Ukraine-Russia war live: Awkward exchange as Trump meets Zelensky and boasts of ‘good relationship’ with Putin
US president Joe Biden insists Ukraine will win the war and Putin ‘will not prevail’
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with Donald Trump in what led to an awkward exchange.
Mr Trump met the Ukrainian leader at Trump Tower in New York on Friday morning. After arriving together at a conference room on Friday, Mr Trump said: “The fact that we’re even together today is a very good sign.”
But the meeting turned awkward when Mr Trump said he and Mr Zelensky had a “very good relationship” before adding: “I also have a very good relationship with President Putin.”
Mr Zelensky said in response: “I hope we have a better relationship.”
The rest of the meeting appeared productive, with Mr Zelensky saying: “I think we have a common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped and Putin can't win.”
It has been reported that Mr Zelensky extended his stay in the US to meet Mr Trump. The former US president has been railing against the Ukrainian leader since he visited a munitions factory in US leader Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania at the top of his US trip.
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Britain targets Russian LNG sector with fresh shipping sanctions
Britain has announced it is sanctioning five vessels and two associated entities involved in the shipping of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), with the government saying it was using new legal powers for the first time to target LNG vessels directly.
“Earlier this year, the UK sanctioned Arctic LNG 2, alongside our allies in the US and EU. Since then, the project has been forced to slash production,” the government statement said.
“Today’s action builds on this by targeting ships and entities involved in the Russian LNG sector, which engage with projects important to Russia’s future energy production.”
Thursday’s sanctioned entities were White Fox Ship Management and Ocean Speedstar Solutions OPC. The ships were Asya Energy, Pioneer, North Sky, SCF La Perouse and Nova Energy.
Earlier this month Britain slapped sanctions on 10 further ships in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of vessels which it says use illicit practices to avoid Western restrictions on Russian oil.
Russia rejects Western pressure to limit its oil exports, and in the past year there has been a growth in the number of tankers transporting cargoes that are not regulated or insured by conventional Western providers.
Zelensky says Ukraine will use military aid from US effectively and transparently
President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked US president Joe Biden and the US Congress for a new military aid package worth more than $8 billion (£6 billion), saying Ukraine will use it “in the most efficient and transparent manner”.
“I am grateful to the United States for providing the items that are most critical to protecting our people,” Zelensky said on X, mentioning an additional Patriot air defense battery, drones and long-range missiles.
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