CBS утверждает, что США продолжают делиться с Украиной данными оборонительного назначения.
Три анонимных источника в американской администрации сообщили телеканалу CBS, что США приостановили обмен тем, что они называют «летальными» данными, в частности данными для целеуказания таких систем, как HIMARS. В то же время, часть оборонительных данных, позволяющих украинцам защищаться, по словам источников, все еще продолжает поступать.
Источники других СМИ ранее говорили, что перестали поступать все американские данные.
По данным CBS, решение приостановить обмен разведданными принял лично президент Дональд Трамп.
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Russian warship is shadowed by Royal Navy through the English Channel in show of might against Vladimir Putin
A Russian warship has been shadowed through the English Channel by the Royal Navy in a show of military force against tyrant Vladimir Putin.
Heavily-armed frigate HMS Somerset was scrambled to watch over the Russian corvette Boiki, and a weapon-carrying merchant ship, for three days.
The Kremlin warship was escorting sanctioned vessel, the Baltic Leader - which was transporting military tech from the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria.
Crew on board the accompanying Boikiy were reportedly seen burning papers and manning the vessel's machine guns as it went through the Channel.
Meanwhile the Boiki was spotted being crewed by men in military fatigues as it passed the coast of the UK.
Somerset, which is bristling with its own array of weapons - including anti-ship missiles and a 4.5-inch naval gun - stalked the ships through the North Sea and English Channel.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: 'The British Type 23 frigate utilised its powerful sensors and radars to report on Russian movements, launching her Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron to gather valuable information from the sky.
'The ship worked hand in hand with UK patrol aircraft and allied Nato forces during the operation, providing constant watch on the task group.'
Somerset was scrambled on March 1 as the Russian warship headed south through the North Sea and English Channel to meet Baltic Leader, the Royal Navy said.
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset (rear) follows Russian corvette Boikiy during a three-day operation monitoring the progress of a Russian task group
The move was a show of force towards Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin (pictured)
The Boikiy, a 343ft-long corvette can carry up to 99 men at a time. The 2,100-ton ship, which is part of Putin's Baltic fleet, is armed with an AK-100 naval gun, machine guns and eight Kh-35 Uran anti-ship missiles.
The Baltic Leader was previously sanctioned by the US in 2022 for transporting weapons for Russia.
Commander Joel Roberts, Somerset's captain, said: 'Somerset is well versed in the escort of Russian ships, having conducted these operations on a number of occasions.
'Great professionalism has been shown by the ship's company to remain vigilant whilst operating in UK waters and integrating with our Nato allies to monitor Russian activity around Europe.'
Shadowing missions like the one carried out by Somerset are routine for the Royal Navy.
However, the latest comes at a time of heightened tension between Britain and Europe, over US President Donald Trump's decision to axe military support for Ukraine.
The Baltic Leader was carrying a shipment of military hardware from a Russian base in Tartus, Syria, where Kremlin operations are being wound down in the wake of the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
James Droxford, of the intelligence consultancy Droxford Maritime, said: 'The recovered military hardware onboard Baltic Leader could be used to reinforce Russia's combat capability in Ukraine, or to replenish military stocks in other key Russian military regions.'
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset monitors Russian merchant ship Baltic Leader in the Channel, part of a three-day operation keeping watch on a Russian task group passing the UK
The Boikiy's escort mission began at 5am on March 3, south of Torquay.
The convoy slowly travelled across the English Channel, before it was followed by two vessels, HMS Somerset from the Royal Navy and Belgian Navy vessel BNS Crocus.
The Baltic Leader was then seen leaving the English Channel on March 4 at 2pm.
Satellite images showed the Baltic Leader left Tartus, Syria, on February 13. Russia has been winding down its use of the part since Assad's fall.
This, combined with Ukraine's increased capability to sink Russian ships in the Black Sea, has resulted in increased activity in Syrian waters.
Droxford said: 'Ukraine could destroy hundreds of tons of vital Russian military material in one go by attacking the ships and that's a huge risk for Russia to take.'
Joseph Byrne, senior analyst at the Open Source Centre, told the Times: 'While it isn't exactly clear what cargo the vessel is loading, Tartus is a port where Russia has been storing its military equipment, likely waiting for transport.
'Since mid-February we have seen a number of Russian flagged cargo vessels sail from Syria into the Mediterranean and through the English Channel.
'They have exhibited highly similar patterns of life, including switching off their transponders when entering Syrian waters and ports, not broadcasting their final destinations, and appearing to sail through the Channel with a military escort for protection.'
Russia's military has been getting bolder in recent weeks.
Last week, NATO was forced to scramble warplanes from Poland after Vladimir Putin used strategic bombers and missiles to attack neighbouring Ukraine - even as Vladimir Putin insists he wants peace 'as soon as possible'.
The Boikiy (pictured, front), a Russian corvette that is 343ft long and can carry up to 99 men at a time, was seen in the English Channel this week
The Baltic Leader (pictured) was carrying a shipment of military hardware from a Russian base in Tartus, Syria
Putin used Tu-95MS nuclear-capable strategic bombers, causing panic in Kyiv as residents rushed for the metro underground shelters
Putin's air force deployed Tu-95MS nuclear-capable strategic bombers to pound targets across Ukraine, causing panic in Kyiv as residents rushed for the metro underground shelters.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Sumy, as well as in several towns across the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv. Drones were also used by Russia, with several people reportedly suffering injuries.
Warsaw's armed forces operation command headquarters ordered NATO jets to patrol Polish airspace as Russian bombers and missiles soared over Ukraine amid fears they could approach the Polish border.
'Attention, due to the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, striking targets located, in particular, in the west of Ukraine, military aviation has begun to operate in the airspace of Poland,' the command headquarters said.
Ground-based air defences and radar reconnaissance systems were also 'put on alert'.
Meanwhile, the United States has cut off intelligence-sharing with Kyiv in a move that could seriously hamper the Ukrainian military's ability to target Russian forces, the CIA's director has confirmed.
Donald Trump (pictured) has cut off intelligence-sharing with Kyiv in a move that could seriously hamper the Ukrainian military's ability to target Russian forces
Zelensky (pictured) last night told the world he was ready to work under Trump's 'strong leadership' and wants to 'make things right' after their 'regrettable' White House row
Director John Ratcliffe told Fox the US paused both weapons shipments and intelligence to Ukraine following the disastrous White House meeting between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump last week.
An unnamed official told the Financial Times that while Ukraine had been frozen out of intelligence channels, the US was still sharing crucial information on Russia and Ukraine with its closest allies, including the UK.
Meanwhile, a source told Sky News that American intelligence-sharing had not halted completely, adding that the cut-off was 'selective.'
When asked whether these reports were true, they said: 'Unfortunately, yes, but not completely. It is selective. On the possibility of damage on the territory of the Russian Federation.'
But last night, the Mail revealed that Donald Trump's administration banned the UK from sharing US intelligence with allies in Ukraine.
American intelligence has been crucial to Ukraine for it to identify Russian military targets during the brutal invasion that began in February 2022.
But in recent weeks, Zelensky and Trump have been quarrelling on the world stage, leading to souring relations between their nations that reached its lowest point last week when the Ukrainian leader was unceremoniously booted out of the White House without signing a long-awaited minerals deal.
Trump has demanded that Britain and its European allies step up more to provide deal with the war in Ukraine - as America refused to join any peacekeeping force in the embattled country.
Meanwhile, Britain's biggest warship, HMS Prince of Wales, is preparing to deploy to the other side of the world as part of a carrier strike group.
The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier will be sailing to the Indo-Pacific region later this year, as part of the naval flagship's biggest deployment to date.
On Tuesday, King Charles became the first ruling monarch in 40 years to join a naval warship at sea, as he flew on board the 920ft-long behemoth to speak to her crew.
King Charles joined HMS Prince of Wales at sea as the aircraft carrier made final preparations for its mission to the Indo-Pacific region
Charles, 76, became the first ruling monarch to visit a Royal Navy warship at sea in 40 years. He is seen meeting some of the aircraft carrier's crew
His Royal Highness also appeared in high spirits as he joked with the crew on HMS Prince of Wales's bridge
The 76-year-old monarch landed on HMS Prince of Wales in the English Channel, where he told sailors of his 'heartfelt gratitude' for their service.
Charles, who was there in his role as Commodore-in-Chief, Aircraft Carriers, looked smart in his uniform as he beamed while greeting Royal Navy personnel during the engagement.
Speaking to the crew, the King said: 'This ship represents a powerful emblem of the skill, ingenuity and strength of the Royal Navy, and of the United Kingdom's enduring dedication to promoting and protecting peace and stability across the world.
'I can only say that I take immense pride in you - the men and women who bring this vessel to life with such indomitable spirit - for your vital service on behalf of us all.'
The visit comes as the navy finalises preparations for the £3billion vessel to go on a global deployment to Japan this spring.
Charles was seen touring the 65,000-tonne warship and watched F-35B stealth jets carrying out landing exercises on the Prince of Wales's deck.
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Russia and NATO clash in the skies: Moment Putin warplane comes within yards of a French spy drone In repeated 'aggressive' passes over the Med as tensions soar over Ukraine
Unsettling footage shows the moment a Russian Su-35 fighter jet came within yards of a French Reaper drone in the Mediterranean, according to French officials.
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu posted the point-of-view perspective of the MQ-9 predator drone as it soared above the sea on Sunday.
Video showed the Sukhoi multirole fighter buzzing the French drone, a manoeuvre Lecornu branded 'dangerous'.
He said the jet made 'three successive close passes', which he warned could have led to the 'loss of control of the drone'.
Lecornu wrote on X that it 'demonstrated an intent to restrict free air circulation in shared spaces'.
'This was a deliberate, unprofessional, and aggressive action that is unacceptable.'
Lecornu, in the role since 2022, assured that France would 'continue to act to defend freedoms of navigation in international air and maritime spaces'.
The defence minister said that the drone was 'on a surveillance mission' at the time.
His counterparts in Russia have not yet commented on the incident.
The view from the MQ-9 drone shows the Su-35 passing nearby in the eastern Mediterranean
Lecornu said the plane passed by three times, which posed a potentially dangerous situation
The defence minister asserted that the manoeuvre was 'deliberate' and 'aggressive'
Russia has in the past assured that 'all flights' are 'carried out in strict compliance with international rules on the use of airspace' during similar close shaves.
Last September, Russia said the US and coalition forces in Syria made a 'dangerously close approach' to a Russian Su-35 in the southern Homs province.
French forces regularly carry out missions in the Mediterranean to ensure compliance with international law and uphold freedom of navigation in international airspaces.
Italian intelligence has assessed that Russia is actively seeking a new strategic foothold in the Med with uncertainty surrounding its future access to the Syrian port of Tartus.
The fall of the Assad regime has threatened to shake Russia's grip on the eastern Mediterranean, where the Su-35 was spotted on Sunday.
Giovanni Caravelli, the director of Italy's AISE foreign intelligence agency, said at a press conference in Rome on Tuesday that Russia is refocusing its geopolitical strategy towards North Africa and the Sahel-Saharan region.
North African coastal areas could provide a potential alternative to Tartus, Italian news and analysis outlet decode 39 suggests.
AISE yesterday presented its 2024 intelligence report in Rome.
Russia also assessed in January that France was preparing for 'confrontation with our country'.
Russia's defence ministry has not yet commented on the incident, which happened on Sunday
File photo. A Russian fighter jet flies close to a U.S. drone over Syria, July 23, 2023
File photo. An MQ-9 Reaper firing Hellfire missile
Amid further uncertainty over the role of the United States in Europe, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed an 800-billion-euro (£665bn) plan to rearm EU nations.
She said the huge 'REARM Europe' package would be put to the 27 EU leaders, includign France.
They are due to hold an emergency meeting in Brussels tomorrow, with Ukrainian President Zelensky now expected to return to agree to a critical minerals deal with U.S. President Trump as a first step towards a ceasefire deal.
European leaders have increasingly warned that a peace deal must not leave Ukraine - and wider Europe - vulnerable to a future attack from Russia, echoing Zelensky's calls for certain security guarantees.
The Trump administration has urged Europe to increase military spending and warned that its allies will no longer be able to rely on it for defence as it shifts its foreign policy focus.
Zelensky took the decision to seek rapprochement with Trump on Tuesday after the U.S. 'paused' all military aid to Ukraine pending 'review'.
Politicians in Ukraine, Britain and the United States assessed that Ukraine might be able to hold out a few months, until the summer, without American aid - and that Europe would not be able to fully account for the shortfall.
File photo. An MQ-9 Reaper drone with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) awaits a mission over the U.S.-Mexico border on November 4, 2022 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona
Zelensky and Trump argue in the Oval Office of the White House on February 28, 2025
U.S.-Ukrainian relations took a turn on Friday during a meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky.
The pair clashed in front of reporters as Trump badgered Zelensky towards signing the minerals deal, which would give the U.S. access to swathes of Ukrainian natural resources.
The Trump administration argues that such a deal would secure long-term investment in Ukraine's prosperity, deterring Russian aggression.
Zelensky has cited dozens of instances where he says Russia has violated ceasefires since 2014 in spite of American businesses operating in Ukraine.
UK excluded from Ukraine talks with European leaders | James O’Brien on LBC
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What's the impact of US not sharing intelligence with Ukraine? | Michael Clarke analysis.
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British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles are useless in Ukraine now President Trump has blocked US intelligence from being sharing with allies
Britain's long-range Storm Shadow missiles are feared to have been rendered useless in Ukraine after President Donald Trump blocked US intelligence from being shared with allies.
In a huge blow to Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion, Trump froze American military aid to Kyiv before suspending intelligence sharing with President Volodymr Zelensky's war-torn country.
The UK, who has vowed to stand by Ukraine throughout the three-year war, is among those who have been banned from sharing Washington intelligence with Kyiv.
It comes amid an ongoing transatlantic rift after Trump and Zelensky dramatically clashed in a heated Oval Office row last week, sparking a wave of support for Ukraine from European allies including Britain.
MailOnline revealed on Tuesday that UK intelligence agencies and military outlets have received an order expressly forbidding the sharing of US-generated intelligence, previously known as 'Rel UKR' - short for Releasable to Ukraine'.
The impact is likely to have major ramifications as British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, a critical asset used inside Russia's Kursk region by Ukraine, require US data to hit their targets. MailOnline has contacted the MoD for comment.
Storm Shadow missiles, jointly developed by the UK and France who call it Scalp, are precision-guided munitions used for deep-strike missions as they can hit targets up to 250km (155miles) away.
The effective missiles, believed to be roughly £2million each, allow Ukraine to penetrate hardened bunkers and ammunition stores and down critical infrastructure, command centres and logistics hubs at huge ranges.
Britain's long-range Storm Shadow missiles (pictured) are feared to have been rendered useless in Ukraine after President Donald Trump blocked US intelligence from being shared with allies.
One image shows a written indentation on a chunk of metal reading: 'Storm Shadow'
On November 21, Storm Shadows were used to target a bunker in Maryino, Kursk region, killing dozens of Russian soldiers and several North Korean troops.
They were also fired at Russia's Black Sea naval headquarters at Sevastopol in September 2023, making the whole of Crimea unsafe for the Russian navy.
According to reports, the UK originally had around 900 Storm Shadow missiles for its military - although many are used or nearing the end of their lifespan.
In November, United24 Media reported that the UK has around 600 operational missiles, with 'hundreds' sent to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022.
Each missile is said to cost roughly £2million so they are usually launched in carefully planned attacks in a flurry of cheaper drones which are sent ahead to confuse the enemy's air defences - as Russia does with Ukraine.
Ukraine relies on US satellite intelligence and other state-of-the-art equipment to assist them with precision.
Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told The Times that if the suspension covered all intelligence, there would be a reduced early warning of incoming missile and drone attacks from Putin's army.
It would also have an impact on being able to monitor the movement of large groups of Russian forces.
Earlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer announced a £1.6billion missile deal for Ukraine after a summit of European leaders in London.
The Ministry of Defence said that the manufacture of more than 5,000 lightweight-multirole missiles (LMM) will treble production at the Thales factory in Belfast, creating 200 jobs in Northern Ireland and directly supporting a further 700 jobs in the UK.
The role of LMMs is to protect against Russian drone and missile attacks. Ukrainian forces are already using LMMs with an initial order delivered late last year.
It comes as defence Secretary John Healey is set to hold crunch talks with his US counterpart, Pete Hesgeth, in a bid to overturn the suspension of military aid to Ukraine.
The United States has banned Britain from sharing intelligence from Washington with Ukraine as part of its withdrawal of support for Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured: Donald Trump)
President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting in the Oval Office became a shouting match
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a summit on Ukraine, at Lancaster House in London on Sunday
Since the conflict began three years ago, the UK and other Western security partners such as Australia and New Zealand have shared US-generated knowledge with Ukraine.
But the Mail revealed on Tuesday that the top-level security classification has now been removed by the United States pending further notification and is likely to impact upon Kyiv's ability to defend itself against Russia's continuing onslaught.
The ban affects the likes of the UK's GCHQ, the spy agencies and intelligence branches of the Ministry of Defence.
UK military intelligence expert Phil Ingram told the Mail: 'The United States's instruction to stop allies sharing US-derived intelligence with Ukraine is what I would expect.
'The US's intelligence partners, including Britain, have had their authority to pass on intelligence revoked.
'The US will tightly control distribution of its intelligence to Ukraine through agencies based in Kyiv.'
The move coincided with the US confirming it was pausing military aid to Kyiv as the rift between the two supposed allies deepened before Zelensky offered US Trump an olive branch.
He insisted he is ready to work under Trump's 'strong leadership' and said he wanted to 'make things right' after their 'regrettable' White House clash.
Critics suggested any long-term freeze would lengthen rather than shorten the war.
That is because it is expected to encourage the Kremlin to exploit Kyiv's dwindling weapons and ammunition stocks and launch a fresh bid for more territory.
Russia currently occupies around one fifth of Ukraine, including eastern provinces and the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine is clinging on to a relatively small amount of territory it seized last year in the southern Russia province of Kursk.
It comes as Mr Healey is set to join Mr Hegseth today for a bilateral meeting on a possible peace plan while efforts continue to bridge a transatlantic rift over the country's future security.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would confer with allies about the prospect of using France's nuclear deterrent to protect the continent in the face of threats from Russia at a summit of EU leaders.
Mr Healey's trip was agreed last week after Sir Keir Starmer announced a rise in the UK's defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
CIA director John Radcliffe told Fox Business Network on Wednesday there has been a 'pause' on 'the intelligence front' followingTrump's fractious Oval Office confrontation with Zelensky.
As he arrived in the Capitol later in the day, Mr Healey was asked what he would say to his counterpart about the issue when they meet for talks.
'Those are discussions for tomorrow, but it's part of a two-day programme and we're working hard for peace,' he said.
US national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Wednesday that Ukraine and America were still talking despite the pause.
'I just got off the phone with my counterpart, the Ukrainian national security adviser,' he said.
'We are having good talks on location for the next round of negotiations, on delegations, on substance.'
He added: 'I think we're going to see movement in very short order.'
The French government said on Wednesday that Mr Macron, Sir Keir and Mr Zelensky could potentially meet the US president as leaders seek to bridge the transatlantic rift, but suggested that was a 'wish' at the moment and there had not been an invitation from the White House.
Downing Street said details of any future travel by the Prime Minister would be set out in the usual way.
In a televised address later on Wednesday, the French president described Moscow as a 'threat to France and Europe' and said he would 'open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent by our (nuclear) deterrent'.
France is the only nuclear power in the European Union.
EU leaders are set to address the issue of deterrence, among other topics, during the Thursday summit in the Belgian capital focusing on support for Ukraine and wider defence.
Mr Zelensky is also invited to the meeting.
European Nato allies have for decades counted on the powerful US deterrent.
'Europe's future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow,' Mr Macron said, warning that 'the innocence of the last 30 years' which followed the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall is 'now over'.
Mr Macron said Russia is now spending 40% of its state budget in military spending, with plans to expand its army by 2030 with 300,000 additional soldiers, 3,000 tanks and 300 jet fighters.
'Who can believe that today's Russia will stop at Ukraine?' he asked.
'I want to believe the US will stay by our side but we have to be ready if that isn't the case.'
Mr Zelensky thanked the French president following his speech, saying 'peace must be real, not just a word-it cannot mean Ukraine's capitulation or collapse.'
'It must be just, reliable, and lasting, and this can only be achieved through strong and long-term security guarantees - for Ukraine, Europe, and the entire world,' the leader said.
US-Ukraine relations reached a nadir last week when plans to sign a minerals agreement broke down following a dramatic row between Mr Trump, vice president JD Vance and Mr Zelensky.
But the US president used a wide-ranging speech in Congress to signal an easing of tensions, saying he had received a letter from the Ukrainian leader on Tuesday suggesting Kyiv is ready to sign a deal 'at any time'.
'I appreciate that he sent this letter,' Mr Trump said. 'We've had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace. Wouldn't that be beautiful?'
Before his trip, Mr Healey hailed the 'special relationship' between the UK and the US and said it is 'crucial that the UK and Europe step up further to take more responsibility for our security, and we are doing so'.
He added: 'The Prime Minister was clear following his meetings over the past week that we will continue our dialogue with friends and allies to secure a path to a lasting peace in Ukraine.
'We will advance that work in Washington over the coming days.'
Pictured: The heavily-armed Russians being shadowed by the Royal Navy in the English Channel as Ukraine tensions get even higher and Trump 'turns off' British missiles
This is the chilling moment a Russian navy officer brandished a machine gun on a warship escorting a sanctioned cargo ship through the English Channel.
Dramatic pictures taken by The Times from a nearby fishing vessel show crew on board the Boikiy as it escorted the Baltic Leader cargo ship early on Monday.
Armed personnel were seen manning machine guns on the Boikiy, a 343ft-long Russian corvette that can carry up to 99 men at a time.
The warship moved in step with the large cargo ship sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 for transporting weapons for Russia, which has been getting bolder on the world stage in recent weeks as tensions in Ukraine reached a boiling point and the US rendered British Storm Shadow missiles useless.
The Baltic Leader was this time carrying a shipment of military hardware from a Russian base in Tartus, Syria, where Kremlin operations are being wound down in the wake of the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
James Droxford, of the intelligence consultancy Droxford Maritime, said: 'The recovered military hardware onboard Baltic Leader could be used to reinforce Russia's combat capability in Ukraine, or to replenish military stocks in other key Russian military regions.'
The Boikiy's escort mission began at 5am on March 3, south of Torquay.
The convoy slowly travelled across the English Channel, before it was followed by two vessels, HMS Somerset from the Royal Navy and Belgian Navy vessel BNS Crocus.
The Baltic Leader was then seen leaving the English Channel on March 4 at 2pm.
A Russian naval officer brandishes what appears to be a MTPU pedestal 14.5 machine gun
The warship was seen escorting the Baltic Leader cargo ship early on Monday
The Boikiy's escort mission began at 5am on March 3, south of Torquay
Armed officers in flak jackets stand aboard the Russian warship on Monday
The convoy slowly travelled across the English Channel, before it was followed by two vessels
Crew are seen on the Boikiy on Monday
the Baltic Leader left Tartus, Syria, on February 13
A Ka-27 helicopter on the helipad on the Russian warship on Monday
Russian sigils can be seen across the military vessel
Armed soldiers manned the Boikiy
The massive cargo ship was seen travelling through the English Channel on Monday
Somerset, which is bristling with its own array of weapons - including anti-ship missiles and a 4.5-inch naval gun - stalked the ships through the North Sea and English Channel.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: 'The British Type 23 frigate utilised its powerful sensors and radars to report on Russian movements, launching her Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron to gather valuable information from the sky.
'The ship worked hand in hand with UK patrol aircraft and allied Nato forces during the operation, providing constant watch on the task group.'
Somerset was scrambled on March 1 as the Russian warship headed south through the North Sea and English Channel to meet Baltic Leader, the Royal Navy said.
Satellite images showed the Baltic Leader left Tartus, Syria, on February 13. Russia has been winding down its use of the port since Assad's fall.
This, combined with Ukraine's increased capability to sink Russian ships in the Black Sea, has resulted in increased activity in Syrian waters.
Droxford said: 'Ukraine could destroy hundreds of tons of vital Russian military material in one go by attacking the ships and that's a huge risk for Russia to take.'
Joseph Byrne, senior analyst at the Open Source Centre, told the Times: 'While it isn't exactly clear what cargo the vessel is loading, Tartus is a port where Russia has been storing its military equipment, likely waiting for transport.
'Since mid-February we have seen a number of Russian flagged cargo vessels sail from Syria into the Mediterranean and through the English Channel.
'They have exhibited highly similar patterns of life, including switching off their transponders when entering Syrian waters and ports, not broadcasting their final destinations, and appearing to sail through the Channel with a military escort for protection.'
