Ukraine-Russia war latest: US tells NATO to ‘boost firepower’ ahead of Trump-Zelensky meeting

Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko has met with IMF bosses Kristalina Georgieva and Dan Katz to discuss support programmes for the country.

In a post on X, Ms Svyrydenko wrote: “Under the current Extended Fund Facility program, Ukraine has successfully passed a record eight reviews and received $10.6 billion in financing.

“This program helped us maintain macro-financial stability even amid the uncertainty and challenges of the largest war in Europe in 80 years. It is important for us that the next program seamlessly continue the previous one.

“We were glad to hear the IMF leadership’s positive assessment of Ukraine’s progress — particularly on economic, fiscal, monetary, anti-corruption policies within our joint program.”

The US is ready to slap China with tariffs over its purchasing of Russian oil – but has warned European allies must be ready to do the same.

“It is the purchase of Russian oil by China that fuels the Russian war machines. China buys 60%, six zero percent, of Russian energy. They buy 90% of Iranian energy,” treasury chief Scott Bessent said.

It comes after President Donald Trump told European leaders that countries in the continent must stop buying Russian oil in September, claiming that it is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine.

The European Commission has proposed legislation to phase out EU imports of Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028, as Brussels seeks to sever its decades-old energy relations with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Government has sanctioned Russia’s biggest oil producer Rosneft as part of its latest set of measures targeting Russia’s economy amid the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced Rosneft, along with Lukoil – two of the world’s largest energy companies – would face restrictions from the UK.

The Foreign Office said the two firms export 3.1 million barrels of oil a day. Rosneft, Russia’s largest firm, is responsible for 6% of global oil production, and makes up nearly half of Russian oil produced.

Other action was taken against the so-called “shadow fleet”, which allows Russia to export oil.

The new sanctions came as the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament visited the House of Commons on Wednesday.

Speaking in the Commons, Ms Cooper said: “We will ramp up the pressure on Russia to ensure that their escalation comes at a clear cost.

“So I am today setting out a further new set of sanctions, among our strongest so far, to tighten the pressure on Russia’s economy.”

Foreign donors have provided £3.3 billion to a Czech-led initiative to find and deliver large-calibre ammunition to Ukraine, the Czech defence minister has said.

The programme matches Czech arms producers and traders with potential sellers who often prefer to remain unnamed, and foreign donors.

Jana Cernochova said the Czech Republic has arranged supplies of 3.7 million artillery rounds to Ukraine, including 1.3 million so far this year.

Nato chief Mark Rutte says that he is “very happy” that Zelensky and Trump will meet in Washington on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, he says Nato “is ready and willing to do what it takes to keep our 1 billion people safe and our territory secure”.

Asked whether he believes Trump will provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles that could significantly tip the war in Kyiv’s favour, he responds: “I will not get into that, it’s up to individual allies.”

Germany and France have signed an implementation agreement for a satellite-based early warning system called “Odin’s eye”.

The system will significantly improve capabilities to detect missile launches, as Europe seeks to spend more on defence to deter Russia.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed a former regional governor to lead the port city of Odesa after revoking the citizenship of the former Mayor.

The appointment of Serhiy Lysak, who had led the Dnipropetrovsk region, came a day after the removal of mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov over his alleged possession of a Russian passport.

Mr Trukhanov, 60, who has governed the Black Sea port city for over a decade, rejected the accusation.

“I will appeal the decision to strip me of my Ukrainian citizenship in the Supreme Court. And, if that is not enough, I will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights,” he said in a video statement.

President Vladimir Putin will hold talks in Moscow with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa over the fate of Russia’s military bases in Syria, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin said that Sharaa, who once headed the Syrian branch of al Qaeda and who toppled close Russian ally Bashar al-Assad late last year, was in Russia on a working visit.

The fate of Russia’s two main bases in Syria – the Hmeimim airbase in Syria’s Latakia province, and its naval facility at Tartous on the coast – will be discussed, the Kremlin said.

Moscow has the ability to strike “deep into Europe”, Poland’s foreign minister has warned, as he told European leaders it would be “irresponsible” not to build a drone wall on the eastern flank of the continent.

Speaking in London on Tuesday, Radosław Sikorski unveiled a Russian-flown Shahed-136 drone downed in Ukraine and urged leaders to pledge support to Ukraine for at least the next three years.

He said Ukraine was planning resources to fight for the next three years and that Western leaders “need to convince Putin that we are ready to stay the course for at least those three years”.

He added he hoped US President Donald Trump would make long-range Tomahawk missiles available to the country to bolster strikes against Russian infrastructure.

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