Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says he will discuss long-range missiles with Trump ‘for sake of peace’ – UK Times

“Yeah, I might tell him (Putin), if the war is not settled, we may very well do it,” Trump said.

“We may not, but we may do it… do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.”

Medvedev, an arch-hawk who has repeatedly goaded Trump on social media, said it is impossible to distinguish between Tomahawk missiles carrying nuclear warheads and conventional ones after they are launched – a point that president Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson has also made.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said Europe is ready to further support Ukraine amid intensifying attacks from Russia.

The former Estonian prime minister met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, later stating that “new measures are in the works”.

The “significant threat” posed by Chinese and Russian hackers has contributed to a record number of serious online attacks, the UK’s cyber security agency has warned.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, recorded a 50% increase in “highly significant” incidents in the year to the end of August.

The attacks on household names including Marks and Spencer, Co-op and Jaguar Land Rover have shown the real world impact of cyberattacks, the NCSC said.

Russia attacked Kharkiv with guided bombs on Monday, shutting off power to nearly 30,000 customers across three districts, according to Reuters.

The mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, said four people were injured as three guided bombs damaged a hospital and struck a power transmission line.

He said: “Unfortunately, the hospital was quite badly damaged and there were patients inside. Four people were injured to various degrees and about 200 windows were smashed.

“Attacks are generally on energy targets – generation transmission, the power network. The aim is to have the power transmission network stop working.”

Russia’s defence ministry announced earlier on Monday that its forces have taken control of two villages in eastern Ukraine. According to a statement posted on the ministry’s Telegram channel, troops captured Borivska Andriyivka in the Kharkiv region.

The ministry also reported the seizure of Kulykivske in the neighbouring Donetsk region.

Ukraine and the US are reportedly closing in on a landmark drone deal in which Ukraine would share drone technology with the United States.

European diplomats see such a deal as an important tool for keeping the US president engaged and supportive of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky has urged European countries to act faster on making use of frozen Russian assets to benefit Ukraine.

In a statement last week, the UK, France and Germany said the joint action would “increase pressure” on Vladimir Putin and “bring Russia to the negotiation table”.

More detail has emerged about Trump and Zelensky’s Friday meeting, with the Ukrainian leader telling reporters that the two plan to discuss Ukraine’s air defence and long-range strike capabilities.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelensky said that he had shared with Trump a “vision” of how many US Tomahawk missiles Ukraine needs for its war effort against Russia and that the two leaders would discuss further details on the matter at their working lunch at the end of the week.

Zelensky has been lobbying Washington to supply the US-produced Tomahawk missiles, which have the capacity to hit Moscow, but which Ukrainian has said would only be used against military targets. Moscow has said such a move would represent a serious escalation. Trump has suggested he would consider sending the missiles to Ukraine, but has also said he may talk to Vladimir Putin about it.

The European Union will provide €10m (£8.7m) to support the creation of a special tribunal aimed at prosecuting Russia for the crime of aggression, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian official Andrii Sybiha, Kallas said the funding marks the bloc’s first direct financial commitment to the tribunal effort.

She also pledged an additional €6m (£5.2m) to assist Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia and survivors of sexual violence linked to the conflict.

“The first €10m in funding to establish a special tribunal to address Russia’s crimes” has now been allocated, Kallas said, underscoring the EU’s continued backing for Ukraine as the war enters its third year.