A drone every minute: Russia launches record barrage at Ukraine
US President Donald Trump this week said he was 'not happy' with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hasn't budged from his ceasefire and peace demands since Trump took office in January and began to push for a settlement.
Trump also said the US would have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after Washington paused critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
On Wednesday, the US resumed deliveries of certain weapons, including 155 mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS, two American officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could provide details that hadn't been announced publicly. It's unclear exactly when the weapons started moving.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump 'has quite a tough style in terms of the phrasing he uses', adding that Moscow hopes to 'continue our dialogue with Washington and our course aimed at repairing the badly damaged bilateral ties'.
Zelensky, meanwhile, urged Ukraine's partners to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oil and those who help finance the Kremlin's war by buying it.
'Everyone who wants peace must act,' Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader met Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday during a visit to Italy ahead of an international conference on rebuilding Ukraine.
Ukraine's air defences shot down 296 drones and seven missiles during the overnight attack, while 415 more drones were lost from radars or jammed, an air force statement said.
Ukrainian interceptor drones, developed to counter the Shahed ones fired by Russia, are increasingly effective, Zelensky said, adding that domestic production of anti-aircraft drones was being scaled up in partnership with some Western countries.
Loading
Western military analysts say Russia is also boosting its drone manufacturing and could soon be capable of launching 1000 a night at Ukraine.
'Russia continues to expand its domestic drone production capacity amid the ever-growing role of tactical drones in front-line combat operations and Russia's increasingly large nightly long-range strike packages against Ukraine,' the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said.
Ukraine has also built up its own offensive drone threat, reaching deep into Russia with some long-range strikes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
42 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Trump intensifies trade war with threat of new tariffs
President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting in August, after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. In an escalation of a trade war that has angered US allies and rattled investors, Trump announced the latest tariffs in separate letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Saturday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was sure an agreement can be reached. "I've always said that in these cases, what you have to do is keep a cool head to face any problem," Sheinbaum said at an event in the Mexican state of Sonora. "(But) there's something that's never negotiable: the sovereignty of our country," she said. Trump sent similar letters to 23 other trading partners this week, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. The US president said the 30 per cent rate was "separate from all sectoral tariffs", indicating 50 per cent levies on steel and aluminium imports and a 25 per cent tariff on auto imports would remain. The August 1 deadline gives the targeted countries time to negotiate. Some investors and economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. The spate of letters showed Trump has returned to the aggressive trade posture that he took in April when he announced a slew of reciprocal tariffs against trading partners that sent markets tumbling before the White House delayed implementation. But with the stock market recently hitting record highs and the US economy still resilient, Trump is showing no signs of slowing down his trade war. He promised to use the 90-day delay in April to strike dozens of new trade deals, but has only secured framework agreements with Britain, China and Vietnam. The EU has hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc. Trump's letter to the EU included a demand that Europe drop its own tariffs. "The European Union will allow complete, open Market Access to the United States, with no Tariff being charged to us, in an attempt to reduce the large Trade Deficit," he wrote. Von der Leyen said the 30 per cent tariffs "would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic". The EU "will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required", she said. Mexico's economy ministry said "it was unfair treatment". Mexico's proposed tariff level is lower than Canada's 35 per cent, with both letters citing fentanyl flows even though government data shows the amount of the drug seized at the Mexican border is significantly higher than the Canadian border. "Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough. Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground," Trump wrote. Mexico sends more than 80 per cent of its total exported goods to the US and free trade with its northern neighbour drove Mexico to become the top US trading partner in 2023. The EU had initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement but more recently had scaled back its ambitions and shifted toward securing a broader framework deal similar to the one Britain brokered that leaves details to be negotiated. The bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms. Bernd Lange, the head of the European Parliament's trade committee, said Brussels should enact countermeasures as soon as Monday. "This is a slap in the face for the negotiations. This is no way to deal with a key trading partner," Lange told Reuters. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting in August, after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. In an escalation of a trade war that has angered US allies and rattled investors, Trump announced the latest tariffs in separate letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Saturday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was sure an agreement can be reached. "I've always said that in these cases, what you have to do is keep a cool head to face any problem," Sheinbaum said at an event in the Mexican state of Sonora. "(But) there's something that's never negotiable: the sovereignty of our country," she said. Trump sent similar letters to 23 other trading partners this week, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. The US president said the 30 per cent rate was "separate from all sectoral tariffs", indicating 50 per cent levies on steel and aluminium imports and a 25 per cent tariff on auto imports would remain. The August 1 deadline gives the targeted countries time to negotiate. Some investors and economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. The spate of letters showed Trump has returned to the aggressive trade posture that he took in April when he announced a slew of reciprocal tariffs against trading partners that sent markets tumbling before the White House delayed implementation. But with the stock market recently hitting record highs and the US economy still resilient, Trump is showing no signs of slowing down his trade war. He promised to use the 90-day delay in April to strike dozens of new trade deals, but has only secured framework agreements with Britain, China and Vietnam. The EU has hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc. Trump's letter to the EU included a demand that Europe drop its own tariffs. "The European Union will allow complete, open Market Access to the United States, with no Tariff being charged to us, in an attempt to reduce the large Trade Deficit," he wrote. Von der Leyen said the 30 per cent tariffs "would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic". The EU "will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required", she said. Mexico's economy ministry said "it was unfair treatment". Mexico's proposed tariff level is lower than Canada's 35 per cent, with both letters citing fentanyl flows even though government data shows the amount of the drug seized at the Mexican border is significantly higher than the Canadian border. "Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough. Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground," Trump wrote. Mexico sends more than 80 per cent of its total exported goods to the US and free trade with its northern neighbour drove Mexico to become the top US trading partner in 2023. The EU had initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement but more recently had scaled back its ambitions and shifted toward securing a broader framework deal similar to the one Britain brokered that leaves details to be negotiated. The bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms. Bernd Lange, the head of the European Parliament's trade committee, said Brussels should enact countermeasures as soon as Monday. "This is a slap in the face for the negotiations. This is no way to deal with a key trading partner," Lange told Reuters. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting in August, after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. In an escalation of a trade war that has angered US allies and rattled investors, Trump announced the latest tariffs in separate letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Saturday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was sure an agreement can be reached. "I've always said that in these cases, what you have to do is keep a cool head to face any problem," Sheinbaum said at an event in the Mexican state of Sonora. "(But) there's something that's never negotiable: the sovereignty of our country," she said. Trump sent similar letters to 23 other trading partners this week, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. The US president said the 30 per cent rate was "separate from all sectoral tariffs", indicating 50 per cent levies on steel and aluminium imports and a 25 per cent tariff on auto imports would remain. The August 1 deadline gives the targeted countries time to negotiate. Some investors and economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. The spate of letters showed Trump has returned to the aggressive trade posture that he took in April when he announced a slew of reciprocal tariffs against trading partners that sent markets tumbling before the White House delayed implementation. But with the stock market recently hitting record highs and the US economy still resilient, Trump is showing no signs of slowing down his trade war. He promised to use the 90-day delay in April to strike dozens of new trade deals, but has only secured framework agreements with Britain, China and Vietnam. The EU has hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc. Trump's letter to the EU included a demand that Europe drop its own tariffs. "The European Union will allow complete, open Market Access to the United States, with no Tariff being charged to us, in an attempt to reduce the large Trade Deficit," he wrote. Von der Leyen said the 30 per cent tariffs "would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic". The EU "will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required", she said. Mexico's economy ministry said "it was unfair treatment". Mexico's proposed tariff level is lower than Canada's 35 per cent, with both letters citing fentanyl flows even though government data shows the amount of the drug seized at the Mexican border is significantly higher than the Canadian border. "Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough. Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground," Trump wrote. Mexico sends more than 80 per cent of its total exported goods to the US and free trade with its northern neighbour drove Mexico to become the top US trading partner in 2023. The EU had initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement but more recently had scaled back its ambitions and shifted toward securing a broader framework deal similar to the one Britain brokered that leaves details to be negotiated. The bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms. Bernd Lange, the head of the European Parliament's trade committee, said Brussels should enact countermeasures as soon as Monday. "This is a slap in the face for the negotiations. This is no way to deal with a key trading partner," Lange told Reuters. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting in August, after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. In an escalation of a trade war that has angered US allies and rattled investors, Trump announced the latest tariffs in separate letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Saturday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was sure an agreement can be reached. "I've always said that in these cases, what you have to do is keep a cool head to face any problem," Sheinbaum said at an event in the Mexican state of Sonora. "(But) there's something that's never negotiable: the sovereignty of our country," she said. Trump sent similar letters to 23 other trading partners this week, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. The US president said the 30 per cent rate was "separate from all sectoral tariffs", indicating 50 per cent levies on steel and aluminium imports and a 25 per cent tariff on auto imports would remain. The August 1 deadline gives the targeted countries time to negotiate. Some investors and economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. The spate of letters showed Trump has returned to the aggressive trade posture that he took in April when he announced a slew of reciprocal tariffs against trading partners that sent markets tumbling before the White House delayed implementation. But with the stock market recently hitting record highs and the US economy still resilient, Trump is showing no signs of slowing down his trade war. He promised to use the 90-day delay in April to strike dozens of new trade deals, but has only secured framework agreements with Britain, China and Vietnam. The EU has hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc. Trump's letter to the EU included a demand that Europe drop its own tariffs. "The European Union will allow complete, open Market Access to the United States, with no Tariff being charged to us, in an attempt to reduce the large Trade Deficit," he wrote. Von der Leyen said the 30 per cent tariffs "would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic". The EU "will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required", she said. Mexico's economy ministry said "it was unfair treatment". Mexico's proposed tariff level is lower than Canada's 35 per cent, with both letters citing fentanyl flows even though government data shows the amount of the drug seized at the Mexican border is significantly higher than the Canadian border. "Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough. Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground," Trump wrote. Mexico sends more than 80 per cent of its total exported goods to the US and free trade with its northern neighbour drove Mexico to become the top US trading partner in 2023. The EU had initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement but more recently had scaled back its ambitions and shifted toward securing a broader framework deal similar to the one Britain brokered that leaves details to be negotiated. The bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms. Bernd Lange, the head of the European Parliament's trade committee, said Brussels should enact countermeasures as soon as Monday. "This is a slap in the face for the negotiations. This is no way to deal with a key trading partner," Lange told Reuters.
