Ukraine-Russia war latest: US to lead talks in Saudi Arabia as Trump warns Ukraine ‘may not survive’ – UK Times

Elon Musk says the “entire frontline” in Ukraine would collapse if he chose to turn off his Starlink internet system.

Starlink terminals have played a vital role in securing communications in the war in Ukraine, with most battlefield positions equipped with their own terminal.

Last year, Ukraine said around 42,000 terminals were in operation across the military, hospitals, businesses and aid organisations.

Posting on X, Musk said Starlink was the “backbone of the Ukrainian army” and the “entire front line would collapse if I turned it off”.

He said he was “sickened by… years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose”.

Donald Trump has declined to criticise Vladimir Putin for continuing to attack Ukraine at the time when his administration is trying to broker a peace deal.

On being asked by a Washington Post reporter if he felt Mr Putin was “disrespecting” him by attacking Ukraine while he was trying to make a peace deal, Mr Trump said: “What did he do? Is he disrespecting me? Who are you with.”

“You’ve lost a lot of credibility,” he then told the reporter with the leading daily.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski of “making things up” and suggested on Sunday he was ungrateful.

Poland pays for Kyiv to use the services of Elon Musk’s Starlink, which provides crucial internet connectivity to Ukraine and its military.

Musk, a high-profile figure in the administration of US President Donald Trump, said in a post on his X social media platform on Sunday that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse if I turned it (Starlink) off”.

He said he was “sickened by years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose”.

The US government has already revoked some access to satellite imagery for Ukraine and paused intelligence sharing, piling pressure on Kyiv as Trump seeks a swift end to the war, now in its fourth year after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

US negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to the service, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in February.

“Starlinks for Ukraine are paid for by the Polish Digitization Ministry at the cost of about $50 million per year,” Sikorski wrote on X later on Sunday.

“The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers.”

Rubio hit back at Sikorski, saying in a post on X that he was “making things up” and that “No-one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink”.

“And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now,” Rubio added.

Musk later said he would “never” cut Starlink off despite disagreeing with Ukraine.

The United States has “just about” ended the suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, president Donald Trump says.

Asked if he would consider ending the suspension, Mr Trump said: “We just about have. We just about have.”

On Wednesday last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that the US had halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine, piling pressure on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with Mr Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.

Britain and other European nations must be ready to take over Nato if Donald Trump carries out US threats to withdraw from the organisation.

They must replace American military aid to Ukraine scrapped by Mr Trump and make sure Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not win the conflict.

That was the powerful message delivered on Saturday by former Conservative defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace.

“We are witnessing a new era where we cannot take for granted US security guarantees,” said Sir Ben.

On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky.

During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region.

Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.

Read the full story by The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley here:

As our world affairs editor reports from Ukraine, Russia is exploiting Donald Trump’s decision to withhold intelligence by stepping up its attacks and, in the process, is regaining ground in Kursk.

Elite Russian airborne and marine units, backed by North Korean soldiers, launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians with artillery, drones and air attacks. The absence of US intelligence is giving Russia a crucial advantage. “We’re losing,” one Ukrainian fighting in Kursk told this newspaper.

The vast intelligence community of the US, with 18 agencies, previously provided Kyiv with crucial information, including satellite imagery. Without it, Ukrainian forces have far less real-time knowledge of Russian formations, movements, logistics and warnings of missile attacks.

On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky.

During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region.

Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.

Read the full story by The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley here: