Volodymyr Zelensky has said at least 200,000 European soldiers would be needed to serve as peacekeepers in the event of a ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin.
Mr Zelensky claimed Russia would return to Europe with an army 10 times the size of that which invaded Ukraine in 2022 if a peace agreement does not include strong security guarantees.
“From all the Europeans? 200,000, it’s a minimum. It’s a minimum, otherwise it’s nothing,” Mr Zelensky said, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, when asked about the idea of a peacekeeping contingent.
The figure is around the size of the entire French armed forces, estimated at just over 200,000 by France’s defence ministry in 2020.
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This comes as US president Donald Trump said he would likely impose sanctions on Russia if Putin refuses to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump said he had asked Chinese president Xi Jinping on a phone call to intervene to stop the Ukraine war, adding: “He’s not done very much on that.”
Key Points
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Zelensky says peace deal with Putin would require 200,000 allied troops
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Trump threatens sanctions on Russia if Putin does not negotiate on Ukraine
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Ukraine strikes aircraft factory and oil depot, Kyiv’s military says
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Zelensky warns Europe of Russian attack: ‘War closer to Davos than Pyongyang’
Trump administration will be ‘America First’, says new secretary of state
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.
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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
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.
Putin proposes deeper ties with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping
04:10 , Arpan Rai
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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.
Mr 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, Mr 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.
Putin proposes deeper ties with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping
Kyiv will not agree to Russian demands to cut military – Zelensky
04:00 , Alex Croft
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Ukraine will not agree to Russian demands that it drastically reduces the size of its military in a future peace agreement, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Zelensky warned that Russian president Vladimir Putin would demand that Ukraine reduce its military five-fold.
“This is what he wants. We will not allow this to happen,” Mr Zelensky said.
Zelensky warns Europe of Russian attack: ‘War closer to Davos than Pyongyang’
03:47 , Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has said European nations need to work together to defend their continent, and not wait for the Trump administration, at a time when it is under attack by Russia.
“Europe must establish itself as a strong, global player, as an indispensable player,” the Ukrainian president said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Let’s not forget there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia. European leaders should remember these battles involving North Korean soldiers are now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than Pyongyang,” Mr Zelensky said.
“Does anyone in the United States worry that Europe might abandon them someday – might stop being their ally? The answer is no,” Mr Zelensky said.
The war-time president said that Europeans needed to devise a united security and defence policy and alluded to a pre-inauguration remark by Mr Trump, who proposed a massive hike in defence spending for Nato members to 5 per cent of GDP.
“If it takes 5 per cent of GDP to cover defence, then so be it, 5 per cent it is. And there is no need to play with people’s emotions that defence should be compensated at the expense of medicine or pensions – that’s not fair,” Mr Zelensky said.
Zelensky says peace deal with Putin would require 200,000 allied troops
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.
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel the full force of Trump’s second term
03:00 , Alex Croft
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel the full force of Trump’s second term
One area where the Trump administration and Labour are likely to clash is on defence spending. The president has said he feels the US spends more on defence than most Nato countries, calling for a new target of fie per cent GDP.
This is up considerably from the current two per cent target. The UK currently pledges 2.3 per cent, with intentions ro raise it to 2.5 per cent by this year. Given the tight economic contraints outlined by the Treasury, it’s unlikely calls to increase this futher would be welcomed by UK officials.
The president has also said he would like to bring the war in Ukraine to a speedy end – and will now be able to use the US’s massive expenditure on Zelensky’s forces as a bargaining chip in discussions.
But some of his comments have prompted concern that Mr Trump may cede key Russian demands as part of a deal. This could include granting Vladimir Putin’s regime large regions of the country, or deferring Ukraine’s Nato membership bid. The incoming president has previously said that he “understands [Russia’s] feelings” about having “somebody right on their doorstep.”
If the war in Ukraine does move from military support to a possible peacekeeping operation, the prime minister has said that the UK will play “full part” in the plans.
Albert Toth reports:
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel Trump’s full force
Trump threatens sanctions on Russia if Putin does not negotiate on Ukraine
02:53 , Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has said he would likely impose sanctions on Russia if its president Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
“We’re talking to (Ukrainian president Volodymyr) Zelensky, we’re going to be talking with president Putin very soon,” Mr Trump said. “We’re going to look at it.”
Mr Trump said he has also pressed Chinese president Xi Jinping in a call to intervene to stop the Ukraine war.
