Ukraine war briefing: power to Zaporizhzhia plant cut off as UN watchdog warns nuclear safety ‘extremely precarious'
Ukraine has accused Vladimir Putin of 'publicly humiliating' Donald Trump after Russia launched a devastating attack with a record number of drones and ballistic missiles on Kyiv hours after the two leaders spoke by phone. Luke Harding reports that Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the seven-hour raid as a 'deliberate act of terror' that 'immediately followed the call between Washington and Moscow'. It was one of the most severe assaults of the war and a 'clear interpretation of how Moscow interprets diplomacy', the Ukrainian president added. The attack overnight to Friday involved more than 550 Russian drones and ballistic missiles, with officials saying one person was killed and at least 23 people injured.
Zelenskyy said interceptor drones had proved effective in downing many Russian drones in the Kyiv assault and issued a new call for their rapid development and production. 'We are scaling this up as much as possible,' he said in his nightly video address. 'More production of these interceptor drones, more training and more preparation for our drone operators. This is a clear task.'
Trump spoke with Zelenskyy on Friday as the US president appears increasingly disheartened over his chances of fulfilling a campaign pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Andrew Roth reports. The call with Zelenskyy came after Moscow's attack on Kyiv and as Washington has halted its latest shipment of military aid to Ukraine. Zelenskyy called the conversation 'important and useful' and said he and Trump discussed Ukraine's air defence capabilities, joint defence production and 'mutual purchases and investments'. Trump expressed disappointment after speaking with Putin in a call, saying: 'I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there. I don't think he's there and I'm very disappointed. I'm just saying, I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad.'
Germany was exploring the possibility of buying more Patriot air defence systems from the US for Ukraine, a government spokesman said, as Russia intensifies its aerial attacks. Asked about reports the government in Berlin had reached out to Washington over a deal for new anti-missile systems, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said on Friday he could 'confirm that more intensive discussions are indeed taking place on this'. Chancellor Friedrich Merz raised the issue in a call with Trump on Thursday, according to reports.
Russia and Ukraine announced a fresh prisoner swap on Friday as part of agreements reached between them during talks in Istanbul last month. Volodymyr Zelenskyy published photographs of freed Ukrainian troops wrapped in blue and yellow flags. He did not say how many Ukrainians had been returned. Russia's defence ministry also reported the swap, saying Kyiv handed over a group of its servicemen who were currently in Moscow-allied Belarus, while also not saying how many troops were exchanged.
Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer will co-chair talks with other European leaders on boosting Ukraine's defences, the Elysee Palace said. 'There will certainly be a discussion on how to seriously maintain Ukraine's combat capability,' it said on Friday, adding that the French president and the British prime minister would co-chair the meeting of Kyiv's allies by video linkduring the French leader's visit to the UK next week.
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The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Is this how World War 3 will start? Nato chief gives chilling prediction with simultaneous attacks by Putin & China
A CHILLING forecast of how World War Three will start has been revealed by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte. The alliance chief has warned of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin launching simultaneous invasions - putting the planet under threat of nuclear Armageddon. 8 8 8 8 8 China would start by seeking to grab Taiwan - while ensuring the Kremlin dictator simultaneously attacks Nato territory. Stressing the urgent need to re-arm and boost military budgets, Rutte chillingly told the New York Times: 'Let's not be naive about this: If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, residing in Moscow, and telling him, 'Hey, I'm going to do this, and I need you to to keep them busy in Europe by attacking Nato territory'. 'That is most likely the way this will progress." Rutte explained that in order to "deter" the two powerful nations, there are two things that must be done. He said: "One is that Nato, collectively, being so strong that the Russians will never do this. 'And second, working together with the Indo-Pacific - something President [Donald] Trump is very much promoting. 'Because we have this close interconnectedness, working together on defence industry, innovation between Nato and the Indo-Pacific.' Russia could rebuild its military to a worrying capacity as early as 2027, according to a report by a top security think tank. The International Institute for Strategic Studies said Putin may deploy his army onto a 'war footing' and try to test Nato by evoking Article 5. This may see the Kremlin decide to leave Ukraine alone as it continues to recover from Russia's three-and-a-half year onslaught. Instead, Putin could commit to an attack on Nato states in the Baltics. Fears are already looming that the Russian dictator is eyeing the Baltic republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, formerly part of the USSR. Acknowledging how Putin is rearming at a speed "which is unparalleled in recent history," Rutte has insisted that Western countries increase defence spending. He said: "We have an enormous geopolitical challenge on our hands. 'They are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of Nato is doing in a year. 'This is unsustainable, but the Russians are working together with the North Koreans, with the Chinese and Iranians, the mullahs, in fighting this unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. 