Ukraine-Russia latest: Trump threatens Putin with ending war ‘the hard way’ unless he makes a peace deal

Donald Trump has threatened Vladimir Putin with ending his invasion of Ukraine “the hard way” unless the Russian leader comes to the table and agrees a peace deal.

ln his usual bombastic style, the US president has called for the “ridiculous” war to stop now, saying that he would be forced “to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries” if a deal is not made.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump wrote: “We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better. It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL.’”

The Kremlin responded within a few hours, saying it would have to see what Trump thinks a “deal” to end the war in Ukraine would look like.

Mr Trump’s remarks came as Ukraine’s military claimed Mr Putin’s forces had suffered nearly 2,000 casualties in a single day, in what would mark one of the deadliest 24 hours of fighting since the war began.

Key Points

• Trump threatens Putin with ‘taxes, tariffs, and sanctions’

• Kremlin responds to Donald Trump’s demands

• Donald Trump’s message to Vladimir Putin in full

• Putin’s forces suffer nearly 2,000 casualties in one day, Kyiv claims

• Ukraine’s Nato hopes ‘hinge solely on Donald Trump'

• Zelensky says peace deal with Putin would require 200,000 allied troops

Russia responds to Trump threat

Wednesday 22 January 2025 18:35 , Alexander Butler

The Kremlin will have to see what US President Donald Trump thinks a “deal” to end the war in Ukraine would look like, Russia’s deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened tariffs and sanctions against Moscow if Putin did not “make a deal” to end the conflict.

“It’s not merely the question of ending the war,” Polyanskiy said. “It’s first and foremost the question of addressing root causes of Ukrainian crisis.”

He continued: “So we have to see what does the ‘deal’ mean in President Trump’s understanding. He is not responsible for what the US has been doing in Ukraine since 2014, making it ‘anti-Russia’ and preparing for the war with us, but it is in his power now to stop this malicious policy.”

Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?

Wednesday 22 January 2025 18:35 , Alexander Butler

Critics of Donald Trump may sigh with irony as he takes the presidential pledge to uphold the constitution of the United States of America – and hope that he holds back on pledges to tear into the foundation document of modern America in the hours after taking office. In Ukraine, no one’s holding their breath.

In Ukraine’s capital, they know that the 47th president of the US is no particular friend. They also believe he’s potty about Vladimir Putin, and that may be to their advantage when Trump comes around to renewing military support for a nation fighting off the Kremlin.

World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?

Both sides must compromise, says new US secretary of state

Wednesday 22 January 2025 18:25 , Alexander Butler

Ending the war in Ukraine will only be possible if both sides are willing to make compromises, the new US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said.

In a conversation with journalists immediately after being confirmed in his role, he said according to CNN: “We want the war to end. That’s pretty clear.

“You saw the President talked about, he wants to be a president that promotes peace and ends conflicts, and it’ll be complicated as well.

“Those are complicated things. I couldn’t put a time frame on it, other than to say that anytime you bring an end to a conflict between two sides, neither of whom can achieve their maximum goals, each side is going to have to give up something.”

Achieving peace is a priority for president Donald Trump’s administration, Mr Rubio added. He did not specify what type of concessions Ukraine would need to make.

Trump’s full statement

Wednesday 22 January 2025 18:14 , Alexander Butler

“I’m not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin - and this despite the Radical Left’s Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX.

“We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process.

“All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR.

“Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.

“Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better. It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL.’ NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”

Trump calls for ‘deal’ to end Ukraine war

Wednesday 22 January 2025 18:10 , Andrew Feinberg

President Donald Trump has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the nearly three-year old war against Ukraine he started and is threatening further sanctions on Moscow if the Russian leader does not acquiesce.

In a statement posted to his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was “not looking to hurt Russia” and expressed “love” for the Russian people while boasting of his “very good relationship” with Putin - who in 2016 ordered what the Justice Department called a “sweeping and systematic” effort to interfere in the presidential election on Trump’s behalf.

He also noted that the former Soviet Union lost 60 million people when it allied itself against Nazi Germany and with the U.S. and U.K. during the Second World War.

“All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE,” Trump said.