“He’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.”
Mr Trump gave no details on possible additional sanctions. The US has already sanctioned Russia heavily for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Both sides must compromise, says new US secretary of state
02:02 , Alex Croft
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.
Ukraine strikes aircraft factory and oil depot, Kyiv’s military says
01:01 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian forces hit a Russian aviation factory in the Smolensk region and an oil depot in the Voronezh region on Tuesday, its military said.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Kyiv’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said according to Ukrainska Pravda: “This plant [the Smolensk Aviation Plant] is closely connected with other businesses of the Russian defence industrial base, supplying components or involved in collaboration to create modern aircraft systems.”
The Voronezh strike is the second time Ukraine has hit Liskinskaya oil depot in the past week.
Ukraine has increased the regularity of its long-range strikes into Russia for the past several months, damaging energy infrastructure and military-industrial facilities.
Russian disinformation campaign looking to boost support for Germany’s far-right AfD
00:01 , Alex Croft
A Russian disinformation campaign is seeking to support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign ahead of the country’s February election, a think tank has found.
An analysis of hundreds of German-language posts on X over the past month have exhibited patterns of Russia’s Doppelgaenger disinformation campaign against the West.
The campaign spreads links to falsified Western news outlets sharing fake information, a German foreign ministry report published last June. Russia has consistently denied involvement.
Recent posts have blamed the Greens for Germany’s economic woes, criticised chancellor Olaf Scholz’s support for Ukraine, and spoken in favour of the AfD, CeMAS said.
The tracked posts share links to falsified German news websites or to articles on authentic ones supporting their narrative, and have achieved over 2.8 million views, CeMAS said.
Trump presidency will trigger right-wing surge in Europe – Hungarian PM
Tuesday 21 January 2025 23:02 , Alex Croft
Donald Trump’s presidency in the US will prompt a right-wing surge in Europe, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said on Monday, as he called for an offensive to “occupy” Brussels.
Mr Orban envisaged a “golden era” for relations between the US and Hungary, with Mr Trump’s presidency beginning from today, 20 January.
“Only a few hours and even the sun will shine differently in Brussels. A new president in the US, a large faction of Patriots in Brussels, great enthusiasm,” Mr Orban said. “So the great attack can start. Hereby I launch the second phase of the offensive that aims to occupy Brussels.”
Mr Orban’s hard-right Fidesz party formed the Patriots party group in the European Parliament last year. Led by France’s National Rally, the group has become the third largest in parliament with 86 members.
Pro-Russian candidate leads Romanian poll ahead of May election
Tuesday 21 January 2025 22:30 , Alex Croft
A pro-Russian candidate currently leads the Romanian polls four months before a crucial election in May.
Calin Georgescu, the far-right candidate who opposes Romanian support for Ukraine in its defense against Putin’s invasion, is the voters’ top choice ahead of a re-run of a presidential election.
The European Union state’s top court annulled the initial presidential election two days before the second round of voting, due to allegations of Russian interference.
The election of Georgescu would be a critical blow for Ukraine, which has relied on Romania to export millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta, trained Ukrainian fighter pilots and donated a Patriot air defence battery to Kyiv.
Georgescu is critical of NATO and has praised Romania’s fascist leaders of the 1930s. The EU court said he had benefited from a social media campaign likely orchestrated by Russia – Moscow denied the accusations.
But the latest polls for the first round show Georgescu set to gain 38 percent of the vote, with Crin Antonescu, leader of the pro-European governing coalition, sitting at just 25 percent.
Decisive Trump could change the course of history – senior Russian official
Tuesday 21 January 2025 22:01 , Alex Croft
The chief of Russia’s $23 billion sovereign wealth fund said new US president Donald Trump’s decisive leadership could “change the course of history” on Tuesday.
His praise came after MR Trump signed a batch of executive orders straight after his inauguration. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said Mr Trump’s actions could boost growth and open opportunities for dialogue.
“President Trump’s bold actions today prove that decisive leadership can change the course of history, unlocking economic growth and transforming global challenges into opportunities for dialogue and resolution through problem solving,” Mr Dmitriev said.
Mr Dmitriev, who is currently under US sanctions deemed illegal by Russian officials, is a US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker who played a key role in early contracts between Moscow and Trump’s first administration, after election in 2016.
Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?
Tuesday 21 January 2025 21:30 , Alex Croft
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?