Russia's military has been getting bolder in recent weeks, while the West has been reeling from a series of catastrophic decisions from the Trump administration.
Britain's long-range Storm Shadow missiles are feared to have been rendered useless in Ukraine after President Donald Trump blocked US intelligence from being shared with allies.
In a huge blow to Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion, Trump froze American military aid to Kyiv before suspending intelligence sharing with President Volodymr Zelensky's war-torn country.
The UK, who has vowed to stand by Ukraine throughout the three-year war, is among those who have been banned from sharing Washington intelligence with Kyiv.
It comes amid an ongoing transatlantic rift after Trump and Zelensky dramatically clashed in a heated Oval Office row last week, sparking a wave of support for Ukraine from European allies including Britain.
MailOnline revealed on Tuesday that UK intelligence agencies and military outlets have received an order expressly forbidding the sharing of US-generated intelligence, previously known as 'Rel UKR' - short for Releasable to Ukraine'.
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
LIVE: US special envoy for Russia and Ukraine speaks at Council on Foreign Relations event
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Polish President Andrzej Duda at NATO Headquarters
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Europe can defeat Russia in 'any military confrontation' and will win new 'arms race' just as it beat the Soviets 40 years ago, EU leaders tell Zelensky as they meet for 'watershed' Brussels summit
Europe could defeat Russia in any kind of conflict and will beat Vladimir Putin in his new arms race, Poland's Prime Minister reassured Volodymyr Zelensky as EU leaders gathered to meet the Ukrainian President for 'watershed' talks in Brussels.
'Europe as a whole is truly capable of winning any military, financial, economic confrontation with Russia - we are simply stronger,' Donald Tusk said ahead of the summit. 'We just had to start believing in it. And today it seems to be happening.'
The Polish leader warned that Vladimir Putin had started 'a new arms race' that has left Europe with no choice but to prepare itself for war.
'Europe must be ready for this race, and Russia will lose it like the Soviet Union 40 years ago,' he wrote on X. 'From today, Europe will arm itself more wisely and faster than Russia.'
His comments came as EU leaders hold a day of crisis talks in a bid to beef up their own security and shore up Ukraine's defences, as the allies face the prospect of being cut adrift by US President Donald Trump.
Zelensky has expressed his gratitude to EU leaders for standing by Kyiv's side, with today's summit less than a week after he attended an explosive meeting with Trump at the White House.
He received warm welcomes from most leaders at the Brussels gathering - a stark contrast with the verbal lashing the Ukrainian president got from Trump.
'I want to thank all our European leaders,' Zelensky said. 'Strong support from the very beginning of the war. During all this period, and last week, you stayed with us.'
Since the Oval Office showdown, Washington has suspended the military aid and intelligence sharing that has helped Kyiv fight off Russia's invasion - a decision which Ukrainian officials say will lead to thousands more deaths.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meets France's President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the Special European Council to discuss continued support for Ukraine
EU Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talk to the press as they arrive for an European Council meeting in Brussels
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a cabinet meeting in Moscow, on March 5
Today's emergency talks involving members of the 27-nation bloc come amid fears that the Trump administration is making huge concessions to Russia and freezing Ukraine out of negotiations to end the war.
The two months since Trump took office have seen the cornerstones of cooperation between the US and Europe completely upended - an alliance that had been the bedrock of Western security since World War II.
French President Emmanuel Macron last night said that he would confer with EU leaders about the possibility of using France's nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats amid the shifting security situation.
The bloc will 'take decisive steps forward,' Macron said in an address to the French nation.
'Member states will be able to increase their military spending' and 'massive joint funding will be provided to buy and produce some of the most innovative munitions, tanks, weapons and equipment in Europe,' he said.
He added that 'Europe's future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow.'
Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor of Germany, and summit chairman Antonio Costa this morning discussed ways to fortify Europe's defenses on a short deadline.
Merz has pushed plans to loosen the nation's rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending, while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the conference today: 'Spend, spend, spend on defencse and deterrence. That's the most important message.'
Their calls mark a sharp departure from decades of decline in military spending in Europe, where defence often came last in many budgetary considerations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a plan to loosen budget rules so countries that are willing can spend much more on defence. Her proposal is underpinned by 150 billion euros ($162 billion) worth of loans to buy priority military equipment.
Most of the increased defense spending would have to come from national budgets at a time when many countries are already overburdened with debt.
Part of von der Leyen's plan includes measures to ensure struggling member states won't be punished for going too deep in the red if the spending is earmarked for defense.
'Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself,' she said.
France is struggling to reduce an excessive annual budget deficit of 5 per cent of GDP, after running up its total debt burden to 112 per cent of GDP with spending on relief for businesses and consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A view from the damaged site after the Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih
A fire burns in a destroyed building following a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine March 5, 2025
Five other countries using the euro currency have debt levels over 100 per cent of GDP: Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Europe's largest economy, Germany, has more room to borrow, with a debt level of 62 per cent of GDP.
Part of any security plan is also aimed at protecting the increasingly beleaguered position of Ukraine.
Politicians in the country have put on a united front today after Washington officials reportedly held talks with opposition leaders on holding fresh elections.
Ukraine has banned elections under martial law, but Russia and President Trump have argued that Zelensky is not a legitimate leader and called for elections, despite the Ukrainian leader winning the 2019 elections with 73 per cent of the vote and having a significant approval rating.
US news outlet Politico reported Thursday that senior Trump allies had held secret discussions with Yulia Tymoshenko and senior members of Petro Poroshenko's party on whether the country could hold quick presidential elections.
Poroshenko, the leader of the opposition European Solidarity party and founder of the Roshen confectionery maker, was elected president in 2014, losing a 2019 election to Zelensky.
In a statement Thursday, he said that his team 'has always been and remains categorically against holding elections during the war'.
'We have said, and continue to say, that elections can only take place after a ceasefire and the signing of a peace agreement with security guarantees for Ukraine,' he said.
Poroshenko said his team works 'publicly and transparently to maintain bipartisan support for Ukraine'.
In criticism of Zelensky's administration, he said there has been a 'lack of communication' between the Ukrainian government and the American administration, 'which poses a risk to the state'.
Last month Zelensky banned Poroshenko from leaving the country and barred his access to assets amid escalating infighting.
Tymoshenko, who served two terms as prime minister of Ukraine and leads the Fatherland party, said her team 'is negotiating with all our allies who are able to help ensure a just peace as soon as possible'.
'Until then, and I have said this more than once, holding any elections in Ukraine is out of the question,' she wrote.
It comes after a Russian missile killed four people staying at a hotel in Zelensky's hometown overnight.
He said that a humanitarian organization's volunteers had moved into the hotel in Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, just before the strike.
The volunteers included Ukrainian, American and British nationals, but it wasn't clear whether those people were among the 31 injured.
Early this week, Trump ordered a pause to US military supplies to Ukraine as he sought to press Zelenskyy to engage in negotiations to end the war with Russia, bringing fresh urgency to Thursday's summit.
Thursday's meeting is unlikely to address Ukraine's most pressing needs. It is not aimed at urgently drumming up more arms and ammunition to fill any supply vacuum created by the US freeze. Nor will all nations agree to unblock the estimated 183 billion euros ($196 billion) in frozen Russian assets held in a Belgian clearing house, a pot of ready cash that could be seized.
Still, the Europeans underlined the importance of the moment.
'This is a watershed moment for Europe and Ukraine as part of our European family. It's also a watershed moment for Ukraine,' von der Leyen said, as she stood alongside Zekenskyy before striding together into the summit.
But perhaps the biggest challenge for the EU will be taking a united stance at a moment when it's fractured, since much of the bloc's actions requires unanimous support. Hungary is threatening to veto part of the summit statement on Ukraine, as is Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
'We have to take decisions no matter the one or two which are opposing every time,' said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. 'Otherwise history will penalize us and we will pay a very high cost.'
Thursday's summit is unlikely to produce immediate decisions on spending for Ukraine or its own defenses.
Another EU summit where the real contours of decisions would be much clearer is set for March 20-21.
Цитата:
The Importance of Peace in Ukraine, With General David Petraeus
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Panicked EU leaders gather to drum up £700bn war chest as Macron says French nuclear umbrella can protect Europe after Trump halted Ukraine's military funding
European Union leaders are planning on holding emergency talks on Thursday to figure out how to quickly increase their military budgets after Donald Trump's administration signalled that Europe must take care of its own security and also suspended assistance to Ukraine.
In just over a month, President Donald Trump has overturned old certainties about U.S. reliability as a security partner, as he embraces Russia and withdraws American support for Ukraine.
On Monday, Trump ordered a pause to US military supplies to Ukraine as he sought to press President Volodymyr Zelensky to engage in negotiations to end the war with Russia, bringing fresh urgency to the EU summit in Brussels.
'Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us have seen in our adult lifetime. Some of our fundamental assumptions are being undermined to their very core,' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned in a letter to the EU's 27 leaders, who on Tuesday unveiled an €800bn (£669bn) plan to rearm Europe.
But perhaps the biggest challenge for the EU on Thursday will be to take a united stance at a moment when it's fractured, since much of what the bloc does requires unanimous support.
But individual states like France are beginning to step up.
Last night, French president Emmanuel Macron gravely said he is open to discussing how to extend the protection offered by nuclear missiles to his nation's European allies.
He said in an address to the nation: 'Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it's complete, sovereign, French through and through.
'But, responding to the historic call of the future German Chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our (nuclear) deterrence.'
Whatever happens, the EU leaders' meeting is not expected to address Ukraine's most pressing needs.
It is not aimed at urgently drumming up more arms and ammunition to fill any supply vacuum created by the US freeze. Nor will it unblock the estimated 183 billion euros ($196 billion) in frozen Russian assets held in a Belgian clearing house, a pot of ready cash that could be seized.
Ukraine's armed forces, meanwhile, are still battling to slow Russia's advances along the 600-mile front line, especially in the eastern Donetsk region. Tens of thousands of soldiers and more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
The focus of Thursday's summit will be finances, and how to set the EU up as quickly as possible to provide for its own security, and help Ukraine, while breaking with decades of dependence on the US defence umbrella.
'In view of the increasing threat situation, it is clear to us that Europe … must now very quickly make very big efforts, very quickly, to strengthen the defence capability of our country and the European continent,' Germany's likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said on Tuesday.
The prospective partners in Germany's next government are seeking to loosen the nation's rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte — who fears that Russia's armed forces might be capable of launching an attack on another European country by the end of the decade — has warned that US allies will have to spend more than 3% of gross domestic product on their military budgets.
The Trump administration is demanding that the Europeans spend as much as 5%, well beyond the NATO benchmark of at least 2%. Seven European allies still fall short of even that target. The US spends around 3.4%, according to NATO figures, and a Pentagon audit that could reduce that is pending.
Von der Leyen has proposed that the EU's executive branch, the European Commission, raise up to 150 billion euros ($161 billion) on financial markets that would be loaned to member countries buy new military equipment for themselves, or to send to Ukraine.
The commission would also aim to free up funds from other sectors of the bloc's massive long-term budget and to relax its stringent debt rules so that each country could invest up to 1.5% more of their GDP on defence, should they want to.
The leaders will also discuss whether to place more arms contracts with Ukraine's defence industry, and to help integrate it into the European industrial network. Production costs in Ukraine are much lower, providing a relatively fast way to supply more arms and ammunition.
It's an approach that Zelensky has praised.
'Last year alone, thanks to Ukrainian and partner efforts, we produced over 1.5 million drones of various types. Ukraine is now the world leader in drone warfare. This is our success. But it's also your success,' he said earlier this month at the Munich Security Conference.
Possible EU support for a future force to police any peace agreement in Ukraine will also be weighed. Britain and France are leading that effort, which could involve several other European countries.
The summit comes as the EU is arguably at its weakest point, fragmented by the steady rise of a hard right that is often pro-Russian.
Hungary and Slovakia have routinely undermined support for Ukraine. Hungary is threatening to veto a joint statement drafted for Thursday's summit but would not be able to block any major security or financing decisions.
Meanwhile, many larger countries face uncertainties at home. Germany will soon have a new chancellor, but France's latest government is fragile, and Spain relies on small parties to keep its coalition intact.
Poland offers strong leadership under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, however a presidential election looms and a right-wing candidate is well placed. The Dutch cabinet dominated by hard-right leader Geert Wilders is shaky.
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Keir Starmer's dire personal rating boosted by Ukraine leadership as Brits give damning verdict on Donald Trump - with even Reform voters turning against US president
Sir Keir Starmer has been handed a rare poll boost as voters show their approval of his handling of the Ukraine crisis.
The Prime Minister is now more popular than Reform's Nigel Farage for the first time since September, according to YouGov.
And in another blow for the Reform UK leader, even his party's usually pro-Trump voters are now turning against the president in the wake of his treatment of Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelensky.
In the past two-and-a-half weeks Trumps approval raring among Reform voters has fallen from +38 to -8, after his public slanging match with Zelensky at the White House.
The Trump administration has also embarked on a series of measures that have targeted Ukraine in the name of peace while making no attempt to rein in Vladimir Putin's Russia and its bloody invasion.
Mr Farage was criticised this week for appearing to blame Mr Zelensky for triggering the rant by Trump and his sidekick JD Vance last Friday, criticising him for not wearing a suit and tie to the meeting.
And new figures released this morning show that his party has struggled to attract donations since winning five seats in the election last July.
Electoral Commission figures show the party made £281,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024 - while Nigel Farage personally topped up his MP's salary with £350,000 from outside work in the same period.
The Prime Minister is now more popular than Reform's Nigel Farage for the first time since September, according to YouGov.
And in another blow for the Reform UK leader, even his party's usually pro-Trump voters are now turning against the president in the wake of his treatment of Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelensky.
A Reform UK spokesman said: 'We are a grassroots political party funded by the mass membership and not reliant on any single large donor.
'We gained over 70,000 members in Q4 2024, our members are the lifeblood of Reform UK.'
Adding 70,000 new members paying £25 each would bring in an estimated £1.75million.
The proportion of Reform voters with a negative view of Trump has risen fully 25 points to 53 per cent since mid-February, while the number with a favourable view has fallen from a commanding 66 per cent to just 45 per centre now.
By contrast, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has increased in popularity, with the proportion of Britons with a favourable view of the Ukrainian leader increasing from 64 per cent to 71 per cent.
Again, the shift is largest among Reform UK voters, among whom he is now more popular than Donald Trump.
The number with a favourable view of Zelenskyy has increased from 49 per cent to 62 per cent over the last fortnight, while those with an unfavourable view has declined from 37 per cent to 27 per cent.
Among UK politicians, Sir Keir's popularity has risen among voters of all four main parties.
By contrast, Farage's numbers have worsened, with a quarter of Britons (26 per cent) now having a positive view of him, down from 30 per cent in mid-February. This is against two-thirds of the public (65 per cent) seeing Farage in a negative light, up from 60 per cent.
Farage's latest net favourability score of -39 is 11 points lower than Starmer's, a noticeable contrast from February's ratings, which gave Farage a net advantage over Starmer of 10 points.
On Monday Mr Farage faced a major backlash after accusing Ukraine's president of triggering a major televised row with Donald Trump at the White House.
In the past two-and-a-half weeks Trumps approval raring among Reform voters has fallen from +38 to -8, after his public slanging match with Zelensky at the White House. Mr Farage has attempted to defend Trump
The Reform UK leader, a vocal cheerleader for the US president, was branded 'morally wrong' for an attack on Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview.
Mr Trump sparked global outrage by accusing Mr Zelensky of 'gambling with World War Three' and said he had not expressed enough thanks for US aid in defending his country against Mr Putin's invasion.
Mr Farage said the Kyiv leader had 'played it very badly' in the row last Friday, which also included vice president JD Vance in front of assembled reported in the Oval Office.
Speaking to LBC Mr Farage also accused the fatigue-wearing war commander of 'bowling up and showing no respect' to Trump by not wearing a suit and tie, adding: 'I wouldn't expect a guest to be rude to me in my own house.'
Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel MP had said: 'President Zelensky is a hero, who has stood up to Putin's aggression, and led his country's defence against their barbaric and illegal invasion over the last 3 years - and it is troubling to not hear the leader of Reform say that.
'For Nigel Farage to sit there pointing the finger at Zelensky is both morally wrong and diplomatically counterproductive.
'At this uncertain and dangerous time, one would hope that MPs of all stripes would be putting our national interest first, rather than playing politics.'
And Lib Dem leader Ed Davey added: 'Zelensky showed courage and integrity in that room - in stark contrast to Farage's cowardly approach of licking Trump's boots.'
Pete Hegseth rolls out red carpet for UK Defence Secretary John Healey at the Pentagon
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Defence secretary holds talks in DC on Trump's decision to pause intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.
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It's a critical time for the MoD - so who is Defence Secretary John Healey?
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Keir Starmer gives statement on UK Defence industry.
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US Defence Secretary hints Ukraine will get military aid back amid crunch talks with his British counterpart John Healey at the Pentagon
The US Defence Secretary has hinted Ukraine will receive military aid and intelligence again 'pending a true commitment to a path to peace'.
Speaking at a meeting in Washington D.C. with the UK's Defence Secretary John Healey, he insisted the hugely controversial move was merely 'a pause'.
With Ukrainian and US officials due to the meet in Saudi Arabia next week in a bid to produce a framework for a peace deal, the resumption of military assistance could be close.
Mr Hegseth said: 'The President has pointed out, it is a pause. Exactly what he said from the beginning, a pause pending a true commitment to a path to peace.
'The President is paying a very keen eye to precisely what the Ukrainians are saying and doing, about committing to that peace process, and we are very encouraged by the signs we are seeing. Ultimately he will make the determination, but it is a pause for now.'
Mr Hegseth also noted it was 'very encouraging' to watch the UK and France step-up and say they were prepared to take the lead to ensure an enduring peace in Ukraine.
Mr Healey shook hands with Mr Hegseth before the meeting despite the former Fox News host previously admitting he had not washed his hands for 10 years because 'germs were not a real thing'.
He made the remark in a 2019 interview on Fox and Friends. He later told USA Today is remarks were intended as a joke.
At the time, Hegseth also criticised people who repeatedly sanitise their hands 'as if that's going to save their life'.
Hesgeth on Thursday also dismissed as 'garbage' accusations that Washington had taken a pro-Russia stance, saying the US President was pursuing a peaceful end to of Ukraine.
Trump has piled pressure on Ukraine, pausing all U.S. military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv, as his administration pushes for a negotiated solution to the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Trump and his advisors, including Hegseth, have also declined to brand Russia as the aggressor.
'The press is interested in narratives. Our president is interested in peace. So we will get characterized one way or another: 'Oh, your stance is pro-Russia or pro-' ... it's all garbage,' Hegseth told reporters.
'The President got elected to bring peace in this conflict, and he is working with both sides in a way that only President Trump can ... to bring them to the table to end the killing.'
Hegseth spoke alongside Healey, who aimed to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine during the meeting at the Pentagon on Thursday.
The talks come after the U.S. banned Britain from sharing intelligence from Washington with Ukraine as part of its withdrawal of support for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump's decision to freeze American military aid to Kyiv yesterday brought warnings that Ukraine could run out of weapons in as little as two to three months' time.
But on top of missiles and ammunition, all UK intelligence agencies and military outlets also received an order expressly forbidding the sharing of US-generated intelligence, previously known as 'Rel UKR' - short for Releasable to Ukraine'.
Since the conflict began three years ago, the UK and other Western security partners such as Australia and New Zealand have shared such knowledge with Ukraine.
But the Mail has learnt the top-level security classification has now been removed by the United States pending further notification and is likely to impact upon Kyiv's ability to defend itself against Russia's continuing onslaught.
The ban affects the likes of the UK's GCHQ, the spy agencies and intelligence branches of the Ministry of Defence.
Meanwhile, EU leaders sat down for an emergency summit today following calls for a £670 billion fund to finance Ukraine's defence against Russia.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called it a 'watershed moment' for Europe and Ukraine.
She said: 'It's so important that we stand together. Ukraine is part of our European family.
'Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore it must be able to protect itself, defend itself.'
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UK to continue to supply intelligence to Ukraine after US cutoff
Britain will also continue to supply analysis of raw data but will not pass on shared US information, sources say
Britain will continue to supply intelligence to Ukraine, though the more limited capabilities on offer from London and other European countries will make it difficult to replace the flow halted from the US earlier this week.
The UK will also continue to supply its analysis of the raw data, sources said on Thursday, though in line with normal intelligence practice it will not simply pass on US information obtained via long-established sharing arrangements between the two countries.
“They are not as far reaching as US capabilities, not at the same scale and not able to take their place,” a former Whitehall insider said. But they will allow Ukraine to maintain some early warning from attack and a degree of deep strike capability into Russia.
Reconnaissance data collected from satellites, ground stations, surveillance aircraft such as Rivet Joint, and even covertly deployed ground forces is accumulated and shared with Ukraine in conjunction with open source material to enable damaging deep missile and drone strikes into Russia.
France also said publicly that it would continue to provide intelligence to Ukraine. Sébastien Lecornu, the country’s armed forces minister, said that while the US decision would have a “significant operational impact” Paris would continue to help with its “sovereign intelligence”.
The French minister said the UK’s position was “more complicated” because its intelligence apparatus was more closely bound up with Washington – though British sources emphasised there had been a long history of competition as well as cooperation between the UK and US.
One expert suggested the US decision to halt its intelligence could make it easier for Russia to renew a stalled offensive towards Ukraine’s second city. The Kremlin could “move everything inside its borders near Kharkiv and attack again”, Dr Jade McGlynn, of King’s College London, said.
There are concerns Ukraine would struggle to detect the launch of bombers from Russian air bases and incoming missiles, though there was a warning on Wednesday before a missile attack on a hotel in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, which killed four and injured at least 32.
A defence expert said he believed the intelligence freeze meant Ukraine could no longer detect incoming Iskander-M ballistic missiles and their North Korean equivalents, KN-23s and KN-24s. Valerii Riabykh, the editor of the Defence Express consulting firm, said the US had jeopardised the safety of civilians with its decision.
However, Riabykh suggested the cutoff would not significantly affect the situation on the frontline. “We have our own intelligence officers, satellite services and agents in Russia. This is enough to strike stationary objects deep inside the Russian Federation,” he said.
The Institute for the Study of War said the US decision “will damage Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against ongoing Russian attacks”, and gave examples of successful long-range strikes by the Ukrainian military that would prove harder to execute.
That included the bombing of an ammunition facility near Toropets, Tver oblast, overnight on 17-18 September 2024 that “destroyed “two to three months of Russia’s ammunition supply” at a site that stored ballistic missiles, glide bombs and other artillery ammunition.
A day after the ban was announced by the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, another member of the Republican administration said the US decision was primarily political. Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, said the idea was “sort of like hitting a mule with a two by four across the nose. You get their attention.”
Speaking at an event organised by the Council on Foreign Relations thinktank, Kellogg said the goal was to force Ukraine to “engage in diplomatic activities” and to get them to set out “their term sheet”, or outline negotiating position, for a deal. “So, more of anything, it’s a forcing function,” he added.
Donald Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to bring about an end to the three-year war in Ukraine, and has held preliminary discussions with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, while at the same time pressuring Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to agree to peace negotiations. Senior Trump administration officials will travel to Saudi Arabia to meet Ukrainian officials next week, Fox News and Axios reported on Thursday.
On Monday, the US announced it would halt military aid for Ukraine after a meeting at the White House in which the intelligence-sharing ban was also agreed, though it did not start to be implemented until Wednesday.
There were reports that, after the supply of targeting data was cut, US-supplied Himars rocket systems were abruptly turned off. The change was also thought to affect longer-range Atacms missiles, though stocks of these are limited and it is unclear how many Ukraine had left.
Ukraine has only a small number of Himars launchers. But they have played a crucial role in the destruction of high-value Russian targets, such as ammunition dumps and logistics centres. The Kremlin has tried to hunt down Himars crews, who change locations frequently.
Ukraine’s military intelligence organisation, the HUR, also relies on some foreign intelligence to carry out sabotage operations inside Russia and for real-time updates on the deployment of Russian bomber planes on air bases.
The agency is believed to be behind the killing of leading military figures, such as Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian army’s chemical weapons division. In December a bomb taped to an electric scooter blew up outside his Moscow apartment block, killing him and an aide as they left the building.
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Advanced attack drones for Ukraine in new deal struck by UK government and Anduril UK
Ukraine’s armed forces will be backed by more advanced attack drones to tackle Russian aggression in the Black Sea, following a deal struck by the UK government and an Anglo-American defence tech company.
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The deal with Anduril UK has been agreed ahead of the Defence Secretary’s meeting with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon today.
