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11 hours ago

Ukraine-Russia latest: Putin’s forces claim capture of strategic town as Zelensky makes Trump appeal

Ukrainian brigade confirms withdrawing strategically from some areas to avoid encirclement

Tara Cobham,Namita Singh,Andy Gregory
Monday 27 January 2025 15:00 GMT
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Trump describes Ukraine war as ‘bullets whacking and hitting men’

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Russia claims to have captured the strategically important Ukrainian town of Velyka Novosilka, as Vladimir Putin’s forces continue their push in the Donetsk region.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern forces confirmed on Monday that Russian troops had entered the town, but said that fighting continued on the outskirts.

With concerns that Russia could advance further towards Pokrovsk, president Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that he had replaced the commander of military formation responsible for defending the key city for the third time in a year.

Mr Zelensky has also made a demand for Kyiv to be included in talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine that he believes could happen under Donald Trump’s US presidency.

The Ukrainian president said that the terms of any deal that might arise under the new US president were still unclear – and might not even be clear to Mr Trump himself – because Vladimir Putin had no interest in ending the war.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones overnight.

11 hours ago

Moscow giving ‘abnormally high fanfare’ to seizure of Donetsk town, analysts say

Vladimir Putin’s officials are “paying an abnormally high amount of fanfare” to the claimed seizure of the Donetsk town of Velyka Novosilka, a leading US-based think-tank has suggested.

The Institute of the Study of War said: “The Russian MoD notably is paying an abnormally high amount of fanfare to the claimed Russian seizure of Velyka Novosilka, very likely as part of informational efforts to shape Western perceptions of the battlefield situation in Ukraine and degrade international support for Ukraine.

“The seizure and clearing of Velyka Novosilka will likely present opportunities and a decision point to the Russian military command on whether to redeploy elements of the Russian Eastern Military District [EMD] from the Velyka Novosilka area to other priority operational areas.

“Any redeployment of EMD elements from the Velyka Novosilka area over the coming weeks will indicate the Russian military command’s priority operational areas for offensive operations in Spring and Summer 2025.”

Andy Gregory27 January 2025 15:00
11 hours ago

Kremlin hails Lukashenko’s election victory in Belarus, dismisses Western criticism

The Kremlin has said that it celebrates the victory of Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko in a presidential election in Belarus on Sunday, and dismissed Western criticism of the vote as a sham as “predictable”.

Mr Lukashenko, in power in Belarus since 1994, was declared to have taken 86.8 per cent of the vote in an election which European politicians said was neither free nor fair.

Independent media are banned in the former Soviet republic and all leading opposition figures have either been jailed or forced to flee abroad.

Andy Gregory27 January 2025 14:45
11 hours ago

Watch: Trump describes Ukraine war as ‘bullets whacking and hitting men’

Trump describes Ukraine war as 'bullets whacking and hitting men'
Andy Gregory27 January 2025 14:30
11 hours ago

Swedish authorities board ship seized over Baltic Sea cable breach

Swedish authorities boarded a Maltese-flagged ship seized in connection with the latest breach of cables running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to begin an investigation into the matter, the country’s security police have said.

“We can confirm that persons from Swedish authorities have been on board the vessel to carry out investigative measures,” Swedish security services spokesperson Johan Wikstrom said.

He declined to comment further on the investigation. The undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged early on Sunday in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said.

That prompted Nato to deploy patrol ships to the area and triggered a sabotage investigation by Swedish authorities. A Swedish prosecutor ordered the seizing of a ship as part of the investigation.

Andy Gregory27 January 2025 14:15
12 hours ago

Starmer ‘could resist Trump’s defence spending demands due to public finance woes’

Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly preparing to resist demands to increase UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 as a result of concerns about the state of public finances, despite growing pressure from Donald Trump and the British military.

While ministers have pledged to boost UK defence spending from its current point – at just above 2 per cent – to 2.5 per cent, it is not yet clear when or how this target will be achieved. Mr Trump has demanded that Nato allies commit 5 per cent of GDP to defence spending.

But with the state of Britain’s finances worsening and further spending cuts expected, there is said to be a growing sense that hitting even the 2.5 per cent target before the next election would mean even more spending cuts are required.

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Starmer ‘could resist Trump’s defence spending demands due to public finance woes’

However, claims the 2.5 per cent of GDP target would not be hit by 2030 branded ‘pure speculation’

Andy Gregory27 January 2025 14:00
12 hours ago

Recap: Trump warns Putin on day one in office

Trump warns Putin on day one in office
Andy Gregory27 January 2025 13:45
12 hours ago

The fatal lengths North Korean soldiers will go to to avoid capture by Ukraine

The extraordinary lengths North Korean soldiers will go to avoid capture in Ukraine

The North Korean troops fighting for Russia are highly trained and will stop at nothing to avoid surrender, Ukrainian sources tell Sam Kiley, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor, in Sumy

Tom Watling27 January 2025 13:35
12 hours ago

Republicans duck Trump’s claims that Ukraine should have surrendered to Russia

Republican Senators ducked answering questions about Donald Trump’s claim that Ukraine should have surrendered to Russia and his attempt to blame the bloody conflict on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The president spoke to Fox News host Sean Hannity this week and blamed Zelensky’s failure to preemptively capitulate to Russia invading Ukraine, even though Russian forces have occupied parts of the country since 2014.

“Zelensky was fighting a much bigger entity, much bigger, much more powerful,” Trump told Hannity. “He shouldn’t have done that, because we could have made a deal, and it would have been a deal that would have been, it would have been a nothing deal.”

My colleague Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC:

Republicans duck Trump’s claims that Ukraine should have surrendered to Russia

‘I hadn’t heard that,’ one Republican insisted about Trump’s claims in Hannity interview

Andy Gregory27 January 2025 13:30
12 hours ago

Starmer and Irish PM discuss Ukraine war

Sir Keir Starmer and Micheal Martin have discussed the Ukraine war in a call on Monday morning, the Irish premier has said.

Speaking after the call, Mr Martin said: “I was pleased to speak again with British prime minister Keir Starmer this morning, following my appointment as Taoiseach.”

He added: “We discussed global issues, including Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, in particular the need for a surge in humanitarian aid to Gaza. Later today I will be attending an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

“We discussed the importance of remaining committed today to combatting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, intolerance and racism.”

Andy Gregory27 January 2025 13:15
13 hours ago

Full report: Zelensky believes Trump could end Russia’s war – but only if Kyiv included in talks

Volodymyr Zelensky has stated his belief that a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine could be made under Donald Trump’s presidency but demanded Kyiv be included in any peace talks.

The Ukrainian president also said on Saturday that the terms of any deal that might arise under the new US president were still unclear – and might not even be clear to Trump himself – because Vladimir Putin had no interest in ending the war.

My colleague Tara Cobham reports:

Zelensky believes Trump could end Russia’s war but only if Ukraine included in talks

Ukrainian President issues demand to US President after Vladimir Putin states Moscow is ‘ready for negotiations’

Andy Gregory27 January 2025 13:00

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