Trump offers Putin ‘very big favor’ and calls for ‘deal’ to end Ukraine war

Wednesday 22 January 2025 18:05 , Alexander Butler

Trump offers Putin ‘very big favor’ and calls for ‘deal’ to end Ukraine war

Russia would need 100 years to conquer Ukraine at current rate, says David Lammy

Wednesday 22 January 2025 17:55 , Andy Gregory

Russia would need 100 years to conquer all of Ukraine if it continued gaining territory at its current “slow” rate, according to the Foreign Secretary.

David Lammy said Vladimir Putin could end the conflict tomorrow by withdrawing from Ukraine, adding that the Russian president’s position is “not one of strength” as the invasion has been a “monumental strategic failure”.

He also said US President Donald Trump understands the importance of the war in Ukraine and “is not prepared to be a loser”, as he sought to allay concerns over the approach of the US under the new administration.

Read the full report:

Russia would need 100 years to conquer Ukraine at current rate, says David Lammy

ICYMI: Macron warns Europe it can’t depend only on US weapons as Trump takes office

Wednesday 22 January 2025 17:35 , Andy Gregory

French president Emmanuel Macron has warned that the billions of euros of taxpayer money spent on Europe’s military budgets should not be used to buy only American weapons, pushing for more investment in home-grown defence industries.

Speaking minutes before the inauguration of US president Donald Trump, who has complained that Europeans do not pay enough for their defence, Mr Macron said the continent should spend more.

But he added, in a New Year address to military top brass: “We can’t raise debt together, spend more for our defence to subsidise the industry, wealth and jobs of other continents.

“When we say ‘let’s spend more for our armies’, in many countries it means, way too often, ‘buy more American materiel’.”

Mr Macron said France now had “Europe’s most efficient army” and met Nato’s military budget target of 2 per cent of GDP, but could not rest on its laurels at a time when the US might withdraw troops from Europe.

And he suggested that 2 per cent might not be enough “when the world is going off track”.

Russia used chemical weapons 434 times on Ukraine last month, officials say

Wednesday 22 January 2025 17:15 , Andy Gregory

Russian forces used ammunition equipped with chemical agents at least 434 times in Ukraine in December 2024, the Ukrainian general staff said yesterday.

The use of chemical agents banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) added to a total of 5,389 documented cases since February 2023, the general staff said.

“Ukrainian officials have previously reported on increasingly common instances of Russian forces using chemical substances in combat that are banned by the CWC, to which Russia is a signatory, and the Ukrainian General Staff noted that such violations have been systematic in the Russian military since February 2023,” the Institute for the Study of War said.

UK government announces multimillion-pound funding boost for Ukraine de-mining effort

Wednesday 22 January 2025 17:07 , Andy Gregory

The UK government has pledged more than £7m funding to support Scottish de-mining charity the Halo Trust’s life-saving work in Afghanistan and Ukraine, which is now the most heavily mined country in the world following Russia’s invasion.

£4.3m of the new funding will go towards helping Ukraine. International development minister Anneliese Dodds also announced support for a £250,000 Halo Trust programme to dispose of 165 tonnes of unserviceable and unsafe ammunition and explosives from stores in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Ms Dodds said: “No one should have to live in fear of being killed or maimed by one wrong step. These deadly devices sow fear and destruction for decades and organisations like the Halo Trust do a vital job in clearing mines.

“I’m proud to be in Scotland to announce this support for the Halo Trust to continue its life-saving work removing deadly devices from some of the most hazardous parts of the world.”

Tories praise Labour government response to Putin spy ship entering British waters

Wednesday 22 January 2025 16:55 , Andy Gregory

Tory shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge has praised the UK government’s move to change the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement to allow British ships to shadow a Russian spy vessel more closely after it entered UK waters.

Mr Cartlidge told MPs that the change “sends a powerful signal to Putin that we will not be intimidated and that if his aim is to keep pushing the boundaries of malign activity in our waters, and those proximate to us, we will respond”.