• During his visit to Washington D.C., John Healey MP met with staff at Anduril’s facility.
• The UK continues to work with allies to put Ukraine in the strongest position for peace as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP visited Anduril, the firm supplying the drones, in Washington D.C. ahead of a meeting with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon today.
The deal follows a meeting of world leaders in London last week, when the Prime Minister and allies agreed it was essential that military support continues for Ukraine to put the country in the strongest possible position for peace as it continues to defend itself from Russian aggression.
The new contracts, totalling nearly £30 million and backed by the International Fund for Ukraine, will result in Anduril UK supplying cutting-edge Altius 600m and Altius 700m drones – known as loitering munitions – that are designed to monitor an area before striking targets that enter it.
The Defence Secretary visited Anduril yesterday, where he spoke with a number of American and British staff. Founded in California, Anduril continues to invest significantly in the UK with a large footprint across the country and plans to rapidly scale, in line with the Government’s commitment to keeping the nation safe while providing highly skilled jobs.
Securing a lasting peace in Ukraine and strengthening bonds between NATO allies set to top the agenda when the Defence Secretary meets with his US counterpart today.
The visit follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer meeting the US President last week, and John Healey MP will hail the unparalleled depth of the UK’s special relationship with the US - the UK’s closest security ally – as both nations continue to collaborate to bolster security and support economic growth.
The meeting follows the recent decision by the UK Government to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027 – the biggest sustained uplift since the Cold War. National security is a foundation of our Plan for Change, and the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary have said that Europe needs to take a greater responsibility for its security, and that defence can be an engine for economic growth.
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:
We are determined to achieve a secure, lasting peace in Ukraine, which means putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to prevent any return to Russian aggression.
The UK has already provided more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, which have proved vital in disrupting Russian troop advances and targeting positions behind the frontline.
With a £2.26 billion loan from seized Russian assets, plus £1.6 billion worth of air defence missiles announced for Ukraine in the last week, the UK is continuing to show leadership in securing a lasting peace for Ukraine.
The work with Anduril UK been led by Defence Equipment & Support - the procurement arm of the MOD - on behalf of the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). The fund now stands at more than £1.3 billion worth of pledges from 10 other countries, of which the UK has contributed £500 million.
Ukraine’s armed forces will take delivery of the drones, launchers and spare parts over the coming months.
Dr Rich Drake, MD of Anduril UK and Europe said:
Anduril UK is proud to partner with the UK Government, working hand in glove to deliver vital capabilities for the UK and its Allies. Our focus on developing and deploying technology where and when it’s needed is at the core of everything we do - from the rapid delivery of Altius to Ukraine to the expansion of our presence here in the UK. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with the Ministry of Defence to protect our nation and our allies.
In January, it was announced that 30,000 drones will be sent to Ukraine by the international Drone Capability Coalition, co-led by the UK and Latvia.
Since July 2024, the Government has provided over £5.26 billion in military aid and financial support to Ukraine, including a £3 billion annual military aid and a £2.26 billion loan for military spending.
The British and US Armed Forces operate in close alignment around the world, from the long-standing global coalition to combat Daesh in the Middle East to joint maritime security patrols in the Indo-Pacific.
The Defence Secretary’s visit to Washington D.C. comes as the UK receives the last of an order of 50 of the latest generation AH-64E attack helicopters for the British Army, the most advanced attack helicopter in the world. The helicopter was handed over this week at the Boeing site in Arizona under a programme that supports more than 300 UK jobs, helping to grow the UK economy - underscoring defence as an engine for driving economic growth.
The visit also comes at the conclusion of the 50th occurrence of Exercise Red Flag in Nevada, a joint exercise with the UK, United States and Australia. The training is designed to test equally matched air forces in a realistic combat scenario and involves more than 3,000 military personnel in high-intensity training, such as dogfighting, air-policing and practicing bombing runs, at Nellis Air Force Base.
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Минкультуры Украины создало комиссию для проверки мощей святых в Киево-Печерской лавре.
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Trump’s US destroying world order, says Ukraine’s UK ambassador
Valery Zaluzhny said the White House was making ‘steps towards the Kremlin’ — but the Ukrainian government distanced itself from his remarks.
[img]https://www.politico.eu/cdn-cgi/image/width=1024,quality=80,onerror=redirect,format=auto/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/06/GettyImages-2201139779-scaled.jpg[/img]
Valery Zaluzhny said at the Chatham House think tank: "We see that it is not just the axis of evil and Russia trying to revise the world order, but the U.S. is finally destroying this order." | Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
LONDON — Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom on Thursday accused the United States under Donald Trump of "destroying" the world order, as he attacked U.S. handling of the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a think tank event, Valery Zaluzhny — a former Ukrainian general sent to represent Kyiv in London last year — said actions by the White House under U.S. President Trump had called into question "the unity of the whole Western world."
The intervention came despite cooling public rhetoric between Trump and Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelenskky in recent days, after a disastrous meeting between the two leaders in the Oval Office last week.
The Ukrainian government appeared to distance itself from Zaluzhny's remarks Thursday afternoon. When approached by POLITICO, its foreign ministry responded that the opinion voiced by the Ukrainian ambassador had been his personal position.
Zaluzhny said at the Chatham House think tank: "We see that it is not just the axis of evil and Russia trying to revise the world order, but the U.S. is finally destroying this order."
He warned that Trump's negotiations with Russia for an end to the war were a sign the White House was making "steps towards the Kremlin, trying to meet them halfway."
Since entering office, Trump has pledged to end Russia's war with Ukraine — but has moved ahead with peace talks without directly involving Ukraine, pulled U.S. aid for the country, and refused to commit to security guarantees in a post-war settlement.
Zaluzhny previously served as the military's commander-in-chief and was widely praised for repelling Russia's full-scale invasion of February 2022. However, he was dismissed early last year after Kyiv's counter-offensive stalled, and became the ambassador to the U.K. in July.
The ambassador suggested Moscow's next target "could be Europe," and said a recent pause in intelligence-sharing was "a huge challenge for the entire world."
His remarks came after POLITICO reported Thursday that four senior members of Trump’s entourage had held secret discussions with some of Zelenskyy’s top domestic political opponents.
Почему заговорили об уходе ВСУ из Курской области, США говорят с оппозицией в Киеве. Итоги 6.03
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The Cold Truth: Europe Seeks War w/Russia, not Peace Lt Col Daniel Davis.
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Hat Selenskyj kapituliert, Frau Krone-Schmalz? Gespräch über Trump, Putin und Europa
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LIVE from Russia: War Correspondent Johnny Miller.
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Putin taunts Macron with warning that 'some people forget how Napoleon's Russian campaign ended' after French president called Moscow a 'threat to Europe' and offered nuke protection
Vladimir Putin has mocked Emmanuel Macron, warning him that 'some people forget how Napoleon's Russian campaign ended,' after the French President indicated he would be willing to use his country's nuclear deterrent to protect Europe.
France's Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the Russian Empire in 1812 in a disastrous six-month military campaign that ended in Russian victory and resulted in some half a million casualties on the French side.
Putin's warning, which did not refer to Macron by name, came a day after the French leader called Moscow 'a threat to Europe' and raised the idea of putting other countries under France's nuclear umbrella.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hit back today, saying the Kremlin viewed Macron's comments about extending France's nuclear deterrent to other European countries as a 'threat'.
Lavrov also reaffirmed his country's opposition to European forces being deployed in Ukraine as peacekeepers if an accord was made to halt the conflict.
He again compared Macron to Napoleon as well as Adolf Hitler, saying that unlike the French emperor and Nazi leader Macron did not openly say he wanted to conquer Russia, before adding that he 'evidently wants the same thing'.
Continuing his mocking tirade, Lavrov stated that Macron is making 'stupid accusations against Russia' that Putin has dismissed as 'madness and nonsense'.
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Britain 'must prepare in case Trump pulls support for Trident' amid fears that nuclear deterrent could not be maintained without US help
Britain must start preparing for the 'terrifying' possibility Donald Trump may pull US support for the UK's nuclear deterrent, experts have warned.
The UK has its own nuclear warheads but fits them to American-made and maintained Trident ballistic missiles carried in the Royal Navy's Vanguard Class submarines.
While the Navy has total control of the missiles once they are aboard the subs, they are drawn from a joint US/UK stockpile based in Georgia.
There has never been an issue with access to Trident, but amid Trump's cooling of transatlantic support for Europe and efforts to suck up to autocratic Russia, experts have suggested the UK cannot afford to just hope for the best.
Some suggested that the UK start talking to other allies including France about nuclear weapons.
Nicholas Drummond, a defence industry analyst and former British soldier, told The Times it was 'extremely unlikely' Trump would do something as seismic as pulling support for UK nukes.
But he added: 'When it comes to support and maintenance, I would say that we are largely dependent on the US for parts and technical assistance. If this was withdrawn, it would also weaken our deterrent.
'Can you imagine a situation where Britain's relationship with America is fractured and they refuse to give us Trident missiles through the agreement that is in place?
'It would render the billions we have invested in Dreadnought boats useless. A terrifying thought.
The UK has its own nuclear warheads but fits them to American-made and maintained Trident ballistic missiles carried in the Royal Navy's Vanguard Class submarines
While the Navy has total control of the missiles once they are aboard the subs, they are drawn from a joint US/UK stockpile based in Georgia
There has never been an issue with access to Trident, but amid Trump's cooling of transatlantic support for Europe and efforts to suck up to autocratic Russia, experts have suggested the UK cannot afford to just hope for the best
'Anyone who suggested this a year ago would have been dismissed as an idiot. Now it is a scenario that we need to plan for.'
Matthew Savill, the director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, added: 'If the US cut off support we would have a load of Trident missiles but at some point we would need to fashion our own missiles with somebody.
'We could in due course replace these things but the cost would be excruciating.'
But a No 10 spokesman said: 'The UK's nuclear deterrent is completely operationally independent.
'Only the UK Prime Minister can authorise the firing of our nuclear weapons.
'The UK has a longstanding, close relationship with the US on all defence nuclear issues.
'Our extant long-term arrangements provide for co-operation and collaboration which has been, and continues to be, of considerable mutual benefit to both nations.'
He added: 'The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that the US is a reliable ally.
'It's our closest ally on defence and security, and that relationship endures and will continue to do so.'
French President Emmanuel Macron said last night he would confer with allies about the prospect of using France's nuclear deterrent to protect the continent in the face of threats from Russia at a summit of EU leaders.
They are set to address the issue of deterrence, among other topics, during the Thursday summit in the Belgian capital focusing on support for Ukraine and wider defence.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is also invited to the meeting.
European Nato allies have for decades counted on the powerful US deterrent.
'Europe's future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow,' Mr Macron said, warning that 'the innocence of the last 30 years' which followed the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall is 'now over'.
The UK Defence Secretary is expected to discuss the US decision to pause intelligence-sharing with Ukraine with his counterpart in Washington while the European leaders hold crisis talks.
John Healey will join Pete Hegseth on Thursday for a bilateral meeting on a possible peace plan while efforts continue to bridge a transatlantic rift over the country's future security.
Mr Healey's trip was agreed last week after Sir Keir Starmer announced a rise in the UK's defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, and comes as the US suspended intelligence-sharing and military aid to Ukraine.
CIA director John Radcliffe told Fox Business Network on Wednesday there has been a 'pause' on 'the intelligence front' following Donald Trump's fractious Oval Office confrontation with Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
The decision could affect Ukraine's ability to effectively use long-range western weapons, such as US-made Himars launchers and deprive Kyiv of advance information about potential incoming threats.
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UK may fight Abramovich in court to get £2bn from Chelsea FC sale for Ukraine
Ministers frustrated by failure to agree terms with Russian oligarch and court case may be only way to break impasse
UK ministers are preparing to take Roman Abramovich to court in a final attempt to free up more than £2bn from the sale of Chelsea FC to spend as aid in Ukraine, the Guardian has learned.
Officials say ministers have become increasingly frustrated by the failure to reach an agreement with the Russian oligarch about how the money should be spent and are now ready to fight him in the courts.
No final decision has yet been taken but the British government is so desperate to access the money that it is ready to fight a public court battle with one of the world’s richest people in order to do so. Ministers are looking for ways to keep money flowing to Ukraine after Donald Trump decided to freeze US military aid to the country and cut off intelligence sharing.
One source said: “The sense within government is that we are heading towards the courts over this. There is a fundamental disagreement with Abramovich himself over where the money can be spent, and it seems the law is going to be the only way to resolve that.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “This government is working hard to ensure the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as quickly as possible. The proceeds are currently frozen in a UK bank account while a new independent foundation is established to manage and distribute the money.
“UK officials continue to hold discussions with Mr Abramovich’s representatives, experts and international partners, and we will double down on our efforts to reach a resolution.”
Abramovich’s representatives did not respond to a request to comment.
The Russian billionaire sold Chelsea in 2022 for about £2.5bn under pressure from the British government after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich was under sanctions at the time and was granted a licence from the government to sell Chelsea as long as the money was spent supporting the victims of the Ukraine war.
Since then, the government has been in deadlock with Abramovich over whether the money should be spent exclusively in Ukraine, as ministers want, or whether it can go outside the country as well.
The proceeds, which are now worth an estimated £2.7bn, were placed in a UK bank account controlled by Abramovich’s company Fordstam.
The government has promised to establish a foundation to disburse the money, headed by Mike Penrose, the former head of Unicef UK, but has not yet done so.
Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure to free up the money as a way to make up for his recent decision to slash the aid budget to pay for defence spending instead. The Labour MP David Taylor told the Commons on Thursday: “The sooner we can get [the Chelsea money] into Ukraine and humanitarian aid the better, because it should, in theory, free up ODA [Official Development Assistance] money for other situations around the world.”
Members of the House of Lords European affairs committee last year described the failure to spend the money as “incomprehensible”.
Sources say David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has now invited Penrose to a meeting in Whitehall for the first time since Labour entered government, to discuss freeing up the money.
Lammy has been advised that a court case is likely to be the only way to break the impasse with Abramovich, though he has not definitely decided to go ahead with legal action. Sources say any decision to do so would have to be taken in conjunction with the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
Government officials say the decision has not yet crossed the desk of Richard Hermer, the attorney general, who has been criticised by some for holding up government decision-making, though it is likely to do so soon.
Ministers are differentiating between the Abramovich money and a broader pool of Russian assets that have been frozen across Europe and are worth about $350bn.
Lammy has been pushing to seize the assets and then use the money elsewhere, such as for aid for Ukraine or to buy weapons from the US.
However, France and Germany oppose such a move over concerns that it would break the legal principle that sovereign assets should remain untouched. The Treasury is understood to share those concerns, with officials warning that seizing the assets could also deter future investment from other countries.
Some in government believe they could still win a legal case to seize Russian assets by arguing they should be treated as proceeds of crime and therefore used as reparations for the victim of those crimes – in this case, Ukraine. However, such a legal argument is relatively untested and could involve a lengthy legal process.
Starmer told the Commons this week: “We are using the interest on the assets to help fund Ukraine and we are looking, with others, at whether it is possible to go further.”
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Trump issues stark new warning to NATO allies: 'If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend them'
President Donald Trump warned NATO allies on Thursday that if they don't pay up, the U.S. won't come to their defense if they're attacked.
The president, since his first term, has pushed for other members of the alliance to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense.
Now he's threatening to change U.S. policy when it comes to NATO's Article Five - which states if one member is attacked, all countries in the alliance must respond - if they don't pony up.
'If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend them,' the president told reporters in the Oval Office.
'They have money,' he added. 'They should be paying more.'
Such a change would send shockwaves through Europe and undermine the alliance's founding principal.
Trump, however, explained his new stance by arguing he didn't think the NATO nations would come to the United States aid if the U.S. was attacked.
'The biggest problem I have with NATO. I know the guys. They're friends of mine. But if the United States was in trouble and we called them and said we've got a problem,' he added. 'You think they're going to come and protect us? I’m not so sure.'
However, NATO did come the United States aid after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. NATO invoked Article Five for the first and only time in its history on September 12, 2001.
The cornerstone Article Five has made the alliance a powerful tool to deterring outside aggression against its members. A major policy change by Trump could weaken NATO's effectiveness.
And that cornerstone has been the main reason Ukraine has been denied membership - to keep the other members from being drawn into its war with Russia.
President Donald Trump is considering a shocking change to the U.S.' policy on NATO
NATO was formed during the Cold War amid concern about Russian aggression.
Its decisions are made by consensus but the military strength of the United States makes it the most powerful country in the alliance, with its nuclear arsenal seen as the ultimate security guarantee.
Trump is also considering limiting joint U.S. military exercises to NATO members that are spending the set percentage of their GDPs on defense.
The National Security Council said of the report: 'President Trump is committed to NATO and Article V.'
Trump first raised the idea during the 2024 presidential campaign.
At a rally in South Carolina in February, Trump recounted what he called a conversation with the 'president of a big country'.
'Well sir, if we don't pay, and we're attacked by Russia - will you protect us?' Trump quoted the unnamed leader as asking him.
'I said: 'You didn't pay? You're delinquent?' He said: 'Yes, let's say that happened.' No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them (Russia) to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay,' Trump said.
In his first term as president, Trump repeatedly argued with other leaders about their levels of defense spending; above he debates with then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel
The flags of the countries in the NATO alliance
Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not meeting the current goal of spending 2% of their GDP on defense.
And he's fought with them to get them to increase their share, arguing there is too much of a burden on the U.S.
NATO says that 23 of the 32 members have hit the 2% mark. Most of the members are European nations, plus the United States and Canada.
Poland is the top spender on defense, allocating 4.1% of GDP. Estonia is in second place at 3.4% with the U.S. in third place at 3.4%.
NATO's annual budget is $4.1 billion with a cost-sharing agreement in place to pay for its operations.
The three biggest contributors to the budget are the U.S. and Germany at 16% and the UK at 11%.
During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would keep the U.S. in NATO as long as other nations paid their fair share.
'The United States should pay its fair share, not everybody else's fair share,' Trump said in March 2024.
Trump flirted with the idea of pulling out of NATO on multiple occasions during his first term but ultimately stayed in the alliance.
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US Defence Secretary hints Ukraine will get military aid back amid crunch talks with his British counterpart John Healey at the Pentagon
The US Defence Secretary has hinted Ukraine will receive military aid and intelligence again 'pending a true commitment to a path to peace'.
Speaking at a meeting in Washington D.C. with the UK's Defence Secretary John Healey, he insisted the hugely controversial move was merely 'a pause'.
With Ukrainian and US officials due to the meet in Saudi Arabia next week in a bid to produce a framework for a peace deal, the resumption of military assistance could be close.
Mr Hegseth said: 'The President has pointed out, it is a pause. Exactly what he said from the beginning, a pause pending a true commitment to a path to peace.
'The President is paying a very keen eye to precisely what the Ukrainians are saying and doing, about committing to that peace process, and we are very encouraged by the signs we are seeing. Ultimately he will make the determination, but it is a pause for now.'
Mr Hegseth also noted it was 'very encouraging' to watch the UK and France step-up and say they were prepared to take the lead to ensure an enduring peace in Ukraine.
Mr Healey shook hands with Mr Hegseth before the meeting despite the former Fox News host previously admitting he had not washed his hands for 10 years because 'germs were not a real thing'.
He made the remark in a 2019 interview on Fox and Friends. He later told USA Today is remarks were intended as a joke.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (C) welcomes UK Secretary of State for Defense John Healey (L) to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, USA, 06 March 2025
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hesgeth has hinted Ukraine will receive military aid during a meeting with his British counterpart at the Pentagon today
Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey responds to questions from reporters during a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon today in Washington
At the time, Hegseth also criticised people who repeatedly sanitise their hands 'as if that's going to save their life'.
Hesgeth on Thursday also dismissed as 'garbage' accusations that Washington had taken a pro-Russia stance, saying the US President was pursuing a peaceful end to of Ukraine.
Trump has piled pressure on Ukraine, pausing all U.S. military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv, as his administration pushes for a negotiated solution to the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
The US president and his advisors, including Hegseth, have also declined to brand Russia as the aggressor.
'The press is interested in narratives. Our president is interested in peace. So we will get characterized one way or another: "Oh, your stance is pro-Russia or pro-"... it's all garbage,' Hegseth told reporters.
'The President got elected to bring peace in this conflict, and he is working with both sides in a way that only President Trump can... to bring them to the table to end the killing.'
Hegseth spoke alongside Healey, who aimed to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine during the meeting at the Pentagon on Thursday.
The talks come after the U.S. banned Britain from sharing intelligence from Washington with Ukraine as part of its withdrawal of support for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump's decision to freeze American military aid to Kyiv yesterday brought warnings that Ukraine could run out of weapons in as little as two to three months' time.
But on top of missiles and ammunition, all UK intelligence agencies and military outlets also received an order expressly forbidding the sharing of US-generated intelligence, previously known as 'Rel UKR' - short for Releasable to Ukraine'.
Since the conflict began three years ago, the UK and other Western security partners such as Australia and New Zealand have shared such knowledge with Ukraine.
President Donald Trump put a pause on all military aid to Ukraine earlier this week and issued an ultimatum to President Volodymyr Zelensky after their Oval Office meeting blew up last Friday
President Donald Trump welcomes Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in Washington.
But the Mail has learnt the top-level security classification has now been removed by the United States pending further notification and is likely to impact upon Kyiv's ability to defend itself against Russia's continuing onslaught.
The ban affects the likes of the UK's GCHQ, the spy agencies and intelligence branches of the Ministry of Defence.
Meanwhile, EU leaders sat down for an emergency summit today following calls for a £670 billion fund to finance Ukraine's defence against Russia.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called it a 'watershed moment' for Europe and Ukraine.
She said: 'It's so important that we stand together. Ukraine is part of our European family.
'Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore it must be able to protect itself, defend itself.'
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UK Prime Minister ‘fantasising’ about saving Ukraine.
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Starmer's 'coalition of the willing' to enforce any Ukraine peace deal now has around 20 members as No10 refuses to rule out 'Sky Shield' plan to stop Russian missiles
Keir Starmer's 'coalition of the willing' now has around 20 members as No10 refused to rule out a 'Sky Shield' plan to stop Russian missile attacks on Ukraine.
The PM insisted intensive work is continuing on ways to enforce any peace deal struck with Vladimir Putin.
But he stressed there was no certainty that an agreement would be reached, despite Donald Trump's all-out push for a settlement. Moscow has flatly dismissed the idea of European peacekeepers being in Ukraine.
Speaking after a UK-Ireland summit this afternoon, Sir Keir said he would not make a 'choice between the US and Europe' amid mounting fears that Mr Trump is washing his hands of the continent's security.
The premier argued it was essential to put America and Kyiv on the 'same page' after the extraordinary Oval Office slanging match last week.
Pressed on Mr Trump suspending military aid and intelligence co-operation, Sir Keir said: 'We need to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position... that's my strong view.'
It is understood there was a further 'planning meeting' on a 'coalition of the willing' peacekeeping plan at official level yesterday involving around 20 countries.
Keir Starmer's 'coalition of the willing' now has around 20 members as No10 refused to rule out a 'Sky Shield' plan to stop Russian missile attacks on Ukraine. The PM is pictured at a UK-Ireland summit today
EU leaders are holding discussions with Mr Zelensky in Brussels this afternoon
Speaking after a UK-Ireland summit this afternoon, Sir Keir said he would not make a 'choice between the US and Europe' amid mounting fears that Mr Trump is washing his hands of the continent's security
The talks were organised by the UK, and included nations who did not participate in the crisis summit in London on Sunday. There is speculation Australia might be involved.
So far only Britain and France have openly offered to put boots on the ground after a peace deal.
Meanwhile, military experts have been floating the idea of a European air force of 120 fighter jets to secure Ukraine's skies from Russian attacks.
No10 did not dismiss the idea, which emerged after Mr Zelensky proposed a 'truce in the air', but said nothing had been finalised.
No further plans seem to have been made for Sir Keir to head for Washington with Mr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron next week.
EU leaders are holding discussions with Mr Zelensky in Brussels this afternoon.
Speaking with employees working in the defence industry in the North West, the Prime Minister said it was crucial that 'if there is a deal and we don't know there will be, that we defend the deal'.
He said Europe must step up in terms of its own defence and security and 'the United Kingdom will play a leading part because we've always stepped up when it is required'.
'So that's why I've made that commitment on behalf of our country. It has to be done in conjunction with the United States,' Sir Keir said.
He added: 'It's that ability to work with the United States and our European partners that has kept the peace for 80 years now.'
Sir Keir told workers: 'The fighting is going on and it's a big mistake to think that well all we've got to do is wait for a deal now. We've got to make sure that if they are fighting on they're in the strongest position and even if they go into negotiation that they're in the strongest position.'
The PM said he will be working to 'get the US, Ukraine and European allies onto the same page'.
