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Russia pushes second meeting in Istanbul, Ukraine tells Moscow to pony up ceasefire terms first. Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed some 50,000 troops on Ukraine’s northern border despite a united push by the U.S. and Ukraine to get Moscow to enter into "meaningful" ceasefire negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday warned that Putin is preparing a massive summer offensive in a move to push Ukraine’s troops out of Russia’s Kursk region, and to launch a new invasion into Ukraine’s Sumy region – a mere 200 miles from the capital city of Kyiv. Zelenskyy reiterated this week that he...

President Trump appeared to give Vladimir Putin a hard deadline for ending the war in Ukraine — as the Kremlin revealed Thursday the Russian leader has no plans to pow wow with the commander-in-chief. “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently, but it will take about a week and a half to two weeks,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday. Asked whether Putin wanted to end the war, Trump said, “I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in...

Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Vladimir Putin after accusing him of deliberately drawing out the fragile peace process in Ukraine. The US president was asked whether he thought it was "disrespectful" of his Russian counterpart to accuse him of being overly emotional. A reporter questioned: "Do you believe the Russians are being disrespectful when they say that your criticisms of Putin are simply an emotional response? And do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war? Mr Trump responded: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two...

Putin hits Ukraine with 300 drones and missiles in 'massive attack' that leaves Trump outraged President Vladimir Putin’s conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia, according to three Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end the deadliest European conflict since World War Two and has shown increasing frustration with Putin in recent days, warning on Tuesday the Russian leader was “playing with fire” by refusing to engage in...

United States President Donald Trump admitted on Wednesday that he "can't tell" if his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin truly wants to end his country's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Speaking at the White House amid the Swearing-In for the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Trump said that "I'll let you know in two weeks" after more negotiations have taken place. He also complimented US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff for "doing a phenomenal job" mediating the talks between Russia and Ukraine and for "dealing with him [Putin] very strongly." Asked about his...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement on Wednesday that the Russian delegation led by President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky is ready to present a memorandum to Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul. "The Russian side, as agreed, promptly developed a corresponding memorandum, which sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis. Our delegation is ready to present this memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary explanations during the second round of resumed direct negotiations in Istanbul next Monday, June 2," the Russian diplomat stated.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that United States President Donald Trump wants a "speedy" settlement to the conflict in Ukraine after being asked about Trump's comments that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "playing with fire." "It is clear that the American side, which is making considerable efforts for peaceful regulation, and President Trump personally, want a speedy settlement. And we repeat once again and are grateful for the mediation efforts of President Trump personally," Peskov said. "There is definitely a huge number of nuances in the context of what is to be discussed, which cannot be sacrificed. And...

Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev has issued a sobering warning to Donald Trump after the US leader accused Vladimir Putin of “playing with fire”. US President Mr Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, said: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” The remark drew a sharp response from Mr Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and one of Mr Putin’s most outspoken allies. Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “Regarding Trump's...

Moscow makes comment after US president’s criticism of record drone strikes on Ukraine Russia has suggested that Donald Trump is suffering from “emotional overload” as it deflected his criticism of its record drone strikes on Ukraine at the weekend.

Russia has accused Donald Trump of falling victim to 'emotional overload' at a 'crucial moment' after the US President labelled Vladimir Putin 'absolutely crazy' for his brutal missile attacks on Ukraine. When asked about Trump's explosive remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hit back but also thanked the President for helping to enable ceasefire talks. 'We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process,' he said. 'Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of...