Russia would need 100 years to conquer Ukraine at current rate, says David Lammy
Tuesday 21 January 2025 20:59 , Alex Croft
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
‘I didn’t know I would be fighting in Ukraine’ – captured North Korean soldier
Tuesday 21 January 2025 20:30 , Alex Croft
A North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine has said he did not know who he would be fighting against or where he would fight.
In the recording of the interview, posted by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on X, the soldier says he arrived with Russia along with 100 fellow North Koreans on a ship, before being later transported by train.
The soldier, who had joined the army aged 17 as a conscript, said some of his compatriots were trained on heavy Russian military equipment – but that he did not go through this training.
“I didn’t know before coming to Russia that I would be fighting here, in Russia and I didn’t even know who we were fighting against,” the soldier told Ukrainian investigators.
“There were a lot of casualties when I was there alone, starting from the battle on Jan. 3. Overall, it’s hard to answer about such large-scale numbers.”
When asked what he knew about the world outside of North Korea, he said: “Not much.” Asked what he knows about South Korea, he said: “I only know that South Korea has fewer mountains than North Korea.”
ICYMI: Macron warns Europe it can’t depend only on US weapons as Trump takes office
Tuesday 21 January 2025 20:03 , Alex Croft
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”.
UK to explore possibility of military bases in Ukraine
Tuesday 21 January 2025 19:31 , Alex Croft
The UK will explore the possibility of establishing military bases in Ukraine, according to a 100-year declaration signed between the two countries.
Signed alongside the 100-year Partnership Agreement last week, the declaration states the UK will work with Ukraine to identify common defence needs and expand the capabilities of both countries.
“The Participants will explore options for deploying and maintaining defence infrastructure in Ukraine, including military bases, logistics depots, reserve military equipment storage facilities and war reserve stockpiles,” the declaration reads.
“These facilities could be utilised to bolster their own defence capabilities in the event of a significant military threat.”
The possibility of military bases is only presented as a theoretical possibility, and no specifics of the placement of potential bases is laid out.
It is also unclear how Article 17 of the Ukrainian Constitution – which prohibits military bases on Ukrainian territory – may impact any future plans.
Russia used chemical weapons 434 times on Ukraine last month, officials say
Tuesday 21 January 2025 19:00 , Alex Croft
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.
Putin takes swipe at Biden as Russian president congratulates Trump
Tuesday 21 January 2025 18:29 , Alex Croft
Putin holds phone call with Egyptian president
Tuesday 21 January 2025 18:01 , Alex Croft
Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Russian state news agency TASS said on Tuesday.
The leaders discussed joint projects between Russia and Egypt and the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, TASS reported.
Putin proposes deeper ties with Beijing in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping of China
Tuesday 21 January 2025 17:30 , Alex Croft
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
Zelensky condemns purchase of Russian gas
Tuesday 21 January 2025 17:01 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised the purchase of Russian Gas, taking aim at Slovak prime minister Robert Fico.
Europe must “step up and do more long-term work to secure real energy independence”, Mr Zelensky told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“You can’t keep buying gas from Moscow while also expecting security guarantees, help and back-up from the Americans,” Mr Zelensky added.
“That’s just wrong. For example, the Prime Minister of Slovakia is not seeking access to US gas, but doesn’t lose hope to enjoy the US security umbrella.”
Yes, Trump 2.0 will reshape the world – but not in the ways you might think
Tuesday 21 January 2025 16:39 , Alex Croft
As always with Donald Trump, caricature is the easy route. It takes some chutzpah and self regard to deliver a line like “I was saved by God to Make America Great Again”.
Some of the poking in the eye of his opponents felt gratuitous. The “drill, baby, drill” message was not exactly the soaring rhetoric of a JFK or Reagan – or any number of predecessors. There were times in the Rotunda during his inaugural address that it felt more like a Trump rally, but with slightly less rambling. Then there was Elon Musk’s “Nazi salute”.
And, frankly, the way Trump spoke later about the pardoning of those imprisoned for the attempted insurrection on January 6 was reprehensible. These were people who stormed the Capitol, injuring police officers along the way, and were then found guilty in courts of law. To keep calling them the “J6 hostages” – as he did – as though they were on par with the three Israelis who were kidnapped on 7 October and freed from the tunnels of Gaza a couple of days ago is grotesque and offensive.
