Vladimir Putin is risking a fresh row with Donald Trump at a crucial time in diplomacy after saying Russia is ready to provide “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India.
His provocative comments came during a visit to Delhi, where he signed cooperation agreements with prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
A joint statement from the two leaders after the meeting said their ties were “resilient to external pressure”.
Modi is positioning India closer to Russia despite growing pressure from Trump to stop buying Moscow’s oil.
The US hit India with a 25 per cent tariff over purchases of Russian energy as it tries to put pressure on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov nonetheless assured on Friday that Russia and the United States were making progress in peace talks, adding that Moscow was ready to continue working with the current US team.
Macron risks row with Trump after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call with EU leaders
Putin says there are points he can't agree to in the US proposal to end Russia's war in Ukraine
Zelensky’s plane ‘followed by military drones’ before Dublin visit in ‘hybrid attack’
Villager mistakes Russian-style drone for toy and takes it home
Putin declares Russia will take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region by force
Key Points
- Trump may betray Ukraine, warns Macron in leaked call with European leaders
- Drones were spotted near Zelensky flight path to Dublin
- Putin in Delhi, to hold summit talks with India's Modi
- Putin doubles down on threat to take Donbas by force
Putin insists certain elements of Trump’s peace plan to end Ukraine war are unacceptable
19:30 , Maira ButtRussian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, indicating in comments published Thursday that any deal is still some ways off.
U.S. President Donald Trump has set in motion the most intense diplomatic push to stop the fighting since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly four years ago. But the effort has once again run into demands that are hard to reconcile, especially over whether Ukraine must give up land to Russia and how it can be kept safe from any future aggression by Moscow.
Putin insists certain elements of Trump’s peace plan are unacceptable
Macron risks row with Trump after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call with EU leaders
19:00 , Maira ButtEmmanuel Macron risked sparking a fresh diplomatic row between Europe and Washington after claiming that Donald Trump may “betray” Ukraine during peace negotiations, according to a leaked transcript of a conference call of European leaders.
The French president told Kyiv’s European allies that the Trump administration could attempt to force Ukraine to give up territory “without clarity on security guarantees”, Germany’s Der Spiegel newspaper reported.
Macron risks row with Trump after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call
'Unacceptable' for Ukraine to give up territory, says Ukraine's army chief
18:30 , Maira ButtUkraine’s army chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi has said it is “unacceptable” for Ukraine to “simply give up territory” in an interview with Sky News.
“Naturally, for us, it is unacceptable to simply give up territory,” he said.
“What does it even mean -- to hand over our land? This is precisely why we are fighting: so we do not give up our territory.”
He added that Ukraine’s battle marked a defence of the whole of Europe, saying: “We hope they will continue providing full support. But we also hope that our European partners and allies, if necessary, will be ready to provide everything required for our just war against the aggressor.”
General Syrskyi continued: “Because right now we are defending not only ourselves, but all of Europe. And it is crucial for all Europeans that we continue doing so, because if we are not here, others will be forced to fight in Europe.”
Why is Belgium blocking Europe's bid to thaw out frozen Russian assets?
18:00 , Maira ButtBelgium’s leader will meet with his German counterpart on Friday to discuss sticking points on accessing frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.
As it stands, the European Commission is looking to find 90 billion euros ($105 billion) for Ukraine through frozen assets or international borrowing. They say they could cover two thirds of Ukraine’s spending for the next two years this way.
The plan has come unstuck with opposition from Belgium, where most of the assets are held. Belgium worries that it could be left to pay everything back on its own unless leaders agree to split the responsibility.
The European Commission hopes to find agreement between members by December 18. In the meantime, Russia will be trying to unsettle Europe’s nerve.
Zelensky thanks Trump and First Lady for return of seven Ukrainian children
17:32 , Maira ButtPresident Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump for the return of seven Ukrainian children from Russia.
“I thank everyone who made it possible to bring these Ukrainian children back,” he wrote on X/Twitter on Friday.
“Kids’ reunification with their loved ones is worth every effort and we continue working to bring all of our abducted children home.”
He added: “Thousands of our children still must be brought back and we count on broad international support to make it possible. Thank you to everybody who is helping.”
Witkoff to meet Ukraine's Umerov on Friday
17:15 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Ukraine’s senior negotiator Rustem Umerov for another meeting in Florida on Friday after meeting on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Witkoff and Umerov were due to meet earlier in the week to discuss progress made in US-Russia talks held in Moscow. However, the source said the scheduled meeting was not intended to focus on a US-backed peace plan.