'I think we have a false choice which is between on the one hand working with the United States and on the other hand working with Europe. We've enjoyed peace for 80 years and that's been incredibly important to Britain because the safety and security of the British public is my number one duty.
'We've done that by working with the US – no two countries work as closely as we do on defence, security and intelligence – but also by working with our European partners.
Vladimir Putin has flatly dismissed the idea of European peacekeepers being in Ukraine
'That's why I'm resisting those who are saying – Churchill didn't make the choice, Attlee didn't make the choice but they're now urging me to make the choice between the US and Europe. Wrong choice in my view.'
Asked whether he would have preferred Donald Trump not to have suspended aid to Ukraine, he said: 'My strong view is that we need to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.'
He added: 'What I think is really important now is we continue our work, I continue my work, to get the US, Ukraine, and European allies onto the same page so that we can all focus on what matters most which is lasting peace in Ukraine.'
Александр Сладков | Мы делаем ставку на модернизацию, враг на количество солдат.
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Trump says ‘we’re doing very well with Russia,’ hours after threatening sanctions for bombing Ukraine
In a post on Truth Social, Trump put pressure on the country that so far has faced little public pushback from his administration.
President Donald Trump said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants peace, speaking positively about the Russian leader Friday just hours after issuing a threat of sanctions and tariffs.
Trump and his allies have declined to throw the blame on Russia for starting the war in Ukraine, focusing instead on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But after signaling earlier Friday that Russia could see economic consequences for bombing Ukraine, Trump said Putin is “doing what anybody else would do.”
“I believe him,” Trump said Friday when asked by reporters in the Oval Office if he believed Putin still wanted peace. “I think we’re doing very well with Russia, and right now they’re bombing the hell out of Ukraine. I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine.”
It’s a change in tone from his Friday post on Truth Social, where Trump put pressure on the country that so far has faced little public pushback from his administration. He wrote he is “strongly considering” issuing large-scale sanctions and tariffs on Russia to get a cease-fire and settlement deal on the table to end the war in Ukraine.
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late,” Trump wrote.
Global leaders across Europe have grown concerned over the U.S. aligning with the Kremlin. Just last week, Trump had a public blowup with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, and has since cut off some U.S. aid to the Eastern European country.
Russian forces launched a massive salvo of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure early on Friday, the first attack since U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine stopped. Zelenskyy reacted with a stern message to Russia.
“The first steps to establishing real peace should be forcing the sole source of this war, Russia, to stop such attacks,” Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app.
When asked on Friday if he would consider giving Ukraine air defenses to starve off Russian attacks, Trump seemed to reject the idea.
“I have to know that they want to settle,” Trump said about Ukraine. “I don’t know that they want to settle. If they don’t want to settle, we’re out of there because we want them to settle.“
The threat of sanctions towards Russia comes as senior Trump administration officials, including national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are planning to meet with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia next week.
Ending the war in Ukraine has been one of Trump’s main foreign policy focuses since taking office — but the pressure campaign has been firmly on Zelenskyy. Trump has called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and falsely suggested that Ukraine was the aggressor in the war Russia started.
Trump later seemingly recanted his comments on the Ukrainian leader, just before meeting with him to sign a rare earths mineral deal that would share economic profits between Ukraine and the U.S.
But that disastrous Oval Office meeting broke down negotiations, leaving the minerals deal unsigned. Zelenskyy since reiterated his desire for peace and that he is “ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” in a Tuesday post on X.
In Tuesday’s address to the joint Congress, Trump softened his rhetoric toward the Ukrainian wartime leader, reading Zelenskyy’s “important letter” expressing gratitude and pushing to restart negotiations.
Still, Trump cut off military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine this week, prompting world leaders in Europe to hold an emergency summit in Brussels on providing military security to Ukraine.
Trump’s new threats against Russia are also a day after he questioned U.S. commitments to NATO. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump said he would reconsider defending NATO allies if they didn’t spend enough on their own militaries.
“Well, I think it’s common sense,” Trump said. “If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them.”
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President Trump Delivers Remarks.
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Великобритания давно мечтает о двух базах на территории Украины, для РФ это неприемлемо, заявил Келин о перспективе европейских миротворцев.
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Ambassador Andrei Kelin’s interview with Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim, 6 March, 2025
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Передача Британией принадлежащих России средств Украине — грубое нарушение международного права, заявил Володин. У РФ есть все основания конфисковать британскую собственность в нашей стране.
Англичанам придется вернуть России то, что они сейчас так "щедро раздают".
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Посредничество Британии и Франции в переговорах по Украине, их вредные советы лишь осложнят переговорный процесс, сообщил посол РФ в Лондоне.
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Furious Russia condemns European 'threat' and compares Macron to Hitler and Napoleon after EU agrees massive war chest to rearm and France offers to protect continent with nuclear shield
Russia's top diplomat has compared Emmanuel Macron to Napoleon and Hitler after France's President offered to extend his nation's nuclear protection to European allies and invited military chiefs to discuss putting boots on the ground in Ukraine.
The Kremlin's fury came hours after Macron, other EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Brussels for a landmark summit touted by participants as the start of a new era for European security.
The discussions in the Belgian capital demonstrated Europe's recognition that its security is no longer guaranteed as leaders agreed measures to free up hundreds of billions of euros for military spending by loosening the bloc's budget restrictions.
Following the summit, Macron told reporters he had been approached by several of his European counterparts who were interested in exploring the possibility of France sharing its nuclear deterrent.
He also confirmed that Paris would host 'exploratory' talks with EU defence chiefs starting on Tuesday about the possible deployment of European forces in Ukraine once a peace deal is signed.
The revelations, which came as French Mirage fighter jets were deployed by Ukraine's air force for the first time to down Russian missiles and drones, led the Kremlin to deliver a venom-tongued retort to the French President.
'Unlike his predecessors, who also sought to fight with Russia - Napoleon, Hitler - Mr. Macron does not act very diplomatically,' Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference yesterday, echoing similar comments made by Vladimir Putin.
'It was very strange to me to hear that Mr. Macron, in an aggressive manner, continuing the work of Napoleon, who wanted to conquer Russia.'
Earlier this week, Lavrov had chastised Macron for floating the idea of sharing France's nuclear weapons with other European nations.
'Of course it is a threat against Russia. If he sees us as a threat... and says that it is necessary to use a nuclear weapon, is preparing to use a nuclear weapon against Russia, of course it is a threat,' Lavrov declared.
Now, with some analysts warning that Europe 'needs to be on par with Russia's 1,550 strategic warheads' should America withdraw its so-called nuclear blanket, experts have outlined the formidable challenges that must be overcome if the EU - and Britain - are to strengthen their faltering nuclear deterrent.
Tale of the tape
Russia's war in Ukraine is now raging into its fourth year as Putin calls for peace in one breath, then unleashes another wave of missile strikes in the next.
Yet, despite Moscow's relentless aggression on Europe's eastern flank, it is the shifting policies of the continent's most powerful ally that have truly set alarm bells ringing.
Donald Trump is openly working to dismantle decades of transatlantic security cooperation on Russia, and there are fears that Washington could soon abandon its commitment to protecting Europe that has lasted since the Second World War.
NATO's nuclear deterrence is heavily reliant on the US, which possesses the world's second largest stockpile of operational nuclear warheads.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US has more than 3,700 operational warheads, though fewer than half are actively deployed.
Several hundred of these are stationed across Europe, primarily in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, as part of NATO's deterrence posture.
But Washington retains ultimate control over the use of these weapons.
Any suggestion that the US could withdraw support from NATO is therefore a serious cause for concern for European defence chiefs, who fear their nuclear capabilities could be effectively erased in a matter of weeks.
When American weapons are removed from the equation, there are only NATO member states that have a nuclear arsenal of their own - Britain and France.
According to SIPRI, the UK has some 225 warheads at its disposal, but only 40 of these are ready to deploy at any one time.
France has a slightly larger stockpile of around 290.
By contrast, Russia commands a vast nuclear arsenal exceeding 5,000 warheads, with at least 1,550 strategic warheads deployed under the terms of the New START treaty.
However, Putin suspended Moscow's participation in the treaty in 2023, raising concerns that even more warheads could be activated at a moment's notice.
Analysts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conclude that, as things stand, 'the French and British nuclear forces are a complement to US extended deterrence... they would not constitute a viable solution in the event of an abrupt withdrawal of US nuclear forces.'
Logistical and structural concerns
Clearly, Europe's nuclear stockpile pales in comparison to that of Moscow.
But it is not just the size of the proverbial stick that poses a problem. Europe's ability to swing it is also significantly reduced.
Unlike the US, which spent decades constructing a vast nuclear infrastructure spanning land, sea, and air, Europe's nuclear forces suffer from major logistical constraints.
France's 290 warheads are split between sea and air-based platforms.
The majority are deployed aboard its fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), while around 50 are mounted on cruise missiles that can be launched by French bombers.
The UK, however, relies solely on its four Vanguard-class SSBNs to deploy its warheads, and of the 225 at Westminster's disposal, only 40 are ready to launch at any one time.
Neither country has any land-based nuclear missile silos, and France's air-launched nuclear weapons are all stationed with planes at domestic airfields.
This dramatically restricts Europe's ability to project nuclear force and its ability to react effectively in a crisis situation.
Compounding these limitations is Britain's reliance on American technology.
The UK purchases its Trident missiles from the US, and depends on Washington's support for maintenance and upgrades.
As nuclear weapons expert Norman Dombey put it: 'Britain's independent nuclear deterrent is neither British nor independent.'
'Both its missiles and its warheads are dependent on the US and US design.'
This uncomfortable reality raises serious questions about how reliable the UK's deterrent would actually be in a crisis, particularly if Washington's commitment to European security continues to wane.
The politics of non-proliferation
In recent years, there have been rumblings that Britain and France could potentially extend their nuclear capabilities to other allied powers in Europe.
Such a notion was first floated by France's President Emmanuel Macron in 2020, when he invited European partners to engage in a strategic dialogue on 'the role played by France's nuclear deterrence in collective security'.
Then, in the months following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany's then-finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble suggested his nation could make a financial contribution to bolster 'the nuclear deterrent at the European level'.
Now though, these rumblings are growing louder.
German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz last month openly declared he would explore the possibility of forming a nuclear triumvirate with Britain and France during a speech in which he delivered a stark assessment of Europe's vulnerability in the event of a US withdrawal from NATO.
Merz, who is currently trying to get the outgoing Bundestag to vote through a constitutional change that would allow Germany to dramatically boost defence spending, said: 'We have to talk to the British and French whether their nuclear protection could also be extended to us.
'(This is) an issue that the French government has repeatedly raised with the German government... We must talk to each other about what that could look like.'
Macron on Wednesday reiterated his openness to enter discussions with Germany and other EU nations about the prospect of extending his nuclear umbrella.
However, there are several hurdles to be negotiated before France or Britain could enter into a warhead-sharing agreement with European allies.
France maintains complete sovereignty over its nuclear forces, meaning Paris is under no obligation to deploy its strategic warheads in the event that a NATO ally comes under attack.
What's more, for all of Macron's bluster, his country's current nuclear doctrine stipulates that its warheads exist to protect France's national interests and will not be shared with other countries.
His own defence minister, Sebastien Lecournu, reminded him and everyone else of that fact just this morning, declaring that Paris' nuclear capability 'is French - and it will remain French'.
Emmanuelle Maitre, an analyst at the French Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), added that although there is a 'compatibility' between French national interests and those of the rest of western Europe, France's president has given 'no assurance, no guarantee' of nuclear protection to his allies.
Britain's nuclear forces meanwhile are assigned for the collective defence of NATO, according to the government's most recent integrated defence review.
But, as already established, the UK's nuclear capabilities are heavily reliant on ongoing support from Washington.
The challenges of a nuclear sharing arrangement on the continent are also compounded by regulations set out in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
Under this agreement - to which the UK, France, Germany and all members of the European Union are signatories - states without nuclear weapons cannot acquire them, and states with nuclear weapons must pursue disarmament.
This means that Germany, for example, cannot legally develop nuclear weapons of its own.
Even if France moved to station some of its nuclear assets in Germany, both parties would need to consult closely with its nuclear-enabled allies and the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, before any nuclear-sharing programme could be realised.
Цитата:
EU Holds Emergency Summit to THREATEN Russia, SABOTAGE Trump Peace Efforts | Glenn Diesen
Цитата:
Poland seeks access to nuclear arms and looks to build half-million-man army
Already a major spender within NATO, Warsaw has massive military plans as fears grow about the reliability of the U.S. as an ally against Russia.
WARSAW — Poland will look at gaining access to nuclear weapons and also ensure that every man undergoes military training as part of an effort to build a 500,000-strong army to face off the threat from Russia, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the parliament on Friday.
Poland's dramatic military expansion comes as fears grow across Europe that U.S. President Donald Trump is aligning with the Kremlin and turning his back on America's traditional western alliances — a geopolitical shift that Warsaw regards as a potentially existential threat.
Tusk said that Poland "is talking seriously" with France about being protected by the French nuclear umbrella. President Emmanuel Macron has opened the possibility of other countries discussing how France’s nuclear deterrent can protect Europe.
Tusk also stressed that Poland cannot restrict itself to conventional weapons.
"We must be aware that Poland must reach for the most modern capabilities also related to nuclear weapons and modern unconventional weapons ... this is a race for security, not for war," he said.
He pointed to the example of Ukraine, which gave up is nuclear arsenal and is now being attacked by Russia.
He also talked about a massive upscaling of Poland's conventional military forces.
"By the end of the year, we want to have a model ready so that every adult male in Poland is trained for war, and so that this reserve is adequate for possible threats," Tusk said.
The Polish military is now about 200,000, which makes it the third-largest in NATO after the U.S. and Turkey and the largest among the alliance's EU members. Tusk pointed out that Ukraine has an army of about 800,000 while Russia has 1.3 million men under arms.
"Every healthy man should want to train to be able to defend the homeland in case of need. We will prepare it in such a way that it will not be a burden on people," Tusk said, adding that women would also be able to volunteer, but that "war is still, to a greater extent, the domain of men."
Tusk underlined this is not a return to conscription, which ended in Poland in 2008.
But that decision was taken in a very different time.
Now, growing fear about Russia, added to worry about the reliability of Poland's traditional alliance with the United States, is prompting a revolution in military planning.
"Poles will not adopt the philosophy that we are completely powerless and helpless, if President Trump has decided to adjust policy," Tusk said.
Counting on America
But he added that Poland is not giving up on NATO.
"Poland is not changing its opinion on the need, the absolutely fundamental need to maintain the closest possible ties with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This is in general indisputable," he said.
Poland is already NATO's top spender, with its defense budget accounting for 4.7 percent of gross domestic product this year. Tusk told parliament that spending should increase to 5 percent of GDP — a figure touted by U.S. President Trump.
Poland is is spending billions on weapons — Abrams tanks, Patriot missile defense systems and F-35 jet fighters from the U.S. as well as K2 Black Panther main battle tanks, K9A1 Thunder howitzers, Homar-K rocket systems and jet trainers from South Korea.
The confusing signals coming out of the Trump administration are particularly worrying for Poland, which has built its security architecture around its close ties with the U.S. There are about 10,000 American soldiers stationed in Poland, and the country makes an effort to buy U.S. weapons systems — to the annoyance of other European countries.
But the sight of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being berated in the White House, the U.S. ending arms aid to Ukraine, and Donald Trump's comments that the U.S. may not fulfill its NATO obligations to protect members against attack if he feels they are not spending enough on defense are very concerning.
“We are seeing a deep correction in U.S. policy with regard to Ukraine but we can’t turn our backs to it only because we don’t like it. We must be precise and honest in assessing what it means and what serves our interest and what doesn’t,” Tusk told parliament.
He insisted that Europe has the economic potential to stand up to Russia.
“Our deficit has been the lack of the will to act, having no confidence, and sometimes even cowardice. But Russia will be helpless against united Europe,” Tusk said, adding: “It’s striking but it’s true. Right now, 500 million Europeans are begging 300 million Americans for protection from 140 million Russians who have been unable to overcome 50 million Ukrainians for three years."
He also said Poland would take steps to withdraw from international treaties banning the use of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions.
Despite the planned military buildup, Tusk insisted that Polish troops would not be sent to Ukraine to police any peace agreement — something France and the U.K. are considering.
“Poland's job is to guard its eastern border, which is also the border of NATO and the European Union," he said.
Цитата:
Russia Bombards Ukraine While Diplomats Timidly Ponder.
Цитата:
The European PEACE RESISTANCE.
Цитата:
Russia is preparing for a major spring offensive in Ukraine with Zelensky's men deprived of US supplies and intelligence, Moscow's gloating state media claims
Russia is preparing to launch a massive offensive in Ukraine in spring or early summer, the Kremlin-backed press touts.
Putin's forces are reportedly preparing 'big reserve forces' and 'large units' that analysts say will '100 per cent advance' on Ukrainian troops once the weather changes.
Citing how Volodymyr Zelensky's troops will be deprived of American military equipment and intelligence, Russian state-controlled media warns that Ukraine will be in for a 'nasty surprise'.
It previously proved difficult for Russian forces to conceal the launch of large troop offensive because NATO satellites would record their movement and alert Ukraine, Kremlin-backed newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets reports.
But Russia now believes that without US support in Ukraine, its army will have a 'higher chance of finding the enemy's weak spot' and 'striking when they're not expecting it'.
The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia may need to act to respond to what it called European Union plans to militarise the bloc that cast Russia as its main adversary.
European leaders on Thursday backed plans to spend more on defence and continue to stand by Ukraine in a world upended by Donald Trump's reversal of US policies.
Zelensky's forces, meanwhile, are trying to hold territory in Russia's Kursk region after Putin's Army broke through the Ukrainian defense line south of Sudzhi overnight.
Kremlin propagandists hit out at Britain and other European nations on Friday for standing by Ukraine despite Trump demanding a 'swift end' to the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the European Union 'is positioning Russia as its main adversary'.
'We see that the European Union is now actively discussing the militarisation of the EU and the development of the defence segment,' Peskov said, noting that 'this is a process that we are watching closely'.
'This, of course, could potentially be a topic of deep concern for us and there could be a need to take appropriate measures in response to ensure our security.
'And, of course, such confrontational rhetoric and confrontational thinking that we are now seeing in Brussels and in European capitals is, seriously at odds with the mood for finding a peaceful settlement around Ukraine.'
The state-controlled Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper accused Europe of 'trying to come up with ways to continue pouring oil on the fire', while the Izvestia blamed the UK for 'once again trying to derail the peace process in Ukraine'.
Russian forces damaged Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure overnight in their first major missile attack since the US paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Zelensky, seeking to shore up Western support for his country after Trump's diplomatic pivot towards Moscow, called for a truce covering air and sea, though not ground troops - an idea first mooted by France.
'The first steps to establishing real peace should be forcing the sole source of this war, Russia, to stop such attacks,' Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app, responding to the overnight missile attack.
Ukraine's air force said Russia had fired a salvo of 67 missiles and 194 drones in the overnight attack, adding that it had shot down 34 of the missiles and 100 of the drones.
Regional officials from the northeastern city of Kharkiv to the western city of Ternopil reported damage to energy and other infrastructure. Eight people were injured in Kharkiv and two more, including a child, were hurt in Poltava, officials said.
'Russia continues its energy terror,' Energy Minister German Galuschenko said. 'Again energy and gas infrastructure in various regions of Ukraine has come under massive missile and drone fire.'
Russia targets Ukrainian cities and towns far from the front lines every night with drones, but Friday's attack was the first large-scale assault since the suspension of American military aid and intelligence this week.
Ukraine's relations with the US, previously its most important ally, have plunged into crisis since Zelensky's acrimonious exchange with Trump in the Oval Office last Friday before the world's TV cameras.
Trump said afterwards that Zelensky - whom he had already branded a 'dictator' - that the Ukrainian leader was an obstacle to his vision for bringing peace to Ukraine.
In a bid to patch things up, Zelensky said on Tuesday that Kyiv was ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible and to work under Trump's leadership, calling the way things had gone in Washington 'regrettable'.
Zelensky, in a further sign of re-engagement with the US, said late on Thursday he would travel to Saudi Arabia next Monday for a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ahead of talks there later in the week between US and Ukrainian officials.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has already held extensive talks with Russian officials, said he was in discussions with Ukraine for a peace agreement framework to end the three-year war and confirmed that a meeting was planned next week with the Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia.
'Ukraine is ready to pursue the path to peace, and it is Ukraine that strives for peace from the very first second of this war. The task is to force Russia to stop the war,' Zelensky said in his Telegram message on Friday.
It remains unclear whether Washington and Kyiv can bridge their different visions for ending the war. Kyiv has been pressing for robust security guarantees, but the United States has declined to commit, pointing to a potential critical minerals agreement that Trump believes would be enough.
On the battlefield, Ukraine is outnumbered and Russian forces are steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region and mounting major pressure on Ukrainian troops trying to hold territory in Russia's Kursk region.
Russia has pounded the Ukrainian power sector with missiles and drones throughout the war, knocking out about half the national electricity generating capacity and forcing rolling blackouts at various junctures in the war.
This year Russia has focused more on infrastructure for natural gas, which is used for heating and cooking and also by industrial enterprises. 'Production facilities that ensure gas production were damaged. Fortunately, there were no casualties,' the Naftogaz energy company said.
Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK halted gas production at its facilities in the central Poltava region after sustaining significant damage in Friday's attack, it said.
The pause in US military aid and intelligence may undermine Ukraine's air defences as it runs low on advanced missiles and struggles to track attacks as effectively, military analysts say.
Meanwhile, Poland's President Andrzej Duda proposed enshrining defence spending of at least 4 per cent of GDP in the constitution on Friday, while the prime minister said every adult male would receive military training - as Warsaw readies itself for threats from Moscow.
Galvanised by Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine three years ago, Poland now spends a higher proportion of GDP on defence than any other NATO member, including the United States.
Last year Poland's defence spending reached 4.1 per cent of GDP, according to NATO estimates, and it plans to hit 4.7 per cent this year.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk later said in parliament that spending 5 per cent on defence seems 'a necessity, but that Poles have 'a lot of effort ahead of us.'
He added that the government wanted to put in place by the end of the year a system for training every adult male for the event of a war, without presenting further details.
'We will try to have a model ready by the end of this year so that every adult male in Poland is trained in the event of war so that this reserve is truly... adequate to potential threats,' Tusk said.
Зеленский посетил завод в Скрантоне в сентябре 2024 года
Завод в Скрантоне, где побывал Зеленский: как жителей американского города расколола помощь Украине
Приостановка военной помощи США Украине посеяла тревогу и неуверенность не только среди украинцев и европейских лидеров. Последствия такого решения ощутили даже в США — а именно, в небольшом городе Скрантон в штате Пенсильвания, в 7560 км от Киева. Там производится оружие, которое поставляется в том числе в Украину.
Скрантон известен прежде всего как место действия сериала «Офис» и родина экс-президента США Джо Байдена, но с начала российского вторжения в Украину он стал известен еще и благодаря своему артиллерийскому заводу.
Завод принадлежит правительству США и управляется оборонным подрядчиком General Dynamics. Он производит 155-миллиметровые артиллерийские снаряды — ключевые боеприпасы, которые помогли украинцам сдерживать наступление российских войск.
В сентябре 2024 года президент Украины Владимир Зеленский посетил этот завод, пожав руки сотрудникам и осмотрел оборудование. После этой поездки республиканцы обвинили украинскую делегацию во вмешательстве в американские выборы.
Во время встречи в Овальном кабинете, на которой произошла перепалка между Зеленским и Трампом, вице-президент Джей Ди Вэнса, вице-президент вспомнил ту поездку и обвинил Зеленского в агитации «за оппозицию».
Скрантон — один из трех заводов в Пенсильвании, которые увеличили производство 155-миллиметровых снарядов с начала войны в Украине. Если в 2009-2017 годах эти заводы вместе производили около девяти тысяч снарядов в месяц, то к моменту визита Зеленского, как сообщал официальный портал армии США, производственные мощности выросли до 36 тысяч снарядов.
Несмотря на всю политическую драму, жители Пенсильвании продолжают считать свою работу олицетворением приверженности США Украине, говорит мэр Скрэнтона Пейдж Когнетти.
«У нас здесь есть несколько украинских церквей. У нас довольно большая диаспора украинских американцев», — говорит она.
Украинская католическая церковь Святого Владимира в Скрантоне собирала деньги для военных нужд и устраивала мероприятия с участием украинских солдат.
«Скрантон очень гордится своей историей поддержки Украины, — заявила Когнетти в комментарии Би-би-си. — Последние недели были очень трудными, поскольку что мы видим, как эта поддержка со стороны администрации США начинает иссякать».