Trump says a deal to end war will be ‘very big favour’ for Putin

Wednesday 22 January 2025 16:41 , Chris Stevenson

Donald Trump has said that he would be doing Vladimir Putin a “very big favour” in helping to sort out a deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the war “will only get worse”.Citing his “very good relationship” with the Russian president, Mr Trump said in a post on this Truth Social platform that now is the time to forge a peace agreement.For me, see the report by one of our reporters in Washington DC, Andrew Feinberg:

Trump offers Putin ‘very big favor’ and calls for ‘deal’ to end Ukraine war

Russia ‘dangerous but fundamentally weak’, says UK defence secretary

Wednesday 22 January 2025 16:35 , Andy Gregory

Britain’s defence secretary John Healey has described Russia as “dangerous but fundamentally weak”, as he referenced the casualties the country had suffered during the war in Ukraine and its decision to draft in troops from North Korea.

He told MPs: “Russia remains the most pressing and immediate threat to Britain, and I want to assure the House and the British people that any threat will be met with strength and resolve.”

UK changes Royal Navy’s rules of engagement after Russian spy ship enters British waters

Wednesday 22 January 2025 16:27 , Chris Stevenson

The UK’s defence secretary has revealed that he changed the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement in response to a Russian spy ship entering UK waters, enabling shadowing vessels to approach the Russian ship more closely.

John Healey told MPs: “The foreign ship Yantar is currently in the North Sea having passed through British waters. Let me be clear, this is a Russian spy ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure.

“Yantar entered the UK exclusive economic zone about 45 miles off the British coast on Monday. For the last two days the Royal Navy has deployed HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to monitor the vessel every minute through our waters.

“I changed the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement so that our warships can get closer and better track the Yantar. So far, the ship has complied with international rules of navigation.”

Trump threatens Putin with sanctions

Wednesday 22 January 2025 16:18 , Chris Stevenson

US president Donald Trump has called on Vladimir Putin to make a deal to end his “ridiculous” invasion of Ukraine, saying that he would be forced to “put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries” if the Russian leader doesn’t come come to the negotiating table.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump was unusually forthright in addressing Putin, saying: “We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better.”

Putin proposes deeper ties with Beijing in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping of China

Wednesday 22 January 2025 15:55 , Andy Gregory

Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Moscow and Beijing to deepen their strategic ties, as he spoke with “dear friend” Chinese president Xi Jinping on a video call.

Putin waved at Mr Xi over the call as he proposed outlining plans to develop the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, strengthening a geopolitical alliance which seeks to weaken western hegemony.

In a video released by the Kremlin of the conversation, Putin said: “I agree with you that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is based on a broad commonality of national interests and a convergence of views on what relations between major powers should be.”

Read the full report:

Putin proposes deeper ties with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping

Putin not doing well in Ukraine, says Trump

Wednesday 22 January 2025 15:35 , Andy Gregory

Donald Trump has offered a rare criticism of Russian president Vladimir Putin as he expressed hopes for a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in the White House, the US president said: “I think Russia is going to be in big trouble. You take a look at their economy. You take a look at their inflation in Russia. I got along with him great. I would hope he wants to make a deal.”

Referencing Russia’s soaring casualty rate, Mr Trump said of his Russian counterpart: “He can’t be thrilled. He’s not doing so well. I mean, he’s grinding it out … it’s not making him look very good … I think he would be well off to end that war.”

Royal Navy submarine ‘deployed to ward off Putin spy ship in UK waters'

Wednesday 22 January 2025 14:55 , Andy Gregory

A Royal Navy submarine has been used to warn off one of Vladimir Putin’s spy ships operating around UK waters, defence secretary John Healey has revealed.

Giving details about the activities of the Yantar, which he said the Russians “used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure”, Mr Healey said the Russian ship was in the North Sea having passed through British waters in recent days.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Healey warned Mr Putin: “We see you, we know what you are doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”

But he said it was the second time the Yantar had entered UK waters in recent months, telling MPs: “In November, the ship was also closely watched and detected loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure. To deter any potential threat, I took measured steps.

“I can confirm to the House that I authorised a Royal Navy submarine, strictly as a deterrent measure, to surface close to the Yantar to make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move. The ship then left UK waters without further loitering and sailed down to the Mediterranean.”

The submarine is understood to have been one of the UK’s Astute-class nuclear-powered attack boats, described by the British military as “the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy”.

Ukrainian army deploys cat noises to lure Russians into explosive-laden traps, soldier claims

Wednesday 22 January 2025 14:35 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainians are using recordings of cat noises to lure Vladimir Putin’s forces into explosive-rigged traps, a Russian soldier has claimed.