Jon Sopel Writes:
Yes, Trump 2.0 will reshape the world – but not in the ways you might think
Kyiv will not agree to Russian demands to cut military – Zelensky
Tuesday 21 January 2025 16:20 , Alex Croft
Ukraine will not agree to Russian demands that it drastically reduces the size of its military in a future peace agreement, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Zelensky warned that Russian president Vladimir Putin would demand that Ukraine reduce its military five-fold.
“This is what he wants. We will not allow this to happen,” Mr Zelensky said.
Trump administration will be ‘America First’, says new secretary of state
Tuesday 21 January 2025 16:01 , 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.
Russian court orders Austria’s bank to pay 2 billion euros damages
Tuesday 21 January 2025 15:40 , Alex Croft
A Russian court has ordered Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International to pay 2 billion euros (£1.7 billion) in damages for a collapsed deal.
The ruling is a blow to the largest western bank in Russia, which has made billions in profit during the nearly three years of war in Ukraine.
The bank has provided a payment bridge for Russia’s middle class and companies into the West, but will now be forced to set aside a large sum as it challenges the ruling.
Sat in the courtroom as the ruling was read out were armed men in balaclavas, along with those involved in the case.
“This is a final warning to all Western companies that you cannot do business with Putin’s Russia,” said Helmut Brandstaetter, a liberal Austrian lawmaker in the European Parliament.
Ukraine working to set up Zelensky-Trump meeting
Tuesday 21 January 2025 15:20 , Alex Croft
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.
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel the full force of Trump’s second term
Tuesday 21 January 2025 15:01 , Alex Croft
One area where the Trump administration and Labour are likely to clash is on defence spending. The president has said he feels the US spends more on defence than most Nato countries, calling for a new target of fie per cent GDP.
This is up considerably from the current two per cent target. The UK currently pledges 2.3 per cent, with intentions ro raise it to 2.5 per cent by this year. Given the tight economic contraints outlined by the Treasury, it’s unlikely calls to increase this futher would be welcomed by UK officials.
The president has also said he would like to bring the war in Ukraine to a speedy end – and will now be able to use the US’s massive expenditure on Zelensky’s forces as a bargaining chip in discussions.
But some of his comments have prompted concern that Mr Trump may cede key Russian demands as part of a deal. This could include granting Vladimir Putin’s regime large regions of the country, or deferring Ukraine’s Nato membership bid. The incoming president has previously said that he “understands [Russia’s] feelings” about having “somebody right on their doorstep.”
If the war in Ukraine does move from military support to a possible peacekeeping operation, the prime minister has said that the UK will play “full part” in the plans.
Albert Toth reports:
Tariffs, Ukraine and Chagos: How the UK could feel Trump’s full force
Watch: Ukrainian drone destroys Russian tank in Donetsk region
Tuesday 21 January 2025 14:40 , Alex Croft
Putin could invade with an army 10x bigger – Zelensky
Tuesday 21 January 2025 14:20 , Alex Croft
Russia will return with an army 10 times the size of the one which invaded Ukraine in 2022 if a diplomatic solution does not have strong security guarantees, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.
Russian president Vladimir Putin will return to Europe to fully occupy all countries which formerly made up the USSR, Mr Zelensky added.
He will then do what he did with Crimea in Ukraine, by seizing territory and using it to make demands and issue ultimatums, the Ukrainian president told world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He also criticised European countries for having a significantly smaller economic output than Russia, despite having more factories.
Europe must spend whatever it takes, Zelensky says
Tuesday 21 January 2025 16:37 , Alex Croft
European countries should be ready to spend whatever it takes to be secure, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“All European countries must be willing to spend as much on security as is truly needed, not just as much as they have gotten used to during years of neglect,” he told a room of delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“If it takes 5 per cent to cover defense then so be it, 5 percent it is.”
Defence spending does not need to be compensated at the expense of medicine or pensions, he added, saying that is “not fair”.
Diplomatic resolution requires strong security guarantees, says Zelensky
Tuesday 21 January 2025 16:36 , Alex Croft
A diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine war requires strong security guarantees to stop Putin’s forces from returning, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“We must approach diplomacy to end the war,” Mr Zelensky said when asked about Ukraine’s strategy in the war.
“But Ukraine must have strong guarantees that will prevent Putin from coming back with war again, then it will be a lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe, for America and the whole world.”
“But if the security guarantees are weak, if there is uncertainty and only words, then… they will again come back with war,” he added.
