The US is aiming to get a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia over the line in March despite a lack of progress on territorial concessions, according to reports.
US and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed the ambitious goal, although they acknowledged that timeline is likely to slip given a lack of agreement on the key issue of territory, sources told Reuters on Friday night.
It comes after Russia blamed Kyiv for the shooting of a senior military general outside a residential building in Moscow, state media reported.
The Kremlin claimed that Kyiv was responsible for the shooting of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, without providing evidence. Ukraine has not commented the attack.
The suspect is said to have fled the scene after shooting Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev several times in the Russian capital. He is currently in hospital.
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that the attack showed that Kyiv was attempting to derail the peace process following talks with the US and Moscow in Abu Dhabi.
Lieut. Alexeyev is deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff at the Defence Ministry.
Several senior Russian military officials have been assassinated since the start of the war in Ukraine. Kyiv has claimed some of the attacks.
Melania Trump says she is in talks with Putin’s team over return of Ukrainian children
Kremlin says it won’t stop fighting until Kyiv gives in as first day of peace talks end in Abu Dhabi
Arms race fears as last US-Russia nuclear pact expires after over half a century
Wargame simulating Russian attack on Nato suggests Kremlin could ‘achieve goals’ within days
Key Points
- Trump says 'very good talks' ongoing to secure Ukraine peace deal
- US and Russia will reestablish high-level military dialogue, US says
- Abu Dhabi peace talks end with prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia
- Further sanctions on Russia depend on how peace talks go, says Treasury's Bessent
- Poland preparing £41m aid package for Ukraine, says Tusk
Zelensky says Ukrainian air force needs to improve
03:50 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has described the performance of the air force in parts of the country as "unsatisfactory," and said that steps are being taken to improve the response to large-scale Russian drone barrages of civilian areas.
The repeated Russian aerial assaults have in recent months focused on Ukraine's power grid, causing blackouts and disrupting the heating and water supply for families during a bitterly cold winter.
With the war about to enter its fifth year later this month following Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbour, there is no sign of a breakthrough in US-led peace efforts following the latest talks this week.
Further US-brokered meetings between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are planned "in the near future, likely in the United States," Zelensky said.
Zelensky said yesterday he had discussed with his defense minister and the air force commander what new air defense measures Ukraine needs to counter the Russian barrages. He didn't elaborate on what would be done.
Trump says 'very good talks' ongoing to secure Ukraine peace deal
03:19 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS president Donald Trump said "very good talks" were ongoing regarding Russia's war in Ukraine and he added, without elaborating, that "something could be happening" as a result of the negotiations.
"Very, very good talks today, having to do with Russia-Ukraine. Something could be happening," Trump told reporters.
The Republican leader had vowed to end the war that began with full-scale Russian invasionof Ukraine in February 2022 but more than a year into his second term, Trump's promise has remained unfulfilled.
Watch: Ukrainian firefighters respond in aftermath of Russian strike on Kyiv as snow falls
03:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneMelania Trump says she is in talks with Putin’s team over return of Ukrainian children
02:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneMelania Trump has confirmed she remains in direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s team, pursuing efforts to facilitate the return of more Ukrainian children from Russia.
The announcement comes amid ongoing international concern over the thousands of children allegedly abducted since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, she stated: "I'm working on it, and we are in the process. I hope we have success very soon."
You can read more below:
Melania Trump in talks with Putin’s team over return of Ukrainian children
Wargame simulating Russian attack on Nato suggests Kremlin could ‘achieve goals’ within days
01:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA new wargame simulating a Russian incursion into Lithuania, carried out by ex-Nato and German officials, concluded that Moscow would “achieve most of its goals” within days.
The exercise envisaged a scenario where the Kremlin used bogus claims of a “humanitarian crisis” in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to seize the Lithuanian city of Marijampole to its east, a key conurbation through which the road linking Russia and Belarus runs.
The scenario, which plays out in October 2026, suggests that an absence of US leadership and hesitancy from Nato countries could allow Moscow to gain total control over the Baltic within days, using an initial force of only 15,000 troops.
You can read more below:
Wargame simulates how Russia could take Nato country ‘within days’
Watch: Zelensky says 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in war as Kremlin vows to fight on
00:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneUS aims for March peace deal in Ukraine, sources say
Friday 6 February 2026 23:21 , Nicole Wootton-CaneUS and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious March goal for Russia and Ukraine to agree on a peace deal, though that timeline is likely to slip given a lack of agreement on the key issue of territory, sources have told Reuters.
Under the framework being discussed by Us and Ukrainian negotiators, any deal would be submitted to a referendum by Ukrainian voters, who would simultaneously vote in national elections, according to five sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
The US negotiating team - led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner - has expressed to Ukrainian counterparts in recent meetings in Abu Dhabi and Miami that it would be best if that vote occurred soon, three of those sources said.
Pictured: Firefighters tackle a blaze following a drone strike in Ukraine
Friday 6 February 2026 23:00 , James Reynolds
ICYMI: Epstein files reveal paedophile financier’s desperate attempts to court Vladimir Putin
Friday 6 February 2026 22:03 , James ReynoldsVladimir Putin is mentioned 1,055 times in the latest Epstein files release.