155-миллиметровые снаряды, готовые к погрузке
«Возмутительно видеть, как политика США меняется и как, потенциально, США отворачиваются от Украины», — говорит Когнетти.
В заявлении в связи с визитом Зеленского генерал-лейтенант Крис Мохан отметил, что артиллерийский завод в Скрантоне «обеспечивает военных необходимыми боеприпасами тогда, когда нужно, и там, где нужно, и продолжает укреплять арсеналы США по всему земному шару».
По словам Когнетти, с начала полномасштабной войны в Украине на заводе появились десятки новых рабочих мест. На момент визита Зеленского там работало около 400 человек.
Но теперь, когда администрация Трампа оказывает давление на Зеленского с целью прекращения войны, роль Скрантона в геополитике может быть сведена на нет.
В среду советник по национальной безопасности США Майк Уолтц подтвердил, что Белый дом приостановил обмен разведданными с Киевом, заявив журналистам: «Мы сделали шаг назад».
По его словам, администрация Трампа пересматривает «все аспекты этих отношений».
Республиканские законодатели поддержали недавние действия Трампа, которые, по их мнению, являются ключевыми для переговоров о прекращении войны.
«Я думаю, что президент просто хочет собрать всех за столом переговоров, и, по моему мнению, он добивается прогресса», — сказал журналистам сенатор от Южной Дакоты Майк Раундс.
Когнетти (справа) во время визита Джо Байдена в 2024 году
Существует несколько оценок того, сколько военной помощи Соединенные Штаты предоставили Украине, показал анализ BBC Verify.
По оценкам немецкого Кильского института, общая сумма составила 119,7 млрд долларов. Министерство обороны США выделило 182,8 млрд долларов, включая расходы на операцию «Атлантическая решимость» — ответ на вторжение России в Украину.
Член комитета Верховной Рады по обороне Федор Вениславский сообщил Би-би-си, что без военной помощи США солдаты на передовой смогут продержаться, «возможно, полгода».
В этом регионе расположено несколько оборонных заводов, в том числе Lockheed Martin и крупнейший центр обслуживания Tobyhanna Army Depot, также производящий некоторые виды оружия для Украины.
Представители Скрантонского артиллерийского завода отказались комментировать, как приостановка помощи Украине может повлиять на завод и рабочие места. По словам местных чиновников, любое решение не окажет сильного влияния на экономику Скрантона.
Завод «ни в коем случае не является крупнейшим работодателем, — сказал президент внепартийной Торговой палаты Скрэнтона Боб Дуркин. — Но это очень важный работодатель. Работа здесь действительно высокого качества. Это хорошо оплачиваемые рабочие места, позволяющие содержать семью».
Жители Скрантона о войне и помощи Украине
За пределами завода мнения местных жителей о войне и помощи Украине расходятся. Несмотря на то, что Скрантон находится на северо-востоке Пенсильвании — штате, исторически поддерживающем демократов, республиканцы добились здесь существенных политических успехов.
На выборах 2024 года Трамп победил в этом штате, но с небольшим отрывом уступил Камале Харрис конкретно в округе Лакавонна, где находится Скрантон. При этом на выборах в Конгресс республиканец Роб Бреснахан обошел демократа Мэтта Картрайта всего на 6,2 тыс голосов.
Во вторник, незадолго до выступления Трампа в Конгрессе, местные жители в баре Poor Richards поспорили о том, какую роль должен играть их город на мировой арене.
«Меня разозлило, как Трамп вел себя на встрече с Зеленским», — говорит 35-летний Брэндон Люкс, работающий в психиатрическом центре в Скрантоне. — Приостановка государственного финансирования Украины прямо сейчас, по моему мнению, точно будет иметь последствия здесь, в нашем городе».
Сторонница Трампа Фрэн Фитцджеральд хочет, чтобы США сосредоточили свои расходы внутри страны
Однако другие жители считают, что Трамп правильно поступил, оказав давление на Зеленского и пересмотрев поддержку Байденом Украины.
«У нас нет для них денег, мы должны в первую очередь позаботиться о наших людях», — сказала Фрэн Фитцджеральд, которая называет себя «большой поклонницей» Трампа.
Фрэн Фицджеральд выразила надежду, что администрация Трампа сможет направить тратящиеся на войну в Украине средства на такие проекты, как ремонт «ужасных дорог» и выбоин в Скрантоне.
Электрик Майк Пирсон голосовал за Трампа, но пока не всегда согласен со всеми его действиями. Он обеспокоен тем, что Илон Маск и его Департамент эффективности правительства (DOGE) поставят под угрозу его пособия по социальному обеспечению. Он надеется выйти на пенсию в течение следующих пяти лет.
Однако Майк Пирсон повторил слова президента о том, что США должны тратить деньги не за границей на конфликты вроде войны в Украины, а у себя дома.
«Мы — мировой банк, мы — мировой страховой полис, — сказал он. — Нам нужно остановиться».
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Russia launches devastating attack on Ukraine after Trump’s defence of Putin
Latest attacks came hours after Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin was ‘doing what anybody would do’
Russia launched a devastating attack on Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more, hours after Donald Trump defended Vladimir Putin and said the Kremlin leader was “doing what anybody would do”.
Two ballistic missiles hit the centre of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region. Fire engulfed a five-storey apartment building. As emergency services arrived, Russia launched another strike on the same area. Eleven civilians were killed, with five children among the 30 injured.
Writing on social media, Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the “vile and inhuman intimidation tactic often used by the Russians”. Three people also died and seven injured in a drone attack in the city of Bohodukhiv, in the Kharkiv region.
Russia’s relentless bombardment of Ukrainian cities has intensified after a torrid week in which Trump has pulled the plug on intelligence sharing with Ukraine and halted the supply of US weapons.
These hostile moves mean the alarm system that warns Ukrainian civilians of incoming enemy missiles is less effective. Asked if Putin was taking advantage of US aid pauses, Trump on Friday acknowledged Ukraine was experiencing a “tremendous pounding”.
He suggested, however, that “anyone in Putin’s position” would do the same. Before a meeting on Tuesday between US and Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia, Trump said he was “finding it easier” to deal with Moscow than with Kyiv.
European leaders suggested the US president was complicit in the latest devastation.
The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said there had been “another tragic night in Ukraine”, with “more bombs, more aggression and more victims”. Without mentioning Trump directly, he said: “This is what happens when someone appeases barbarians.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the “relentless” Russian missiles demonstrated that Putin had no interest in peace. “We must step up our military support. Otherwise, even more Ukrainian civilians will pay the highest price,” she said.
Zelenskyy has been seeking to repair relations with Trump after their acrimonious White House meeting last month. Ukraine’s president has sketched out a peace plan – beginning with a truce on land and sea – and said he is ready to sign a favourable minerals deal with the US.
So far, however, Trump has piled pressure on Ukraine while making no demands of Russia. Zelenskyy said Saturday’s strike showed Moscow’s objectives had not changed. He called for an increase in sanctions against Russia to “collapse” its war economy.
Russia’s latest strike transformed the centre of Dobropillia into a sprawling ruin. The apartment block was a gutted mess. There were burnt-out cars and vans and smouldering debris. Rescuers swept up glass and twisted pieces of metal. Video from the strike showed a terrifying explosion.
Irina Kostenko, 59, spent the night cowering in her hallway with her husband. When she left the apartment building on Saturday, she saw a neighbour “lying dead on the ground, covered with a blanket”. “It was shocking, I don’t have the words to describe it,” she told the AFP news agency.
Meanwhile, Russia has exploited the US intelligence and weapons freeze to launch a series of bold attacks. North Korean and Russian troops have broken through Ukraine’s defences in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian units have for seven months occupied a parcel of territory.
There were unconfirmed reports on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had managed to stabilise the situation and avoid encirclement, at least for now. A hundred Russian soldiers crept through a gas pipeline in a raid on the Kyiv-held Russian town of Sudzha, Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper reported.
Ukraine’s hold on territory in Kursk is increasingly precarious. Soldiers told the Observer two supply roads with the Ukrainian city of Sumy were open, but came under constant attack from Russian drones and artillery.
Serhiy Sternenko, a prominent Ukrainian activist, described the logistics situation there as “rapidly deteriorating and already critical”. “Logistics routes to Sudzha are under full enemy fire control,” he posted on X.
According to Kremlin bloggers, Russian combat groups advanced several kilometres across the border into Ukraine’s Sumy region. Russia also said it had retaken three villages in neighbouring Kharkiv oblast.
Цитата:
Ukraine losing the war in Kursk with Russia quick to exploit Trump’s decision to blind battlefield intelligence
News analysis: Russian advances in Kursk are no coincidence writes World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley
Days after Donald Trump cut military aid, and a day after he blindfolded Ukraine’s forces by suspending intelligence sharing, Russia has carved into Ukrainian-held Kursk, escalated air raids and bombed civilian cities.
In response, the US president has threatened to increase economic sanctions against Russia, stating that Vladimir Putin’s forces were “absolutely pounding” their enemy.
A more rational response would be, of course, to allow Ukraine to fight on by lifting the suspension of military aid and sharing intelligence again.
European leaders are frantically scrambling to replace the sudden cut in military intelligence, which includes satellite imagery, early warning systems, and vital signals intelligence.
But Ukraine’s needs are immediate.
Russia has highlighted this with bombing attacks on supply lines leading to Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region. US intelligence provided early warning of impending Russian attacks. Now Russian jets are able to roam more freely in the Ukrainian battle space and also bomb Slaviansk and Kramatorsk in Donetsk province.
Missiles and drones have filled the skies over Ukraine - most of them shot down or disabled, but Ukraine is also running out of the Patriot missiles that the US was supplying before the cut to aid.
Kursk is where the Russians have been quickest to exploit Mr Trump’s moves against Ukraine which are, he claimed, intended to force Kyiv into negotiations.
In early February there were signs of Russian troop reinforcements and a resupply around Kursk. Ukrainian intelligence officers in the neighbouring province of Sumy believed that the Russians were planning a counter-attack in an effort to drive Ukrainian forces out of the lozenge-shaped piece of land captured by Ukraine last year.
Russian special forces also conducted cross-border raids to draw Ukrainian forces away from protecting the main supply lines into Ukrainian held areas of Kursk.
Ukraine tried to disrupt Russian plans to retake Kursk in late February and March - forcing the Russians back from their locations north of Sudzha.
But now a message from a senior officer in Sumy sent via text simply read “we’re losing”.
It would be wrong to attribute every battlefield advance by Russia to Mr Trump’s crippling cuts to military aid and his blinding of their intelligence gathering.
Russia has been sending tens of thousands of soldiers into “meat grinder” attacks around the eastern town of Pokrovsk for months - slowly making small tactical gains, but at enormous cost. The Kremlin has been swarming the Ukrainian skies with Iranian Shahed drones, mixed in with devastating ballistic missiles, since the mid summer of 2022.
But in the past two weeks there was a sudden and unexplained drop in the Russian attacks on the Pokrovsk front - and of Ukrainian casualties.
It is now clear that the military effort was being concentrated in preparation for the Kursk operation.
In lightning raids the Russians have split Ukrainian forces in two using elite airborne and marine brigades potentially trapping Ukrainian soldiers in the north of the salient.
Russia’s trade with the US is about $3.5 billion following sanctions that have already excluded Moscow from access to international banking, strangled its oil industry’s access to the west, and choked off technology that could be used to kill Ukrainians.
Kyiv has hoped to use its control of part of Kursk in future negotiations with Russia as part of a possible territorial swap.
If Moscow prevails in the latest operation to drive Ukraine out of Russian territory, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will not have that card to play.
But he cannot be surprised that the Russians moved so quickly after the cut in US military and intelligence support for his country so quickly.
His only question will be “was this a coincidence?” The answer has to be “no’”.
‘We’re here to stop Russia taking the Black Sea’: with the Ukrainian Navy as they battle for supremacy on the waves
Captain Oleksandr and his crew are on constant alert to shoot down Vladimir Putin’s swarming drones
Сaptain Oleksandr put his hand on the throttle and nudged it forward. His patrol boat roared into action and zipped through the waves. Behind him was the Ukrainian port of Odesa. In front – beyond a grey expanse of water, and 180km (112 miles) away, was occupied Crimea. “We’re here to stop the Russians from taking the Black Sea,” Oleksandr said, as his boat – travelling at a nippy 30 knots – rolled up and down.
In 2014 Ukraine lost three-quarters of its modest naval assets when Vladimir Putin seized the Crimean peninsula. Then, in 2022, Russia sank most of what was left. Its own fleet, by contrast, seemed invincible. It included a mighty flagship carrier, the Moskva, two modern frigates, several smaller warships and multiple missile boats and landing vessels, as well as four submarines carrying deadly Kalibr missiles.
The Moskva entered into legend when it told the Ukrainian garrison on Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender, on day one of Putin’s invasion. The radio operator responded: “Russian warship, go fuck yourself”. The Russians stormed the island anyway and took the Ukrainian soldiers guarding it prisoner. Since then, though, Moscow has suffered a series of maritime setbacks.
First, Ukraine sank the Moskva using a Neptune cruise missile. Then it reclaimed Snake Island. After that, Kyiv’s homemade explosives carrying sea drones sent at least five other Russian boats to the bottom of the sea. In 2023 and 2024 Moscow’s Black Sea fleet relocated. Surviving ships left their base in the Crimean harbour of Sevastopol and sailed east, to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The fleet’s departure allowed commercial shipping to resume fully from three coastal cities: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi (formerly Yuzhnyi). The future of the Black Sea is likely to form part of any peace deal with Russia. Last week, after his unhappy meeting with Donald Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office, Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a truce. It could begin on land and sea, he said.
Spelling out the details on Friday, he called for “no military operations” in the Black Sea, and an end to missile and drone attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s president will travel on Monday to Saudi Arabia to meet the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and to hold talks on Tuesday with US negotiators. It is unclear if genuine progress to ending the war can be made.
For now, Russia continues to pummel Ukraine from Crimea. Whenever the air raid siren sounds, the patrol boat takes to the waves and tries to shoot down incoming drones. “They arrive in a swarm. Normally there are 20. We manage to destroy around half,” the chief officer, Illia, said. He added: “You hit one and immediately fire at the next. There’s no time for celebration.”
Last week Russian unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Odesa region, flying over the sea in darkness. On Thursday an elderly man was killed, and another person wounded. Twenty houses were damaged. Air defence units shot down three dozen drones, but were unable to intercept them all. There were more attacks on Friday, on the Odesa suburb of Podilskyi and an outlying village.
The patrol boat is equipped with three machine guns. One is an American mini-gun that fires 6,000 rounds a minute. The others are a Browning and an ancient PKM, produced in the Soviet Union in 1982. “It’s a pretty cool gunboat,” Illia said, as his crew sailed past container ships, several wrecks and an island of gulls and diving shags.
Foreign partners have helped to restore Ukraine’s navy. It now has 90 vessels. Estonia donated Illia’s vessel. Sweden and Finland have provided combat boats. The UK passed on two former Royal Navy mine-hunters, currently moored in Portsmouth. Under the Montreux convention, they can only enter the Black Sea once the war ends. Kyiv has built a new corvette in Istanbul, with another on the way.
Oleksii Neizhpapa, the commander of Ukraine’s navy, said his country had “independently freed” the north-west Black Sea. Russia’s fleet fled because it no longer felt safe, he said, and Ukraine also had “fire control” over the neighbouring Sea of Azov. His strategic goal was to guarantee the safety of the busy grain corridor used by international cargo ships to take goods to foreign ports. Exports had almost returned to pre-2022 levels, he said, with 90m tonnes transported. “This is good for the economy. It’s one of the successes of Ukraine’s war against Russia,” he said.
“The corridor works all the time. We’ve destroyed 100 floating mines. It’s a big operation, which nobody talks about and nobody really sees. Our task is to guarantee safe passage,” he said.
Speaking to the Observer, Neizhpapa described the war with Russia as a technological race dominated by drones. Moscow had developed “pretty effective” methods to counter sea drone raids. So Ukraine had responded by turning the drones into fast-moving attack platforms. Engineers had added anti-aircraft guns to shoot down helicopters – and FPV (first-person view) drones, he said.
The vice admiral said he was optimistic Kyiv would be able to destroy the Kerch bridge, built by Russia to connect its territory with Crimea. Two previous strikes damaged the road and rail structure. Russia’s military was no longer able to transport heavy wagons across the railway bridge, Neizhpapa said. “The Russians understand we are actively discussing a third operation. There is a saying: ‘God loves a trinity’,” he said, grinning.
Neizhpapa shrugged off tensions with the Trump administration, which has cut supplies of weapons and intelligence. “We can’t split from the US,” he said. “We are in a new epoch of war between democratic countries and authoritarian ones. We are in the line of fire from totalitarian states.” Western support for Ukraine sent a powerful signal that “we are not alone,” he noted, saying: “It inhibits bad Russian behaviour”
The commander was speaking from his office in Odesa, decorated with naval memorabilia. One souvenir is a part of the missile used to sink the Moskva. The shield-like piece of casing shows a Ukrainian soldier giving the middle finger to the burning ship. “I stood on the Moskva’s deck in 2012. Ten years later we sank it,” Neizhpapa said, pointing out it was the first Russian flagship to be lost since 1905.
The Kremlin says the Black Sea region is a part of “historical” Russia. In fact, it was previously home to Greeks, Scythians and for four centuries the Ottomans, until the late 18th century, when Catherine the Great seized it. Neizhpapa said the Russians twisted history and understood nothing of the actual past. “When Kyiv had a university Moscow was just a bog. It was home to a lot of croaking frogs,” he said.
Back on the gunboat, the sailors acknowledged that after three years of all-out war they were exhausted. But they were not ready to sign a peace deal that involved Ukraine giving four oblasts to Russia – one of many Kremlin demands, alongside replacement of Zelenskyy’s government and non-Nato “neutrality”.
There was also bewilderment at Trump’s support for Moscow. “Russia already gets help from North Korea and Iran. Day by day they conquer our territory. We struggle, but we do our best,” one sailor, Volodymyr, said. “Now with such a political situation, such political decisions, we don’t understand.” If Zelenskyy capitulated Ukraine would erupt in civil war, he predicted.
“The Russians try and kill us every day. They drop bombs on women and children,” Oleksandr said. “This is a struggle of good against evil. We are counting on the world to help us. If you don’t understand what’s happening come here and we will take you on an excursion.”
Цитата:
05.03.2025
The King on the carrier - Charles visits HMS Prince of Wales at sea
Цитата:
US support to maintain UK’s nuclear arsenal is in doubt, experts say
Malcolm Rifkind joins diplomats and analysts urging focus on European cooperation to replace Trident
Britain’s ability to rely on the US to maintain the UK’s nuclear arsenal is now in doubt, experts have warned, but working with European states to replace it will be costly and take time.
An existing debate about the future of Trident – Britain’s ageing submarine-launched nuclear missile system – has taken a dramatic new turn in recent weeks amid fears Donald Trump could pull out of Nato.
A range of concerns had already loomed over the £3bn-a-year programme, not least around its efficiency and effectiveness after a second embarrassing failed test launch last year.
Costs have also been a longstanding challenge but replacing Vanguard submarines on time has been prioritised over coming in under budget.
Downing Street sought to play down concerns earlier this week after diplomatic figures including the former British ambassador to the US Sir David Manning floated the scenario of an end to Anglo-US nuclear cooperation.
However, calls for Britain to make alternative plans have been joined by the former UK foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who initiated talks in the 90s between the UK and France on nuclear weapons cooperation.
“It really is necessary for Britain and France to work more closely together because if American reliability ever came into question, then Europe could be defenceless in the face of Russian aggression,” he said.
“The contribution by America must now be to some degree in doubt, not today or tomorrow, but over the next few years and certainly as long as Trump and people like him are in control in Washington.”
A No 10 spokesperson insisted this week that Keir Starmer viewed the US as a reliable ally, saying: “The UK’s nuclear deterrent is completely operationally independent.”
Yet the UK is – unlike France – highly intertwined with the US when it comes to maintaining its nuclear weapons, which are designed, manufactured and maintained in the US under a deal rooted in a 1958 agreement. Britain had 50 missiles left as of 2008 after purchases from a US stockpile, according to research by the University of Bradford.
“Britain likes to call its nuclear posture independent, but it, of course, is absolutely not,” said Hans Kristensen, who monitors the status of nuclear forces for the Federation of American Scientists, a US thinktank.
“It may be that Britain can fire weapons independently of the US, but below that, the entire infrastructure covering missile compartments on submarines, the missiles themselves, all are supplied by the Americans.”
Defence analysts are emphasising the need to plan for a scenario where a transatlantic relationship fractures to the extent that the US declines to give the UK missiles.
Dr Marion Messmer, a senior research fellow at Chatham House and an expert on nuclear weapons policy, said: “It would be a big risk if it wasn’t being planned for, but it’s something the UK government can’t be too public about, as it wouldn’t want to give the Trump administration or Russia any ideas.”
Developing a replacement for Trident or adapting it for use without the US would be “hugely complicated” and costly, she emphasised, but added that ideas being floated included looking at ways for Britain to launch nuclear weapons by air rather than at sea.
“You wouldn’t necessarily be able to take the warheads which the UK uses for submarine launches and fit them for air launch. You would very likely need to develop a whole second warhead. That would require everything from new assembly facilities and workforce planning, but it could be a worthwhile investment for Britain,” she said.
“You could hope that France – the most obvious contender for Britain to work with – has a delivery vehicle similar to Trident that could easily be adapted, but it would require the French government and the French nuclear enterprise being willing to share those designs with the UK.”
Other factors are also coming in to play, including an openness by France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, to talks on extending its nuclear umbrella over the rest of Europe, and comments by Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, that it could pay towards French and British nuclear costs.
Calvin Bailey, a Labour MP on parliament’s defence committee and a former RAF officer, said it was “difficult to conceive” of the US not wanting to maintain its relationship with the UK, stressing that this had been strengthened by the Aukus alliance between Australia, Britain and the US.
But he added: “We now also have to look at how we as Europeans ensure and guarantee our own safety and security. We’re showing leadership on this with the French, who are the most obvious partners for us.”
‘Not the end of the world if US quits Nato,’ says former defence secretary
Starmer and EU leaders must warn ‘naive’ Trump: ‘We ain’t going anywhere,’ declares Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace delivered a powerful message on Saturday over Nato (PA Wire)
Britain and other European nations must be ready to take over Nato if Donald Trump carries out US threats to withdraw from the organisation.
They must replace American military aid to Ukraine scrapped by Mr Trump and make sure Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not win the conflict.
That was the powerful message delivered on Saturday by former Conservative defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace.
“We are witnessing a new era where we cannot take for granted US security guarantees,” said Sir Ben.
He accused President Trump of trying to “bully” Ukraine and “suffocate” its hopes of defeating Russia.
“We aren’t going to let Putin win,” Sir Ben told the BBC. “The Americans can do what they want, but what Trump may discover… is that the Ukrainians are tough people.
“Putin is not going to stop and President Trump is naive to think so.”
Sir Ben said Mr Trump’s message to Putin appeared to be: “I will bully Ukraine and give hope to Russia.”
He continued: “That is the totally wrong message to send if you want to push Russia back and make Putin think that he had better come to the table.
“Donald Trump is suffocating the hope that Putin can be fought to a standstill and brought to the table.”
Sir Ben said that if Ukraine carries on its resista.
Ukraine could still defeat Russia, but only “if we all step up and substitute what the Americans have taken away or show proper European resolve, including the UK, that we ain’t going anywhere”.
Britain and Europe had to face up to the fact that it was possible the US could carry out threats by vice-president JD Vance and others to leave Nato altogether, said Sir Ben.
Britain and Europe could survive without US support, he argued, but it would mean spending a lot more money on defence.
He added: “It’s not the end of the world if they pull out of Nato. We have the will in Europe and the money, if we choose to, to fix our own security and defence.”
It was partly a question of “resolve”, said Sir Ben: “Do we want to do this, see through the defence of Ukraine, make sure we are less reliant on a less dependable US by investing in our own capabilities?
“We have the capability, if we have to, to replace that. It’s not like if they pull out we have no options at all if we want to, if we believe in ourselves and are prepared to put our hands in our pocket.”
Цитата:
The US Push for Peace & Europe Panics - John Mearsheimer, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen
Цитата:
Europe scrambles to aid Ukraine after US intelligence cutoff
kraine is already “shooting half-blind” one analyst says, as Kyiv struggles to fend off Russia without U.S. intel.
Ukraine’s allies in Europe are rushing to fill the void left by the Trump administration’s decision to pause its intelligence sharing with Kyiv. It isn’t going to be easy.
The U.S. has provided Kyiv with everything from signals intelligence, satellite imagery and targeting data used to strike Russian positions during the three-year war.