Putin is ‘destroying’ Russia, says Trump
Tuesday 21 January 2025 13:20 , Alex Croft
Donald Trump has said Putin is “destroying” Russia by not agreeing to a deal to end the war.
As he settled into his role at the White House, he was asked about the ongoing war between Russia and the Ukraine.
Trump said: “He’s told me he wants to make a deal, Zelensky wants to make a deal. I don’t know if Putin does, he should do.
“I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal. I think Russia is going to be in big trouble.”
Trump added: “He (Putin) can’t be thrilled, he’s not doing so well [in Ukraine]. I mean, he’s grinding it out but most people thought that war would have been over in one week and now we’re into three years. So he can’t be thrilled, not making him look very good.
“But I think he would be very well off to end that war. We have numbers that almost a million Russian soldiers have been killed, about 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers are killed. Russia’s bigger, they have more soldiers to lose. But that’s no way to run a country.”
Both sides must compromise, says new US secretary of state
Tuesday 21 January 2025 13:01 , Alex Croft
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.
Russia’s battlefield losses hit record high, says Ukraine – as it prepares for impact of Trump presidency
Tuesday 21 January 2025 12:45 , Alex Croft
The Ukrainian military chief has said that 150,000 of Vladimir Putin’s troops were killed in 2024, as the countries prepare for a new era of their conflict after Donald Trump re-enters the White House.
A record 434,000 casualties, including the wounded, were suffered last year taking total Russian casualties to 819,000, claimed Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. “This year of combat has cost them more than the previous two years of the war combined,” Mr Syrskyi told Ukrainian TV channel TSN.
Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine over the past year, but at the cost of heavy casualties as it throws waves of soldiers at Ukraine’s defensive lines.
Read the full report:
Russia’s battlefield losses hit record high, says Ukraine
Residents urged to shelter in Russian town hosting strategic missiles, says local outlet
Tuesday 21 January 2025 12:29 , Alex Croft
Authorities of a closed town in Russia’s Orenburg region urged residents to hide in shelters on Tuesday due to the risk of a drone attack, the Kommersant newspaper reported.
The town of Komarovsky hosts a base for Russian strategic missiles, the newspaper said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has not issued any official warnings about the Orenburg region.
Ukraine must decide its own territory, says EU commission president
Tuesday 21 January 2025 12:13 , Alex Croft
Ukraine must decide its own territory, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ms von der Leyen said the EU would continue to support Ukraine without question.
“It is important that Ukraine stays an independent country and that it is Ukraine that decides on its own territory”, Von der Leyen said.
Zelensky to give address at Davos
Tuesday 21 January 2025 11:57 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is set to give an address at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
His address is set to begin at 13:30pm GMT. We’ll bring you all the latest lines.
Russia destroys 55 Ukrainian drones overnight
Tuesday 21 January 2025 11:46 , Alex Croft
Russian forces destroyed 55 Ukrainian drones over the territories of six different regions, the Defence Ministry said.
“The 22 [drones were downed] over the territory of Bryansk Oblast, 12 over Rostov Oblast, 10 over Smolensk, 6 UAVs over Voronezh Oblast, 4 over Saratov Oblast and one over Kursk Oblast,” the Russian Defence Ministry said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
A drone threat remained in Kazan and Ulyanovsk, the BAZA Telegram channel reported on Tuesday morning.
Poland wants the EU focused on security. Its border with Belarus highlights the challenges
Tuesday 21 January 2025 11:26 , Alex Croft
Poland’s six-month presidency of the European Union is firmly focused on security. As Europe’s biggest land war in decades rages, fewer places highlight the challenges and contradictions of defending the bloc and its values more starkly than the border with Belarus.
Some 13,000 border guards and soldiers protect around 400 kilometers (250 miles) of border. It’s become a buffer zone since Belarus’ ally, Russia, invaded neighboring Ukraine three years ago. Similar fortifications farther north line Poland’s frontier with the Russian region of Kaliningrad.
Poland is Ukraine’s top logistical backer. Most of the Western-supplied arms, ammunition and equipment helping to keep Ukraine’s armed forces afloat transit through. Russia, meanwhile, uses Belarus as a staging ground for its invasion.
Read the full report:
Poland wants the EU focused on security. Its border with Belarus highlights the challenges
GPS interference causes Ryanair flight diversion after Russia tampering claims
Tuesday 21 January 2025 11:03 , Alex Croft
A Ryanair flight descending into Vilnius airport on Thursday was diverted to Warsaw due to GPS interference, Lithuania’s air navigation authority has reported.