The tactic has been reported on the frontline of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which has seen some of the war’s most gruelling fighting in recent months as Mr Putin’s forces sought to capture as much territory as possible ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House this week.

Read more details in this report:

Ukrainians ‘using cat noises to lure Russian soldiers into explosive-laden traps’

US and Japan discuss North Korea’s alignment with Russia

Wednesday 22 January 2025 14:16 , Andy Gregory

US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya have discussed concerns over North Korea’s political and security alignment with Russia, the US State Department has said.

The two senior figures also discussed China’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base, the department said.

ICYMI: Senior military figures warn Starmer against sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine

Wednesday 22 January 2025 13:57 , Andy Gregory

The UK sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine is “highly risky”, a former security adviser to Gordon Brown has warned, arguing the “grotesquely underfunded” armed forces do not have the resources to do so.

The prime minister confirmed the UK will discuss such a move with its allies on a visit to Kyiv last week, vowing Britain will “play our part” in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security following any ceasefire with Russia.

But a number of senior military figures have expressed concerns at the plan. Among them is Lord West of Spithead, a retired admiral of the Royal Navy, and Mr Brown’s former adviser.

He warned that maintaining troops in Ukraine is currently “beyond us” as a result of how “grotesquely underfunded and hollowed out” the armed forces are.

“There is a lot of scope for getting very enmeshed in action that you don’t want to get enmeshed in,” Lord West told The Independent. “And you can suddenly find yourself almost in a situation of saying, ‘Yes, we’ll have to send in more troops.’

“Once you’re there on the ground, it’s almost as if you’re looking after another member of Nato. What we need to do is make sure that war doesn’t restart again with Putin trying to take over Ukraine. So within the package of how that’s done, I’m sure there are other ways of ensuring that, other than us just having troops there.”

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Senior military figures warn Starmer against sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine

More spending needed for ‘big bang’ in EU defence, commissioner says

Wednesday 22 January 2025 13:38 , Andy Gregory

The European Union is facing an existential threat with Russia waging war in Ukraine and must increase its defence spending, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius has warned.

“We need to spend more, spend better, spend European ... [a] collective approach can create a real big bang in defence,” he said during a speech at the annual conference of the European Defence Agency.

Russia making preparations for meetings with Trump, minister indicates

Wednesday 22 January 2025 13:19 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s deputy foreign minister has said that Russia is preparing for contacts between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, amid expectations that the US president will seek to broker negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by state news agency Tass as saying that Russia was making preparations but that nothing had been agreed upon yet in terms of a meeting with US officials.

“Probably when we hear something more clear and concrete from Washington, then we’ll get down to coordinating schedules and organisational points,” Mr Ryabkov said.

Macron and Scholz meet to discuss Ukraine

Wednesday 22 January 2025 13:02 , Andy Gregory

French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz were set to meet in Paris on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine and economic issues, as Europe struggles to muster a unified response to threats of tariffs from US president Donald Trump.

Both Mr Macron – who lost snap elections last year and has had four prime ministers in 2024 alone – and Mr Scholz, who is trailing his conservative rival in polls for the German election next month, are weakened politically at home.

The pair have differed on many issues in recent years slowing down decision-making in the EU and leaving a leadership void that EU institutions have struggled to fill.

“Franco-German relations must warm up very strongly and very quickly,” a French government source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Europe won’t be relaunched without a strong Franco-German couple.”

Russia claims capture of village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region

Wednesday 22 January 2025 12:44 , Andy Gregory

Russian troops took control of the settlement of Zapadne in Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Moscow’s defence ministry.

The claim could not be verified, and Russian claims to have seized settlements have previously proven to be unreliable.

Ukraine’s Zelensky meets German opposition leader

Wednesday 22 January 2025 12:24 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that he met with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, just weeks before federal elections in Germany.

“We discussed ways to further advance a just peace for Ukraine, as well as global challenges and the situation on the front lines,” Mr Zelensky posted on social media, along with footage of the meeting.

Germany will hold elections on 23 February and Mr Merz is currently the leading candidate for the chancellery.

