Putin taunts Trump with biggest wave of drone strikes on Ukraine
The leaders will hold a telephone call on Monday in which Trump is expected to press for an end to the fighting, warning that Washington will not tolerate further Russian brinkmanship and delays to peace negotiations.
The talks between Trump and Putin, their first since March, come after Putin refused to meet President Zelensky in Istanbul at the end of last week. Trump will also speak to Zelensky, who has already backed a ceasefire, as well as European leaders on Monday.
Despite the pressure from Washington, Putin
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Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
West will have to defeat ENTIRE Axis of Evil if they want to end Putin's reign of terror, warns top US ex-general
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WESTERN nations must change their attitude to Russia and crush the war machine fuelling Vladimir Putin's aggression, an ex-army commander warns. Rogue states such as Iran supply the tyrant with missiles and drones to unleash hell on Ukraine - propping up Russia's "not so great" army, US General Ben Hodges told The Sun. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Vladimir Putin is propped up by his allies Credit: Reuters 7 Russia continues to threaten the West Credit: AFP 7 Putin shaking hands with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un Credit: AP Now retired, he told The Sun: "If you want to defeat somebody, you have to knock out whatever it is that keeps the other side in the fight." He warned that if the West fails to take the threat from bloodthirsty Vlad more seriously, Europe will be dealing with war "forever". Russia has continued to rain down misery on Ukraine for more than three years - raising questions over how Moscow hasn't depleted its ammunition stocks. It comes as Putin is hammering Ukraine with almost 1,000 kamikaze drones a missiles each day - overwhelming defence systems. READ MORE ON RUSSIA WAR FEARS UK faces war with Russia within next five years, warns ex head of British Army Dozens of innocents are being injured or killed as apartment buildings are mercilessly bombed and civilians terrorised. Putin ordered his troops over the border in February 2022 and the US military estimated that, without help, Moscow would have run out of firepower by that December. North Korea is widely believed to have supplied Russia with missiles and shells, while Iran has bolstered Putin's stockpile with drones and rockets. China - Moscow's biggest and richest ally - is suspected of equipping Vlad with "dual-use" components, which are used to make weapons. Hodges, who was in charge of American forces in Europe, has urged the West to go after ??????????? He also believes Putin focuses on civilian areas instead of military targets because "the great Russian army and the great Russian air force and the great Russian navy are not so great". Bloodthirsty Putin hits Ukraine with almost 1,000 missiles a DAY as he faces his biggest dilemma yet "I mean they have demonstrated after 11 years they cannot defeat Ukraine," Hodges added. "The only thing they can do is murder innocent people. So that's what they're doing. "Hundreds of drones and missiles and rockets every week, which they get from Iran, North Korea and China, because they can't even produce all that they need anymore. "So I think we know from history that going after the population almost never works. "It didn't work in the Second World War, it didn't work for us against the Vietnamese, it didn't work for us against the Taliban." Putin arrogantly assumed he could sweep in and seize Kyiv in a matter of days after ordering his troops over the border into Ukraine. But more than three years on, the red-faced despot has suffered huge losses on the battlefield. 7 Xi Jinpping attended the Victory Day parade in Moscow Credit: EPA 7 Putin shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Credit: EPA 7 Smoke and fire rise during a Russian strike on Kyiv Credit: Reuters More than 10,000 tanks, 22,000 armoured vehicles, 26,000 artillery systems, and over 700 aircraft have been destroyed, officials estimate. And the casualty numbers are far grimmer. Western officials have revealed that the Russians have sustained more than 900,000 casualties, with 250,000 dead, since Putin unleashed his illegal war. Despite this, the megalomaniac has pushed forward - continuing to throw wave after wave of troops into the meatgrinder. Putin has found his stocks of weapons backfilled by his allies - such as receiving drones from Iran. And meanwhile, Kim has sent tens of thousands of troops to Russia to serve alongside Vlad's men. A small number of Chinese troops have also allegedly been found serving in Ukraine. But Beijing has strongly denied accusations from Ukraine that they supplying Putin with weapons. Russia now is planning to try and unleash 1,000 drones per day on Ukraine as the war marches on - much to the fury of the US. 7 Hodges warned Western nations must instead focus on eliminating the threat from Axis of Evil countries - ultimately diminishing Putin's capabilities. The former military chief said it could see Europe grappling with endless bloodshed if not. He said: "Europe should be more serious and try to crush them, crush that regime, use all of our economic tools and also help Ukraine be successful to defeat Russia. "The only way Russia ever changes is after defeat. And if they're not defeated, then after Putin will be another Putin. "So we're going to be dealing with this forever unless we get serious about defending everything that we say is important. "And we should quit being so scared of what the Russians might do. The Russians should be worrying what the hell we're going to do." Axis of Evil 'supplying Russia with weapons' Iran Iran last year transferred close-range ballistic missiles to Russia in a move condemned by the UK's government and allies. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "Iran supplying Russia with ballistic missiles to fuel its illegal invasion of Ukraine is a significant and dangerous escalation." Initial claims of Iranian weapons being sent to Russia emerged in late 2022. US military intelligence at the time indicated Tehran was preparing to supply Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar rockets to Moscow. Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu visited Iran in September 2023 - and reviewed Tehran's missile arsenal during the trip. North Korea Kim Jong-un vowed to "support" Putin's "sacred fight" to defend Russia's security interests when the North Korean tyrant visited Moscow in 2023 He vowed the two countries would "be together in the fight against imperialism". North Korea has been accused of supplying missiles and shells to Moscow. In April, Volodymyr Zelensky said a missile that killed 12 people in Kyiv had been manufactured in North Korea. The US has imposed sanctions on several entities accused of being linked to arms deals between the two states. Pyongyang has previously denied having any "arms dealings" with Russia. China China has been accused of supplying crucial materials and equipment to at least 20 Russian military factories. Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Kyiv's foreign intelligence service, said in April: "There is information that China supplies tooling machines, special chemical products, gunpowder, and components specifically to defence manufacturing industries. "We have confirmed data on 20 Russian factories." Nato leaders jointly accused Beijing of being a "critical enabler" of Russia by providing "massive support to its defence industry". They claimed China sends "dual-use" components to Moscow such as computer chips that can be used to make weapons. Beijing has denied supplying Russia. Hodges predicts Putin, 72, will stay at the helm of the Kremlin for at least another decade - only taking into account his health. But at some point, the oligarchs around him - who lost enormous fortunes through war sanctions - could snap and force him out, Hodges said. He said: "From a health standpoint, Putin's around for another ten years. "Usually dictators don't have a retirement plan because there are so many people that want to kill them. So that's why they stay in power until the very end. "So I think we should assume he's going to be there, if it's just health, for at least another ten years. "But if enough people finally got mad about how he was ruining Russia's economic standing, that would be different."
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Prince Harry and King Charles' aides hold ‘secret summit' amid speculation over end to royal rift
Senior aides to the King and Duke of Sussex have been pictured together in London in what is reported to be an initial step towards restoring the relationship between Harry and the rest of the royal family. Images obtained by the Mail On Sunday show Meredith Maines, the duke's chief communications officer, and Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan's UK public relations team, meeting the King's communications secretary Tobyn Andreae at the Royal Over-Seas League near Clarence House. The Mail reports it is not known which side initiated the meeting, but a source told the paper: 'There's a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years. 'There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.' Both parties have been contacted for comment. The rift between the Sussexes and the royal family opened significantly following their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they alleged a member of the family was concerned about their son Archie's skin tone before he was born. Then the duke claimed in his controversial memoir, Spare, his brother the Prince of Wales had physically attacked him and that the King put his own interests above Harry's and was jealous of Meghan. Harry's level of security changed in 2020 when he and Meghan stepped down as working royals and moved to California for financial and personal freedom, and he suggested the royal family and officials hoped his realisation of the increased safety risk 'would force us to come back'. The duke failed in an appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office, over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK. In a BBC television interview after losing the latest round in his court battle over his security, Harry claimed the King will not speak to him and he does not know 'how much longer my father has' as he spoke of his hopes for a 'reconciliation' with his family. Charles was diagnosed with cancer in February last year.
The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
UK's ambassador in Washington says Trump ‘really does love Britain'
Donald Trump is set to make his second state visit to the UK in September, following an invitation from King Charles. Peter Mandelson, the UK 's ambassador in Washington, anticipates a "warm reception" for Trump, stating the US president "really does love Britain" and "hugely admires it". Due to the visit's timing during the political party conference season, Trump is not expected to address MPs and peers in Parliament, nor visit Buckingham Palace or have a ceremonial carriage ride. Lord Mandelson described Trump as a "phenomenon" and a "unique politician" with a strong grasp of power and a quick understanding of issues. Mandelson highlighted the UK -US trade deal, signed in May, which reduced car import tariffs, suggesting it was facilitated by the UK 's departure from the European Union.
