Ukraine LIVE: Zelensky says Putin has just given 'clear signal' he doesn't want peace

28 mins ago10:32 Emily Wright

The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin’s order to halt strikes on energy infrastructure is being adhered to by Russian forces.

According to Kremlin spokesperson, Dmirty Peskov, the moratorium on attacking energy infrastructure has been in force since March 18 and was being fulfilled.

Moscow said on Tuesday that oil refineries, energy pipelines and nuclear power stations would not be targeted for 30 days in a deal struck with Ukraine.

1 hour ago09:46 Emily Wright

Defence Secretary, John Healey, has said he is “proud” of the UK’s leading role in building a coalition to support Ukraine.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Healey said: "I'm proud that the UK, alongside France, is leading the coalition of the willing, ready to stand by Ukraine in the event of a negotiated peace just as we have through the war.

"That's what we're preparing for: the success of the negotiations we've seen, longer term, in Saudi Arabia, but the future of Ukraine as an independent sovereign nation that has been fighting so hard for its future over the last three years against Putin's illegal invasion."

UK preparing to support Ukraine ceasefire, says Defence Secretary (Image: Getty)

1 hour ago09:35 Emily Wright

In a new post on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the drone attacks on Ukraine show Russia does not want peace.

"Last night, there were another 117 proofs in our skies of how Russia continues to drag out this war – 117 strike drones, most of them Shaheds," he wrote.

"Launching such large-scale attacks after ceasefire negotiations is a clear signal to the whole world that Moscow is not going to pursue real peace."

The President added that Russia launched attacks across the country, including "a massive drone strike" on his hometown, Kryvyi Rih, and in the Sumy region. Communities in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions also came under fire.

2 hours ago09:27 Emily Wright

As Donald Trump admits that Russia " could be dragging their feet" over negotiations to end the war, a military analyst has revealed that the country had a history of breaking deals.

According to Sky News military analyst, Michael Clarke, Russia has broken 190 deals.

One of the most important for Ukraine was the 2014 Minsk Agreements, signed in an attempt to end fighting after Russia invaded Crimea.

That being said, Russia has been more consistent on agreements when it involves its own companies. When Gazprom supplied gas to Europe, "they always stuck to their contracts, they always did until about 2008," added Clarke.

Russia has a history of breaking deals, says military analyst. (Image: Getty)

2 hours ago09:18 Emily Wright

Earlier this month, Vladimir Putin rejected a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire which Kyiv had agreed to.

The Russian President said a comprehensive truce could only work if foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine came to an end. Rejecting the full ceasefire, he only agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.

About 80% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian bombs, Zelensky said last September.

Click here to read more about Trump's admission about prospects of ending the war.

2 hours ago09:12 Emily Wright

US intelligence officials are set for a hearing amid the fallout from the infamous military plan leak. A journalist was accidentally added to - and kept in - a Signal group chat made to discuss strikes on Yemen's Houthis earlier this month.

While there is no apparent discussion of the Ukraine war directly, it raises serious concerns over Washington's handling of classified and sensitive material, particularly as the ceasefire talks with Russia continue.

You can read more about the leaked military plan here.

3 hours ago08:14 Emily Wright

Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia's behaviour over the coming days will "reveal a lot - if not everything" in his nightly video.

The Ukrainian president has welcomed the progress on a ceasefire, but has said Russia's next moves will show the world whether the Kremlin is serious about peace.

“How Russia behaves in the coming days will reveal a lot - if not everything. If there are air raid alerts again, if there is renewed military activity in the Black Sea, if Russian manipulations and threats continue - then new measures will need to be taken, specifically against Moscow."

Russia's action over next few days 'will reveal a lot', says Volodymyr Zelensky. (Image: Getty)

4 hours ago07:26 Emily Wright

Ukraine's air force has said 117 drones were launched by Russia overnight and 56 of them were shot down.