Russian oil price cap to be replaced by full maritime services ban, according to reports of G7 and EU talks
17:00 , Maira ButtThe European Union and G7 are in discussions to end the price cap on Russian oil exports in favour of a full time maritime services ban in a bid to reduce oil revenue financing Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Six sources familiar with the matter said the ban could be part of Europe’s next batch of sanctions against Russia.
France investigates drone sightings over nuclear submarine base
16:30 , Maira ButtFrench prosecutors are carrying out an investigation after drones are suspected to have flown over a nuclear submarine base late on Thursday.
The aircraft are said to have flown near the base on the Atlantic coast, French prosecutor Jean-Marie Blin confirmed on Friday.
He said overflights had been reported between 7pm (6pm GMT) on Thursday and 1am (12am GMT) on Friday, with the bulk of the sightings taking place in the first couple of hours.
“Precautionary measures” had been taken but the prosecutor denied press reports that gendarmes had fired at the suspected drones.
Russia has been accused of engaging in “hybrid warfare” after a spate of sightings in recent months. The Kremlin has denied all accusations.
EU leaders insist they will decide on future of frozen Russian assets not US, according to reports
16:00 , Maira ButtEuropean leaders have reasserted their right to determine the future of frozen Russian assets after US representatives reportedly lobbied to block the plans, according to the Kyiv Independent.
A transcript of a call reportedly between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, French president Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen, saw the leaders say that plans to repurpose the assets as reparations for Ukraine would go ahead.
Macron is said to have commented: “Anything on frozen assets should be at our hands.”
Why a war with Europe has never looked so tempting to Putin
15:30 , Maira ButtWhen Vladimir Putin says he is “ready” for war with Europe, he means it.
So much discussion about the talks between Donald Trump’s team and Putin gives the impression that either the Americans will strong-arm Ukraine into swallowing a deal acceptable to the Kremlin or, failing that, the war in Ukraine will just grind on. But no one should ignore the third option: the risk of war spreading.
Western sanctions have tried to strangle Russia’s oil exports to contain funding for Putin’s war effort. But Ukraine’s intelligence agency, the SBU, has been waging a sabotage campaign against Russian shipping far beyond Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. Attacking Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers in the Baltic as well as the Black Sea could draw Russian retaliation to coastal states like Denmark or Romania, who both also provide much aid to Ukraine.
Mark Almond reports:
Zelensky’s plane ‘followed by military drones’ before Dublin visit in ‘hybrid attack’
14:54 , Maira ButtJames C Reynolds reports:
Volodymyr Zelensky’s plane was followed by four military-style drones before it landed at Dublin airport on Monday, according to a report.
Sources told The Journal that the drones took off from a location in the northeast of the Irish capital and flew towards the flight path of the Ukrainian president in breach of a no-fly zone.
Gardaí are investigating the incident but have not yet been able to confirm where the drones came from or who may have been controlling them.
They are trying to establish whether the drones took off from land or an undetected ship, slipping past radars.
Taoiseach brushes off criticism of Zelensky's visit
14:21 , James ReynoldsThe Taoiseach told the Russian ambassador to "stop this war", after the diplomat criticised the official visit of the Ukrainian president to Ireland.
Volodymyr Zelensky gave a historic address earlier this week to a joint sitting of the Oireachtas and also met with Government figures and President Catherine Connolly.
Russian ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov said on Friday that it was "hard to make sense of the visit" beyond it representing "the ever-present desire of the Irish government to show loyalty to the EU anti-Russian policy line on Ukraine".
Zelensky’s plane ‘followed by military drones’ before Dublin visit in ‘hybrid attack’
Sweden to cut global aid 'to increase support for Ukraine'
13:50 , James ReynoldsSweden will phase out development aid to five countries in coming years and use the money to increase support for Ukraine, the government said on Friday.
The Nordic country plans to phase out aid to Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Liberia and Bolivia, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa said.
Sweden has already cut aid to more than 10 countries since the current government took power in 2022, including Burkina Faso and Mali.
ICYMI: Vladimir Putin ordered Skripal novichok poisonings in show of ‘Russian power’, inquiry finds
12:45 , James ReynoldsVladimir Putin ordered the “astonishingly reckless” attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal as a “public demonstration of Russian power”, a major inquiry into the Salisbury novichok poisonings has concluded.
The inquiry laid the blame for the attack on the Russian president, saying he was “morally responsible” for the death of Dawn Sturgess, an innocent bystander who died after being exposed to the chemical weapon after it was left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.
