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Donald Trump has said Russiaâs strikes on Ukraine are âwhat anybody would doâ just hours before Moscow killed more than a dozen Ukrainians in a massive missile attack.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Friday, Mr Trump said he is âfinding it more difficult to deal with Ukraineâ than Russia and that he still believes Russian president Vladimir Putin is committed to peace.
Hours later, Russia launched a deadly missile and drone attack on Ukraine, killing at least 14 people, including children, and wounding 37.
The Ukrainian interior ministry said Russian ballistic missile and drone strikes on the eastern city of Dobropillia killed at least 11 people and wounded 30, including five children.
Another three civilians were killed in a drone attack on the Kharkiv region in the northeast, the ministry added.
The ministry published photos of partially destroyed buildings engulfed in fire and rescuers removing rubble from the buildings, with eight multi-storey buildings and 30 cars damaged.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Trump said he is âstrongly consideringâ widespread sanctions and tariffs on Russia until Moscow and Kyiv agree a peace deal.
Ukraine ‘fully committed’ to dialogue with US in Saudi Arabia talks, says Zelensky
Ukraine is âfully committedâ to constructive dialogue with US representatives in Saudi Arabia next week and hopes to agree on next steps, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively,” Mr Zelensky said on X.
“On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps,” he added.
Mr Zelensky said he would visit Saudi Arabia next week and after his meeting with the Crown Prince on Monday, Ukrainian diplomatic and military representatives would stay for a meeting on Tuesday with the US team.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 15:12
In Focus | How Ukraineâs Zelensky went from Europeâs beloved war hero to Trumpâs punching bag
As Russian forces rushed towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on 24 February 2022, the comedian-turned president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky surprised the world.
âWhen you attack us you will see our faces â not our backs,â he said in a direct address to Vladimir Putin, making clear his nation would not back down in the face of invasion. When Mr Zelensky appeared later, he was wearing military fatigues, clothes he has worn ever since.
It was the beginning of a David versus Goliath story, not just for Mr Zelensky but for Ukraine. He was standing up to strongmen.
Fast forward three years and Mr Zelensky is facing what is proving to be a far more difficult task: appeasing a strongman.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 14:41
Watch: Trump appears to contradict himself on Russia’s intentions in Ukraine
Alex Croft8 March 2025 14:21
US revokes some satellite imagery access for Ukraine
The US government has suspended Ukraineâs access to certain satellite imagery, as part of president Donald Trumpâs administrationâs move to halt intelligence sharing with Kyiv, US aerospace firm Maxar Technologies said on Friday.
Maxar said it had disabled Ukrainian usersâ access to satellite imagery through the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery (GEGD) program, a US government platform that provides access to commercial satellite images collected by the United States.
“The US government has decided to temporarily suspend Ukrainian accounts in GEGD,” Maxar said, referring further questions to the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
The NGA confirmed the suspension, saying: “In accordance with the administrationâs directive on support to Ukraine, NGA has temporarily suspended access to the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system, or GEGD, which is the primary portal for access to US government-purchased commercial imagery.”
This decision follows a broader intelligence freeze imposed by Washington, as the Trump administration seeks to pressure Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky into negotiating a ceasefire with Russia.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 13:59
Appeasement towards Russia leading to tragedy, says Polish PM
Appeasement towards Russia is leading to more tragedy in Ukraine, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said.
“This is what happens when someone appeases barbarians,” Tusk wrote on X. “More bombs, more aggression, more victims. Another tragic night in Ukraine.â
Mr Tusk was responding to a deadly Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine which killed at least 14 people.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 13:17
âNot the end of the world if US quits Nato,â says former defence secretary
Britain and other European nations must be ready to take over Nato if Donald Trump carries out US threats to withdraw from the organisation.
That was the powerful message delivered on Saturday by former Conservative defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace.
âWe are witnessing a new era where we cannot take for granted US security guarantees,â said Sir Ben.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 12:56
Hungarian PM: We will have strategic partnership with US
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has said there will be a strategic partnership between Hungary and the US after the war in Ukraine ends.
Mr Orban has supported US president Donald Trumpâs push for a quick ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 12:33
Millions of Ukrainians face conscription into Russian army after Moscow issues passports in occupied territory
Around 3.5 million Russian passports have been issued to Ukrainians, Moscowâs interior minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said. This means around 700,000 have been issued since March 2024, when 2.8 million had been handed out.
Holding a Russian passport in the occupied territories has been made necessary for Ukrainians who want to access healthcare, retirement income, social services, or prove property ownership. A Russian law stipulated that anyone in the occupied territories who did not have a Russian passport by 1 July 2024 was subject to imprisonment as a âforeign citizenâ.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 12:10
Higher defence budgets first step towards a secure Europe, says Nato’s Rutte
Higher European defence budgets are the first step to building a secure Europe, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte has said.
“We will need to spend more to keep ourselves safe,” Mr Rutte told German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag (WamS).
“But we also need to quickly ramp up our defence production on both sides of the Atlantic…for far too long, we have produced far too little.”
Ammunition, ships, tanks, jets, but also satellites and drones were needed, Rutte said.
European countries are scrambling to boost defence spending and maintain support for Ukraine after US president Donald Trump froze U.S. military aid to Kyiv and raised doubts about Washington’s commitment to European allies.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 11:44