Many of the items referencing the Russian president only refer to him tangentially, such as in media bulletins sent to Epstein’s email address.
Amid scrutiny over Epstein’s interest in Russia, The Independent takes a closer look at what the files actually say:
Epstein files reveal paedophile financier’s desperate attempts to court Putin
Who is the senior Russian general shot multiple times in Moscow?
Friday 6 February 2026 21:09 , Daniel KeaneA top Russian military intelligence official was shot in his Moscow flat and rushed to hospital on Friday, investigators said.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev was identified as the target of the attack. He is the deputy head of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence arm.
Alexeyev, 64, whose work has been recognised by President Vladimir Putin with a Hero of Russia award, was reported to be in a serious condition in hospital.
The officer was previously placed under U.S. sanctions over Russian cyber interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
The EU also imposed sanctions on him over the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in 2018.
EU weighs more sanctions against Russia
Friday 6 February 2026 20:05 , James ReynoldsThe European Commission has proposed a new package of sanctions against Russia that targets energy, financial services and trade sectors, its president revealed today.
Ursula von der Leyen said the new sanctions would include a full maritime services ban for Russian crude oil and set up a new import ban on metals, chemicals and critical minerals not yet under sanctions.
Russia exports over a third of its oil in Western tankers - mostly to India and China - with the use of Western shipping services. The ban would end that trade, which is mostly done through the fleets of EU maritime countries, including Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
Watch: Next round of talks on war settlement likely to take place in US, says Zelensky
Friday 6 February 2026 19:03 , James ReynoldsRussian strikes kill 13 dogs at shelter in Zaporizhzhia, officials say
Friday 6 February 2026 18:03 , James ReynoldsA Russian aerial attack on the southern Zaporizhzhia region during early daylight hours injured eight people and damaged 18 apartment blocks, according to regional military administration head Ivan Fedorov.
A dog shelter in the regional capital was also struck, killing 13 dogs, Zaporizhzhia City Council secretary Rehina Kharchenko said.
Some dogs were rushed to a veterinary clinic but they could not be saved, she said.
Seven other animals were injured and are receiving treatment.
Ukraine working to improve response to Russian aerial assaults, Zelensky says
Friday 6 February 2026 17:01 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky said the performance of the air force in some parts of the country is "unsatisfactory" and steps are being taken to improve the response to large-scale Russian drone barrages of civilian areas.
His comments came after Russia fired 328 drones and seven missiles at Ukraine overnight and in the early morning, according to the air force, claiming that air defences shot down 297 drones.
“I consider the performance of the Air Force in some regions of Ukraine to be unsatisfactory, and together with the Commander of the Air Force and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, we discussed which decisions must be immediately implemented to more effectively intercept ‘shaheds.’,” Zelensky said.
Watch: Putin’s senior general shot ‘several times’ in Moscow by unknown suspect
Friday 6 February 2026 16:00 , Daniel KeaneMore than six in ten Ukrainians say they trust Zelensky
Friday 6 February 2026 15:30 , Daniel KeaneMore than six in ten Ukrainians (61 per cent) say that they trust President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a new survey.
The results of a nationwide opinion poll conducted in the week up to January 29 suggest that confidence in the Ukrainian leader remains stable amid ongoing negotiations with the US and Russia over an end to the war.
A third of respondents (33 per cent) said they did not trust Zelensky, according to the survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
Pictured: Firefighters tackle blaze in Poltava after Russian drone strikes
Friday 6 February 2026 15:00 , Daniel KeaneA firefighter works at the site of an industrial enterprise hit by overnight Russian drone strikes in the Poltava region of Ukraine.
Other senior Russian military figures targeted during war in Ukraine
Friday 6 February 2026 14:30 , Daniel KeaneSenior Russian general Lieutenant Vladimir Alexeyev is fighting for life after being shot in Moscow.
The Kremlin said that Alexeyev, the deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff at the Defence Ministry, had been shot “several times” outside a residential building in the capital.
In December, a car bomb killed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff.
In April, another senior Russian military officer, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff, was killed by a bomb placed in his car parked near his apartment building just outside Moscow.
A Russian man who previously lived in Ukraine pleaded guilty to carrying out the attack and said he had been paid by Ukraine's security services.
Finland announces new €43 million package for Ukraine
Friday 6 February 2026 14:00 , Daniel KeaneFinland has announced a €43 million package of military assistance for Ukraine.
According to Ukrinform, Finland’s president Alexander Stubb said the aid package would include equipment from Finland’s defence industry purchased as part of the Ukraine support programme.
Finland is a staunch ally of Kyiv and has itself been invaded by Russia in the past.
"Finland will continue to support Ukraine by delivering defence materiel as planned. Besides our own support packages, we are also involved in several capability coalitions to build and strengthen Ukraine's own capabilities. We want to do our part to ensure that Ukraine has the right and ability to defend its nation and people," said Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen.