Read the full story:
Putin ordered novichok poisonings in show of ‘Russian power’, inquiry finds
Watch: Modi says India is 'not neutral' on Ukraine in talks with Putin
12:15 , James ReynoldsVladimir Putin is risking a fresh row with Donald Trump at a crucial time in diplomacy after saying Russia is ready to provide “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India.
His provocative comments came during a visit to Delhi, where he signed cooperation agreements with prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
A joint statement from the two leaders after the meeting said their ties were “resilient to external pressure”.
After the talks, Putin and Modi announced that India and Russia have finalised an economic cooperation program until 2030, which will help diversify mutual businesses to boost annual trade to $100 billion by 2030.
They also emphasised strong energy ties.
Energy has been in focus for Donald Trump, who has warned India and other countries not to buy Moscow’s oil to better pressure Russia into ending the war in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia was "ready to continue uninterrupted fuel shipments" to India despite Trump’s insistence against buying Moscow’s oil.
On energy, Putin also spoke of a "flagship" nuclear plant being built in India that he said Russia would help with.
US to pass defence responsibilities onto Europe by 2027, sources say
11:15 , James ReynoldsThe United States wants Europe to take over the majority of NATO's conventional defence capabilities, from intelligence to missiles, by 2027, Pentagon officials told diplomats in Washington this week.
The message, recounted by five sources familiar with the discussion, including a US official, was conveyed this week in a meeting of Pentagon staff overseeing NATO policy and several European delegations.
In the meeting, Pentagon officials indicated that Washington was not yet satisfied with the strides Europe has made to boost its defence capabilities since Russia's expanded invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The US officials told their counterparts that if Europe does not meet the 2027 deadline, the US may stop participating in some NATO defence coordination mechanisms, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Some officials on Capitol Hill are aware of and concerned about the Pentagon's message to the Europeans, one US official said.
Why is Belgium blocking Europe's bid to thaw out frozen Russian assets?
10:50 , James ReynoldsBelgium’s leader will meet with his German counterpart on Friday to discuss sticking points on accessing frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.
As it stands, the European Commission is looking to find 90 billion euros ($105 billion) for Ukraine through frozen assets or international borrowing. They say they could cover two thirds of Ukraine’s spending for the next two years this way.
The plan has come unstuck with opposition from Belgium, where most of the assets are held. Belgium worries that it could be left to pay everything back on its own unless leaders agree to split the responsibility.
The European Commission hopes to find agreement between members by December 18. In the meantime, Russia will be trying to unsettle Europe’s nerve.
Kremlin praises Kushner's efforts in peace talks
10:15 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is working 'very actively' on the peace settlement in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Friday.
He said Kushner’s presence at the talks has added a 'systemic nature.' His inclusion in the Ukraine talks was a US initiative, Ushakov added.
Vladimir Putin met Kushner and special envoy Steve Wikoff at the Kremlin for five hours on 2 December.
Ushakov said the meeting was constructive, but that much work still needs to be done.
Ukraine strikes Russian energy in Sea of Azov
09:45 , James ReynoldsA Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at Russia's Azov Sea port of Temryuk, local authorities said on Friday.
Temryuk handles liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), oil products and petrochemicals, as well as grain and other bulk food commodities.
The Russian Defence Ministry said air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 41 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Krasnodar region where Temryuk is located.
The cost of war: A mother cries by the coffin of her son, killed near the heavy fighting in Pokrovsk
09:15 , James ReynoldsA mother cries by the coffin of her son Oleh Borovyk, a Ukrainian serviceman who was killed in fighting with Russian forces near Pokrovsk, during his funeral in Boiarka, Ukraine.
Macron risks row with Trump after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call with EU leaders
08:45 , James ReynoldsEmmanuel Macron risked sparking a fresh diplomatic row between Europe and Washington after claiming that Donald Trump may “betray” Ukraine during peace negotiations, according to a leaked transcript of a conference call of European leaders.
The French president told Kyiv’s allies that Washington could attempt to force Ukraine to give up territory “without clarity on security guarantees”, German newspaper Der Spiegel reported.
Details of the call - which involved Macron along with German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte - were published by the German newspaper on Thursday.
Read the full story:
Macron risks row with Trump after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call
US talks still on the table, Kremlin says
08:12 , James ReynoldsRussia is ready to work with the US towards peace in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Friday, after Trump suggested he didn’t know what Moscow was doing following talks.
He assured that the US and Russia were still moving forward in their discussions.
Ukrainian diver stripped of titles after switching allegiance to Russia
07:45 , James ReynoldsUkraine's diving federation said it has stripped Sofiia Lyskun of her titles following her decision to switch allegiance to Russia.