The Boeing 737 Max 8-200 departed London Luton on Thursday and was on approach to the runway at Vilnius airport in Lithuania, lowering to an altitude of 850 feet (259 meters), when it lifted off again.
The flight then headed to Warsaw, around 249 miles away, reports say.
A spokesperson of Lithuania’s air navigation authority said on Friday that “the plane experienced GPS signal interference,” adding that the pilot took the decision to divert the flight.
Amelia Neath reports:
GPS interference causes Ryanair flight diversion after Russia tampering claims
More than 152 clashes in past 24 hours, says Kyiv
Tuesday 21 January 2025 10:45 , Alex Croft
More than 152 combat clashes took place over the past 24 hours, nearly half of which took place on the Pokrovsk front, Kyiv has said.
Ukrainian forces repelled 73 attacks near Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook, as Russian troops look to cut off key supply lines in the eastern town.
Russian troops fired five missiles, dropped 11 aerial bombs and used 2,653 kamikaze drones in the past 24 hours, it added.
Combat clashes were recorded around the country, most significantly on the Kupiansk, Lyman and Toretsk fronts, and in Russia’s Kursk region.
Putin calls for deepened relationship with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi
Tuesday 21 January 2025 10:28 , Alex Croft
Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Moscow and Beijing to deepen their strategic partnership, in a call with his “dear friend” and Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Waving at Mr Xi over a video call, Putin said he wants to bring forward “new plans for the development of the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” in a video released by the Kremlin of their conversation.
“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,” Putin said.
“We build our ties on the basis of friendship, mutual trust and support, equality and mutual benefit. These connections are self-sufficient, independent of domestic political factors and the current global situation.”
Russia and China have for years been united in a common geopolitical cause to weaken western US-led hegemony, particularly after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and increased US efforts to counter China’s economic and military strength.
Russian troops seize village of Vovkove in Donetsk region
Tuesday 21 January 2025 10:07 , Alex Croft
Russian troops have taken control of the village of Vovkove in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, TASS state news agency city the Russian Defence Ministry as saying.
The settlement is around 12 kilometres (7 miles) southwest of the key strategic town of Pokrovsk, which Russia is aiming to bypass as it looks to cut off vital Ukrainian supply lines.
The battlefield report has not been independently verified.
In pictures: British vehicles involved in major NATO exercise
Tuesday 21 January 2025 09:50 , Alex Croft
British military vehicles were deployed in a major NATO exercise, practising a major deployment of land, sea and air forces across Europe.
The exercise in Hungary, named Exercise Steadfast Dart, is the first deployment under the bloc’s new Allied Reaction Force (ARF), a replacement for the Nato Response Force last year.
Ukraine strikes aircraft factory and oil depot, Kyiv’s military says
Tuesday 21 January 2025 09:33 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian forces hit a Russian aviation factory in the Smolensk region and an oil depot in the Voronezh region on Tuesday, its military said.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Kyiv’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said according to Ukrainska Pravda: “This plant [the Smolensk Aviation Plant] is closely connected with other businesses of the Russian defence industrial base, supplying components or involved in collaboration to create modern aircraft systems.”
The Voronezh strike is the second time Ukraine has hit an oil depot this week.
Ukraine has increased the regularity of its long-range strikes into Russia for the past several months, damaging energy infrastructure and military-industrial facilities.
Pro-Russian candidate leads Romanian poll ahead of May election
Tuesday 21 January 2025 09:21 , Alex Croft
A pro-Russian candidate currently leads the Romanian polls four months before a crucial election in May.
Calin Georgescu, the far-right candidate who opposes Romanian support for Ukraine in its defense against Putin’s invasion, is the voters’ top choice ahead of a re-run of a presidential election.
The European Union state’s top court annulled the initial presidential election two days before the second round of voting, due to allegations of Russian interference.
The election of Georgescu would be a critical blow for Ukraine, which has relied on Romania to export millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta, trained Ukrainian fighter pilots and donated a Patriot air defence battery to Kyiv.
Georgescu is critical of NATO and has praised Romania’s fascist leaders of the 1930s. The EU court said he had benefited from a social media campaign likely orchestrated by Russia – Moscow denied the accusations.
But the latest polls for the first round show Georgescu set to gain 38 percent of the vote, with Crin Antonescu, leader of the pro-European governing coalition, sitting at just 25 percent.