Ukraine’s Nato hopes hinge solely on Trump, warns Zelensky

Wednesday 22 January 2025 12:14 , Andy Gregory

While Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Nato membership should be a condition of any peace deal, he told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “Everything depends on the United States.

“If Trump is ready to see Ukraine in Nato, we will be in Nato, everyone will be in favour. If President Trump is not ready to see us in Nato, we will not be in Nato.”

Ukraine says Russia attacked energy facilities 1,200 times since 2022

Wednesday 22 January 2025 12:05 , Andy Gregory

Russia has attacked Ukrainian energy facilities 1,200 times since its invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko has said.

Ms Svyrydenko told a news briefing in Davos that the figure included attacks on more than 800 electricity substations, distribution and power lines, more than 250 strikes on energy generation facilities and more than 30 on gas facilities.

Putin’s forces suffer nearly 2,000 casualties in a single day, Kyiv claims

Wednesday 22 January 2025 11:46 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered nearly 2,000 casualties in a single day, Ukraine’s military has claimed, in what would mark one of the deadliest 24 hours of fighting since the war began.

Kyiv’s military claimed the vast toll as another day of intense fighting unfolded, with more than 120 clashes reported and Russian troops claimed to have fired more than 6,000 artillery shells and deployed close to 3,000 kamikaze drones.

Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed this week that Russian losses now exceed 800,000, with a record 434,000 of Mr Putin’s killed or wounded in 2024.

“This year of combat has cost them more than the previous two years of the war combined,” Mr Syrskyi told Ukrainian TV channel TSN.

Ukraine says it downed 65 Russian drones in overnight attack

Wednesday 22 January 2025 11:17 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine's air force has said Russia had launched an overnight attack on the country with 99 drones, of which 65 have been downed and 30 others disappearing from radar without reaching their targets.

The air force reported damage in six regions across Ukraine as a result of the attack.

Russia has launched near-daily volleys of strike drones at its neighbour over the past months.

Russia claims it sees ‘small window of opportunity' to negotiate with Trump administration

Wednesday 22 January 2025 10:49 , Andy Gregory

Moscow sees a small window of opportunity to forge agreements with Donald Trump’s new administration, Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has claimed.

“We cannot say anything today about the degree of the incoming administration’s capacity to negotiate, but still, compared to the hopelessness in every aspect of the previous White House chief, there is a window of opportunity today, albeit a small one,” Mr Ryabkov said, according to Interfax.

“It’s therefore important to understand with what and whom we will have to deal, how best to build relations with Washington, how best to maximise opportunities and minimise risks,” he said, speaking at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, a think-tank in Moscow.

Mr Trump has claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine swiftly, without specifying how, but warned the day after entering the White House that he would likely impose more sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate.

North Korean troops fighting for Russia ‘suffer 4,000 casualties’

Wednesday 22 January 2025 10:22 , Andy Gregory

A third of the estimated 12,000 North Korean troops sent to fight in Vladimir Putin’s war have been killed or wounded, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is reported to have said.

Ukrainian website ArmyInform reported Mr Zelensky as saying during a visit to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany earlier this month: “Putin is not just maintaining his investments in aggression. He is doubling them. He has even started hiring soldiers from North Korea to continue this war.

“To date, they have lost 4,000 people wounded and killed.”

That figures appears slightly higher than estimates by South Korea, whose National Intelligence Service said previously that more than 300 North Korean soldiers had died and at least 2,700 wounded while fighting for Russia, according to the BBC.

Politico reported this week that the North Korean troops – who first appeared on the battlefield in October – have since earned a grim reputation among Ukrainians for apparently preferring to kill themselves rather than surrender.

Russian forces attack Zaporizhzhia 430 times in a day, governor says

Wednesday 22 January 2025 09:54 , Andy Gregory

Russian forces launched more than 430 strikes on nine settlements in Zaporizhzhia in a single day, the region’s govenor has said.

Ivan Fedorov accused Moscow’s troops of launching six air strikes, firing more than 150 artillery shells and using more than 260 drones to attack settlements in the region.

There were 10 reports of residential buildings and infrastructure being destroyed, but no civilians were injured, the governor said.