The 23-year-old, who represented Ukraine at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the Paris Games last year, revealed the switch in an interview with a Russian newspaper earlier this week.
The federation said Lyskun had not informed them, her coaching staff or Ukraine's sports ministry about her decision.
"Such steps are categorically unacceptable," it said in a statement.
"They discredit not only an individual athlete, but also the entire team of Ukraine which every day selflessly fights for the right to represent our country in the international arena.”
Putin thanks India's Modi for attention to peace efforts in Ukraine
07:13 , Arpan RaiRussian president Vladimir Putin told Indian prime minister Narendra Modi that he was grateful for the attention India was paying to peace efforts on Ukraine.
Russia and India have relations in the military sphere, in space development, artificial intelligence and other areas, Putin said.
"We plan to move forward in all these areas," he added.
Putin says India's Russian oil purchases dipped in 2025
07:05 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin has confirmed India’s purchase of Russian oil has declined after the US cornered Indian authorities in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
"There is a certain decline in overall trade turnover during the first nine months of this year," Putin said when asked if Indian oil purchases had fallen under pressure from the West.
"This is just a minor adjustment. Overall, our trade turnover stands almost at the same level as before,” he said.
He added: "Trade in petroleum products and crude oil... Russian oil, is running smoothly in India."
Asked how India and Russia should deal with Trump and his tariffs, Putin said the US president has advisers who believe that implementing such tariff policies ultimately benefits the US economy. "We hope that, in the end, all violations of World Trade Organization regulations will be rectified," he said.
EU leaders to work on Ukraine funding deal for cash strapped Kyiv in Brussels today
06:50 , Arpan RaiBelgian prime minister Bart De Wever said he hopes to have a "fruitful discussion" with German chancellor Friedrich Merz today about an EU plan to use Russian frozen assets to support Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
The European Commission, the European Union's executive body, has proposed a "reparations loan" using Russian state assets frozen in the EU following Russia’s invasion. However, Belgium, which holds the majority of the assets, has raised various legal concerns and remains unconvinced by the plan.
De Wever and Merz will dine in with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels as Belgiam officials continue to have a strong opposition to the scheme, which involves the unprecedented use of frozen Russian assets.
Merz, who has voiced support for the plan but also said the risks should be borne by all EU countries, not just Belgium, will be in Brussels today to discuss the issue.
The chancellor said yesterday evening that his aim was to speak with De Wever as soon as possible to convince him to drop his opposition so the parties could move forward on the issue.
"I hope it will be a fruitful conversation and that we will find a solution that we can then present to Europe over the next two weeks," De Wever told local media outlets.
The Commission hopes to secure a firm commitment from member states at a summit of EU leaders on 18 December.
Kremlin waiting for Trump's response after talks on Ukraine in Moscow
06:23 , Arpan RaiMoscow was awaiting a response from Washington following talks between president Vladimir Putin and US representatives earlier this week in the Russian capital, senior Kremlin officials said this morning.
"We are now waiting for the reaction of our American colleagues to the discussion we had on Tuesday," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying by RIA news agency.
He added that there were no plans for a call between Putin and US president Donald Trump, and no date has been set for a new meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
US push for an end to the war in Ukraine sets off a flurry of shuttle diplomacy
06:02 , Arpan RaiThe latest US push to end Russia’s nearly 4-year-old war in Ukraine has unleashed a frenzy of diplomatic activity.
Negotiators and officials from the US, Ukraine and Russia have crisscrossed the globe in recent weeks in a flurry of meetings to discuss a potential deal.
Here is a timeline of key talks:
19 November: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Turkey in what he said was an effort to jump-start negotiations on ending the war. Reports emerge soon after of a 28-point peace plan drafted by the US and Russia that critics say leans heavily in Moscow’s favour.
20 November: US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll travels to the Ukrainian capital and meets Zelensky to brief him on the US-backed peace proposal.
23 November: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets a Ukrainian delegation headed by then-presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak for talks in Geneva. Both sides say that progress had been made but provide few details. Yermak also meets with European security officials.
24-25 November: Driscoll meets Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Russian president Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, says the parties do not discuss the new peace plan in detail.
30 November: A Ukrainian delegation led by Rustem Umerov meets US officials in Florida. Umerov replaced Yermak, who resigned amid a corruption scandal involving the country’s energy sector.
1 December: Zelensky travels to Paris to meet French president Emmanuel Macron and briefs him on the outcome of the Florida talks, as a US delegation heads to Moscow for talks with Russian officials.