Russia lost 720 troops in the past 24 hours, says Kyiv
Friday 6 February 2026 13:30 , Daniel KeaneRussia has lost 720 of its troops in the past 24 hours, according to the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine’s General Staff said that Moscow had suffered a total of 1,244,560 casualties since the beginning of the war in February 2022.
Since the beginning of the invasion, Ukrainian forces have destroyed 11,648 Russian tanks, 24,007 armored fighting vehicles and 37,014 artillery systems.
Wargame simulating Russian attack on Nato suggests Kremlin could ‘achieve goals’ within days
Friday 6 February 2026 13:00 , James ReynoldsA new wargame simulating a Russian incursion into Lithuania, carried out by ex-Nato and German officials, concluded that Moscow would “achieve most of its goals” within days.
The scenario, which plays out in October 2026, suggests that an absence of US leadership and hesitancy from Nato countries could allow Moscow to gain total control over the Baltic within days, using an initial force of only 15,000 troops.
Alex Croft has the full story:
Wargame simulates how Russia could take Nato country ‘within days’
Watch: Ukrainian firefighters respond in aftermath of Russian strike on Kyiv
Friday 6 February 2026 12:30 , Daniel KeaneCanada now supplying Ukraine with AIM missiles
Friday 6 February 2026 12:00 , James ReynoldsUkraine’s defence minister revealed today that Canada is supplying AIM missiles to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.
Mykhailo Fedorov said that he and his Canadian counterpart also discussed joint drone production, military training and experience sharing in a call.
Kremlin blames assassination attempt on Kyiv
Friday 6 February 2026 11:30 , James ReynoldsRussia’s veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that the assassination attempt on a general in Moscow shows that Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky wants to derail the peace process.
Ukraine's air force meanwhile reported that Russia had conducted overnight and morning attacks on Ukraine with 328 drones and seven missiles.
Kremlin says Ukraine security talks in Abu Dhabi will be continued
Friday 6 February 2026 11:00 , Daniel KeaneThe Kremlin said on Friday that two days of U.S.-brokered security talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi had been complex but constructive and would be continued.
Ukraine and Russia concluded the second round of the talks on Thursday aimed at ending Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two, with the two sides conducting a major prisoner swap and agreeing to resume negotiations soon.
Video: Putin’s senior general shot ‘several times’ in Moscow by unknown suspect
Friday 6 February 2026 10:55 , James ReynoldsEU willing to talk to Russia, says Merz
Friday 6 February 2026 10:44 , James ReynoldsGermany’s Friedrich Merz said this morning that the EU is always open to holding talks with Russia in an effort to end the war in Ukraine, but will not "open any parallel channels of communication."
"We are, of course, always ready to hold talks with Russia," the chancellor told reporters in Abu Dhabi.
"Currently, coordinated talks are taking place here in Abu Dhabi ... if we can contribute to making these talks even better, even more successful, then we will do so. But we will not open any parallel channels of communication."
Kremlin says Putin briefed on attempted assassination of general
Friday 6 February 2026 10:30 , Daniel KeaneRussian President Vladimir Putin is being briefed on the attempted assassination of a senior military intelligence official in Moscow on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev was hospitalised after being shot several times in the Russian capital.
Russian security services are working on the case, Peskov said.
Who is Russian general shot in Moscow?
Friday 6 February 2026 10:00 , Daniel KeaneLieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev is deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff at the Defence Ministry.
He was responsible for relations between the Defence Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, which fought in some of the fiercest battles in the early stages of the war in Ukraine.
Prigozhin was fiercely critical of the defence establishment and staged a mutiny in June 2023.
Alexeyev was one of the top officials sent to negotiate with him. The mutiny fizzled out, and Prigozhin died in a plane crash two months later.
Recap: Further talks expected soon, says Zelensky
Friday 6 February 2026 09:30 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky concluded two days of meetings with Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi on Thursday saying that further meetings are planned in the near future, and “likely in the United States”.
He said he was still waiting to hear from his team in person, adding: “We are ready for all workable formats that can genuinely bring peace closer and make it reliable, lasting, and such that deprives Russia of any appetite to continue the war.”
Trump rejects Putin's offer to extend caps on strategic nuclear weapons deployment
Friday 6 February 2026 09:00 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump on Thursday rejected an offer from his Russian counterpart to voluntarily extend the caps on strategic nuclear weapons deployments after the treaty that held them in check expired.
"Rather than extend "New START ... we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The post was in response to a proposal by Putin for the sides to adhere for a year to the 2010 accord's limit of 1,550 warheads on 700 delivery systems — missiles, aircraft and submarines.
Arms control advocates warn that the expiration of the treaty will fuel an accelerated nuclear arms race, while US opponents say the pact constrained the US's ability to deploy enough weapons to deter nuclear threats posed by both Russia and China.
Prosecutors say suspect that shot Russian general fled the scene
Friday 6 February 2026 08:45 , Daniel KeaneThe Moscow prosecutor's office said Alexeyev had been shot several times at a residential building in northwest Moscow by an unknown assailant who fled the scene.
