Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says negotiators ‘dividing up lands’ with full ceasefire coming ‘pretty soon’
It is not clear who is involved in the apparent negotiations, following comments by the US president
Donald Trump has said negotiators are “dividing up” Ukrainian lands with a full ceasefire set to come “pretty soon” - despite no hint of any upcoming direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
A contract to divide up land in Ukraine is being “negotiated as we speak”, the US president, who has spoken to presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in the past week, told reporters on Friday.
It is not clear who is involved in the apparent negotiations, but US officials are set to meet with both Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia next week. Mr Zelensky said the US team would first meet Ukrainian experts on Monday before separate talks with Russian representatives.
It comes after Vladimir Putin’s forces were accused by Kyiv of bombing stations along their own crucial gas pipeline in an effort to sabotage any ceasefire deal.
A gas pumping station in Sudzha, in the Russian border region of Kursk was on fire on Friday morning after being rocked by a major explosion. Ukraine’s general staff has denied that its forces struck the pipeline and instead said it had been “repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves”.
Sir Keir’s ‘coalition of the willing’ is proving to be principled – and a rallying cry for Ukraine 
Zelensky claims Putin is ‘amassing troops to strike us’ following Russian leader’s phone call with Trump
Mapped: Which Ukrainian nuclear power plants could Trump take as part of ceasefire deal?
Trump story about ‘surrounded’ Ukraine troops contradicted by his own intelligence, report reveals
William rides in tank on visit to British troops helping defend against Russian aggression
The Prince of Wales rode in a Challenge 2 tank defending Estonia against Russian aggression after telling British troops he hoped his visit would “keep everyone on their toes”.
William, wearing a camouflage military uniform, googles and a helmet, travelled in the commander’s turret of the tank as it sped across muddy terrain in Estonia less than 100 miles from the border with Russia.
German budget committee gives green light for 3bn euros in Ukraine aid
Germany's budget committee has cleared the way for another 3 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine, parliamentary sources said.
The green light on Friday comes after chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz pushed through reforms to ramp up investment in defence.
The 3 billion euros include 2.547 billion earmarked by the finance ministry for Ukraine this year, topped up by other contributions, including a reimbursement from the European Peace Facility.
Mapped: Where is key Russian gas pumping station hit by huge explosion
A fire has erupted at a gas pumping station in the Russian region of Kursk bordering Ukraine, after a huge explosion rocked the site.
Both Kyiv and Moscow have denied responsibility for the attack, with both sides accusing the other of targeting the key facility near the Russian town of Sudzha.
Kursk has been the focus of fierce fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in recent weeks, as Vladimir Putin’s forces push to retake territory seized by Ukraine in a daring assault last year.
Read the full story:
Mapped: Where is key Russian gas pumping station hit by huge explosion
Czech President and Zelensky attend a commemorative ceremony for Ukrainian servicemen killed in battle
No10 not ruling out ground troops for Ukraine
Asked whether the focus of discussions had shifted away from the prospect of ground troops for Ukraine, a Number 10 spokesman said: "No, nothing is off the table on any of these fronts, so I wouldn't start ruling anything out.
"But clearly thousands of troops will be required to support any deployment, whether that is at sea, on land or in the air."
Any deployment will require significant support and the firming up of "basic logistics of ... moving people and ensuring deployment rotations, so as the PM said we need to be prepared for all eventualities," the official said.
"We've moved into an operational phase now and what that means is ... bringing together military planners to look at the potential design of force structures, interoperability and what capability is needed to ensure a sovereign Ukraine is able to defend itself for generations to come.
"Next week, we'll continue to accelerate the pace and scale of operational planning with further meetings at our Northwood headquarters as we look forward more closely at the details and structure of any future force."
Top Russian official thanks Kim Jong Un for support
Russia’s Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu thanked Kim Jong Un for North Korea’s ongoing support in its war against Ukraine during a visit today, Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported.
North Korea has supplied vast amounts of weapons to Russia including artillery and ballistic missiles, and has sent up to 12,000 troops to support Russia’s army in its war with Ukraine, according to intelligence officials from the US, South Korea and Ukraine.
In late February, South Korea's spy agency said North Korea appeared to have sent additional troops to Russia. South Korean media put the number of newly sent North Korean soldiers at about 1,000 to 3,000.
Tass quoted Mr Shoigu as saying: "I would like to express my gratitude to our Korean friends for solidarity with Russia’s position on all critical geopolitical issues and on the Ukrainian issue in particular," when speaking with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday.
Mr Shoigu emphasised that Russia “highly values the achieved level of strategic relations between the countries and is committed to deepen them."
Talks on Ukraine peacekeepers will accelerate next week, with 'nothing off the table'
Western military planning to enforce a potential ceasefire in Ukraine is set to intensify in London next week as Downing Street said "nothing is off the table" over possible troop deployment for Kyiv.
Number 10 said "thousands" of personnel would be required to support any operation whether by "sea, on land or in the air" as allies prepare "for all eventualities" amid diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Officials from the so-called coalition of the willing will "accelerate the pace and scale" of work to consolidate proposals for possible troop deployment across land, air or sea to safeguard any peace deal, a No 10 spokesman said.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer warned Vladimir Putin would face "severe consequences" for breaching any truce as he met defence planners for the first stage of talks at the UK's Northwood military headquarters on Thursday.
Downing Street on Friday said officials from allied countries will meet again at the same site next week to firm up a strategy to protect Kyiv as plans enter an "operational phase".
Ukrainian president tours site of fierce battle
Volodymyr Zelensky visited the site of one of the initial battles in the war with Russia today, alongside the president of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.
Heavy fighting in Moshchun lasted for most of March 2022 before Ukraine successfully repelled Russian forces, less than 30 kilometres from Kyiv. Zelensky said the village was a symbolic and “deeply memorable” place for Ukrainians.
“The battles for Moshchun against the Russian occupiers played a crucial role in the defense of Kyiv, and therefore the defence of our entire country,” Zelensky said on X
“Together, we honoured the memory of our fallen warriors who fought for Ukraine’s freedom, and expressed our gratitude to all the heroes — thanks to whom we are here today – in Ukrainian Kyiv, in our independent state. And it will always be this way – we will definitely preserve Ukraine’s independence.”
French President reiterates support for Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron has reiterated his support for Ukraine following continued Russian bombardments.
“Once again last night, Russia showed that it sincerely does not want peace. Full support for the Ukrainian people,” he wrote on X, along with a picture of a building on fire.
His tweet followed an earlier post from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who shared video footage of firefighters battling large blazes and called for tougher sanctions on Russia.
“It is joint pressure on Russia, along with tougher sanctions and stronger defence support for our country, that paves the way to ending this kind of terror and Russia’s prolongation of the war,” Zelensky said.
“We expect real pressure on Russia from the United States, Europe, and all our partners. This is what will enable diplomacy to work. “
Germany seizes tanker belonging to Russian 'shadow fleet'
Germany has seized a tanker believed to be part of a shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions.
Spiegel magazine cited German security services who said the decrepit Panama-flagged ship, called Eventin, was found adrift off its northern coast in January.
The tanker is believed to have been heading from Russia to Egypt with cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some 40 million euros.
The German government declined to comment in detail but said "Customs measures are currently under way,” and the local customs authority said in a statement that the measures had not yet been made legally binding, without commenting further on the case.
Moscow has no information about the ship and no knowledge about its owner or reasons for its seizure, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, responding to a Reuters query.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
0Comments