US push for an end to the war in Ukraine sets off a flurry of shuttle diplomacy
Putin insists certain elements of Trump’s peace plan to end Ukraine war are unacceptable
05:44 , Arpan RaiRussian president Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a US plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, indicating in comments published yesterday that any deal is still some ways off.
US president Donald Trump has set in motion the most intense diplomatic push to stop the fighting since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly four years ago. But the effort has once again run into demands that are hard to reconcile, especially over whether Ukraine must give up land to Russia and how it can be kept safe from any future aggression by Moscow.
“We had to go through practically every point, which is why it took so much time,” he said. “It was a meaningful, highly specific, and substantive conversation. Sometimes we said, ‘Yes, we can discuss this, but with that one we cannot agree.’"
Trump said that Witkoff and Kushner came away from the marathon session confident that Putin wants to find an end to the war. “Their impression was very strongly that he’d like to make a deal,” he added.
Putin insists certain elements of Trump’s peace plan are unacceptable
Putin says India's Russian oil purchases dipped in 2025
05:14 , Arpan RaiVladimir Putin has confirmed India’s purchase of Russian oil has declined after the US cornered Indian authorities in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
"There is a certain decline in overall trade turnover during the first nine months of this year," Putin said when asked if Indian oil purchases had fallen under pressure from the West.
"This is just a minor adjustment. Overall, our trade turnover stands almost at the same level as before,” he said.
He added: "Trade in petroleum products and crude oil... Russian oil, is running smoothly in India."
Asked how India and Russia should deal with Trump and his tariffs, Putin said the US president has advisers who believe that implementing such tariff policies ultimately benefits the US economy. "We hope that, in the end, all violations of World Trade Organization regulations will be rectified," he said.
Putin challenges US tariffs on Indian goods over Russian oil purchases
04:50 , Arpan RaiRussian president Vladimir Putin challenged heavy US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel if the US could do so as he began a two-day state visit, where he was embraced on arrival by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
Putin spoke in comments to Indian broadcaster India Today, aired hours after landing in New Delhi for a visit during which both countries are seeking to boost mutual trade and expand the variety of items in transactions.
"The United States itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants. That is also fuel," Putin told India Today.
"If the US has the right to buy our fuel, why shouldn't India have the same privilege? This question deserves thorough examination, and we stand ready to discuss it, including with president Trump," he said.
Macron risks row after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call
04:44 , Arpan RaiEmmanuel Macron risked sparking a fresh diplomatic row between Europe and Washington after claiming that Donald Trump may “betray” Ukraine during peace negotiations, according to a leaked transcript of a conference call of European leaders.
The French president told Kyiv’s European allies that the Trump administration could attempt to force Ukraine to give up territory “without clarity on security guarantees”, Germany’s Der Spiegel newspaper reported.
“There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Mr Macron is said to have told fellow European leaders, including the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.
Alex Croft reports:
Macron risks row with Trump after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call
Watch: Putin’s alleged secret daughter confronted by Ukrainian whose brother was killed by Russia
04:15 , Arpan RaiUkraine seeks 'real peace, not appeasement' with Russia, says minister
04:01 , Arpan RaiUkraine wants "real peace, not appeasement" with Russia, its foreign minister said at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the security and rights body seeking a role for itself in a post-war Ukraine.
The path ahead for peace talks is currently unclear, US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday, after what he called "reasonably good" talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US envoy and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
"We still remember the names of those who betrayed future generations in Munich. This should never be repeated again. Principles must be untouchable, and we need real peace, not appeasement," Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha told the OSCE's annual Ministerial Council.
He was referring to a 1938 agreement with Nazi Germany in which Britain, France and Italy agreed to Hitler's annexation of the Sudetenland in what was then Czechoslovakia. The agreement is widely used as shorthand for failing to confront a threatening power.
"Europe had too many unfair peace deals in the past. All of them only led to new catastrophes," Sybiha said while thanking the United States for advancing peace efforts and pledging that Ukraine would "use every opportunity to try to end this war".
Ukraine military says it hit large chemical plant in southern Russia
03:46 , Arpan RaiUkraine's military said late night yesterday its forces had struck a large chemical plant in Stavropol region in southern Russia, triggering a fire.
The military's General Staff, writing on Telegram, said the Nevinnomyssky Azot plant was hit overnight on Thursday and added the facility produced components for explosives. It described it as one of the largest such plants in Russia.
There was no immediate reaction from Russian officials.
Trump may betray Ukraine, warns Macron in leaked call with European leaders
03:31 , Arpan RaiFrench president Emmanuel Macron warned European leaders that the US may “betray” Ukraine during peace negotiations, according to a bombshell report revealing an alleged transcript of the multi-party call.