Several senior Russian officers have been assassinated since the start of the war in Ukraine, with Moscow blaming the attacks on Kyiv.
In some cases, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility.
Wargame simulating Russian attack on Nato suggests Kremlin could ‘achieve goals’ within days
Friday 6 February 2026 08:30 , James ReynoldsA new wargame simulating a Russian incursion into Lithuania, carried out by ex-Nato and German officials, concluded that Moscow would “achieve most of its goals” within days.
The scenario, which plays out in October 2026, suggests that an absence of US leadership and hesitancy from Nato countries could allow Moscow to gain total control over the Baltic within days, using an initial force of only 15,000 troops.
Alex Croft has the full story:
Wargame simulates how Russia could take Nato country ‘within days’
One of Putin's generals hospitalised after being shot in Moscow
Friday 6 February 2026 08:20 , Daniel KeaneA senior Russian general has been rushed to hospital after being shot in Moscow, state media reported on Friday.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev is deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff at the Defence Ministry.
When Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a short-lived mutiny in June 2023, Alexeyev was one of the top officials who were sent to negotiate with him.
Recap: US and Russia will reestablish high-level military dialogue, US says
Friday 6 February 2026 08:00 , James ReynoldsThe US and Russia have agreed to reestablish high level dialogue between their militaries, the US European Command said in a statement published yesterday.
In a statement, US European Command said that renewed dialogue would "provide consistent military to military contact as the parties work towards a lasting peace".
The surprise announcement, signalling a major rapprochement, followed a meeting of senior US and Russian military officers in Abu Dhabi.
Ukrainian strikes inflict 'serious damage' on Russia
Friday 6 February 2026 07:30 , James ReynoldsThe governor in the Russian city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine, said today that nighttime shelling by Ukraine had inflicted "serious damage".
"The enemy has shelled the civilian city of Belgorod,” claimed Vyacheslav Gladkov in a video posted to social media.
“Everyone knows we have no military targets. There has been serious damage. I have been out to look around."
He didn't provide details of the damage. He said the authorities have not set up temporary housing.
There have so far been no comments from Ukraine.
Abu Dhabi talks end with prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia
Friday 6 February 2026 07:03 , Arpan RaiUS president Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said the delegations from the US, Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an exchange of 314 prisoners of war, which took place yesterday, marking the first such swap in five months.
Aside from agreeing to resume negotiations soon, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 157 prisoners of war each, the Russian defence ministry said. Three civilians from the Kursk region were also returned to Russia.
A video released by Ukraine’s presidency showed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war - many wrapped in the national flag – disembarking from buses in the snow, some hugging each other and others crying as they spoke to relatives on mobile phones.
POW exchanges were the only concrete steps towards peace that emerged from the previous rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia last year in Turkey.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides have been killed, wounded, or gone missing in nearly four years of war.
Russian drone attack kills couple in Zaporizhzhia
Friday 6 February 2026 06:59 , Arpan RaiAt least two people have been killed this morning in a Russian drone strike on Zaporizhzhia’s Vilniansk, regional officials said.
“The Russians hit Vilniansk with a drone. A house was destroyed. A married couple were killed – a 49-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman,” said Ivan Fedorov, head of Zaporizhzhia oblast military administration.
The overnight attack also wounded a 14-year-old boy, he said. Several residential buildings were damaged and 12,000 consumers were left without electricity due to damage to energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian refugee on the brink of sumo wrestling history after fleeing war-torn country
Friday 6 February 2026 06:40 , Arpan RaiA Ukrainian-born grappler is on the cusp of making history in Japan’s national sport of sumo, as he trains intensely for a shot at its highest honour.
Aonishiki, whose sumo name translates to "blue brocade" in homage to the Ukrainian flag, has rapidly ascended through the ranks.
The 21-year-old has secured two consecutive grand tournament victories and already holds the sport's second-highest status as an ozeki champion.
A triumph at the upcoming spring tournament in Osaka next month would qualify him for promotion to yokozuna, an esteemed grand champion title achieved by only 75 men throughout sumo's long history.
"I wake up every day wanting to get stronger, wanting to climb another rank higher," the 140kg grappler told reporters in Japanese after a morning training session in Tokyo.
"The simple fact is that you can't progress without a struggle. It's my job to overcome that."
Zelensky celebrates prisoner swap and vows to 'bring everyone back'
Friday 6 February 2026 06:19 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky said his administration is working to bring home every single Ukrainian held in Russian captivity.
Ukraine and Russia completed the first prisoner swap in around five months yesterday, exchanging a total of 314 people.
Zelensky celebrated the exchange on X, writing: “We are bringing our people home – 157 Ukrainians. Warriors from the Armed Forces, National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Soldiers, sergeants, and officers. Along with our defenders, civilians are also returning. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022.”
Zelensky said it was critical for Ukraine to make the exchange happen and thanked everyone on the frontline who captured Russian soldiers to be used in prisoner swaps.
