Ukraine LIVE: Russia rocked by saboteur attack hours before peace talks

26 mins ago07:45 Ciaran McGrath

Ukrainian partisan group Atesh claims to have sabotaged a Russian railway relay cabinet near Smolensk to disrupt military supply lines.

The attack, reportedly captured on video, targeted a route used to deliver arms and equipment to Russian forces near Ukraine’s northeastern border.

Kyiv has warned that Moscow is preparing for a new offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

30 mins ago07:41 Ciaran McGrath

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could come face to face with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkey this week, but it wouldn't be the first time the world leaders have met for ceasefire negotiations. Putin has not yet confirmed whether he will attend the talks, which could be a turning point for the ongoing war in Eastern Europe, but it would also mark the second time the two presidents have sat down together. A fresh-faced and newly-elected Zelensky met Putin just months after taking office in December 2019 to discuss a smaller-scale ceasefire in eastern Ukraine after more than five years of fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels in the Donbas region.

Despite admitting that he had not achieved all he wanted to during the meeting six years ago, Zelensky has said he will be waiting in Istanbul for Putin on Thursday amid heavy pressure from Europe and the US to reach a peace settlement.

42 mins ago07:29 Ciaran McGrath

The world is holding its breath in the next 24 hours to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin will show up for proposed face-to-face peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The historic meeting would be the first between the two since December 2019, when they met to discuss a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

NATO ministers including UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will travel Turkey on Thursday, the country chosen for the two wartime leaders to begin possible talks for a ceasefire to end the bloody conflict.

Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv that he will be in Ankara on May 15 to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Ukrainian President has said he is ready to travel to Istanbul, where the direct talks should take place, at a moment's notice, should Putin want to join him.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

44 mins ago07:27 Ciaran McGrath

Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Russia’s leading election watchdog Golos, has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Moscow court for allegedly working with an “undesirable” organisation.

He denied the charges, which stem from Golos’s past ties to a European election monitoring group banned in Russia, and called the case politically motivated.

His sentencing marks a major escalation in the Kremlin’s post-Ukraine invasion crackdown on dissent, which has seen activists, journalists and NGOs targeted.

Memorial, Russia’s Nobel Prize-winning human rights group, has recognised Melkonyants as a political prisoner.

1 hour ago06:42 Ciaran McGrath

Donald Trump will not attend the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, after it emerged Vladimir Putin is not planning to show up.

The move deals a major blow to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who had hoped the summit could mark a turning point in ending the war.

A US official confirmed Mr Trump would not be attending after Russia announced its delegation list, which notably excluded Mr Putin.

Mr Zelensky has said he too will only travel to Istanbul if Mr Putin attends, accusing the Kremlin of “playing games”.

He is now expected to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan separately in Ankara.