Watch: Trump issues warning to Putin on day one in office

Wednesday 22 January 2025 09:27 , Andy Gregory

Belarus’s Lukashenko could seek thaw in ties with West, analysts suggest

Wednesday 22 January 2025 08:59 , Andy Gregory

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is expected to seek a thaw in ties with the West in a bid to lift sanctions if US president Donald Trump succeeds in his promise to bring the Ukraine war to an end, analysts have suggested.

While Mr Lukashenko – who is set to extend his 31-year rule in Sunday’s presidential elections, declared a sham by Belarus’s exiled opposition – is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, he has also shown tentative signs of easing repression in recent months in a likely bid to appeal to the West.

“If the war ends, there will be certain windows of opportunity for Lukashenko if he wants to continue these tactics of balancing between Russia and the West,” Tatsiana Chulitskaya, a Belarusian academic at Vilnius University in Lithuania, told Reuters.

Since last July, Lukashenko has issued what he called humanitarian pardons to 250 people serving prison terms for alleged extremist activity, and has allowed limited access in prison to two leading opposition figures, Maria Kalesnikava and Viktor Babariko, who had been isolated for nearly two years without any contact with the outside world.

Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters this week that the release of political prisoners in batches was part of a game Lukashenko was playing with the West – and warned that many more people remain in jail, while arrests continue.

“We need to stop repressions, we need to release all prisoners and maybe then we will talk to you,” she said.

Ukrainians ‘using cat noises to lure Russian soldiers into traps'

Wednesday 22 January 2025 08:30 , Andy Gregory

A Russian soldier has claimed that Ukrainians are using recordings of cat noises to lure them into explosive-rigged traps in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

According to The Times, Leonid Otdelnov, the commander of a mine-clearing unit told state-owned channel TV Zvezda: “We go in, we hear meowing, let’s say, in the cupboard. When you open it, out of compassion, there is a blast, because it has been rigged with explosives.”

He did not say whether any Russians had been killed as a result of the traps, and it was not possible to verify the claims.

Close to six in 10 Russians have previously been claimed to own a cat, according to market research firm Dalia Research, with reports last year that soldiers had started bringing cats to deal with rodent infestations on the frontline.

Trump: I told Xi to help settle Ukraine issue

Wednesday 22 January 2025 07:52 , Arpan Rai

Donald Trump says he has pressed Chinese president Xi Jinping to intervene to stop the Ukraine war during a phone call after his inauguration.

“He’s (Xi’s) not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of... power, like we have a lot of power. I said, ‘You ought to get it settled.’ We did discuss it,” the US president said.

His call to the Chinese leader came shortly after Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with “dear friend” Xi on a video call.

Putin waved at Xi over the call as he proposed outlining plans to develop the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, strengthening a geopolitical alliance which seeks to weaken Western geopolitical influence.

Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?

Wednesday 22 January 2025 07:24 , Arpan Rai

Critics of Donald Trump may sigh with irony as he takes the presidential pledge to uphold the constitution of the United States of America – and hope that he holds back on pledges to tear into the foundation document of modern America in the hours after taking office. In Ukraine, no one’s holding their breath.

In Ukraine’s capital, they know that the 47th president of the US is no particular friend. They also believe he’s potty about Vladimir Putin, and that may be to their advantage when Trump comes around to renewing military support for a nation fighting off the Kremlin.

Officials here are philosophical and diplomatic, even when speaking privately, about the incoming president. They’re keen to make a new relationship work – but also know that if there’s one legacy Trump won’t want attached to his name is that he was a patsy for the Russian president.

Sam Kiley writes:

Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?

Ukraine arrests chief army psychiatrist on $1m corruption charge

Wednesday 22 January 2025 06:52 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian army’s chief psychiatrist has been arrested for alleged “illegal enrichment” charges over his earnings of more than $1m (£813,000) since the war began in February 2022.

The doctor is accused of corruption while sitting on a commission deciding whether individuals were fit for military service, the Security Service of Ukraine said, without naming the accused.

He owned three apartments in or near Kyiv, one in Odesa, two plots of land and several BMW cars, the SBU said. The investigators searching his home also found $152,000 (£124,000) and €34,000 in cash.

He had not declared the property, according to the officials, which they found to be registered in the name of his wife, daughter, sons, and other third parties.