“There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Macron said according to Der Spiegel, adding that there was “great danger”.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said Volodymyr Zelensky had to be “extremely careful” in the coming days. In comments likely referring to Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, he said: "They are playing games, both with you and with us.”
Finnish president Alexander Stubb, who enjoys warm relations with Trump, said: We mustn't leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.” Nato secretary general Mark Rutte concurred, reportedly saying: “I agree with Alexander, we must protect Volodymyr.”
Mr Merz also discussed the issue of frozen Russian assets, warning that the US must be clear that the issue was Europe’s to deal with alone.
Europe could not "leave the decision to other, non-European states regarding what happens to the financial resources of an aggressor that have been legally frozen within the jurisdiction of our rule of law and in our own currency”, he said.
Nato must be ready to respond to hybrid threats, top commander says
03:18 , Arpan RaiNato must be ready to respond to increasing hybrid threats in order to defend its member states' territory, the alliance's top military commander said.
Hybrid threats refer to both military and non-military tactics designed to undermine an adversary's security and typically include cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, sabotage of key infrastructure and use of drones or irregular armed groups.
"Hybrid threats are a real issue, and I do think that we can anticipate more of that happening," Alexus Grynkewich, a US Air Force general serving as Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told reporters at the alliance’s military headquarters outside the Belgian city of Mons.
Speaking of recent incidents in Europe, Grynkewich said some were reckless and some intentional. He said it was important to say who was behind hybrid incidents and that the alliance knew Russia was behind some of them.
"We also do think about being proactive... If Russia is attempting to provide dilemmas to us, then maybe there are ways that we could provide dilemmas to them," he said, adding that Nato was a defensive alliance and "there's nothing offensive about this".
Drones were spotted near Zelensky flight path to Dublin
03:10 , Arpan RaiAn Irish navy ship spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's aircraft as he arrived for a state visit to Ireland on Monday, local media reported.
The sighting triggered a major security alert amid fears it was an attempt to interfere with the flight path, the Irish Times reported. It quoted unnamed sources as saying the aircraft, which arrived slightly early, was not in any danger.
The Ukrainian delegation arrived late on Monday and departed late the next day as part of a trip to help drum up support in Europe for Kyiv as Russia presses on with its war in Ukraine.
Drone flights, the origin of which are mostly unknown, have recently disrupted airspace operations in Europe. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has called the incursions "hybrid warfare".
The Journal website, which first reported the spotting of the drones at Dublin airport, said they reached the location where Zelensky's plane was expected to be at the exact moment it had been due to pass.
It said enquiries were being carried out to determine whether the drones took off from land or from an undetected ship. They were first spotted northeast of Dublin, around 20 km (12 miles) from the airport, both news outlets reported.
Watch: Putin’s alleged secret daughter confronted by Ukrainian whose brother was killed by Russia
03:00 , Alex CroftPutin in Delhi, to hold summit talks with India's Modi
02:47 , Arpan RaiRussian president Vladimir Putin will hold summit talks with prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today, aiming to boost trade with the top buyer of Russia's arms and seaborne oil as Western sanctions squeeze their decades-old ties.
Putin is on his first visit to India in four years at a time when New Delhi is engaged in talks with the US for a trade deal to cut punitive tariffs imposed by president Donald Trump on its goods over India's Russian oil purchases.
Modi and Putin are also expected to discuss other topics including labour and civil nuclear energy, with the sides expected to announce new agreements to showcase resilience of their relations.
Moscow has been India's top arms supplier for decades and has said that it wants to import more Indian goods in an effort to grow trade to $100bn by 2030 that so far has been skewed in its favour due to New Delhi's energy imports.
Since European countries cut back their reliance on Russian energy after Russia invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago, India has ramped up its purchases of discounted Russian crude.
"India faces a conundrum; by taking steps to strengthen ties with Moscow or Washington, New Delhi risks setting back ties with the other," Michael Kugelman, senior fellow at Washington's Atlantic Council think tank, wrote in Foreign Policy magazine this week.
Macron proposes moratorium of strikes on critical infrastructure
02:00 , Alex CroftFrench president Emmanuel Macron has called on China to back a moratorium on strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure through winter.
Mr Macron, who was speaking at a press conference with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, said it is vital to do everything possible to find compromises and adhere to international law, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
"I hope that China will join our call and our efforts to reach at least a ceasefire in the form of a moratorium on strikes on critical infrastructure as soon as possible," he said.