Now, it will likely fall to other intelligence heavyweights within the NATO alliance — Britain, France and to an extent Germany — to pick up the slack. But they are unlikely to be able to replicate the scope and scale of the sprawling U.S. intelligence community.
“I’m not sure that European countries can really bridge this gap,” said a European official familiar with the capabilities of allies, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the continent’s security arrangements.
The U.S. intelligence community, which spans 18 agencies, vastly outguns any of its European counterparts, particularly in the realms of satellite technology and analytic capacity.
“It’s really a matter of mass,” said Jim Townsend, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO during the Obama administration. “We have more analysts and more systems and in some ways, some more exquisite systems.”
The pause on intelligence sharing has added to the distress in Europe over how to fend off Russia as the Trump administration has been increasingly conciliatory toward Moscow and antagonistic toward Ukraine — including halting arms transfers to Kyiv.
Confusion reigned in the wake of the announcement on Wednesday, with Ukraine’s defense minister acknowledging on Thursday that the country had not yet received details on how intelligence would be restricted. The European official said Thursday that it was “still puzzling” how far the ban extended.
The U.S. intelligence relationship with Ukraine has been carefully nurtured over a decade. Washington has a broad range of tools at its disposal, from signals and human intelligence to satellite capabilities, that have played a decisive role in alerting Ukraine about Moscow’s plans to invade in 2022, and defending against the onslaught of Russian missiles.
The National Security Council declined to comment when asked about the scope of the pause on intelligence sharing, and whether it applied to information that could be used for defensive purposes.
“Turning off intelligence is the most damaging and hostile decision,” said Camille Grand, former assistant secretary general for defense investment at NATO. “Cuts in weapons supply will take a few months to have a massive impact and can be partially mitigated by the Europeans. If the intel denial is not a pause, it will have consequences in the short term,” he said.
NATO allies have been discussing how to handle the U.S. announcement of the intel-sharing pause with Ukraine. One person familiar with those discussions said NATO members are not prohibited from sharing some U.S intelligence with Ukraine, though such sharing could be very limited, as allies don’t want to jeopardize existing relationships with Washington or one another.
One NATO official emphasized that the American suspension of arms shipments and intel sharing with Ukraine is being described to allies as a temporary measure until Washington sees some movement in talks to end the war, and they are under no pressure from the Trump team to reduce or curtail their own work with Ukraine on either intelligence sharing or arms shipments.
Still, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday that the United States had ordered the U.K. to stop sharing American intelligence previously cleared to be shared with Ukraine. (A British official declined to comment on the reporting.)
France’s Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Thursday that French intelligence was “sovereign” and that the country would continue to share intelligence with Ukraine. He did not provide details on what sort of intelligence France is sharing with the Ukrainians.
The effects of the U.S. intel halt are already being felt.
U.S. satellite company Maxar, one of the leading providers of commercial satellite imagery to Ukraine, has blocked Ukraine’s access to its services, which are used by Ukrainian troops to study the terrain of the battlefield and plan strikes on Russian positions.
In a statement, Gia DeHart, a spokesperson for Maxar, said that the U.S. government has suspended Ukrainian access to the company’s Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery program, which is provided under a U.S. government contract.
Without U.S. intelligence, the Ukrainians also have far less real-time, over-the-horizon knowledge of Russian military formations, movements and logistics.
“We now have less information about what’s happening on the other side of the front line,” said Mykola Bielieskov, an analyst with Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies. “We have some of our own indigenous capability from human intelligence sources, but U.S. intelligence was very valuable in keeping us informed,” he said.
Ukraine is particularly worried about any interruption in warnings about Russian missile attacks.
“With anti-ballistic missile defense every second is important,” Bielieskov said. “You need military-grade satellite intelligence to detect a missile launch.”
On average since the start of the war, Russia has fired 24 missiles a day at Ukraine. There are lulls, possibly due to Moscow’s production challenges, but there are days when up to a hundred missiles can be launched targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas in Ukraine’s cities.
“This is going to impact our cities and could result in mass destruction,” said Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuhla, who until recently served on the parliamentary defense and intelligence committee.
The intelligence sharing pause will also deprive the Ukrainian armed forces of targeting data when firing U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets. “We can still fire them but we’re shooting half-blind,” Bielieskov said.
Asked if any European countries can substitute for the now-suspended intelligence, Bielieskov, said “only partially, fully no.”
The intelligence pause is already fueling longer-term questions in Europe as to whether the continent can continue to rely on U.S. military and intelligence support to underpin its security.
Konstantin von Notz, chair of the German parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, is calling for the establishment of a European spy network, cautioning that the continent can no longer continue to rely on U.S. intelligence support.
“We need a European intelligence cooperation format — call it ‘Euro Eyes’ — to ensure that strong states can exchange information swiftly and securely on clear legal grounds,” von Notz said in an interview with POLITICO published Friday. “There is no way around increasing our own intelligence capabilities in the future.”
Lider radykalnej prawicy w Rumunii: modlę się, by za negocjacjami Trumpa z Rosją było coś więcej
Donald Trump chce posadzić Rosję przy stole negocjacyjnym. Ja widzę teraz, że są koncesje (na rzecz Moskwy – PAP), ale modlę się o to do Boga, by stał za tym inny motyw – ocenił George Simion, lider rumuńskiej radykalnie prawicowej partii AUR.
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Lider radykalnej prawicy w Rumunii sprzeciwia się decyzji Sądu Konstytucyjnego o anulowaniu wyborów prezydenckich.
• Simon uważa, że Trump w sposób transakcyjny przystąpi do rozmów pokojowych na Ukrainie.
• Polityk zwraca uwagę, że gwarancje bezpieczeństwa dla Ukrainy i regiony muszą być mocniejsze niż Memorandum Budapesztańskie z 1994 r.
"Rosjanie nie siądą do stołu rozmów, jeśli nie będą ufać temu człowiekowi, który chce ich tam umieścić. Ja widzę teraz, że są koncesje (ze strony USA), ale mam nadzieję, modlę się o to do Boga, że stoi za tym inny, głębszy motyw" - powiedział PAP Simion.
Rumuński polityk stoi na czele radykalnie prawicowej partii AUR (Związek na rzecz Jedności Rumunów), która
w grudniowych wyborach parlamentarnych zdobyła 18 proc., zajmując drugie miejsce i podwajając swój wynik sprzed czterech lat
. W sumie partie radykalnie prawicowe i skrajnie nacjonalistyczne mają w parlamencie ponad 30 proc. miejsc.
Simion zdobył też 14 proc. głosów w pierwszej turze (unieważnionych ostatecznie) wyborów prezydenckich, chociaż według sondaży był murowanym kandydatem do drugiej tury.
Niespodziewanie dla wszystkich pierwsze miejsce zajął wówczas mało znany, lecz bardzo radykalny kandydat Calin Georgescu.
Obecnie Simion, pomimo pewnych istotnych rozbieżności programowych, twardo popiera Georgescu, uważając go za ofiarę spisku establishmentu i domaga się odwołania decyzji Sądu Konstytucyjnego o unieważnieniu wyborów. Simion jest przekonany, że działanie to było sprzeczne z zasadami demokracji.
Można lubić Georgescu lub nie, ale on wygrał wybory. Nie można anulować wyborów tylko dlatego, że nie podoba ci się ten człowiek - oświadczył Simion.
6 grudnia ubiegłego roku Sąd Konstytucyjny Rumunii unieważnił wybory i kazał rozpisać nowe.
Decyzja ta zapadła w oparciu o odtajnione przez ówczesnego prezydenta Klausa Iohannisa dokumenty różnych struktur państwowych, m.in. służb wywiadowczych, według których Georgescu dokonał nadużyć w trakcie kampanii,
zatajając środki wydane na kampanię oraz sięgając po nieprzejrzyste technologie w sieciach społecznościowych
. Zrodziły się również podejrzenia, że w jego promocję mógł być zaangażowany zewnętrzny aktor państwowy, czyli Rosja, chociaż dowodów na nie wprost nie wskazano.
"W efekcie notowania Georgescu teraz szybują. I można by się zastanawiać, czy ludzie z naszych władz nie pracują w jego kampanii" - ironizował Simion, nawiązując również do najnowszych wydarzeń - siłowego doprowadzenia Georgescu na przesłuchanie do prokuratury w związku z zarzutami, m.in. w sprawie możliwych nadużyć kampanijnych i "usiłowanie podżegania do działań wymierzonych w porządek konstytucyjny", a także propagowania idei faszystowskich.
Lider radykalnej prawicy w Rumunii wspiera Trumpa i podziwia Meloni
Na scenie międzynarodowej
lider AUR deklaruje swoje poparcie dla polityki Donalda Trumpa, a także gorący podziw dla włoskiej liderki Giorgii Meloni
. Zaznacza przy tym, że amerykański prezydent podoba mu się "nie na 100 proc., bo idealni politycy nie istnieją".
"Trump (w polityce) forsuje rzeczy, tak jak przyzwyczaił się to robić w interesach. Przed wyborami obiecał, że doprowadzi do pokoju na Ukrainie" - mówił Simion.
Na rumuńskiej scenie politycznej Simion wielokrotnie krytykował udzielanie przez Bukareszt wsparcia wojskowego Ukrainie i kierował pod adresem władz w Kijowie zarzuty o złe traktowanie rumuńskiej mniejszości. Jego zdaniem Zełenski mógł zrobić więcej i nawet teraz też mógłby zrobić więcej, np. w zakresie rumuńskich świątyń prawosławnych czy szkolnictwa.
Wielu Rumunów nie lubi Wołodymyra Zełenskiego, ale nie było przyjemnie patrzeć, jak był strofowany przez Donalda Trumpa w Białym Domu - mówił Simion.
Jednocześnie polityk podkreślił, że
każde porozumienie w sprawie wojny rosyjsko-ukraińskiej musi dawać gwarancje bezpieczeństwa - Ukrainie, ale także "reszcie świata"
. "Każde rozmowy powinny się zacząć od tego, jakie możemy mieć gwarancje, że Rosja nie zrobi tego samego w innym miejscu" - zaznaczył.
Dotychczasowe gwarancje bezpieczeństwa nie zadziałały. W 1994 r. Ukraina została wmanewrowana w oddanie broni jądrowej, a udzielone jej wówczas w ramach Memorandum Budapesztańskiego gwarancje nie zostały zrealizowane - stwierdził Simion.
Jako jeden z grzechów pierworodnych obecnej wojny polityk wskazał
bierność i ugodowość niemieckiego rządu
, gdy po rosyjskiej aneksji Krymu i rozpoczęciu wojny w Donbasie doszło do podpisania nietrwałych i ostatecznie nieskutecznych porozumień mińskich.
George Simion, w przeszłości raczej marginalny działacz na rzecz zjednoczenia Rumunii i Mołdawii (ma do tego kraju zakaz wjazdu), zyskał popularność w czasach covidowych (m.in. walcząc z restrykcjami), a w ostatnich latach, czerpiąc z narastającej społecznej frustracji i rozczarowania "systemem".
Ma opinię największego skandalisty w rumuńskiej polityce
, jeśli oczywiście nie liczyć słynącej z kontrowersji Diany Sosoaki. Simion jest gwiazdą internetowych performance'ów, a także sprzeczek czy nawet przepychanek w parlamencie. W rozmowie z PAP przekonywał, że w czasie swojej działalności politycznej "nigdy nikogo nie uderzył, chociaż czasem było to trudne, bo z usposobienia jest cholerykiem".
- Nie jestem anarchistą, nie wrzucam do parlamentu granatów dymnych, jak to się zdarzyło ostatnio w Serbii - mówił.
Przyznaje, że Calin Georgescu przejął jego elektorat dzięki temu, że był bardziej radykalny. "To zarezonowało w społeczeństwie, odpowiedziało na oczekiwania ludzi" - mówił Simion.
W czasie kampanii przed wyborami prezydenckimi rzeczywiście George Simion przybrał ton bardziej umiarkowany.
W odróżnieniu od Georgescu nie wypowiadał się przeciwko członkostwu Rumunii w NATO czy UE
, chociaż wielokrotnie krytykował obecne unijne porządki.
"Dla Rumunii, podobnie jak dla Polski, ale jeszcze w większym stopniu, demontaż NATO byłby katastrofą
. Jestem wiceprzewodniczącym EKR (grupy konserwatystów i reformatorów w PE), tej siły, która opowiada się za utrzymaniem sojuszu UE i USA" - powiedział Simion, który przyjechał do Polski na zaproszenie partii PiS, należącej do tej samej grupy parlamentarnej (były premier Mateusz Morawiecki jest przewodniczącym EKR). W sieciach społecznościowych Simion nie szczędzi krytyki obecnym władzom RP, np. zarzucając "tyranii Tuska" prześladowanie oponentów politycznych w reakcji na zatrzymanie posła PiS Dariusza Mateckiego.
"Rosyjska doktryna jest oparta na chaosie i w Moskwie chcieliby, żeby inni byli słabi. Gdyby doszło do sytuacji skłócenia UE z USA, chaos będzie tylko większy. My w EKR uważamy, że tego chaosu należy uniknąć i zrobić wszystko, by utrzymać relacje transatlantyckie" - przekonywał.
Simion zapewnił, że choć
w wielu punktach jest skłonny łączyć siły z politykami o podobnym profilu, np. z węgierskim premierem Viktorem Orbanem, to w tej współpracy są "czerwone linie"
. "To m.in. zmiany granic czy poparcie dla zbrodniarzy wojennych takich jak pan Putin" - oświadczył Simion. Pole do kooperacji z węgierskim politykiem, w którego polityce wielu Rumunów widzi dążenie do rewizjonizmu granic, Simion widzi w "powstrzymywaniu nielegalnej imigracji czy promowaniu wartości chrześcijańskich i tradycyjnej rodziny".
W rumuńskim parlamencie na froncie walki z establishmentem AUR połączył obecnie szyki ze skrajnie populistyczną i otwarcie prorosyjską partią S.O.S. Diany Sosoaki, niegdyś na krótko należącej do jego partii, czy wspierającej Calina Georgescu dość młodej partii POT, chociaż tu również deklaruje, że ta zbieżność interesów jest ograniczona. Jak powiedział, "Sosoaca była dla AUR nieznośnym brzemieniem i nie jest w partii" właśnie m.in. z powodu swoich żądań terytorialnych pod adresem Ukrainy.
Podobne roszczenia pod adresem zaatakowanego przez Rosję kraju wysuwał ostatnio Calin Georgescu, wciąż jeszcze potencjalny kandydat w powtórzonych wyborach prezydenckich i ich sondażowy faworyt z poparciem ok. 40 proc.
"Wierzę w mechanizmy kontroli i równowagi. Jeśli Rumuni wybraliby Georgescu, to powinien zostać prezydentem, a konstytucja jest od tego, by ograniczać ewentualne jego szkodliwe działania" - zadeklarował Simion.
Przyznał jednak, że
"jest tajemnicą poliszynela", iż Georgescu do wyborów raczej dopuszczony nie zostanie
. Czy w takiej sytuacji sam Simion stanie ponownie do udziału w wyborach, próbując przechwycić antysystemowy elektorat? To pytanie, które od dawna zadają mu rumuńscy i zagraniczni dziennikarze.
"Szczerze mogę tylko powiedzieć, że na chwilę obecną - nie wiem. Na pewno mógłbym to zrobić w sytuacji, gdyby pan Georgescu mnie o to poprosił. Nie zamierzam jednak działać za jego plecami i ma on jako kandydat poparcie AUR" - zadeklarował Simion.
Powtórzone wybory prezydenckie w Rumunii zaplanowano na 4 maja. Ewentualna druga tura odbędzie się dwa tygodnie później.
_________________
С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Последний раз редактировалось: Dimitriy (09.03.2025 14:44), всего редактировалось 1 раз
'We can't risk sharing intelligence with the United States now': That's the explosive claim made to me this week by a senior intelligence source. And it all makes sense when you examine these facts about Trump's relationship with Russia: DAN HODGES
Sir Keir Starmer may think Donald Trump is a reliable ally. But Britain's security services do not. 'We can't risk sharing our human intelligence with the United States now,' an intelligence service source told me. 'There's a danger of our assets being compromised. Trump is too close to Putin. Within the service, he's regarded as a possible agent of influence.'
The question is what sort of agent. Fantastical rumours that the US President was literally a Russian mole began to circulate in 2016, around the time he launched his first election campaign.
They peaked three years later with the publication of the Mueller report, which uncovered widespread Russian interference in that presidential election on Trump's behalf, but concluded there was insufficient evidence of direct collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
Now, following Trump's dramatic pivot away from Ukraine, Nato and Europe and towards Moscow, the rumours are circulating again.
So what is the truth? It seems Trump first attracted the interest of Soviet intelligence sometime in the late 1970s, when he married Czechoslovakian-born Ivana Zelnickova. In the depth of the Cold War, long-term relationships between Westerners and Eastern Europeans were relatively rare, and the Czech security service – the StB – opened a file on him.
In later years, as Trump's profile as a businessman began to increase, he became the subject of an active surveillance and intelligence-gathering operation, with information being shared with the KGB.
At which point, according to Trump's own account in his book The Art Of The Deal: 'In January 1987, I got a letter from Yuri Dubinin, the Soviet ambassador to the United States, that began, "It is a pleasure for me to relay some good news from Moscow."'
The 'good news' was an invitation to travel to Russia to discuss the possibility of constructing a new hotel in Red Square. Trump accepted, and arrived in Moscow on July 4. At the time, Russian intelligence was making specific efforts to target, compromise and recruit Western businessmen.
Three former KGB intelligence officers have separately claimed this was the moment Trump became successfully turned into a Soviet asset. But they have been unable to provide any evidence to support their allegations. Trump and his associates have dismissed the claims as a ridiculous fiction. And no one else has been able to find a shred of evidence to corroborate them.
But what is a matter of documented record is that on his return from Moscow, Trump did an unusual thing. Though he had not previously displayed any significant interest in foreign affairs, on September 2, 1987, he spent $94,801 on three full-page adverts in the New York Times, Washington Post and Boston Globe that declared: 'Why America should stop paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves'.
The primary focus of the ads appeared to be the US's engagement in the Gulf and Pacific. But immediately following their publication, Trump appeared on television and said: 'If you're looking at the payments we're making to Nato, they're totally disproportionate with everybody else's, and it's ridiculous.'
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet during the 2019 G20 summit, during Trump's first term
At the time there was speculation this intervention was a prelude to Trump entering the 1988 presidential race.
But no campaign ensued. Instead, Trump concentrated on building his business empire, with the help of a number of Russian contacts. Two of the most significant were Tevfik Arif, a former Soviet official, and Felix Sater, a Russian-born, Brooklyn-raised business executive who had established the Bayrock real estate company and moved its headquarters into Trump Tower. 'Bayrock knew the people, knew the investors,' Trump later declared.
It was his partnership with Bayrock that assisted him in rebuilding his fortunes after a series of high-profile failures, including the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, and the Trump Shuttle.
Then, in 2015, Trump announced his intention to run for president. What followed has been well-documented, and was set out in exhaustive detail in the Mueller Report. Mueller revealed that there was a concerted attempt by Russia to sway the 2016 campaign in Trump's favour. And it documented numerous links between Trump officials and Russian state actors.
The most infamous of these was the meeting held in Trump Tower on June 9, 2016. It was attended by Donald Trump Jnr (Trump's son), Jared Kushner (his son-in-law) and Paul Manafort (Trump's campaign manager) and a number of Russian 'lobbyists', who claimed they had information that could be used to damage his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton.
Trump later claimed this 'opposition research' was not acted upon, and that the relationship with the 'lobbyists' was immediately severed.
Mueller concluded the meeting and other contacts did not constitute a criminal conspiracy. But Trump's recent statements and actions now place those relationships in a different light.
Even after links between Trump's inner circle and Moscow were supposedly ended, Trump continued to adopt and construct policy positions favourable to Putin. Especially in relation to Ukraine.
In the weeks and months following the Trump Tower meeting, he claimed the US was supporting Nato 'far more than we should' and described the organisation as 'obsolete'.
The US President shakes hands with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last month
At the Republican convention – held in July – his foreign policy adviser opposed an amendment to the party's foreign policy platform that advocated sending arms to Ukraine and condemning Russian aggression in the region.
And most significantly – especially given the events of the past fortnight – Trump's campaign manager Manafort continued to develop what became known as the Mariupol Plan, a 'peace deal' that would have annexed eastern Ukraine and effectively turned it into a Russian puppet state. What's more, he did so in conjunction with a long-standing contact, Konstantin Kilimnik, who was later unmasked by the Senate Intelligence Committee as an active Russian intelligence officer.
The rumours swirling around Trump are hard to pin down and verify. But the following facts are not contested. He was targeted by Soviet intelligence services. With the Cold War at its height, he was charmed by the Soviets, and visited Moscow. On his return, he began to publicly adopt foreign policy positions favourable to the Kremlin. He revitalised his fortune with major support from Russian business contacts.
Russia actively campaigned for his election. Even before he entered the White House, he and his inner circle continued to advocate for, and adopt, policy stances favourable to Putin.
And upon his re-election, he has pivoted so far towards Russia that, in the gleeful words of official Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: 'The new [US] administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision.'
The truth is that Britain's intelligence services no longer trust the President of the United States. It isn't hard to see why.
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ALEX BRUMMER: Labour must rely on military Keynesianism
Pulling together: With the US threatening to downgrade its commitment to Nato, Europe has little choice but to dig deep and build more weaponry to keep the Russian bear at bay
America's bounce back from the Great Depression is often attributed to Franklin D Roosevelt's job-creating New Deal. In fact it was driven by arms production under the $50 billion Lend-Lease scheme ($672 billion in today's money) agreed between the president and Winston Churchill.
Now, with the US threatening to downgrade its commitment to Nato, Europe has little choice but to dig deep and build more weaponry to keep the Russian bear at bay.
This means Labour relying on military Keynesianism – raising defence spending to boost economic expansion.
Britain has a head start thanks to the prowess of BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce in aircraft technology, avionics, drones, and cyber security. It also has the scientific and research brain power to help.
King Charles to call for Commonwealth unity in 'uncertain times' in his annual address - amid monarch's 'concerns' over Canada's trade war with Trump
The King will call for unity during his annual Commonwealth Day address amid the monarch's 'concerns' over Canada's trade war with Donald Trump.
Charles' address will be published in full for Commonwealth Day on Monday, when the annual service celebrating the Commonwealth is attended by senior members of the royal family and a congregation of invited guests.
It comes as the the King is said to be concerned over Canada's tariff war with the US, with the issue being 'particularly on his mind'.
On Monday, he met the outgoing Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, who has repeatedly clashed with the US president, at his private estate in Norfolk estate.
Trump has been mocking Trudeau for months, threatening to annex Canada, of which Charles is head of state, as the 51st state and referring to the prime minister as 'Governor Trudeau.'
After meeting with Charles, Trudeau posted on X confirming that the pair had discussed the issue saying: 'We spoke about matters of importance to Canadians — including, above all, Canada's sovereign and independent future.'
A source close to the King told the Times: 'It is business as usual, but with everything on a heightened level of significance. Canada is particularly on his mind. Of course, he knows he has to be mindful of being the UK head of state and the head of state in Canada, as well as being the head of the Commonwealth. It does require delicate diplomacy, given that not everyone's interests are aligned.'
The US imposed 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada rocketing the country into a trade war on Tuesday.
King Charles' address will be published in full for Commonwealth Day on Monday when the annual service
On Monday the King met the outgoing Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau who has repeatedly clashed with the US president
Trump has been mocking Justin Trudeau for months, threatening to annex Canada as the 51st state and referring to the prime minister as 'Governor Trudeau'.
But just days later, Trump reversed his economic slap down saying that goods that are compliant with the North American free trade agreement with not be tariffed until April 2 and are apparently considering a similar carve out for Canada.
During the Commonwealth Day service, The King will tell the gathering at Westminster Abbey: 'In these uncertain times, where it is all too easy to believe that our differences are problems instead of a source of strength and an opportunity for learning, the Commonwealth's remarkable collection of nations and peoples come together in the spirit of support and, crucially, friendship.'
Charles will also say: 'The Commonwealth's ability to bring together people from all over the world has stood the test of time and remains as ever-important today.'
Trudeau is set to officially transition to a new leader once his Liberal Party holds leadership elections on Sunday. That new leader will soon face a national election shortly after.
He is trying to have some semblance of a victory lap after being forced to resign when it appeared he could not win the next election.
At a press conference in Ottawa discussing childhood health care, he clearly saw the end of the line and became emotional.
'On a personal level, I made sure that every single day in this office, I put Canadians first and I have peoples' backs and that's why I'm here to tell you all that we got you, even in the last days of this government, we will not let Canadians down today and well into the future,' he said as he'd clearly started to cry.