Decisive Trump could change the course of history – senior Russian official
Tuesday 21 January 2025 08:58 , Alex Croft
The chief of Russia’s $23 billion sovereign wealth fund said new US president Donald Trump’s decisive leadership could “change the course of history” on Tuesday.
His praise came after MR Trump signed a batch of executive orders straight after his inauguration. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said Mr Trump’s actions could boost growth and open opportunities for dialogue.
“President Trump’s bold actions today prove that decisive leadership can change the course of history, unlocking economic growth and transforming global challenges into opportunities for dialogue and resolution through problem solving,” Mr Dmitriev said.
Mr Dmitriev, who is currently under US sanctions deemed illegal by Russian officials, is a US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker who played a key role in early contracts between Moscow and Trump’s first administration, after election in 2016.
Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?
Tuesday 21 January 2025 08:41 , Alex Croft
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.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?
Zelensky: Trump is a man of strength – we must seize this chance
Tuesday 21 January 2025 08:21 , Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated US president Donald Trump on his inauguration on Monday.
“He is a man of strength,” Mr Zelensky wrote alongside a video messgae. “I wish President Trump and all of America success.
“Ukrainians are ready to work together with Americans to achieve peace—a true peace. This is a chance that must be seized.”
The inauguration of the new President of the United States, Donald Trump @POTUS. He is a man of strength. I wish President Trump and all of America success.
Ukrainians are ready to work together with Americans to achieve peace—a true peace. This is a chance that must be seized. pic.twitter.com/YMk1qvUR5U
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 20, 2025
Russia’s battlefield losses hit record high, says Ukraine – as it prepares for impact of Trump presidency
Tuesday 21 January 2025 07:58 , Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian military chief has said that 150,000 of Vladimir Putin’s troops were killed in 2024, as the countries prepare for a new era of their conflict after Donald Trump re-enters the White House.
A record 434,000 casualties, including the wounded, were suffered last year taking total Russian casualties to 819,000, claimed Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. “This year of combat has cost them more than the previous two years of the war combined,” Mr Syrskyi told Ukrainian TV channel TSN.
Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine over the past year, but at the cost of heavy casualties as it throws waves of soldiers at Ukraine’s defensive lines.
Moscow and Kyiv are also seeking battlefield gains to strengthen their negotiating positions ahead of any prospective talks to end the three-year-old war.
Russia’s battlefield losses hit record high, says Ukraine
Russia attacked Ukraine with 131 drones overnight, 72 downed
Tuesday 21 January 2025 07:31 , Arpan Rai
Russia attacked Ukraine with 131 drones and four missiles overnight, the Ukrainian air force said today.
Out of the 131 launched, Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 72 of the drones, while another 59 disappeared without reaching their targets.
The air force said that some buildings were damaged by the attack in two regions of Ukraine, but that there had been no human casualties.
Russian town hosting strategic missile forces told to brace for drone attack
Tuesday 21 January 2025 07:23 , Arpan Rai
The authorities of a closed town in Russia’s Orenburg region have been asked to brace for a possible drone attack, according to Russia media reports.
Orenburg, a town in Komarovsky which is nearly 1,455km from Moscow, hosts a base for Russia’s strategic missile forces, the Kommersant newspaper reported.
The Russian ministry of defence said that 55 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed last night over Russian territory, but did not mention Orenburg region.
Trump says Putin ‘not doing so well’ in Ukraine war
Tuesday 21 January 2025 07:11 , Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has given critical remarks about his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, saying he would be better off ending the war in Ukraine and pointing to Moscow’s massive battlefield losses as “no way to run a country”.
“He (Putin) can’t be thrilled, he’s not doing so well [in Ukraine],” Mr Trump said. “I mean, he’s grinding it out but most people thought that war would have been over in one week and now we’re into three years. So he can’t be thrilled, not making him look very good. Now eventually, it’s a big machine, so things will happen.”
He added: “But I think he would be very well off to end that war. We have numbers that almost a million Russian soldiers have been killed, about 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers are killed. Russia’s bigger, they have more soldiers to lose. But that’s no way to run a country.”
Mr Trump has pledged to broker a fast peace deal in Ukraine, though officials have rowed back on his promise to end the war in a day. His nominee for envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, says a deal could be brokered in 100 days.
Russia would need 100 years to conquer Ukraine at current rate, says David Lammy
Tuesday 21 January 2025 07:00 , Arpan Rai
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.