“Without the determination of our warriors, such exchanges would be impossible. And thus every result achieved by our units is what also sustains the ability to bring Ukrainians home from Russia. We will continue to work to release our people from captivity. We must bring everyone back – and we certainly will,” he said.
“We are working on every name so that each family can finally welcome their loved ones home.”
We are bringing our people home—157 Ukrainians. Warriors from the Armed Forces, National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Soldiers, sergeants, and officers. Along with our defenders, civilians are also returning. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 5, 2026
Today's… pic.twitter.com/nn7zZYESsd
US and Russia will reestablish high-level military dialogue, US says
Friday 6 February 2026 06:02 , Arpan RaiThe US and Russia have agreed to reestablish high level dialogue between their militaries, the US European Command said in a statement published yesterday.
"Following the productive and constructive progress towards President (Donald) Trump's goal of peace in Ukraine made by Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff over the past week, the US and Russian Federation agreed today in Abu Dhabi to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue," the statement said.
"This channel of communication was suspended in the fall of 2021, just prior to the onset of the conflict," the United States European Command said in a statement, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Watch: Ukrainian firefighters respond in aftermath of Russian strike on Kyiv as snow falls
Friday 6 February 2026 05:33 , Arpan RaiWhat are the key differences between Ukraine and Russia in peace talks
Friday 6 February 2026 04:56 , Arpan RaiThe most divisive issues are Moscow's demands that Kyiv give up land it still controls and the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which sits in a Russian-occupied area.
Russia wants Ukraine to pull its troops out of all the Donetsk region, including heavily fortified cities regarded as one of Ukraine's strongest defences, as a precondition for any deal.
Ukraine says the conflict should be frozen along current front lines and rejects any unilateral pullback of its forces.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops would keep fighting until Kyiv made "decisions" that could bring the war to an end.
Russia occupies about 20 per cent of Ukraine's national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion.
Analysts say Russia has gained about 1.5 per cent of Ukrainian territory since early 2024.
Further sanctions on Russia depend on how peace talks go, says Treasury's Bessent
Friday 6 February 2026 04:45 , Arpan RaiUS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said further US sanctions against Russia depend on peace talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-old Ukraine war.
Bessent, who participated in talks with Russian officials and president Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on Saturday, said he would consider new sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet – a step Trump has not taken since returning to office in January 2025.
"I will take it under consideration. We will see where the peace talks go," Bessent said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.
He said the Trump administration's US sanctions against Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil had helped bring Russia to the negotiating table in the peace talks.
Britain expects Arctic security plans to be discussed by Nato next week
Friday 6 February 2026 04:25 , Arpan RaiNato defence ministers will likely discuss measures to bolster the security of Greenland in a meeting next week, defence secretary John Healey said, after US president Donald Trump nearly upended the alliance over his desire to acquire it.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that he wants Greenland, saying European allies have failed to properly secure it. His comments sparked a dispute with Nato member Denmark over its overseas territory and strained the defence alliance.
Those tensions eased after Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said he had discussed how Nato allies could work collectively to ensure Arctic security with Trump, but details of those plans remain scarce.
'Serious damage' in Russia's Belgorod after Ukraine attack
Friday 6 February 2026 04:16 , Arpan RaiNighttime shelling by Ukraine inflicted "serious damage" in the Russian city of Belgorod, near the border, the region's governor said in the early hours today.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, in a solemn video posted on Telegram after midnight, said city officials were holding an emergency meeting to devise a plan of action.
"I cannot say good evening, unfortunately, my dear friends," Gladkov said in the video, recorded in near-darkness.
"The enemy has shelled the civilian city of Belgorod. Everyone knows we have no military targets. There has been serious damage. I have been out to look around,” he said.
A post on the unofficial Russian Telegram channel Mash, which has sources in the security services, said missiles had hit the city that lies about 40km (25 miles) from the Ukrainian border and power had been cut in some districts.
Ukrainian forces have regularly attacked Belgorod and nearby parts of the region since Russia's February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.
Watch: Next round of talks on war settlement likely to take place in US, says Zelensky
Friday 6 February 2026 04:09 , Arpan RaiWargame simulates how Russia could take Nato country 'within days'
Friday 6 February 2026 03:58 , Arpan RaiA new wargame simulating a Russian incursion into Lithuania, carried out by ex-Nato and German officials, concluded that Moscow would “achieve most of its goals” within days.
The exercise envisaged a scenario where the Kremlin used bogus claims of a “humanitarian crisis” in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to seize the Lithuanian city of Marijampole to its east, a key conurbation through which the road linking Russia and Belarus runs.
The scenario, which plays out in October 2026, suggests that an absence of US leadership and hesitancy from Nato countries could allow Moscow to gain total control over the Baltic within days, using an initial force of only 15,000 troops.
“The Russians achieved most of their goals without moving many of their own units,” Bartłomiej Kot, a Polish security analyst who acted as the Polish prime minister, told The Wall Street Journal. “What this showed to me is that once we are confronted by the escalatory narrative from the Russian side, we have it embedded in our thinking that we are the ones who should be de-escalating.”