He added that he is to looking forward to 'a transition to my duly elected successor in the coming days or week.'
Meanwhile, Trump continues to mock Trudeau and had his doubts that the prime minister was stepping down for good.
'Believe it or not, despite the terrible job he's done for Canada, I think that Justin Trudeau is using the Tariff problem, which he has largely caused, in order to run again for Prime Minister. So much fun to watch!'
The next Canadian election will be held no later than October 20, 2025.
This year's Commonwealth Day theme is Together We Thrive, which celebrates the 'enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family'.
The King, who is head of the Commonwealth, gives an annual address each year to the family of 56 nations, but last year pre-recorded a video message, after postponing his public-facing duties for about three months after being diagnosed with cancer.
The Princess of Wales also missed the service last year, a key event in the royal calendar, after also being diagnosed with cancer, but will be among the congregation alongside the King, Queen and Prince of Wales.
Kate is still making a gradual return to public duties after saying she is in remission.
William, Kate, Charles and Camilla will be joined by the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester for the service, said Buckingham Palace.
The Princess of Wales also missed the service last year, a key event in the royal calendar takes place at Westminster Abbey
During the service, singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading will perform an arrangement of her well-known hit Love And Affection for the 2,000-strong congregation.
On the same day, the King will launch the inaugural King's Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace, officially starting the countdown to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
It marks the 18th official Commonwealth Games relay, and Charles's first as King.
He will place a message inside the baton, which will be sealed and kept closed until the opening ceremony next summer, when his words will be read out to signal the start of the competition.
Charles will hand the baton to the first baton-bearer, six-time Olympic champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.
Sir Chris, who has terminal prostate cancer, will walk through the Palace's Quadrangle to the Centre Arch, along a pathway lined by pipers from the Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band London.
Charles and Camilla will also be guests of the Commonwealth secretary-general, Baroness Scotland, at the annual Commonwealth Day reception on Monday and hear a commemorative song by Lord Lloyd-Webber to mark the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize.
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Donald Trump's iconic Scottish golf course is vandalised by pro-Palestinian protesters as clubhouse is defaced with red paint and enormous 'Gaza is Not For Sale' slogan is painted across a green
Donald Trump's golf course has been targeted by pro-Palestine protesters proclaiming the war-torn strip is 'not for sale'.
Pictures from Turnberry, in Scotland, show sweary insults sprayed across the plush estate where buildings have been smeared in red paint.
The fancy links rated one of the top five courses in the world, and are the setting for a five-star hotel and spa. It is set to become the most expensive in the UK with plans to introduce a £1,000 green fee for peak times next June.
Several of the course's most prestigious holes were dug up by protest group Palestine Action, while 'Gaza is not 4sale' was sprayed in 3-metre-high letters across a green.
Expletive-laden insults are also shown to be sprayed across tarmac areas of the plush golf course.
It comes after Trump sparked fury by promoting a bizarre vision for what his 'Riviera of the Middle East' - where he laid out his plans to 'take over' the Gaza Strip and turn it into a gaudy tourist resort.
Trump's proposal was met with global criticism by both lawmakers and analysts who fear the plan would forcibly displace Gaza's population of two million, while US critics wondered if the President's vision would plunge the nation into the potentially bloody role of occupying power.
Speaking on social media, the group threatened: 'Whilst Trump attempts to treat Gaza as his property, he should know his own property is within reach.'
Pictures from Turnberry, in Scotland, show sweary insults sprayed across the plush estate where buildings have been covered in red paint
'Gaza is not 4sale' was sprayed in 3-metre-high letters across a green on the plush Scottish course
The white gates to the plush resort have been daubed in paint filled with expletives
Expletive-laden insults are also shown to be sprayed across tarmac areas of the plush golf course
Several of the course's most prestigious holes had also been dug up by the protest group
A spokesperson added: 'Palestine Action rejects Donald Trump’s treatment of Gaza as though it were his property to dispose of as he likes.
'To make that clear, we have shown him that his own property is not safe from acts of resistance. We will continue to take action against US-Israeli colonialism in the Palestinian homeland.'
It comes as in London a pro-Palestine protester has climbed Big Ben barefoot, sparking a huge emergency, and a march planning to gather outside BBC Broadcasting House is set to begin at 1pm.
Earlier this week, Trump told Hamas directly that they should immediately return hostages and the bodies of Israelis or they would be 'over', after the White House confirmed direct talks with the group as part an of an effort to finally secure the release of hostages and bodies of the deceased.
Writing on his Truth Social site, he said: 'Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say.
'I have just met with your former Hostages whose lives you have destroyed. This is your last warning!'
Last month, Trump appeared to promote his bizarre plan for taking over Palestine by posting a 35-second video to his Truth Social account that began with the question: 'Gaza 2025: What's Next?' It is unclear who created the video.
The AI-generated video - in a series of bold, gaudy images - shows a Trump hotel, a giant golden statue of Trump, and a child holding a Trump balloon among resplendent beach-front resort complexes.
One of the images seen in the clip is a giant golden statue of the President
'First Buddy' Elon Musk is seen tossing around cash to visitors and children, while Trump dances with a belly dancer and drinks cocktails with Netanyahu.
The video created uproar online with X users quickly branding it as 'absolutely horrifying' and 'filth on a world stage', while others argued that it is time for people to 'start taking Trump's plan for Gaza more seriously'.
The White House responded to the criticism in a statement to DailyMail.com: 'As President Trump has said, Gaza in its current state is unhabitable for any human being.
'President Trump is a visionary, and his plan to have the United States involved in Gaza's rebuilding will allow for Palestinians to resettle in new, beautiful communities while improving conditions in the region for generations to come.'
It comes as a fellow-Palestine protester has scaled Big Ben today, bringing the capital to a standstill as he waved a flag.
It is understood that the protester climbed the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament at around 7.24am and is live streaming.
Luke Whelan, who witnessed the incident told MailOnline: 'I was cycling to work when I noticed him climbing up Big Ben. He looked like he was live streaming himself or on a video call or something. I assumed he was a free-runner influencer as he seemed very relaxed up there.
'He was like a Poundland Spiderman'
Westminster Bridge has been closed as firefighters from four different London stations, police and the ambulance service respond.
Trump purchased Turnberry from a Dubai-based company for $60million back in 2014, before renaming it 'Trump Turnberry' and extensively refurbishing it.
Trump poses for pictures during a visit to the construction site of his Aberdeen golf course in 2010
The 78-year-old also has another Scottish golf course - Trump International Golf Links Scotland - which operates north of Aberdeen after being built from scratch on until then protected sand dunes.
Trump Turnberry is set to introduce fees of £1,000 for players to enjoy a round at before 1pm from June.
It will not apply to people staying at the course's resort and spa, meaning that booking a night will be the more affordable option.
Before it was reopened in 2016, golfers could use the course for a price of around £150. The next most expensive in the UK is Kingsbarns in Fife, which retails for £374.
Last month, he was dealt a major blow in his bid to hold an Open Championship at the course as it was reported Scottish golf chiefs were unlikely to accept his demands.
It has held The Open Championship four times, and hosted the iconic 'Duel In The Sun' match between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.
It is believed the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the Scottish governing which organizes the tournament, has no plans to host the Open at Turnberry and will not be swayed by any government requests to appease Trump.
Mark Darbon, the recently-appointed R&A chief executive, told The Telegraph: 'At the core of our decision making will be the factors that have served us well in the past and we hope will continue to serve us well into the future.'
His predecessor, Martin Slumbers, revealed back in November that Turnberry was not being considered as a venue for the Open 'until we’re comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf' - despite the course remaining on the official roster.
The R&A is also hesitant to bring the Open to Turnberry due to the relatively low income it generates for them, with Darbon claiming most of its other venues typically attracts over double the amount of spectators.
'We need a venue that is appropriate from both a logistical and commercial perspective,' he said.
'That’s critical for us, because through the Open, we generate most of our revenue that we use that to invest into the rest of the game all around the world. So the reality is that modern-day open requires a venue that can support us logistically and commercially.
'So it’s not quite as simple as just saying ‘would we go back?’. There’s a chunk of work that’s required to investigate.'
The Open, which is one of the four men's major golf championships, was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland when first founded in 1860.
It has since been rotated between several coastal links golf courses in the UK, but is still organized by the R&A.
Yesterday, Hamas threatened to kill the remaining Israeli hostages if there is 'any escalation' of military escalation against Gaza after efforts to prolong the ceasefire stalled.
The terrorist group accused Israel of 'bullying, stalling, and reckless aggression' and warned that threats of renewed war 'will not lead to the release of the captives'.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, warned in a recorded message Thursday the group is 'fully prepared for all possible scenarios'.
'We warn the families [of the hostages] that we have proof of life for those who remain alive,' he said. 'Any escalation of aggression against our people will result in the killing of enemy captives.'
Ubaida further accused Israel of seeking 'an American green light to escalate its aggression against our people'.
The chilling threat followed Trump's declaration Wednesday that he was giving Hamas a 'last warning' to release those still being held captive after having been abducted on October 7, 2023.
Trump also told leadership of the terror group to leave Gaza 'now while you still have a chance' and warned: 'I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say.'
Mysterious US Space Force craft returns to Earth as authorities keep tight-lipped on what it was up to during its 434 days in orbit
The truth is out there - but don't expect the US Space Force to lift the lid anytime soon. Days after a senior figure spoke of the agency's determination to 'control the space domain', mystery continues to surround the primary function of the X-37B spacecraft, which quietly returned to Earth on Friday after more than 14 months in orbit.
The $200 million (£155 million) spaceplane has now completed seven successful missions, yet its activities have for the most part remained highly classified.
The primary function of the craft is unknown, with Space Force revealing little about its purpose beyond hinting at a series of experiments involving 'space domain awareness technologies'.
There is, however, clarity about the core mission of the US military's space branch, which was spelled out earlier this week by Space Force General Bradley Chance Saltzman, the organisation's chief of operations.
'Domain control is the special province of warfighters, a unique responsibility that only military services hold,' said Saltzman. 'It is the thing that distinguishes the navy from the merchant marine and the air force from Southwest Airlines. It is the purpose of the Space Force to achieve space superiority.
'Put simply, space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest, to control the space domain, employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities by disruption and degradation, even destruction if necessary.'
It remains unclear how exactly the unmanned X-37B craft, which launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in late December 2023, fits into that overarching objective, although one possibility is that it will be used to monitor other orbiting spacecraft.
What is known, however, is that last October the craft undertook a series of manoeuvres that demonstrated, for the first time, its ability to change orbit. Known as aerobraking, the procedure essentially involves using the Earth's atmosphere to slow down the vehicle.
The US Space Force's X-37B orbital test vehicle 7 landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the early hours of Friday morning, after spending 434 days in orbit
A camera onboard the X-37B craft captures an image of Earth. Little is known about the $200 million (£155 million) spaceplane, which has now completed seven successful missions
Staff on the ground at Vandenberg Space Force Base were on hand for the X-37B's landing, which the USSF said highlighted their ability to recover the craft 'across multiple sites'
The spacecraft 'dips' into the atmosphere, where gas molecules rub against it, creating resistance that slows it down.
The technique can alter the craft's orbital trajectory, or slow it sufficiently to let gravity pull it earthwards. It also allows for the safe disposal of the service module mounted on the craft's back - the contents of which have not been specified in this instance.
'Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B’s ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes,' said Saltzman in a USSF statement.
'The successful execution of the aerobraking manoeuvre underscores the US Space Force’s commitment to pushing the bounds of novel space operations in a safe and responsible manner.'
In common with the now retired space shuttle, the Boeing-built X-37B launches like a rocket and lands like a conventional aeroplane.
'X-37B missions have continuously advanced our nation's space capabilities by testing new technologies that reduce risk and inform our future space architectures,' Holly Murphy, programme director for Boeing's Experimental Systems Group, said in a video last November.
'Mission seven is no different.'
Looking somewhat the worse for wear after its 43-day mission, the spacecraft touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the early hours of Friday morning.
In common with the now retired space shuttle, the Boeing-built X-37B, seen here on the ground at andenberg Space Force Base, launches like a rocket and lands like a conventional plane
Addressing the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, on Monday, Saltzman stressed the importance of space control in preparation for potential future combat.
'If we're going to truly embrace our status as space warfighters, then we need to also embrace our fundamental responsibility for space control,' he said.
'We need to sharpen every one of the components of readiness: personnel, training, equipment and sustainment. If any one of these elements is lacking, then our readiness as a whole is impacted.
'Space superiority is an end goal [and] it's the headquarters' job to provide the means to achieve it, to create the environment, set the conditions for victory.'
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Boeing-built X-37B Innovates and Breaks New Records
Цитата:
MYSTERY MISSION! US military's X-37B space plane lands, ending record-breaking mission
«Nous sommes les idiots utiles de Vladimir Poutine» : Nate, cousin germain de JD Vance et combattant volontaire en Ukraine
EXCLUSIF - Le Texan a passé trois ans en Ukraine, dont deux et demi à se battre sur les fronts les plus sanglants. Il désespère de la position de son cousin et de Donald Trump.
Nate Vance sur le front à Tetyanivka à quelques centaines de mètres des positions russes pendant l’été 2022. Albert Lores pour Le Figaro
uand Nate a entendu son cousin JD Vance s’en prendre au président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky dans le Bureau ovale de la Maison-Blanche, il est entré dans une colère noire. Dans son camping-car, perdu sur les routes de l’Ouest américain qu’il sillonne depuis son retour d’Ukraine en janvier 2025, Nate a été déçu. Déçu de ce cousin, de quelques années son cadet - Nate a 47 ans - dont il n’a jamais cessé de défendre l’intégrité.
« JD est un type bien, intelligent, explique-t-il. Quand il critiquait l’aide à l’Ukraine , je me disais que c’était parce qu’il devait plaire à un certain électorat, que c’était le jeu de la politique. Mais ce qu’ils ont fait à Zelensky (avec Donald Trump, NDLR), c’était une embuscade d’une mauvaise foi absolue »
, fulmine-t-il.
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Woke RAF is running out of gun pilots! Unlawful diversity drive jeopardises Keir Starmer's pledge to put jets 'in sky over Ukraine'
discriminate against white male applicants backfired.
Candidates previously overlooked are now being urged to re-apply for training as the Air Force frantically tries to fill cockpits with combat-ready flyers, the Mail can reveal.
The plea follows a controversial drive by top brass to prioritise the recruitment of women and ethnic minorities, which was found to be unlawful.
The urgent need for pilots has become so pressing that air chiefs are actively encouraging older candidates, who have some level of flight experience, to sign up.
It has been reported that the Royal Air Force is suffering from a 30 per cent shortfall in pilots at the ranks of Flight Lieutenant and Squadron Leader. Officials RAF sources have challenged these statistics but have not produced their own.
It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to put 'jets in the sky' to protect Ukraine as part of a post-conflict stabilisation force to be confirmed this week.
The Labour leader has already ramped up spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
And other leaders in Europe quickly backed plans to step up their investment in military hardware after Donald Trump said they could no longer depend on the United States for protection.
Candidates previously overlooked are now being urged to reapply for training (File image)
The plea follows a drive by top brass to prioritise the recruitment of women and ethnic minorities (File image)
Last night, Shadow Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois, said: 'The RAF's availability of combat pilots has been hit by a perfect storm: including woke manipulation of recruiting practices, the revival of civilian airlines post-Covid and technical issues with training aircraft, particularly engine reliability on the Hawk T2.
'All this really matters. If we are now going to see 'jets in the sky' defending any Ukrainian peace deal then we need enough trained pilots to fly them.
'As we approach VE Day celebrations, it is worth remembering that the RAF never ran out of Spitfires or Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain, but we very nearly ran out of fighter pilots.'
An official document, seen by the Mail, has revealed the RAF requires 'a higher number of pilots for training'.
To plug the shortfall, air chiefs want personnel from other branches of the RAF, who may previously have been rejected due to their scores in suitability assessments, to reapply.
The RAF Internal Briefing Note, dated March 5th, is titled 'Opportunities for professional transfer to the pilot specialisation'.
It invites applications for transfer, stating 'this is due to a higher number of pilots required for flying training'.
Applicants must submit their paperwork before their 24th birthday, although officers who have relevant experience in 'flying-related roles' can be older.
Air chiefs are actively encouraging older candidates to sign up (File image)
Chancellor Rachel Reeves meets with female service personnel at RAF Northolt
The same document reveals a similar scheme has been unveiled to train up more weapons systems operators.
It also comes after an official inquiry in 2023 found the RAF unlawfully discriminated against white male pilot applicants.
A group of 31 white male pilot trainees were held back, a review found. They subsequently received compensation.
The RAF was also forced to admit its target for 40 per cent of the force to be female and 20 per cent from an ethnic minority background by 2030 was 'unrealistic'.
Group Captain Lizzie Nicholl, at the time the RAF's head of recruitment, refused to follow the order which she rightly stated was contrary to the Equality Act.
The probe found she was subjected to 'significant and at times unreasonable' pressure to push through the unlawful policy.
Former head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, faced to calls to resign over the 'woke' recruitment scandal.
In the same year, a report by the House of Commons Defence Select Committee accused RAF bosses of 'complacency' regarding 'a reduction in the Ministry of Defence's ability to produce combat-ready aircrew within expected timescales'.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to put 'jets in the sky' to protect Ukraine as part of a post-conflict stabilisation force
ASRAAM missile on the back of a truck at RAF Northolt (File image)
MPs said this had 'serious implications for the effectiveness of our armed forces' and that the 'delays and backlogs of recent years have been completely unacceptable'.
Among the problems with pilot training has been issues with the plane used by the RAF to teach pilots repeatedly breaking down.
While, as part of a contract to sell Typhoon jets to Gulf states, the RAF is obliged to train pilots from countries such as Saudi Arabia.
These issues contributed to the time it was taking the RAF to train pilot extending to seven years. RAF sources claim this has been brought back down to three and a half years.
The RAF insists it has sufficient pilots and aircrew to conduct all current operations.
Last night, the RAF said: 'We have sufficient pilots and aircrew to conduct all current operations and service the front line.
'Additionally, active management of the flying training system has reduced training times and the backlog of student aircrew in the training pipeline.
'This good progress has enabled us to reopen aircrew applications for serving personnel.'
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Ależ zaskoczenie. Nowe czołgi jadą do Polski
Polska konsekwentnie unowocześnia swoje siły lądowe, czego potwierdzeniem są kolejne zamówienia na nowoczesne czołgi, takie jak K2 oraz Abramsy. Dla wojska oznacza to duże wyzwanie związane z zapewnieniem odpowiednich dostaw paliwa. Ile pali czołg? Można się zdziwić.
•
Polska armia posiada zróżnicowaną flotę czołgów, obejmującą zarówno starsze, jak i nowoczesne modele.
• Ich użytkowanie wiąże się z dużym zapotrzebowaniem na paliwo, choć precyzyjne określenie zużycia nie jest łatwe.
• Średnie spalanie na 100 km sięga kilkuset litrów, a czołgi mogą wykorzystywać różne typy paliwa.
Wojsko Polskie przechodzi stopniową modernizację, a nowoczesny sprzęt sukcesywnie zastępuje poradzieckie uzbrojenie. Zmiany te są szczególnie widoczne w wojskach lądowych, a zwłaszcza w jednostkach pancernych. W służbie pozostaje coraz mniej poradzieckich czołgów T-72 i PT-91 Twardy.
W zamian do Polski cały czas trafiają nowe czołgi. Są to:
• amerykańskie Abramsy,
• południowokoreańskie K2 Black Panther,
• niemieckie Leopardy.
Do końca 2026 roku Wojsko Polskie ma dysponować
ok. 800 nowoczesnymi czołgami Abrams, K2 i Leopard.
Ależ zaskoczenie. Nowe czołgi jadą do Polski
Użytkowanie czołgów wiąże się z ogromnym zapotrzebowaniem na paliwo. Jak mówił w rozmowie z WNP.PL Bartłomiej Kucharski, dziennikarz wojskowy magazynu "Wojsko i Technika", wszystkie współczesne czołgowe silniki są wielopaliwowe, pojadą na:
• zwykłą benzynę,
• olej napędowy,
• paliwo lotnicze,
• biopaliwa.
A ile tego paliwa spalą?
Osoby niezorientowane w temacie mogą się mocno zdziwić. Jak pisaliśmy, Abrams FEP ma normę 1090 l na 100 km w terenie. Z kolei norma dla Leoparda 2A5 przewiduje 828 l na 100 km.
Jeszcze inaczej ma się sprawa z PT-91. Polską modernizację radzieckiego T-72 napędza silnik Diesla o mocy 850 KM. Oficjalne dane mówią, że taki czołg pali 480 l/100 km - pisaliśmy w WNP.PL.
Koreańczycy nie podają z kolei informacji na temat spalania ich maszyn.
W styczniu dotarł ważny ładunek. Nowe czołgi w Polsce
W połowie stycznia Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej poinformowało, że w Gdyni zakończył się wyładunek pierwszej partii czołgów M1A2SEPv3 Abrams wyprodukowanych dla Wojska Polskiego.
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Germany to reach out to France and UK over sharing of nuclear weapons
But Friedrich Merz cautions such a move could not replace the US’s existing protective shield over Europe
Germany’s chancellor-to-be, Friedrich Merz, has said he will reach out to France and Britain to discuss the sharing of nuclear weapons, but cautioned that such a move could not be a replacement for the US’s existing protective shield over Europe.
“The sharing of nuclear weapons is an issue we need to talk about,” Merz said in a wide-ranging interview on Sunday with the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk (DLF). “We have to be stronger together in nuclear deterrence.”
Merz, an erstwhile passionate transatlanticist who has spoken out in recent weeks on Donald Trump and Europe’s need to be “independent”, said he hoped the US nuclear shield would remain in place, and that a European shield should be viewed as a “complement” to it.
“We should talk with both countries [France and Britain] always, and in addition, from the perspective of supplementing the American nuclear shield, which we of course want to see maintained,” he said.
In a guarded reference to Trump, Merz said: “The changed global security situation now necessitates that we Europeans discuss this matter together.”
Owing to its second world war past as the aggressor, Germany has committed itself to non-nuclear defence in international treaties, according to which it is banned from acquiring nuclear weapons, at the same time as cooperating in Nato weapons-sharing agreements.
Merz’s comments came after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Wednesday he was open to a discussion on widening France’s nuclear deterrent programme to other European nations.
At an extraordinary meeting in Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders agreed on plans to boost spending on defence over the need to build an alternative model to military support from Washington and amid concerns that Russia, encouraged by its war on Ukraine and encouraging signs from the White House, could set its future sights on attacking an EU state.
Merz, the leader of the conservatives in Germany, has put his political reputation on the line by reneging on a pre-election promise to keep the country’s rigid debt rules intact, announcing proposals last week for a massive rise in spending for defence and infrastructure.
His plans, which involve altering the constitution, will come before the German parliament on Thursday. Merz is hoping for the backing of the Social Democrats and the Greens, with whom the necessary two-thirds parliamentary majority is still possible in the existing parliament, which remains in place until 25 March.
However, Merz acknowledged on Sunday he still had work to do in order to win over the Greens to his plans, whose support is needed if a two-thirds majority is to be reached. The Greens have signalled their strong objection to the fact that hardly any reference has been made to climate protection in Merz’s proposals.
Merz said in the Deutschlandfunk interview that “intensive” talks would take place with the Green party next week. “We will integrate climate protection measures [in the investment proposals],” he said.
Merz’s CDU/CSU came first in a federal election last month and is seeking to form a “mini-grand” coalition with the Social Democrats. The two parties announced on Saturday they had completed a round of “sounding talks” to establish whether there was sufficient common ground between them before the start of formal negotiations. Official talks could begin in the coming week.
Major sticking points are expected to be migration and security, with Merz having ridden on a pre-election ticket of considerably toughening up on rules over who can enter Germany and under what circumstances they could stay.
The new government is under huge pressure to take the wind out of the sails of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, which soared to second place in the election, with almost 21%, promising among other policies a mass “remigration” of criminal foreigners and migrants with no legal right to stay in Germany, should it come to power.
Addressing concerns that his plans to tighten migration regulations would put Germany at odds with its neighbours, Merz said he intended to be fully compliant with EU rules and would seek pan-European consensus. “We want European solidarity … but Germany also of course has a right to defend its own security and order,” he said.
Merz has said he has hopes of forming a coalition by Easter, on 20 April.
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France to use interest from frozen Russian assets to finance arms for Ukraine
Reply from Moscow: “You will still have to … return what was stolen.”
France will use interest from frozen Russian assets to fund an additional €195 million in arms for Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said.
Lecornu told La Tribune in an interview published Sunday that Paris will provide the Ukrainian army with older equipment from the French army, in particular AMX-10RC tanks and armored front-end vehicles.