It is crucial for the coming winter, with energy facilities still under Russian attack.
Keep energy infrastructure out of war, Turkey tells Russia and Ukraine
01:01 , Alex CroftTurkey is telling Russia, Ukraine, and all other parties to keep energy infrastructure out of their conflict and wants energy flows to continue uninterrupted, energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said after a series of attacks off Turkey's Black Sea coast.
Ukraine, which is targeting Russia's oil exports as Moscow bombards its power grid, has taken responsibility for an attack by sea borne drones on two empty tankers heading towards a Russian port last week.
But it denied any link to another incident on Tuesday in which a Russian-flagged tanker loaded with sunflower oil said it had come under drone attack.
"Hopefully, this horrible war will end. But as of today also, we say to all the parties - Russia and Ukraine - to keep the energy infrastructure out of this war," Bayraktar told journalists in embargoed comments.
"We need to keep the energy flows uninterrupted," he said, adding that routes like the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline should be kept safe.
Watch: We are no closer to peace in Ukraine, says Kremlin after US talks
00:01 , Alex CroftUkraine still holds northern Pokrovsk, says military chief
Thursday 4 December 2025 23:01 , Alex CroftUkrainian units continue to hold the northern part of the city of Pokrovsk, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces has said.
An "extremely difficult stage" in the defence of the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad urban area is ongoing, Oleksandr Syryskyi said, adding that Kyiv’s troops are still holding designated areas inside the two cities
"In the area of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad we are using active operations to block the enemy's attempts to build up assault infantry groups and to advance around these settlements,” Mr Syrskyi said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“Within the cities, our soldiers are continuing to hold the areas assigned to them.
“While the occupiers show no regard for their manpower losses, Ukrainian commanders have a clear understanding of how important it is to preserve the lives and health of their personnel."
Kyiv denies Russian troops control southern village
Thursday 4 December 2025 22:02 , Alex CroftUkraine's military denied on Thursday that Russian troops were in control of the southern village of Dobropillia, which is located near a part of the frontline where Moscow's forces have recently advanced.
"An enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group infiltrated the outskirts of the village, taking advantage of the weather conditions," Ukraine's General Staff said on Telegram, adding that the village currently is under the control of Kyiv's troops.
Putin doubles down on threat to take Donbas by force
Thursday 4 December 2025 21:00 , Alex CroftPresident Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that Russia would take full control of Ukraine's Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw.
"Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories," Putin told India Today ahead of a visit to New Delhi, according to a clip shown on Russian state television.
Ukraine says it does not want to gift Russia its own territory that Moscow has failed to win on the battlefield, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Moscow should not be rewarded for a war it started.
Putin says Russia will take Donbas by force or Ukraine troops will 'eventually withdraw'
Thursday 4 December 2025 20:25 , Maryam Zakir-HussainVladimir Putin has said Russia will fulfill the goals it set and take all of the eastern Donetsk region.
Speaking to the India Today TV channel before he landed Thursday in New Delhi for a state visit, Putin said his five-hour talks Tuesday with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner were “necessary” and “useful,” but also “difficult work,” and some proposals were unacceptable.
“All this boils down to one thing: Either we take back these territories by force, or eventually Ukrainian troops withdraw,” he said.
Russia issues strong warning against EU's plan to freeze assets
Thursday 4 December 2025 19:59 , Alex CroftRussia has said that any "illegal action" by the European Union in relation to its frozen assets would elicit "the harshest reaction".
Under the proposal, around £123 billion of Russian state assets held in Belgium would be transformed into a “reparations loan”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: "Any illegal actions involving our assets will not go unanswered... Preparations for a package of countermeasures in the event of actual theft and seizure of Russian Federation assets are already under way."
Watch: King Charles warns of ‘threat of Russian aggression’ in state banquet speech
Thursday 4 December 2025 19:25 , Alex CroftRecap: Putin says meeting with Witkoff was 'useful' but 'difficult'
Thursday 4 December 2025 18:52 , Alex CroftVladimir Putin has said that talks on Ukraine with Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were “very useful” but failed to yield a breakthrough.
Speaking to India Today, Putin said: "I think it is too early to say, but this meeting was necessary."
He went on: "We had to go over every point, which is why it took so on... So it was a necessary conversation, a very concrete one... Somewhere we said, yes, we can discuss this, but we can't agree on that. That's precisely the tone of the conversation."
Russia moves to limit FaceTime
Thursday 4 December 2025 18:19 , Alex CroftRussia has introduced restrictions against FaceTime after the government restricted WhatsApp and Telegram call services, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday.