Another 48 were lost, allegedly due to electronic jamming.

It is unclear what has happened to the remaining 13 drones.

4 hours ago07:05 Emily Wright

Russia has refused to return the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant back to Ukraine, calling it a "Russian facility".

"The return of the station to Russia’s nuclear sector has been a fait accompli for quite some time," the Russian foreign ministry said yesterday.

"Transferring the Zaporizhzhia plant to the control of Ukraine or another country is impossible,” it said in a statement.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear plant, was captured by the Russians just a few days into the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Since then, they have maintained control of the facility and stationed Russian staff there.

The facility has been targeted by drone attacks from both sides, forcing a UN nuclear watchdog to warn against any attacks that could endanger the plant's reactors.

The largest city in the region, Zaporizhzhia, remains under Ukrainian control.

4 hours ago07:01 Emily Wright

The mayor of the Ukrainian port city, Mykolaiv, said there were emergency power outages early on Wednesday after reports that multiple drones were downed over the region.

Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said the southern port city was subject to an air raid alert shortly after midnight, then around 2am and 3am, and again at 7.40am local time.

At least seven Shahed drones were destroyed over the region, according to the regional governor Vitaliy Kim.

(Image: Getty)

4 hours ago06:56 Emily Wright

Russia launched its biggest drone attack yet on Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown, Kryvyi Rih, according to the city's military administration chief.

Writing on the Telegram messaging app, Oleksandr Vilkul said "apparently, this is how the occupiers 'want peace'".

"Most importantly, there were no deaths or injuries," he added.

Though Kryvyi Rih has been a frequent target during the war, the report has not been independently verified.

4 hours ago06:50 Emily Wright

Russia's defence ministry says its forces destroyed at least nine Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over the waters of the Black Sea.

The statement comes just hours after the US said it had struck deals with bost countries to pause their attacks over the Black Sea and against energy infrastructure.

However, it was not immediately clear how many drones were launched over Russia overnight and there were no immediate reports of hits on Black Sea or energy targets, the Independent reports.

Russia says it downed two Ukrainian drones over Black Sea (Image: Getty)

4 hours ago06:46 Emily Wright

President Trump admitted that Vladimir Putin could be trying to delay a full truce with Ukraine.

Ukraine and its allies have accused the Kremlin of delaying negotiations to end its three-year full-scale invasion by presenting a list of delaying conditions and demands.

Asked if he believed that the Kremlin was stalling, Trump said on Tuesday he thought “Russia wants to see an end” to its full-scale invasion.

“But it could be that they’re dragging their feet,” he admitted, adding that he had used the same tactic in his past business negotiations.

“I’ve done it over the years,” Trump said. “You know, I don’t want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game but maybe I don’t want to do it quite, I’m not sure.”

4 hours ago06:43 Emily Wright

The first tentative agreement has been reached between Kyiv and Moscow after an intense 12 hours of talks with the US in Saudi Arabia. They agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, but quickly dispited when it would actually commence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin of lying when it said the truce would only begin once some Western sanctions were lifted.

He maintained the agreement came into force as soon as it was announced by the US yesterday afternoon.

The Kremlin said a moratorium on energy attacks until mid-April was also built into the agreement and released a list of protected facilities.

Read more about the ceasefire deal here.

4 hours ago06:39 Emily Wright

A US intelligence report has found that both Ukraine and Russia would choose a longer war over a bad peace deal.

The assessment, presented to the US Senate on Tuesday, conflicts with Trump's pledge for a rapid end to the war, Bloomberg reported.

US administration officials are aiming to reach a full ceasefire as soon as 20 April, the news outlet said.

4 hours ago06:37 Emily Wright

In a huge change of US policy, Donald Trump's administration said it would "help restore Russia's access to the world market for agricultural and fertiliser exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions".

According to Trump, his administration was "looking into" Russian requests to lift sanctions.

5 hours ago06:27 Emily Wright