Wargame simulates how Russia could take Nato country ‘within days’
Poland preparing £41m aid package for Ukraine, says Tusk
Friday 6 February 2026 03:44 , Arpan RaiPoland is preparing a new 200m zloty ($55.91m, £41.18m) aid package for Ukraine mainly made up of armoured equipment, prime minister Donald Tusk announced on his visit to Kyiv yesterday.
He said that Poland could give Ukraine MiG-29 fighter jets at any time, but that Volodymyr Zelensky had told him Kyiv may need other air-defence equipment as a higher priority, and that he would discuss this with Polish officials and get back to the Ukrainian president about it on Monday.
Russia says it regrets expiration of last nuclear arms treaty, but Trump says he wants a new pact
Friday 6 February 2026 03:25 , Arpan RaiThe Kremlin said it regretted the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States, while US president Donald Trump declared he was against keeping its limits and wants a better deal.
The pact's termination left no caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century, fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Russian president Vladimir Putin last year declared his readiness to stick to the treaty's limits for another year if Washington followed suit, but Trump has ignored the offer and argued that he wants China to be a part of a new pact — something Beijing has rebuffed.
“Rather than extend 'NEW START' (A badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future," Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
Putin discussed the pact's expiration with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, noting the US failure to respond to his proposal to extend its limits and saying that Russia "will act in a balanced and responsible manner based on thorough analysis of the security situation," Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the treaty's expiration Thursday "negatively" and regrets it. He said Russia will maintain its "responsible, thorough approach to stability when it comes to nuclear weapons," adding that "of course, it will be guided primarily by its national interests."
US and Russia will reestablish high-level military dialogue, US says
Friday 6 February 2026 03:05 , Arpan RaiThe US and Russia have agreed to reestablish high level dialogue between their militaries, the US European Command said in a statement published yesterday.
"Following the productive and constructive progress towards President (Donald) Trump's goal of peace in Ukraine made by Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff over the past week, the US and Russian Federation agreed today in Abu Dhabi to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue," the statement said.
"This channel of communication was suspended in the fall of 2021, just prior to the onset of the conflict," the United States European Command said in a statement, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Abu Dhabi talks end with prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia
Friday 6 February 2026 02:58 , Arpan RaiUS president Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said the delegations from the US, Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an exchange of 314 prisoners of war, which took place yesterday, marking the first such swap in five months.
Aside from agreeing to resume negotiations soon, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 157 prisoners of war each, the Russian defence ministry said. Three civilians from the Kursk region were also returned to Russia.
A video released by Ukraine’s presidency showed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war - many wrapped in the national flag – disembarking from buses in the snow, some hugging each other and others crying as they spoke to relatives on mobile phones.
POW exchanges were the only concrete steps towards peace that emerged from the previous rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia last year in Turkey.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides have been killed, wounded, or gone missing in nearly four years of war.
Talks producing tangible results, says Witkoff
Friday 6 February 2026 01:46 , Jane DaltonUkraine and Russia concluded a second round of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, aimed at ending Europe's biggest conflict since the Second World War, with the two sides conducting a major prisoner swap and agreeing to resume negotiations soon.
An exchange of 314 prisoners of war took place on Thursday. It was the first such swap in five months.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said some of the released PoWs had been held for nearly four years.
Mr Witkoff wrote: "The discussions were constructive and focused on how to create the conditions for a durable peace."
He said the talks "demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine".
Pictured: Polish leader on visit to Kyiv
Friday 6 February 2026 00:35 , Jane Dalton
Trump rejects Putin offer to extend nuclear treaty
Thursday 5 February 2026 23:25 , Jane DaltonUS president Donald Trump on Thursday rejected an offer from Russian president Vladimir Putin to voluntarily extend the caps on strategic nuclear weapons deployments after the treaty that held them in check for more than two decades expired.
"Rather than extend "New START ... we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He was responding to a proposal for the sides to adhere for a year to the limits set by the 2010 accord on deployments of strategic nuclear warheads and the missiles, aircraft and submarines that carry them.
Simulated Russian Nato attack suggests Putin could achieve goals in days
Thursday 5 February 2026 22:15 , Jane DaltonWargame simulates how Russia could take Nato country ‘within days’
Next talks likely to be in US, says Zelensky
Thursday 5 February 2026 21:05 , Jane DaltonUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says the next round of talks on a settlement to the war is likely to take place in the United States.
"What can already be said is that the following meetings are planned in the near future. Likely in America," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
“We are ready for all workable formats that can genuinely bring peace closer and make it reliable, lasting, and such that deprives Russia of any appetite to continue the war.”
Today, I received a report from our negotiating team following two days of meetings and talks in the Emirates — with the American side and with the Russian side. I am expecting the team in Kyiv for a full in-person report, as many aspects cannot be properly discussed over the… pic.twitter.com/bKwzDOGJdd
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 5, 2026
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says further US sanctions on Russia depend on talks aimed at ending the war.
Mr Bessent, who participated in talks with Russian officials and President Donald Trump'senvoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on January 31, said he would consider sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet.