"In addition, this year, thanks to the interest on frozen Russian assets, we will mobilize a new envelope of €195 million, which will make it possible to supply 155-mm shells as well as AASM glide bombs that arm the Ukrainian Mirage 2000s," Lecornu added.
After the publication of the interview, a response came from Russia: "You will still have to answer for your actions and return what was stolen," Russian parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said.
Last year, the G7 countries agreed to provide Ukraine with $50 billion via a series of bilateral loans that Kyiv could pay off using windfall profits from frozen Russian state assets.
In the interview, Lecornu also noted that he considers the U.S. an ally of France, "despite its great unpredictability," and he called for calm, even while Europe faces a threat from Russia.
"I'm not one of those who say there will be a third world war," the minister said.
"We just have to realize that everything we have known up to now is being called into question, and this is being accelerated by the unpredictability of the American partner. That is why we have to strengthen our defensive efforts in order to guarantee peace on our continent," stressed Lecornu.
Pro-Russia Călin Georgescu barred from Romanian presidential election re-run
Far-right supporters of the candidate claim decision is undemocratic and Elon Musk describes his ban as ‘crazy’
Romania’s central election authority has barred far-right pro-Russia candidate Călin Georgescu from running in May’s presidential election re-run.
The rejection of his candidacy, which was announced on Sunday evening and was condemned by far-right party leaders as undemocratic, can be challenged at the constitutional court.
Dozens of supporters of the populist Georgescu gathered outside the election bureau shouting “Freedom” and briefly tried to force their way through the security cordon.
Georgescu submitted his candidacy for the May ballot re-run on Friday amid doubts that he would be allowed to run.
Romania’s highest court annulled the ballot two days before the second round of voting in December, citing allegations of Russian interference in Georgescu’s favour, which Moscow has denied.
Members of US President Donald Trump’s administration called Romania’s cancelled election an example of European governments suppressing freedom of speech and political opponents.
Tech billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk called the election authority’s decision “crazy” on his social media platform X.
Georgescu is under criminal investigation on six counts, including membership of a fascist organisation and communicating false information about campaign financing. He has denied all wrongdoing.
Still uncertain about Trump? Let Boris Johnson guide you on this ‘very compassionate man’
Some of the president’s Tory fans seem to find the grim reality of the president’s actions invigorating rather than terrifying
Short of emigration, what is the best option for Britain’s dazzled Trump followers now their hero confirms he is not Europe’s ally but Vladimir Putin’s? That’s assuming what we can’t in the case of Nigel Farage MP: that they do not share the US president’s well-documented weakness for a genocidal invader. Even his more respectable British acolytes have until recently finessed, quite successfully, their love of Trump with his long history of Putin-pleasing. No one more so than Boris Johnson, former prime minister, self-styled saviour of Ukraine and still Trump’s most dependable British idiot.
To Johnson’s way of thinking, detailed in numerous Daily Mail columns, it is Trump-doubters who are always the ridiculous, panicking, hysterical, whingeing headless chickens. When Trump looked likely to win the US election, Johnson likened the reaction of the “western liberal intelligentsia” to “the shriek of elderly beldames leaping on the piano stool after spying a mouse in their petticoats”. The virile Johnson was more than willing to forget that business at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
With all the usual caveats, it is striking, sometimes uncanny, how often tributes to Trump by his UK supporters have echoed rhetoric in praise of an earlier political disruptor with territorial ambitions.
Here is Lord Rothermere, the Daily Mail proprietor, for instance, writing in 1930 that his support for Germany’s Nazi party “had shocked the old women of three countries – France, Germany, and our own”. Like the beldame-connoisseur Johnson, who urges us to disregard Trump’s thuggery – “I have always found him, personally, a model of old-fashioned courtesy and good manners” – Rothermere would assure readers disconcerted by the public shrieking that the private Hitler was “a perfect gentleman”, who “brings to Europe the blessed prospect of peace”.
A century later, another Daily Mail writer, Nadine Dorries, was one of several prominent Conservatives claiming something similar for Trump. “I honestly believe that Trump can bring about world peace and prosperity.” By way of references, Dorries cited, like many of the president’s supporters, the strategic mastery outlined in his (ghostwritten) Art of the Deal. Have any of them actually read the chapter that details how Trump, having attempted various low ruses to dislodge residents from a newly acquired building he wished to demolish, ended up being accused of harassment? It could be of interest, anyway, to Gaza residents should Trump persist with dreams of a Palestinian-free luxury resort.
Admittedly, a little alleged harassment is unlikely to weigh with women like Dorries, Suella Braverman and Liz Truss (not forgetting proud feminist Johnson) who are happy to make light of – along with the invasion of the White House, environmental savagery and assorted criminal cases – Trump’s history of misogyny. For them, saviour qualities that polls suggest go unrecognised by most of the British population have earned him immunity from sustained sexist behaviour, from “Grab ’em by the pussy” to congratulating the prime minister, Keir Starmer, on his “beautiful” wife last month.
In the US for Trump’s inauguration, an ecstatic Braverman said that he provides “a glimmer of hope of what is possible in the west”. Fellow guest Truss, cementing the Norfolk-Mar-a-Lago axis, hailed the incoming president for “saving western civilisation”. Starting, as we now know, with Andrew Tate.
Inconveniently for Truss and other lead Trumpists including Robert Jenrick, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Piers Morgan, Priti Patel, Andrea Jenkyns and a number of Mail and Telegraph contributors, today’s online archive makes it trickier than in 1939 for the prominent and susceptible to pretend they were never infatuated with an amoral racist and conspiracy theorist.
Added to this evidence, the speed of Trump’s transition into full Russia allyship could help extravagant claims about his political genius being more rapidly understood as deranged than those, circulating last year, that rested on total public memory loss about Trump’s political past.
For the former Tory MP Rees-Mogg, for instance, Trump’s victory was “a success for democracy” and also, notwithstanding his thing for Putin, for “free speech”. The pivot towards Russia has not diminished his loyalty. “Reinvigorating democracy is also positive,” Mogg noted, finding something “creative” in Trump’s denial of military assistance to Ukraine, “the world may ultimately be a safer place”.
Braverman, the proud wearer of a Maga cap and perhaps the closest Trump has to a Unity Mitford (who favoured a golden swastika), considers his latest actions above all “a wake-up call for European nations”.
In news sources where recent expressions of admiration for Trump must adapt to growing public suspicion, there is no avoiding a more convoluted response. In the Telegraph, where he acclaimed Trump’s November victory with “Trump is the last chance to save the decaying west from terminal decline”, Allister Heath now reminds readers, “the reality is nuanced”.
Critical to this delicate work is the claim that anything that may to the uninitiated seem disgraceful about Trump, like his televised humiliation and abuse of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, could in fact be proof of political sophistication beyond the grasp of literal-minded liberals: the sort of people who see Elon Musk, Trump favourite and Alternative for Germany sympathiser, extend his arm sharply upwards and think they’ve witnessed a Nazi salute.
Current advice for any Trump worshipper with reason to regret recent Rothermeresque effusions about renewed hope for western civilisation, is to emulate Boris Johnson. Step by step, they should advance from simple Trump idolator to the role of senior Trump interpreter. Supposing Trump comes up with something like (to Zelenskyy) “you should never have started it”, requires a Johnson, fluent in Trumpspeak, to translate: “Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action.” What might sound wicked, according to his latest tutorial, is spoken by a “very compassionate man”.
Recent polling, inauspicious for Farage, suggests that Johnson’s linguistic efforts are finally paying off. When a UK legislator sings the praises of Trump, what they are actually saying is: “I am unworthy of political office.” Got it.
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‘Potty mouth’ Democrats have some new fighting words we can’t put in this headline
Profanity isn’t new in politics. But it’s reaching new heights on the left.
When Rep. Jasmine Crockett reacted to President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday evening, profanity leaped effortlessly from her lips: “Somebody slap me and wake me the fuck up because I’m ready to get on with it.” Just a few days earlier, when asked of her message to Elon Musk, she told him to “Fuck off.”
Ken Martin, the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, took a more Midwestern approach: “Go to hell,” he said, adding later on X: “I said what I said.” Meanwhile, Senate Democrats launched coordinated social media videos fact checking Trump, each of them calling his claims “shit that ain’t true.”
In the earliest weeks of Trump’s second term, Democrats have careened from strategy to strategy to respond to him, often ineffectually. But one unifying thread as they try to invigorate their connection to the American voter has been a reach for profanity.
Democrats are cursing up a storm.
“Goddamn it, tell me who started that?” said Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a frequent purveyor of profanity.
Cursing is, of course, not new in politics. Among operatives, principals and journalists, it is a familiar way to broker instant bonhomie. Nor is it new for the Democratic Party, particularly when confronting Trump: Former DNC Chair Tom Perez frequently deployed profanity in 2017 in stump speeches, saying, for example, that Trump didn’t “give a shit about health care.”
But the breadth of swearing is unmistakable, newly fashionable among members of a party in the wilderness who are looking for shortcuts to authenticity to channel voters’ rage.
In recent days, Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona said he wanted the “intern” at the National Republican Campaign Congressional Committee who posted “racist shit” on X fired. And appraising the landscape of Trump’s America, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii noted this week that the “stock market is down but at least everything is more expensive and services are getting shittier.”
Politics, the late Andrew Breitbart once observed, is downstream of culture. And linguistically speaking, Democrats are up a certain creek.
Trump beat them to it, using curses increasingly in his march back to the White House, though for some Democrats it is part of their native tongue.
“I mean, I was swearing before Trump, so I can’t really blame it on him,” Gallego told POLITICO. “I’m gonna blame it more on being in the Marines for as long as I was.”
Now, Democrats are seeking to bottle up their impolite words and serve them up the maw of an increasingly coarse and foul-tongued populace.
“Some of it is genuine, some of it is people trying to seem faux-edgy authentic,” said Lis Smith, the Democratic adviser whose profanity is so legendary that her f-bombs played a hand in earning Amazon’s otherwise wholesome documentary on Pete Buttigieg in 2021 an “R” rating. “If the first time you’ve used a cuss word in public is reading off a script, it’s probably not authentic and not something you should do.”
It’s also become part of Democrats’ increased social media strategy. After posting their “shit that ain’t true” videos on social media, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made one “breaking down the BS Trump told” during his joint address. (The top Senate Democrat didn’t go as far as saying bullshit in the video though — opting instead for “bull.”)
It is not always working. Last month, when Democrats joined federal workers at a rally of the American Federation of Government Employees to protest DOGE cuts, the profanities nearly rivaled those gathered.
“I don’t swear in public very well, but we have to fuck Trump,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), adding, “Please don’t tell my children that I just did that.”
The awkward formulation — which landed less like a diss and more like a proposition — was roundly mocked.
“The key to doing it and doing it well is that you can’t overdo it and you can’t force it,” said Caitlin Legacki, a Democratic campaign veteran. “If elected officials are going to cuss, they have to mean it. If it’s authentic to who they are and how they’re feeling, voters will probably be fine with it and even relate to it. But if it’s not authentic, there’s nothing more cringeworthy.”
But there is also something more guttural in Democrats’ appeal to a deeply unsettled base.
“The truth is that we’re driven by the same things most people are — like anger at honest folks being denied a fair shot – and we need to prove it by showing fight,” said Andrew Bates, who worked for the famously foul-mouthed-in private Joe Biden. “One way to do that is to call out that Trump’s whole campaign was about lower costs right away – his words – but now he’s raising those costs with tariffs that will fund a tax handout for the rich; and yes, that is bullshit and it shows his true colors and we should be eager to say it.”
Democrats concede their party can’t just be all talk.
“In this existential moment, the Democratic base does want to see their leaders fighting back. But at the end of the day, that means successful legislative and legal maneuvers — not just the occasional f-bomb on a podcast,” said one Democratic speechwriter, granted anonymity to assess the party’s rhetoric.
This person, acknowledging “mad as hell” vibes in the party, added, “Some of it is an expression of authentic outrage at Trump smashing Democratic norms and institutions. Some of it is that — between Trump and his acolytes — the bar’s been lowered on how we expect public officials to comport themselves.”
Deeper still, some Democrats see a core moral failing in the public profanities.
“Democrats who think that vulgarity and dehumanization are reliable, appropriate or beneficial ways to advance their political interests profoundly misunderstand what has happened in our politics and what is required in this moment,” said Michael Wear, Barack Obama’s former faith outreach adviser and the founder, president and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, and author of “The Spirit of Our Politics.” “These are not tools that can be used in the service of any political goals. These things promote the very distrust, estrangement and animosity which is the fuel for the reckless, antagonistic politics Democrats — and all of us — ought to reject.”
Crockett’s f-bomb got some attention back in her district. She said at the Capitol on Thursday that people called the pastor at her church to “tattle” on her. (Though Crockett added her pastor said he approved her message: “He’s not going to be the one to try to rein me in.”)
For now, she is unrepentant. She said her answer was “real” and reflected her frustration with Trump and Musk’s actions.
“Like I have a potty mouth, especially when I’m mad,” she said. “We’re working on it. We’re going to pray about it.”
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Trump calls Zelensky ‘ungrateful’ and dodges question on whether he’s now backing Russia in Fox News interview
President says his Ukrainian counterpart was taking ‘candy from a baby’ by accepting the Biden administration’s help in fighting back against the Russian invasion
Donald Trump leaned into his personal feud with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.
The president sat down for an interview with Fox News and reacted to criticism of his conduct during an Oval Office meeting with the Ukrainian leader more than a week ago in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance appeared to gang up on the European leader.
On Sunday, Trump reiterated that he thought Zelensky wasn’t “grateful” and added that he “took candy from a baby” — his description of the Biden administration’s policy of military and political support for Ukraine’s military.
The president also seemed to deride the Ukrainian leader’s assertion that his country’s armed forces were serving the country bravely, as he dismissively recalled Zelensky “talking about the fact that they have fought and there's [...] bravery because somebody has to use those [US-supplied] weapons.”
“He’s a smart guy, and he’s a tough guy.” Trump said of Zelensky. “He took money out of this country, under [Joe] Biden, like candy from a baby.”
He was asked by Sunday Morning Futures host Maria Bartiromo about critics who claimed that he was easing up political pressure on Russia.
“Nobody has been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump,” declared the president, after an extended rant about what he called “the Russia, Russia, Russia, hoax”. “Remember, I’m the one that stopped the pipeline — Nord Stream 2.”
Trump’s record with that specific project is a bit spotty; he fought with Congress over sanctions on Russia aimed at preventing its construction. Eventually, the House and Senate forced his hand by including the sanctions as part of a yearly defense bill.
His successor, Joe Biden, waived some of those sanctions upon taking office in an effort to reengage European leaders alienated during Trump’s first four years in office. But the Biden administration kept up pressure on the project, which was eventually halted formally by Germany’s chancellor after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
And some reports have indicated that his administration could be interested in cutting a deal with Russia in 2025 that would allow for the project to resume.
Referring to Trump throwing Zelenksy out of the White House before a minerals deal could be signed, Bartiromo asked the U.S. president: “Are you comfortable with that, the fact you walked away and Ukraine may not survive?”
Trump replied: “Well, it may not survive anyway. But, you know, we have some weaknesses with Russia. You know, it takes two.”
Bartiromo asked him about widespread assumptions that Trump has now sided with Russia against Ukraine, given his hostile treatment of Zelensky; the multiple concessions his administration has appeared to make to Vladimir Putin before talks have even started; Trump’s decision to stop military aid and vital intelligence to Ukraine; the U.S. voting with Russia at the United Nations; and his insistence on a minerals deal with little obvious benefit to Ukraine.
She said: “So is there anything else you want to say to the critics who say you chose a side in the Ukraine-Russia story – and that’s Russia. Because, you know, you called Zelensky a dictator and you had the fight [in the Oval Office].”
Trump declined to address the question directly, instead repeating the claim that “nobody has been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump. Nobody. And they know that, they know that. Just look at the things I just told you. The pipeline – I stopped it.”
A gleeful Kremlin spokesperson declared in recent days that the US policy on Ukraine was shifting to entirely match the Russian government’s position.
“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” Dmitry Peskov said on Russian state TV earlier in March.
But that could soon change. In a post to Truth Social on Friday, Trump threatened to impose further sanctions on Russia over a renewed offensive launched against Ukrainian defenders and civilians this past week. Blame for the effectiveness of the Russian attacks has been laid at the feet of the Republican president by some of his critics as it closely follows the confirmation by news outlets that US intelligence agencies had ceased real-time intel sharing with their Ukraininan counterparts, a key element aiding Ukraine’s air defenses.
On the same day, he added to reporters in the Oval Office that Ukraine was, in his mind, the greater obstacle towards ending the war. The US president has repeated that he believes Russia’s Vladimir Putin is ready for peace, though US intelligence assessments have stated otherwise.
“I'm finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine. They don’t have the cards,” he said.
Some European countries including France and the UK have responded with calls for increased European support for Ukraine, though experts say other Nato countries will likely be unable to bring to bear the same capabilities as their US allies.
Возгорание американского танкера, прежде перевозившего горючее для нужд МО США, у «берега населенного плохими людьми», накануне важной встречи.... Ну, Вы понимаете.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Tanker and cargo vessel collide in North Sea
Цитата:
Нефтяной танкер и грузовое судно столкнулись в Северном море у берегов Великобритании
Два судна столкнулись возле побережья Восточного Йоркшира, неподалеку от города Халл. Одно из них грузовое, другое — нефтяной танкер. В результате столкновения на обоих судах возникли пожары. Людей эвакуируют, по данным на 13:39 по лондонскому времени (16:39 по московскому), на берег доставили 32 человека, их состояние неизвестно.
Как сообщает Береговая охрана Великобритании, тревога была поднята в 9:48 утра по местному времени (12:48 по московскому). По информации источников Би-би-си, нефтяной танкер загорелся, позже появилась информация о пожаре и на втором судне.
Столкнувшиеся судна — предположительно, американский танкер Stena Immaculate и контейнеровоз под португальским флагом Solong.
Судя по сайту MarineTraffic, отслеживающему движение в море, Stena Immaculate, вышедший из греческого порта Агии Теодори, в 9:48 стоял на якоре возле города Халл. В это время к нему приблизился Solong, следовавший из шотландского порта Грэнджмут. Судя по всему, последовало столкновение.
Как отмечает бизнес-корреспондент Би-би-си Джонатан Йозеф,
американский танкер — один из десяти, предназначенных для снабжения американской армии нефтепродуктами в случае войны или чрезвычайного положения, однако ничто не указывает на то, что сейчас он использовался для подобных нужд
.
На место происшествия отправили спасательный вертолет и шлюпки из ближайших населенных пунктов, а также самолет береговой охраны. На помощь идут ближайшие суда, у которых есть приспособления для тушения пожаров.
Судя по сайту MarineTraffic, отслеживающему движение в море, поблизости находится довольно много других судов.
Цитата:
1m ago12.59 GMT
The ships involved in the collision are understood to be Stena Immaculate and Solong, a Portuguese-flagged container, according to BBC News.
It reports:
On the tracking site, we can see the Immaculate at anchor and at 9:48 we can see the Solong – a Portuguese-flagged container – appear to be colliding with the tanker.
The Stena Immaculate had travelled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi, and was anchored outside Hull.
The Solong, meanwhile, had been sailing from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.
Цитата:
30m ago12.29 GMT
Lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter have been called to the collision in the Humber estuary, believed to involve a US-flagged tanker called the MV Stena Immaculate.
The American tanker was at anchor, according to ship tracking tool Vesselfinder, Reuters reported.
Цитата:
38m ago13.13 CET
UK coastguard responds to ship collision off northeast coast
An oil tanker and a cargo vessel have collided in the North Sea, with the UK coastguard providing an emergency response.
An HM Coastguard spokesperson said: “HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire.
“The alarm was raised at 9.48am.
“A Coastguard rescue helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft, and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.
“The incident remains ongoing.”
Цитата:
Stena Immaculate
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Container ship 'Solong' being escorted into Falmouth by the Pilot cutter 'Arrow'.
Goodbye Lenin: Finnish museum reinvents itself in response to shifting relations with Russia
Former Lenin Museum in Tampere, which opened in 1946 as a symbol of Finnish-Russian friendship, has rebranded amid Ukraine war
A Finnish museum dedicated to the Russian Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin has reopened under a new name and with new exhibits in response to rapidly changing relations between two neighbouring countries after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The former Lenin Museum in Tampere, which closed in November, reopened this month under a new name, Nootti, which refers to the Finnish word for a diplomatic note.
(выделено а.п.)
When it first opened in 1946, after the second world war, the institution was intended as a symbol of postwar friendship. The location was chosen because Tampere was where Lenin and Stalin met for the first time as young communist leaders. During the cold war it became a place for diplomacy and in 2016 the museum was revamped to focus on Soviet history instead of Lenin’s life.
But in light of recent events, and with relations between the two countries once again frozen, the museum said a dramatic update was needed and decided to create an entirely new museum.
After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Finland rapidly became a member of Nato and the countries’ shared 830-mile (1,330km) border closed after Helsinki accused Moscow of a “hybrid operation” involving asylum seekers, which the Kremlin has denied
(выделено а.п.).
Kalle Kallio, the director of the museum, said that in recent years the Lenin name had become “a burden”. “During the last three years it turned out that it was not very good brand any more. People did not understand the role of the museum and the name became a burden. So we decided to close the museum and build a totally new one and continue with the name Nootti,” he said
(выделено а.п.).
The themes of the new museum include the collapse of the Russian empire in 1917 and Finnish independence, the civil wars on both sides of the border, the fate of the Soviet Finns during Stalin’s terror, the winter war, the Finnish alliance with Hitler, the cold war, “Finlandisation”, the secret services, bilateral trade, cultural relations and tourism from the 1950s and the lead-up to Finland joining Nato in 2023.
Among the exhibits – which include pictures, text, videos and historical artefacts that tell the story of the two countries’ evolving relationship – is a bicycle that was used by an asylum seeker to cross the border in 2023.
The museum said it aimed to tell both Finnish and Russian stories but was not cooperating with the Russian state or Russian museums.
Whatever the state of relations between the two countries, Kallio believes the museum with its new name and focus will always have relevance.
“If we look at Finnish history and our key moments in history during the last 150 years, it’s impossible to understand them without understanding Russian history as well,” he said. “So our stories are really tied together.”
He added: “The relations between Finland and Russia are always going to be there. We don’t know what kind of relations they will be, but there will be relations and we are very certain that there will be new history coming all the time.”
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Уровень доступа: Вы не можете начинать темы, Вы не можете отвечать на сообщения, Вы не можете редактировать свои сообщения, Вы не можете удалять свои сообщения, Вы не можете голосовать в опросах
Владимир Нерюев, заместитель генерального директора коммуникационного агентства Аура поделился мнением, какие изменения произошли или произойдут в профессии PR-специалиста.
Генеральный директор агентства мобильного маркетинга Mobisharks (входит в ГК Kokoc Group) — об эффективном мобильном маркетинге и примерах успешных стратегий.
За последние пару лет реклама банков изменилась. Появились новые сюжеты и герои. Реклама по-прежнему — не только инструмент продвижения услуг, но и способ формирования доверия к финансовым организациям. Главный тренд, который отмечают эксперты,— переход от сухого перечисления выгод к эмоционально окрашенным коммуникациям.
Антитрендами наружной рекламы в текущем году стали прямолинейность и чрезмерная перегруженность сообщений. Наружная реклама продолжает показывать рост: число рекламных конструкций за последний год увеличилось более чем на 2 тысячи.
Чего не хватает радио, чтобы увеличить свою долю на рекламном рынке? Аудиопиратство: угроза или возможности для отрасли? Каковы первые результаты общероссийской кампании по продвижению индустриального радиоплеера? Эти и другие вопросы были рассмотрены на конференции «Радио в глобальной медиаконкуренции», спикерами и участниками которой стали эксперты ГПМ Радио.
Деловая программа 28-й международной специализированной выставки технологий и услуг для производителей и заказчиков рекламы «Реклама-2021» открылась десятым юбилейным форумом «Матрица рекламы». Его организовали КВК «Империя» и «Экспоцентр».
28 марта в Центральном доме художника состоялась 25-ая выставка маркетинговых коммуникаций «Дизайн и реклама NEXT». Одним из самых ярких её событий стал День социальной рекламы, который организовала Ассоциация директоров по коммуникациям и корпоративным медиа России (АКМР) совместно с АНО «Лаборатория социальной рекламы» и оргкомитетом LIME.
На VII Международном форуме «Матрица рекламы», прошедшем в ЦВК «Экспоцентр» в рамках международной выставки «Реклама-2018», большой интерес у профессиональной аудитории вызвала VI Конференция «Интернет-реклама».
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