Russia’s state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, earlier threatened to completely block WhatsApp if the messaging service doesn’t comply with national laws, news agencies reported.
In Focus | Ukraine is changing the pattern of war in one of the most important ways
Thursday 4 December 2025 17:48 , Alex CroftDespite being in the middle of a bloody war, with part of its land occupied by enemy forces, Ukraine is building a unique system that could transform global conflicts – and the response to them – in the years to come.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, there have been widespread reports of sexual assaults carried out by Russian troops against civilians, including women, men and children. Survivors describe attacks ranging from rape to abduction and humiliation. These acts are not random: sexual violence has long been used as a weapon of war, intended to terrorise communities, destabilise societies, and punish those resisting occupation. As part of a systematic campaign of intimidation and control, wartime sexual violence has been seen throughout history, from Bangladesh to Bosnia, from Syria to Stalin’s Soviet Union.
From the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia to documentation of Isis crimes against the Yazidis, a familiar pattern emerges: atrocities occur, and justice – if it comes at all – arrives years, if not decades, later.
Jack Straw writes:
Ukraine is changing the pattern of war in one of the most important ways
Melania Trump says 7 more children have been reunited with family in Ukraine
Thursday 4 December 2025 17:15 , Alex CroftFirst lady Melania Trump has said seven children have been reunited with their families in Ukriane.
The children are six boys and one girl, she said.
That brings to at least 15 children who've been reunited with their families after they were separated by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Melania Trump announced in October that eight children were back with family following ongoing talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
She had written Putin a letter and had her husband, president Donald Trump, hand delivered it when the leaders met in Alaska in August.
Vladimir Putin ordered Skripal novichok poisonings in show of ‘Russian power’, Dawn Sturgess inquiry finds
Thursday 4 December 2025 16:56 , Alex CroftVladimir Putin ordered the “astonishingly reckless” attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal as a "public demonstration of Russian power", a major inquiry into the Salisbury novichok poisonings has concluded.
The inquiry laid the blame for the attack on the Russian president, saying he was "morally responsible" for the death of Dawn Sturgess, an innocent bystander who died after being exposed to the chemical weapon after it was left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.
Her death came four months after the attempted murder of Mr Skripal, a former spy, his daughter Yulia and then-police officer Nick Bailey, who were all harmed when members of a Russian GRU military intelligence squad smeared the nerve agent on Mr Skripal’s door handle.
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Putin ordered novichok poisonings in show of ‘Russian power’, inquiry finds
Analysis | A war with Europe has never looked so tempting to Putin
Thursday 4 December 2025 16:44 , Alex CroftMark Almond writes:
With no peace deal, and Trump’s US distancing itself from clearly backing allies, the risk that Russia will see an opening to intimidate or even attack countries like Romania or Denmark is growing. Denmark, of course, straddles the exit from the Baltic Sea to the world’s oceans for Russia’s navy and its oil exports, but the country is also building a factory to manufacture rocket fuel for Ukraine’s own missiles, creating a potential target for sabotage.
The recent frenzy of drone sightings across northern Europe might be a classic war psychosis, but sadly, they could be a prelude to actual Russian sabotage attacks. The Kremlin has been gauging Western European reactions.
It knows European deterrence has always rested on the expectation that Washington would stand by its allies on this side of the Atlantic if Russian forces rolled westwards.
Without a credible US guarantee to every European Nato ally, the temptation for Russia to probe the defences of numerically-weak Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, all members of Nato – could be realised.
Putin 'is dragging his feet', says Starmer
Thursday 4 December 2025 16:15 , Alex CroftSir Keir Starmer said Vladimir Putin "is dragging his feet, not wanting to come to the table, not wanting to reach an agreement".
Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex Sir Bernard Jenkin asked the prime minister at Prime Minister's Questions: "Could the Prime Minister give his assessment of the latest news that President Putin has again turned down terms for peace in Ukraine, and in the light of his extraordinary outburst designed to destabilise our understanding of the truth, he did say Russia is ready for war with Nato. How ready are we?"
Sir Keir said: "Can I thank him for raising this and I updated the House last week on the attempts to get a lasting peace. We all know that Putin is the aggressor here.
"We all know that Putin is dragging his feet, not wanting to come to the table, not wanting to reach an agreement.
"We have to continue to put pressure on in every conceivable way. That is in supporting Ukraine with capability and resource, but also ensuring that our sanctions, acting with allies, do as much damage to the economy in Russia as we can, and pressure that we can put on, will continue to do so, but he's absolutely right to raise it. I thank him for doing so."