"We will see where the peace talks go," he said, saying US sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil had helped bring Russia to the negotiating table.
Polish PM says it's increasingly likely Epstein ran a Russian honeytrap to snare Americans
Thursday 5 February 2026 19:00 , Alex CroftMelania Trump says she is in talks with Putin’s team over return of Ukrainian children
Thursday 5 February 2026 18:00 , Alex CroftMelania Trump has confirmed she remains in direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s team, pursuing efforts to facilitate the return of more Ukrainian children from Russia.
The announcement comes amid ongoing international concern over the thousands of children allegedly abducted since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, she stated: "I'm working on it, and we are in the process. I hope we have success very soon."
Details regarding the nature of these discussions were not disclosed.
Read more here:
Melania Trump in talks with Putin’s team over return of Ukrainian children
Sweden commits £82m of energy aid to Ukraine
Thursday 5 February 2026 17:00 , Alex CroftSweden's government said on Thursday it will provide aid to Ukraine's energy system worth 1 billion Swedish crowns (£82 million).
Energy infrastructure has come under sustained and heavy attack by Russian forces, particularly in the first month of 2026.
Russia facing 'catastrophe' as forces cut off from vital Starlink
Thursday 5 February 2026 16:28 , Maira ButtOn Thursday SpaceX founder Elon Musk asked those in Ukraine to register their Starlink terminals. The update was followed by a flurry of alarmed social media posts by Russian accounts suggesting they had been cut off from the service along the frontlines.
The “enemy at the front doesn’t have a problem, the enemy has a catastrophe,” said Serhiy Beskrestnov, advisor to Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhaylo Fedorov, on Thursday.
Three commanders speaking to the Kyiv Independent reported intercepting messages by Russian forces suggesting they were being cut off in large numbers. The military uses the service to operate its military weaponry including drones.
Trump's Ukraine envoy reveals why he left White House
Thursday 5 February 2026 16:00 , Alex CroftUS president Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has said he left his role at the White House to speak more freely about the war-hit nation.
Kellogg had told associates he was set to leave the administration in January, in a departure that would mean the loss of a key advocate for Ukraine in the Trump administration.
The retired three-star US Army general quit his role on 31 December and joined Washington’s America First Policy Institute.
“I wanted to spend more time on the outside where I could be much more open and free to talk about Ukraine than I was inside the government," Kellogg told the Kyiv Independent.
Special presidential envoy is a temporary designation, and such envoys in theory must be confirmed by the Senate to stay in their positions past 360 days.
Kellogg had indicated that January would be a natural departure point, given existing legislation, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Zelensky says Kyiv ready to swap Ukrainian drones for Polish fighter jets
Thursday 5 February 2026 15:30 , Alex CroftUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv is ready to swap its drones for air defence missiles and Polish MiG-29 fighter jets, during a news conference with Polish prime minister Donald Tusk.
Mr Zelensky also said the two discussed the development of power grid connectivity between Poland and Ukraine, whose energy system has been battered by Russian air strikes in recent months.
Russia ready for international cooperation over Zaporizhzhia power plant, says official
Thursday 5 February 2026 15:00 , Alex CroftRussia is ready to cooperate with international powers, including the US, Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a senior nuclear official was quoted as saying on Thursday.
But the facility must be Russian, said Alexei Likhachev, head of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
Russian forces have controlled the plant in southern Ukraine since shortly after the start of the war in 2022. Its fate is one of the points of contention between Russia and Ukraine in peace talks mediated by the United States.
The six reactors are not in operation, and the plant relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a catastrophic accident.
US and Russia agree to reestablish high-level military dialogue
Thursday 5 February 2026 14:30 , Alex CroftThe US military said that Washington and Moscow on Thursday agreed to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue, following talks in Abu Dhabi, over four years after suspension.
"This channel of communication was suspended in the fall of 2021, just prior to the onset of the conflict," the United States European Command said in a statement, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"The reestablishment follows meetings in the United Arab Emirates' capital between Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, Commander of US European Command, and senior Russian and Ukrainian military officials."
In pictures: Russian prisoners of war freed under latest swap deal
Thursday 5 February 2026 14:01 , Alex CroftTrilateral talks 'really constructive' and will continue in near future, says Kyiv
Thursday 5 February 2026 13:40 , Alex CroftTwo days of US-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia that wrapped up in Abu Dhabi on Thursday were "really constructive," the top aide to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was quoted as saying.
"The negotiations were really constructive," Kyrylo Budanov said, cited by RBC-Ukraine media.
"I am grateful to the United States and the UAE for the quality organisation and mediation."
President Zelensky said the talks will continue in the near future.
Ukraine deactivates Starlink internet for Russian forces
Thursday 5 February 2026 13:30 , Alex CroftStarlink internet terminals used by Russian troops in Ukraine have been deactivated by Ukraine, Kyiv's defence minister said on Thursday.
Defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on that Ukraine would continue to compile a list of verified terminals that are authorized for operations.
The first batch on that list was already operational, he said.