Russia would need 100 years to conquer Ukraine at current rate, says David Lammy
What could the Trump presidency mean for Nato and Ukraine?
Tuesday 21 January 2025 06:25 , Arpan Rai
One area where the incoming Trump administration and Labour are likely to clash is on defence spending. The incoming president has said he feels the US spends more on defence than most Nato countries, calling for a new target of fie per cent GDP.
This is up considerably from the current two per cent target. The UK currently pledges 2.3 per cent, with intentions ro raise it to 2.5 per cent by this year. Given the tight economic contraints outlined by the Treasury, it’s unlikely calls to increase this futher would be welcomed by UK officials.
The incoming president has also said he would like to bring the war in Ukraine to a speedy end – and will now be able to use the US’s massive expenditure on Zelensky’s forces as a bargaining chip in discussions.
But some of his comments have prompted concern that Mr Trump may cede key Russian demands as part of a deal. This could include granting Vladimir Putin’s regime large regions of the country, or deferring Ukraine’s Nato membership bid. The incoming president has previously said that he “understands [Russia’s] feelings” about having “somebody right on their doorstep.”
If the war in Ukraine does move from military support to a possible peacekeeping operation, the prime minister has said that the UK will play “full part” in the plans.
Read Albert Toth’s full report here:
What could Donald Trump’s second term mean for the UK?
Watch: Captured North Korean soldier questioned by Ukrainian investigators
Tuesday 21 January 2025 06:15 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has released footage of captured North Korean soldiers being questioned by Ukrainian investigators.
Sharing the footage to X, Mr Zelensky wrote: “Communication between captured North Korean soldiers and SSU investigators continues.
“Intelligence data on the movement of such troops to Russian territory, their training and complete information isolation have been confirmed by the prisoners.
“All the facts about North Korea’s involvement in this war will be established.”
Communication between captured North Korean soldiers and SSU investigators continues.
Intelligence data on the movement of such troops to Russian territory, their training and complete information isolation have been confirmed by the prisoners.
All the facts about North… pic.twitter.com/E2wiFlPBiw
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 20, 2025
The Ukrainian war hero couple who helped push back the Russians from Kyiv warn against Trump’s peace plan
Tuesday 21 January 2025 05:00 , Alex Croft
Serge in his blue anorak, Olena in her black faux fur jacket – an inconspicuous couple on a trip in Kyiv to show their daughter the capital they did so much to save three years ago.
Their clandestine work as part of self-starting groups of volunteers, heroic by the standards of any war, turned back two invading Russian convoys as they converged on Kyiv in 2022. Serge and a small group of comrades, veterans of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine, took on Putin’s invaders in hit-and-run raids using pickup trucks and weapons they found in a warehouse in Sumy province.
Now Donald Trump is threatening to turn the course of history against Ukraine, by cutting US military support to the embattled nation. This could ultimately allow Vladimir Putin to hang on to the 20 per cent of the country Russia has already taken as part of a future peace deal forced on Kyiv.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:
Ukraine war hero couple who helped repell Russians from Kyiv warn against Trump plan
Macron says war in Ukraine is not ending today or tomorrow: ‘Let’s not fool ourselves’
Tuesday 21 January 2025 04:46 , Arpan Rai
French president Emmanuel Macron has said Russia will pose a security challenge for Europe and the wider world for a long time to come, even if the war in Ukraine ends.
“Let’s not fool ourselves, this conflict will not be resolved tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow,” Mr Macron said, adding that peace in Europe required Europeans to be at the negotiating table.
His comments came minutes before the new US president Donald Trump took his oath and entered presidential office for the second time.
During the presidential election campaign Mr Trump promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of becoming president, without saying how he would do so.
German general says Putin is building up for possible attack on Nato
Tuesday 21 January 2025 03:56 , Arpan Rai
Russia is rearming faster than previously thought and could be making preparations to attack a Nato country, a top German official has warned.
“The Russian armed forces are not just able to compensate for the enormous personnel and material losses, they are successfully rearming,” said Germany’s Maj Gen Christian Freuding.
While it is not clear that Vladimir Putin intends to attack a Nato member state, Gen Freuding said the Russian president was “clearly creating the conditions for it”.
“Production is growing, the supplies in the depots are growing,” said the head of Germany’s military task force for Ukraine, noting Russia is using Iran and North Korea to replenish its supplies of missiles, drones and tanks.
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