The Advertiser
42 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
NKorea, Russia stamp 'invincible fighting brotherhood'
North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has told Russia's top diplomat his country is ready to "unconditionally support" all actions taken by Moscow to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, state media reports. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia's war with Ukraine and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict. Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further co-operation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence pact. Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said. Lavrov earlier held talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan, and they issued a joint statement pledging support to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other's country, KCNA said. Russian media on Saturday, reported Lavrov described the two countries' ties as "an invincible fighting brotherhood" in his meeting with Kim and thanked him for the troops deployed to Russia. Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened dramatically during the last two years of the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, with Pyongyang deploying more than 10,000 troops and arms to Russia to back Moscow's military campaign. Kim's government has pledged to send about 6000 military engineers and builders to help reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region. North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has told Russia's top diplomat his country is ready to "unconditionally support" all actions taken by Moscow to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, state media reports. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia's war with Ukraine and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict. Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further co-operation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence pact. Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said. Lavrov earlier held talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan, and they issued a joint statement pledging support to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other's country, KCNA said. Russian media on Saturday, reported Lavrov described the two countries' ties as "an invincible fighting brotherhood" in his meeting with Kim and thanked him for the troops deployed to Russia. Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened dramatically during the last two years of the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, with Pyongyang deploying more than 10,000 troops and arms to Russia to back Moscow's military campaign. Kim's government has pledged to send about 6000 military engineers and builders to help reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region. North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has told Russia's top diplomat his country is ready to "unconditionally support" all actions taken by Moscow to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, state media reports. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia's war with Ukraine and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict. Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further co-operation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence pact. Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said. Lavrov earlier held talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan, and they issued a joint statement pledging support to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other's country, KCNA said. Russian media on Saturday, reported Lavrov described the two countries' ties as "an invincible fighting brotherhood" in his meeting with Kim and thanked him for the troops deployed to Russia. Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened dramatically during the last two years of the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, with Pyongyang deploying more than 10,000 troops and arms to Russia to back Moscow's military campaign. Kim's government has pledged to send about 6000 military engineers and builders to help reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region. North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has told Russia's top diplomat his country is ready to "unconditionally support" all actions taken by Moscow to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, state media reports. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia's war with Ukraine and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict. Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further co-operation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence pact. Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said. Lavrov earlier held talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan, and they issued a joint statement pledging support to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other's country, KCNA said. Russian media on Saturday, reported Lavrov described the two countries' ties as "an invincible fighting brotherhood" in his meeting with Kim and thanked him for the troops deployed to Russia. Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened dramatically during the last two years of the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, with Pyongyang deploying more than 10,000 troops and arms to Russia to back Moscow's military campaign. Kim's government has pledged to send about 6000 military engineers and builders to help reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Trump intensifies trade war with threat of 30 per cent tariffs on EU, Mexico
Washington/Mexico City: US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1, after weeks of negotiations with the major US trading partners failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. In an escalation of a trade war that has angered US allies and rattled investors, Trump announced the latest tariffs in separate letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum that were posted on his Truth Social media site on Saturday. The EU and Mexico, both among the largest US trading partners, responded by calling the tariffs unfair and disruptive while pledging to continue to negotiate with the US for a broader trade deal before the deadline. Sheinbaum said she was sure an agreement could be reached. 'I've always said that in these cases, what you have to do is keep a cool head to face any problem,' Sheinbaum said at an event in the Mexican state of Sonora. 'We're also clear on what we can work with the United States government on, and we're clear on what we can't. And there's something that's never negotiable: the sovereignty of our country.' Loading Trump sent similar letters to 23 other trading partners this week, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, setting blanket tariff rates ranging from 20 per cent up to 50 per cent, as well as a 50 per cent tariff on copper. The US president said the 30 per cent rate was 'separate from all sectoral tariffs', indicating 50 per cent levies on steel and aluminium imports and a 25 per cent tariff on auto imports would remain.