'So here, the Indo-Pacific and your Atlantic are getting more and more interconnected. We know that China has its eye on Taiwan.' Russia today hit back at ex-Netherlands premier Rutte, claiming he had 'gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch', while warning he should look forward to a future in a hellish Siberian labour camp. 8 8 8 Senior Putin puppet and security official Dmitry Medvedev lashed out on X: "He sees collusion between China & Russia over Taiwan, and then a Russian attack on Europe. "But he's right about one thing: he should learn Russian. It might come in handy in a Siberian camp.' The warnings came as Russia continued its onslaught on Ukraine - days after Putin informed US President Donald Trump by telephone that he had no intention of halting his war of invasion. Mad Vlad pummelled Ukraine with four S-300 missiles and 157 drones, with 127 of the UAVs shot down or suppressed by electronic warfare. Explosions hit Kyiv and the surrounding region, with multiple people wounded and residential buildings damaged. Putin unleashes huge onslaught of 500 missiles & drones in night of hell for Ukraine as Nato warplanes scrambled In Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, a two year old child and a woman, 46, were among those hurt as Putin continued to terrorise civilians, seeking to weaken the population's resolve. The Russians also hit Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. Apartment buildings were also hit in Kramatorsk in drone strikes. Ukraine hit back with an attack sea drone seen being destroyed by Russian defences in Novorossiysk Bay in the Black Sea. Moscow was forced to close its major international airport Sheremetyevo due to the threat of drones. Rutte praised Trump for seeking to make progress with Putin just a few weeks after calling the US President "daddy" during a summit. The Nato chief said: "He is the one who broke the deadlock with Putin. When he became president in January, he started these discussions with Putin, and he was the only one who was able to do this. 'This had to happen. A direct dialogue between the American president and the president of the Russian Federation.' Yet this had not yet resulted in a long-awaited peace deal. "We are not there yet, and that means that in the meantime you have to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight.' Trump rages Putin 'just wants to keep killing people' By Patrick Harrington, Foreign News Reporter DONALD Trump issued a bleak warning that Putin wants to "keep killing people" after Russia launched its largest-yet barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine. In a middle finger to the US, the onslaught hit just hours after Putin and Trump had a fruitless 60-minute phone call - which touched on the possibility of fresh American sanctions. Trump fumed on Friday that he was "very unhappy" about the phone call with Putin and ensuing strikes. He said: "[Putin] wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good." Trump revealed the two leaders had spoken "a lot" about sanctions, adding: "He understands that it may be coming." The Kremlin said on Friday it was "preferable" to reach its goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means - despite having just blitzed Ukraine with masses of explosives. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov continued: "But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation." Hours after hanging up on Thursday night, Vlad green-lighted the largest volley of missiles and drones since the start of the war. Fires broke out in multiple locations as almost every district in the capital city was struck, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration. Dozens of Ukrainians were injured as toxic smoke engulfed the city.
The Guardian
32 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Dining across the divide: ‘He was a 'Stop the boats' person'
Occupation Account director in the IT sector Voting record Conservative, but in the last election he protest-voted for Reform Amuse bouche He's a huge Metallica fan, and will be seeing them next year for the 25th time Occupation Financial services technician Voting record Always Labour until the last election, when he voted Green Amuse bouche After dancing in seven consecutive national ballroom dancing finals, he's just retired, because he is, in ballroom dancing terms, a senior Sam We immediately started chatting about music, and got on really well. Matt He was a really likable chap, very open and conversational, like myself. Sam I've been to the restaurant before, and I've spent the last two years telling everyone about the beef dripping flatbread with massive salt crystals. We also had beetroot in a creamy foam and herb oil, a cuttlefish risotto and a very lemony skate on crushed potatoes. It was excellent. Matt I had a grapefruit sorbet for dessert – amazing! Sam had red wine, which I'd have loved, but I've just come out of cancer treatment, so I had a Coke. Matt We talked about public spending. I think we need to shrink welfare – but in a controlled manner that benefits people and gets them back into work. Sam I'd like to see more investment in the state, funded by a tax on absolutely everyone. If we had proper housing, social care and mental health structures in place, it would reduce demand on things like the NHS. Matt We should strip all the bureaucracy out of the NHS and reinvest in medical practitioners. Sam said that's already happening with Labour scrapping NHS England. But my understanding is that, while the organisation is being abolished, nobody's being made redundant. They're all being redeployed into other parts of government. So it won't free up money for reinvestment. Sam I don't think Matt was too far from my perspective. He's had a lot of contact with the NHS recently and felt there was a lot of bureaucracy that could be cut down. But when I said I'm in favour of nationalising natural monopolies like water, he largely seemed to agree. