Ukraine Russia struggle reside: Chernobyl drone assault sparks nuclear contamination fears

Sir Keir Starmer has reaffirmed Britain’s assist for Ukraine becoming a member of Nato in a name with Volodymyr Zelensky as world leaders collect for a significant safety summit in Munich.

Within the first talks between the pair since Donald Trump and his defence secretary mentioned it was unlikely Ukraine would be a part of Nato, however in an obvious swipe at that stance, the prime minister reiterated the UK’s dedication to the nation’s path into the alliance.

Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reviews:

Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia could also be making ready to launch intensified offensive operations into northern Ukraine or assault Nato’s jap flank in 2026.

Talking on the Munich Safety Convention yesterday, Mr Zelensky mentioned that Russia is making ready upwards of 100,000 to 150,000 troops organised into 15 divisions to “irritate the state of affairs within the Belarus course”.

Mr Zelensky mentioned that Russia could intend to assault into Ukraine, Poland, or presumably the Baltic nations.

More and more alarmed that US safety priorities lie elsewhere, a bunch of European nations has been quietly engaged on a plan to ship troops into Ukraine to assist implement any future peace settlement with Russia.

Britain and France are on the forefront of the trouble, although particulars stay scarce. The nations concerned within the discussions are reluctant to tip their hand and provides Russian president Vladimir Putin an edge ought to he agree to barter an finish to the struggle he launched three years in the past.

What is obvious is that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky wants a assure that his nation’s safety will likely be assured till peace takes maintain. The very best safety can be the Nato membership that Ukraine has lengthy been promised, however the US has taken that possibility off the desk.

“I gained’t get into the actual capabilities, however I do settle for that if there’s peace then there must be some type of safety assure for Ukraine and the UK will play its half in that,” prime minister Keir Starmer mentioned in cautious remarks on Thursday.

I believe that Trump’s feathers have been preened, his ego stroked, and his peacock delight inflated to bursting level. Trump seems to be putty in Putin’s manipulative palms, no match for the guile and crafty of this wily Russian fox.

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Talks between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US vice chairman JD Vance resulted in Munich yesterday with out an announcement of a crucial minerals deal that’s central to Kyiv’s push to win the backing of president Donald Trump.

Kyiv got here again to the US earlier with a revised draft settlement of the deal that might open up its huge sources of key minerals to US funding, amid issues in Kyiv over a US model that was introduced to Ukraine on Wednesday.

“Our groups will proceed to work on the doc,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X, including that he had had a “good assembly” with Mr Vance and that Kyiv was “prepared to maneuver in direction of as shortly as doable in direction of an actual and assured peace”.

Two members of the Ukrainian delegation informed Reuters that “some particulars” nonetheless wanted to be labored out.

It was not instantly clear what the sticking level was, however Ukraine is urgent for sturdy safety ensures from Europe and america that will defend it from Russia sooner or later if a peace deal is reached.

Ukraine’s nuclear ghosts have been raised once more on Friday after a drone armed with a warhead hit the protecting outer shell of the plant at Chernobyl, the location of the world’s worst nuclear accident.

The strike, which Kyiv blamed on Moscow, didn’t breach the plant’s inside containment shell and radiation ranges didn’t improve, in response to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company.

Russia denied involvement, and accused Ukraine of waging a false flag assault. Their competing claims couldn’t be independently verified.

Earlier than his assembly with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, the US vice chairman JD Vance lectured European officers on free speech and unlawful migration on the continent, warning that they danger shedding public assist if they do not shortly change course.

“The risk that I fear essentially the most about vis-a-vis Europe just isn’t Russia. It isn’t China. It isn’t every other exterior actor,” Mr Vance mentioned in an tackle to the Munich Safety Convention.

“What I fear about is the risk from inside – the retreat of Europe from a few of its most elementary values, values shared with america of America,” Mr Vance mentioned.

He additional warned European officers: “Should you’re working in worry of your individual voters there’s nothing America can do for you.”

The speech and Donald Trump’s push for a fast method out of Ukraine have been met with intense concern and uncertainty on the annual gathering of world leaders and nationwide safety officers.

The vice chairman additionally warned the European officers in opposition to unlawful migration, saying Europeans did not vote to open “floodgates to hundreds of thousands of unvetted immigrants” and referencing an assault on Thursday in Munich the place the suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker in 2016.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that his nation desires “safety ensures” earlier than any talks with Russia, because the Trump administration presses each nations to discover a fast endgame to the three-year struggle.

Shortly earlier than sitting down with vice chairman JD Vance for extremely anticipated talks on the Munich Safety Convention, Mr Zelensky mentioned he’ll solely agree to fulfill in-person with Russian chief Vladimir Putin after a typical plan is negotiated with US president Donald Trump.

The roughly 40-minute assembly between Mr Vance and Mr Zelensky produced no main bulletins detailing the way in which out of the deadliest struggle in Europe because the Second World Battle.

Mr Zelensky made a plaintive assertion concerning the state of play.

“We would like peace very a lot,” Mr Zelensky mentioned. “However we want actual safety ensures.”