While the officials did not name him, an individual named Olek Druz was named as the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ chief psychiatrist.

If convicted, the man faces 10 years in jail for the charges of illegal enrichment and making a false declaration.

Zelensky says working on a meeting with Trump

Wednesday 22 January 2025 06:23 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was working to set up a meeting between himself and the US president Donald Trump.

“The teams have been working on a meeting, they are currently in the process,” Mr Zelensky said about those efforts yesterday.

Mr Trump, who returned to office on Monday, has said he would stop the war in Ukraine swiftly, without saying how.

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would not agree to Russian demands that it drastically reduce the size of its military, predicting that Russian president Vladimir Putin would demand Ukraine cut its armed forces to a fifth of their size.

“This is what he wants. We will not allow this to happen,” Mr Zelensky said.

Ukraine detains three generals for failure on battlefield

Wednesday 22 January 2025 06:16 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine has detained three former commanders for their failure in military objectives and loss of territory last spring.

The country’s security service said late on Monday that the three former commanders — two generals and a colonel — have been accused of failing to protect the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine from Russian attacks last year.

The Pechersk district court of Kyiv yesterday imposed pre-trial restrictions on brigadier general Yurii Halushkin, former commander of the Kharkiv operational and tactical group, and colonel Illia Lapin, former commander of the 415th separate rifle battalion of the 23rd separate mechanised brigade, reported Ukrainska Pravda.

Putin proposes deeper ties with Beijing in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping of China

Wednesday 22 January 2025 06:15 , Arpan Rai

Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Moscow and Beijing to deepen their strategic ties, as he spoke with “dear friend” Chinese president Xi Jinping on a video call.

Putin waved at Mr Xi over the call as he proposed outlining plans to develop the “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Russia and China, strengthening a geopolitical alliance which seeks to weaken western hegemony.

In a video released by the Kremlin of the conversation, Putin said: “I agree with you that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is based on a broad commonality of national interests and a convergence of views on what relations between major powers should be.”

Read the full wrap of all the latest in Russia and Ukraine:

Putin proposes deeper ties with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping

Ukraine working to set up Zelensky-Trump meeting

Wednesday 22 January 2025 05:45 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine is working to set up a meeting between presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, but not date has yet been confirmed, Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday.

“The teams have been working on a meeting, they are currently in the process,” Mr Zelensky told an interview panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Trump administration will be ‘America First’, says new secretary of state

Wednesday 22 January 2025 05:00 , Alex Croft

US senator Marco Rubio has emphasised that the Trump administration will push an ‘America First’ programme.

“His (Trump’s) primary promise when it comes to foreign policy is that the priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States, it will be furthering the national interest of this country,” Mr Rubio said after being sworn into office by vice president JD Vance.

A China hawk and a staunch backer of Israel, Mr Rubio said the foreign policy goal under Mr Trump will be “the promotion of peace. Of course, peace through strength, peace and always without abandoning our values”.

He is also the first person of Hispanic origin to serve as the top diplomat in the US.

Rubio discusses North Korea-Russia alliance with Japanese counterpart

Wednesday 22 January 2025 04:22 , Arpan Rai

Trump’s new secretary of state Marco Rubio and Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya have discussed their shared concerns over North Korea’s political and security alignment with Russia, the State Department said in a statement.

The two leaders also discussed China’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base, the department said.

Zelensky says peace deal with Putin would require 200,000 allied troops

Wednesday 22 January 2025 03:03 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has said at least 200,000 European peacekeepers would be needed to prevent a new Russian attack after any ceasefire deal as part of security guarantees for Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland, also urged European leaders to do more to defend the continent.

“From all the Europeans? 200,000, it’s a minimum. It’s a minimum, otherwise it’s nothing,” Mr Zelensky said when asked about the idea of a peacekeeping contingent on an interview panel after delivering his speech.

That number is around the size of the entire French armed forces, estimated at just over 200,000 by France’s defence ministry in 2020. Mr Zelensky said at least that number would be needed as a security guarantee if Russia’s armed forces totalled 1.5 million personnel and Ukraine had only half that number.

The prospect of a rapid settlement has focused minds in Kyiv and Europe on the urgent need for security guarantees to prevent any future Russian attack, with the idea of a peacekeeping force being discussed.