Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump lashes out at ‘boasting’ Zelensky after claiming US peace deal is close
‘He can have peace or he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country,’ US president claims
Donald Trump has hit out at Volodymyr Zelensky for saying Ukraine would not recognise Russia's occupation of Crimea.
"This statement is very harmful to the peace negotiations with Russia," the US president said in a social media post, adding that a US brokered peace deal is on the horizon.
“He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Mr Trump wrote.
It comes as high-level peace summit in London to discuss the terms of a Ukraine peace deal on Wednesday was abruptly downgraded after Mr Trump’s most senior diplomat snubbed the meeting.
Foreign ministers from France and Germany abandoned plans to travel to the UK for the talks after US secretary of state Marco Rubio announced he would not attend, citing “scheduling issues”.
ICYMI: Putin compares Elon Musk to Soviet space hero
‘A very dangerous moment’: Zelensky urges US not to abandon peace talks
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that it would not “send a very good signal” if Washington abandons efforts to end Russia’s war.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr Zelensky was quoted by the Kyiv Independent as saying: “This is a very dangerous moment. I don't think it sends a very good signal if the US pulls out.
“We really hope that President Trump will support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia.”
Polish foreign minister denounces Russian aggression in annual address to parliament
Poland’s foreign minister has used an annual address to parliament to send a sharp message to Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, asking: “Don't you have enough land?”
In remarks aimed at the Kremlin, Radek Sikorski said: “Don't you have enough land? Eleven time zones and still not enough? Take care of better governing what is within your borders according to international law.”
Describing the deteriorating security situation with a war next to Poland’s border, he said: “Anxiety, and the question of what will happen, have settled in Polish homes. Are we also at risk of Russian aggression? Are the relations between Europe and the United States heading towards a crisis? Can Europe quickly improve its defense capabilities?”
He added: “For Poland, the greatest threat would be the disintegration of the Western community. That is why we cannot afford illusions or inaction. We cannot afford to be alone.”
And in a warning to Moscow, Mr Sikorski added: “You will never rule here again, neither in Kyiv, nor in Vilnius, nor in Riga, nor in Tallinn, nor in Chisinau.”
UK remains ‘absolutely committed’ to ‘just and lasting peace in Ukraine’, says No 10
The UK remains “absolutely committed” to securing a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine”, Downing Street has said, after US secretary of state Marco Rubio pulled out of talks in London on Wednesday.
Asked if Sir Keir Starmer was disappointed at the decision, the prime minister's official spokesperson said: “Today there will be substantive technical meetings with European, US and Ukrainian officials on how to stop the fighting and end Putin's illegal invasion.”
No 10 said that foreign secretary David Lammy had “a productive call with Rubio yesterday, who confirmed that the US was looking forward to substantive and positive technical meetings in London today”.
“As you know, we remain absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and these talks today are an important part of that,” he said.
Rubio cancelled visit after Ukraine says ceasefire essential to further negotiations, source suggests
Reuters has cited a source close to the discussions as saying that the downgrading of the peace talks in London today came after Ukraine drafted a paper for the Europeans on Tuesday, in which it said there would be no talks on territorial issues until “a full and unconditional ceasefire”.
The source said the apparent US nervousness could indicate that the Ukrainian position did not align with what Washington’s representatives had agreed so far with the Russians.
Russia needs to boost fiscal reserves amid global uncertainty, finance minister says
Russia needs to boost its fiscal reserves in the face of global turbulence to ensure at least a three-year coverage of budget spending if the oil price remains low for an extended period, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has said.
Currently, the budget rule stipulates that oil revenues above the “cut-off” price of $60 per barrel are sent to the rainy day National Wealth Fund (NWF). The liquid part of the fund, held in cash, is then used to cover budget shortfalls.
Mr Siluanov told an annual meeting of ministry staff that the current cut-off price does not meet new challenges, calling for its revision to boost contributions to the rainy day fund.
He called for a new rule to “bring the liquid assets of the NWF to a level that ensures three years of uninterrupted financing of expenditures in the event of stress in the oil market”.
The NWF has become the main source of financing Russia's persistent budget deficit. The fund’s liquid assets have dropped by about two-thirds to just $39bn from $112.7bn before the Ukraine conflict.
Poland's foreign minister says Putin's offensive in eastern Ukraine is 'stuck'
Poland’s foreign minister has described Russia’s forces as “stuck” in their grinding assault eastern Ukraine, as he used an annual address to parliament to condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Noting that the situation on the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine is “ambiguous”, Radek Sikorski said that Russia’s forces’ slow progress is being paid for “with huge losses”.
“After three years of this stage of the war, which Putin planned for three days, Russian troops control only about 20% of Ukrainian territory and are still stuck in eastern Ukraine,” Mr Sikorski said.
“It is estimated that the war has already cost Russia at least $200bn, and almost a million Russian soldiers have been eliminated from the battlefield. Ukrainian losses are smaller, and they have not allowed either the capture of their capital or the installation of a puppet government.”
Putin's central banker Nabiullina will serve until 2027 despite attacks, report claims
Russian central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina is safe in her job, with Vladimir Putin's personal support until her term expires in 2027, two senior sources have told Reuters.
Ms Nabiullina, aged 61, has faced intense criticism from Russian politicians and some prominent businessmen since she was appointed in 2013, but has always endured with Mr Putin’s backing.
Rumours of her demise intensified after the bank hiked rates by 200 basis points to 21 per cent in October in an attempt to counter the inflationary pressure of the biggest Russian military spending since the Cold War.
Critics openly accused her of sabotaging the Russian economy to help the United States, or of driving businesses to the brink of bankruptcy with an overly orthodox obsession with battling inflation.
But Ms Nabiullina will stay in her role until her term expires in 2027 provided that no major policy mistakes occur prior to the end of her term, the two sources said.
Kyrgyzstan detains Russian government agency worker accused of recruiting fighters for Ukraine war
Kyrgyz security services have detained four people – including the employee of a Russian government agency – on suspicion of recruiting Kyrgyz citizens to fight in the Russian army, officials have said.
Kyrgyzstan’s domestic security agency told Reuters the detainees included an employee of Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian agency for cultural exchange, in Kyrgyzstan’s second city of Osh, as well as an employee of Osh city hall's press service.
In a statement, Rossotrudnichestvo's Russian House cultural centre in Osh said that its activities were all legal, and that it was “anxious” for the fate of the detained employee, Natalia Serekina, who it said was a citizen of Kyrgyzstan.
The suspects are being held under charges related to recruiting and supporting mercenaries for participation in armed conflicts abroad. A court in the country’s capital, Bishkek, charged the four suspects with mercenary activity, and placed them in pre-trial detention until 17 June.
Kyrgyzstan has maintained its traditional alignment with Moscow throughout the war in Ukraine, even as Kyrgyz authorities have prosecuted citizens for joining the Russian army.
Zelensky says Ukraine insists on an immediate full ceasefire
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Ukraine insists on an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire with Moscow.
Writing on Telegram, Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not rule out any format of talks that can lead to a ceasefire.
It came as Reuters cited a source close to the talks as saying that US secretary of state Marco Rubio had pulled out of attending today’s summit in London after Ukraine drafted a paper on Tuesday stating that there would be no talks on territorial issues until “a full and unconditional ceasefire”.
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