In pictures: Heavy damage to thermal power plant after Russian attack
Thursday 5 February 2026 12:59 , Alex Croft
Full report: Russia and Ukraine hold a second day of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi
Thursday 5 February 2026 12:32 , Alex CroftNegotiators from Moscow and Kyiv on Thursday held a second day of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on ending their war amid an escalation in Russia’s winter attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and after a sharp rise last year in Ukrainian civilians killed in the fighting.
“We are working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work, and further synchronization of positions,” said Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief, who was present at the meeting.
The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the capital of the United Arab Emirates by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to Umerov. They were also at last month's talks in the same place as the Trump administration tries to steer the two countries toward a settlement.
Read our full report below:
Russia and Ukraine hold a second day of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi
Russia and Ukraine exchange 157 POWs each
Thursday 5 February 2026 12:09 , Alex CroftMoscow has reportedly confirmed the prisoner of war swap announced earlier by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 157 prisoners of war each, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Thursday, citing the defence ministry.
Three civilians from the Kursk region were returned to Russia as part of the swap, the ministry said.
Twelve killed and 29 injured in Russian attacks on Wednesday, say Ukrainian authorities
Thursday 5 February 2026 11:45 , Alex CroftRussian attacks on Wednesday killed twelve people and injured 29, local authorities said according to a tally by Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
Eight people were killed in the eastern Donetsk region, seven in the town of Druzhkivka in a strike on a market and apartment blocks, and one in Lyman, the governor of Donetsk, Vadym Filashkin, said.
At least 21 people were injured in those attacks.
Four people were killed and five injured in attacks on the southern Kherson region, including on the city of Kherson, and a further three people were injured in then Polohy district of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.
US, Ukraine and Russian delegations agree to exchange 314 prisoners
Thursday 5 February 2026 11:16 , Alex CroftUkrainian, US and Russian delegations have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, US president Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff announced in a post on X on Thursday.
“Today, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners—the first such exchange in five months,” he said, as the trilateral talks continued for a second day.
“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Mr Witkoff added that discussions “will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks”.
Ukraine confirms successful strike on Russian ballistic missile launch site
Thursday 5 February 2026 10:54 , Alex CroftUkraine's military said on Thursday it had carried out a series of "successful" strikes at the infrastructure of a Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile launch site in January.
Ukraine's general staff said in a statement that some buildings were damaged, one hangar was "significantly" damaged and some personnel was evacuated from the Kapustin Yar test range near the Caspian Sea. It did not provide the dates of the attacks.
The military added it used its long-range capabilities to carry out the strikes, including the Ukrainian-made Flamingo missile.
Kremlin neither confirms nor denies visit by Ukraine's top diplomat
Thursday 5 February 2026 10:29 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin said on Thursday that it could neither confirm nor deny reports that French president Emmanuel Macron’s top diplomat had visited Moscow this week.
Macron's most senior diplomat was in Moscow on Tuesday to hold talks with Russian officials, said a French source who was aware of the meeting and two diplomatic sources.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that French sources were fond of leaking to the media.
On Wednesday, Peskov confirmed that working level talks between Russia and France were under way, after the French leader said he was looking at resuming contact with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Peskov said there was nothing to announce for now when it came to a possible conversation between Putin and Macron.
Watch: Top Kremlin official’s chilling nuclear warning
Thursday 5 February 2026 10:04 , Alex CroftKremlin says it won’t stop fighting until Kyiv gives in as first day of peace talks end in Abu Dhabi
Thursday 5 February 2026 09:40 , Alex CroftRussia has warned Ukraine that it will not stop fighting until Kyiv makes what the Kremlin considers the right “decisions” to end the conflict as the first day of peace talks between the parties ended on Wednesday.
Two-day trilateral meetings took place in Abu Dhabi and are set to continue on Thursday as US-brokered negotiations desperately seek to end the nearly four-year conflict.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner led the US delegation while Ukraine was represented by Rustem Umerov and Russia by military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.
However, despite reports that the discussions were constructive, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russian troops would continue to fight until Kyiv made the right “decisions”.
Read our full report after the first day of talks:
Kremlin says it won’t stop fighting until Kyiv gives in as first day of talks end
Work continuing on restoring US-Russian relations
Thursday 5 February 2026 09:17 , Alex CroftPutin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, speaking to reporters before the second day of peace talks began, said Moscow is actively carrying out work to restore relations with the US.
This includes work taking place within a framework of a US-Russia working group on economic relations.
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent took part in the previous meeting of the working group in Miami on January 31 along with Dmitriev, US resident Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Progress and positive movements made in first day of peace talks, says Putin envoy
Thursday 5 February 2026 08:55 , Alex CroftWe’ve heard from Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s peace envoy, about the ongoing peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
The first day of the talks produced progress and positive forward movements, he told reporters before officials locked into the second day of meetings.
Dmitriev, Putin's envoy on investment who has played a central role in US-mediated negotiations on Ukraine, said that "warmongers" from Europe and Britain were "constantly trying to interfere with this process, constantly trying to meddle in it".
"And the more such attempts there are, the more we see that progress is definitely being made," he said. “There is positive movement forward."