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Matt I think big tech is a force for good. If you're a researcher looking for cures for cancer and it gives you quicker access to information from a multitude of sources, surely we get better results quicker? AI worries people, because we hear it's going to automate and take everybody's jobs, but it's just rules-based processing and straightforward algorithms piecing together information that's already out there. People think it's intelligent enough to self-learn. I haven't seen any evidence of that. Sam I fully agree that technology can be a force for good. But I don't think companies like Meta and Google have our best interests at heart. We've seen that with electioneering and the way they manipulate people's data to target them. We agreed technology is neutral, but once you put it into humanity's hands, it's not necessarily going to have a positive outcome. Sam He was a 'Stop the boats' person. From a humane standpoint I agree: I don't want people coming across the Channel. I know once upon a time if you were seeking asylum you could turn up at an embassy. Matt thought that was a good idea, but the problem is that embassies have been whittled down to very few. To me, safe routes are the answer. Matt As one of the top countries in the world, we have a right and a duty to take care of people who are coming to the UK because they're at risk of harm, but I think we've got to get quicker at identifying those who are at risk, and then dealing with those who aren't by processing them quicker, and returning them to their rightful abode. Sam The world would be a better place if we could all have a chat. On the internet we seem to have a desire to antagonise, but in person you generally find the points on which you agree rather than differ. Matt At the end of dinner, our conclusion was that there wasn't a river dividing us. It was more of a stream, a trickle. When you sit down and talk to someone from supposedly the opposite side of the fence, the division isn't as big as you think. Additional reporting: Kitty Drake Matt and Sam ate at Erst in Manchester Want to meet someone from across the divide? Find out how to take part
Telegraph
32 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Lord Kinnock urges Reeves to bring in wealth tax
Lord Kinnock has urged Rachel Reeves to bring in a wealth tax at the autumn Budget. The former Labour leader called for a 2 per cent levy on assets of more than £10 million and suggested ministers would be 'willing' to explore the idea. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer wiped out £5 billion in savings by watering down his welfare reforms in the face of a major Labour rebellion. Lord Kinnock, the Labour leader from 1983 to 1992, said the fiscal rules and tax pledges drawn up by Ms Reeves gave the appearance that the Government was 'bogged down by their own imposed limitations'. He told Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: 'There are ways around that, ways out of it, pathways that I think people are willing to explore and actually would commend themselves to the great majority of the general public. 'They include, for instance, asset taxes in a period in which for the last 20 years in the United Kingdom like quite a lot of western economies, earned incomes have stagnated in real terms while asset values have zoomed, they've just gone through the roof and they've been barely touched.' Lord Kinnock added: 'You wouldn't have to touch assets of under £6 million or £7 million, so people's houses would be secure, obviously. But even going for an imposition of two per cent on asset values above £10 million, say, which is very big fortune, the Government would be in a position to collect £10 billion or £11 billion a year. 'Now that's not going to pay all your bills, but it does two things [...] One is to secure resources, which is very important, revenues, but the second thing it does is say to the country, 'we are the government of equity'.' Many European countries to introduce wealth taxes have ended up repealing the levies owing to an exodus of top commercial talent and high administrative costs in return for little revenue. But Lord Kinnock insisted such a policy would make a 'substantial difference' to the economy. 'This is a country that is very substantially fed up with the fact with whatever happens in the world, whatever happens in the UK, the same interests come out on top unscathed, all the time, while everybody else is paying more for gutted services,' he said. The UK is expected to lose more millionaires than any other country this year after Ms Reeves launched a wide-ranging tax raid on taking power, which included abolishing the non-dom status. About 16,500 millionaires are predicted to quit Britain in 2025, up from 10,800 last year. Lord Kinnock also warned Labour's 'commendable and absolutely essential' policy programme had been 'barely noticed' by voters because of major about-turns on welfare and the winter fuel allowance. Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, admitted on Sunday that there was still 'frustration' among voters who supported Labour in the hope of seeing change. Ms Phillipson told Sky: 'Whilst I do think we've achieved a lot in that first year there have undoubtedly been challenges along the way. 'We haven't got everything right, of course we haven't, and now going into the second year, it's about how we take that forward, how we really drive through and deliver on what I hear loud and clear people want.' She also agreed with Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, that she would give her party's first year in office a 'seven out of 10'. Asked whether Sir Keir's climbdown on welfare would harm the chances of lifting the two-child benefit cap – another major demand of Left-wing Labour backbenchers – Ms Phillipson said: 'The decisions that have been taken this last week do make future decisions harder. 'But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty.' Admitting the changes to the welfare Bill would 'come at a cost', she insisted Ms Reeves would have the final say on the two-child benefit cap. Sir Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said imposing Lord Kinnock's idea of a wealth tax 'would be the worst thing to do'. 'We've also seen around 10,000 to 15,000 high net worth individuals leave our country as a result of this government's policies,' Sir Mel said. 'Some people – the socialists – might say 'well, who cares about that?' Well, the problem is that the amount of tax that those people have been paying requires about a third of a million people on average earnings, to cover that lost tax that's just gone straight out of the door. 'So the last thing we want to be doing now is piling further taxes on the wealth creators. We need to be, if anything, getting those taxes down, and empowering them to go out and do what they do best, which is creating jobs and creating wealth and prosperity for our country.'
