part of Russia, and the question of their belonging is fundamentally wrong."

Russia has installed puppet regimes in Donetsk, Luhansk , Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson - but does not fully control any of the regions.

3 days ago10:18 Ciaran McGrath

Romania’s election in early May could prove to be a significant litmus test to determine the extent of Russian influence within Europe. The country is set to head to the polls on 4 May in a rerun of an election held in November which was annulled due to Russian interference.

Late last year, fringe far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, a well-known admirer of Vladimir Putin, stormed from political obscurity to victory in the country’s first round of elections. But the election was cancelled by the country’s constitutional court over concerns that his online campaign had been boosted by Russia in an attempt to install a favourable leadership regime into power.

Declassified documents released by Romania's top security council in the aftermath showed the country had been targeted by "aggressive hybrid Russian attacks" during the election period.

Calin Georgescu (Image: Getty)

3 days ago10:05 Ciaran McGrath

At least five people were killed and 68 injured in a wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine, officials said on Thursday.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported 75 drones and multiple missiles were launched overnight, with only a third of the drones shot down.

Three people, including a child, died in a strike on Dnipro that also left 30 injured and damaged dozens of buildings.

Russian forces targeted residential areas in Kherson, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, killing and injuring civilians.

The strikes come amid Moscow’s continued refusal to accept a ceasefire and its increasing focus on civilian infrastructure.

3 days ago09:36 Ciaran McGrath

An explosion rocked a plant in the Moscow region on Thursday, April 17.

A massive plume of grey smoke could be seen rising from the Vtoralyuminprodukt plant in the city of Lyubertsy, home to more than 220,000 people.

Residents have described seeing a drone falling, according to the blogger Exilenova.

3 days ago09:30 Ciaran McGrath

Russian glide bombs and artillery struck a city in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding nine others as Moscow forces continued daily attacks across the country.

The city of Kherson was struck with glide bombs on Wednesday morning, and when rescue teams arrived at the scene, Russian forces launched an artillery barrage, said the region's head, Oleksandr Prokudin.

He said: “This is a deliberate tactic by Russia to hinder the rescue of the injured and harm doctors, rescuers, and police."

The attack damaged a sports facility, a supermarket, residential buildings and civilian vehicles, Prokudin added.

The strike on Kherson followed other deadly attacks in recent days. On Palm Sunday, two Russian ballistic missile hit the northeastern city of Sumy near the Russian border, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100 others in the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians this year.

The Russian military said that the strike targeted a gathering of senior military officers, but did not offer evidence.

3 days ago09:14 Ciaran McGrath

Donald Trump appears to have scaled back the size of his demand for Ukraine to pay back aid as part of talks for an economic deal, a report has claimed. Washington is pushing Kyiv to share the profits of future investments in minerals and infrastructure as compensation for the billions of dollars in military assistance given to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Trump administration had estimated the total US spend at £226.4billion ($300billion), but this has dropped to £75.5billion ($100billion), according to Bloomberg, citing "people familiar with the matter". The revised figure is closer to the £94.3billion ($119.7billion) calculated by the Kiel Institute, a think tank based in Germany. It is also closer to a Ukrainian estimate of over £68billion ($90billion).

3 days ago09:05 Ciaran McGrath

Commenting on ongoing negotiations with the US over a prospective agreement that would give the US access to Ukraine’s valuable mineral resources, Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said the US and Ukrainian teams have achieved “significant progress”.

She said that both sides are working on a “memorandum of intent” that would reflect positive developments in the talks, adding that “we are preparing to complete the formalisation of the agreement in the near future.”

The deal, which needs to be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament, "will provide opportunities for investment and development in Ukraine, and will also provide conditions for tangible economic growth for both Ukraine and the United States,” Ms Svyrydenko added.

3 days ago08:53 Ciaran McGrath

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement Mr Witkoff and Mr Rubio would join "talks with European counterparts to advance President Trump’s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed".

Mr Rubio will also “discuss ways to advance shared interests in the region,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

Mr Wikoff, who visited Russia on Friday for his third meeting with Putin that lasted nearly five hours, told Fox News earlier this week that the Russian leader wants a “permanent peace,” noting that a prospective peace deal would focus on Russian claims for five Ukrainian regions.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised Witkoff's comment, emphasising that Ukraine will never recognise any temporarily occupied territories as Russian.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Image: Getty)

3 days ago08:32 Ciaran McGrath

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior diplomat Marco Rubio are in Paris for high-level talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

They will meet European counterparts including UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The discussions come amid growing pressure on the US to push Moscow harder for an unconditional ceasefire.

Witkoff is expected to brief allies on his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister and Defence Minister are also in Paris, as Kyiv seeks stronger security guarantees from Western allies.