![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/\/e00635e0-20a2-419c-95f2-3f22005afe71.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAsked if he would consider more sanctions for Russia \u201cif the bombs keep falling\u201d, Trump suggested a deadline for US peace efforts. He said: \u201cI\u2019d rather answer that question in a week. I want to see if we can have a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Did the US believe Crimea should be handed to Russia? Trump said it was \u201cjust handed it over\u201d under President Obama. \u201cNow they say, well, can you get it back? I think that\u2019s going to be a very difficult thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
What concessions have been offered by Russia? Trump said: \u201cStopping the war. Stopping taking the whole country. Pretty big concession.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump: \u2018It takes two to tango\u2019 <\/p>\n
President Trump has been asked why he was not putting more pressure on Russia to come to a peace deal. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what pressure I\u2019m putting on Russia. They\u2019re dealing,\u201d he replied. \u201cWe\u2019re putting a lot of pressure on Russia, and Russia knows that. Some people that are close to it know. Or [Putin] wouldn\u2019t be talking right now.<\/p>\n
Trump, speaking in the Oval Office alongside Jonas Gahr Store, Norway\u2019s prime minister, continued: \u201cI think he wants to make a deal. We\u2019re going to find out very soon. But it takes two to tango. And you have to have Ukraine want to make a deal, too. And they\u2019re being hit very hard. And I do believe they want to make a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
UK \u2018could join European defence programme\u2019 <\/p>\n
Talks with Sir Keir Starmer could lead to the UK joining a European defence programme, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said after the two met in London on Thursday. <\/p>\n
UK and EU officials hope that a defence and security pact will be the highlight of a summit on May 19. Both sides wish to improve ties as President Trump casts doubt on the United States\u2019 commitment to Nato.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will discuss work on a strategic security and defence partnership agreement, which might pave the way then to a joint procurement and UK participation in our SAFE programme,\u201d Von der Leyen said. She was referring to a \u20ac150 billion joint EU fund for missiles, artillery, drones, ammunition and other equipment.<\/p>\n
View on occupied Crimea \u2018part of negotiations\u2019 <\/p>\n
The Trump administration\u2019s willingness to acknowledge Russian control of Crimea \u201ccould change\u201d and was \u201cjust part of the negotiating\u201d between the White House and the Kremlin, William B Taylor, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, has told Times Radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrimea is not part of Russia. It has been part of Ukraine since 1954,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThe proposal for the United States to acknowledge or accept or recognise that Crimea is part of Russia is just part of the negotiating. That could change.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, the Russians occupy Crimea and other parts of Ukraine as well but you don\u2019t have to recognise that de jure, legally. You can acknowledge de facto that they are there, they are occupying, they\u2019ve been occupying Crimea since 2014 \u2014 but you don\u2019t have to acknowledge or recognise that the Russians own Crimea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deal \u2018imperative for Ukraine\u2019 as weapons run out<\/p>\n
Ukraine is running out of munitions which are unlikely to be replaced as US support wavers and Europe is unable to step up, General Sir John McColl, the former deputy supreme allied commander of Nato from 2007 to 2011, has said. <\/p>\n
He was concerned that Trump would \u201cwalk away from the peace deal that he and his administration are trying to broker\u201d. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard that from him, we\u2019ve heard that from the vice president as well. And if that\u2019s the case, then that\u2019s really difficult from a military perspective for Ukraine\u201d, the retired British officer told Times Radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen President Biden was in the White House, he authorised a series of arms packages. And so there was a stockpile of vital munitions that were built up. And those are running out. President Trump has not authorised any new packages and Europe is not in a position to fill the gap created by the US.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo in terms of the imperative for reaching a deal, then I think that clearly that imperative lies with Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Top-down foreign policy creates challenges for UK <\/p>\n
British diplomats face a challenge dealing with President Trump\u2019s approach to foreign policy, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, former UK national security adviser and former ambassador to the UN, has told Times Radio. <\/p>\n
\u201cBritain has long had a unique ability to influence American policy upstream, precisely through quiet diplomatic channels between the two establishments,\u201d Sir Mark said. \u201cWhat\u2019s more difficult at the moment is that a lot of the policy is completely top down, driven by President Trump himself and the people he has surrounded himself (with). <\/p>\n
\u201cHis top advisers and politicians are essentially spokespeople for President Trump and they don\u2019t appear to be willing or able to influence him from below. And that is the difficulty I think that British diplomacy has at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Times event: 100 days of Trump <\/p>\n
Join us on Thursday, May 1 for an exclusive event reflecting on Donald Trump\u2019s first 100 days in office, with sharp analysis and thought-provoking debate on the policies and controversies that have defined his presidency so far. <\/p>\n
Confirmed speakers include Hugo Rifkind<\/b>, columnist and Times Radio presenter; Josh Glancy<\/b>, editor of The News Review; columnist Matthew Syed<\/b>; economist Linda Yueh<\/b>; and Republicans Overseas UK spokesperson Sarah Elliott<\/b>.<\/p>\n
For more information and to book tickets, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n US still talking trade with China <\/p>\n President Trump also insisted that trade talks with China were continuing, despite Beijing\u2019s claims that negotiations were not taking place as he had announced.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may reveal it later but they had meetings this morning, and we\u2019ve been meeting with China,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Trump for the Nobel peace prize?<\/p>\n Jonas Gahr Store, the Norwegian prime minster, swerved a question about whether Trump \u201cdeserves to be nominated\u201d for a Nobel peace prize.<\/p>\n Store replied: \u201cWell, I salute President Trump for having been taking very important initiatives to get this conflict towards an end, which both parties deserve. We need to have a ceasefire, save lives, and move towards something which is more secure for Europe, for the people concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cOn that prize, you know, that is the committee taking care of that, which is completely working on its own terms, and I cannot comment on that.\u201d<\/p>\n President Trump gave an equivocal answer when asked if he thought Nato was \u201csacrosanct\u201d. Jens Stoltenberg, a former Nato secretary-general and a member of the Norwegian delegation, was facing him across the table.<\/p>\n Trump said: \u201cWell, it\u2019s a very interesting question. It\u2019s certainly very important for Europe, and I think without us, it wouldn\u2019t be nearly as powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if the US had a deadline for the peace talks, President Trump said: \u201cI have my own deadline, we want it to be fast. After that, we\u2019re going to have a very much different attitude. But I think it has a very good chance of getting done.\u201d<\/p>\n Putin will heed my words, says Trump<\/p>\n President Trump has suggested that President Putin will take notice of his exhortation to cease missile attacks on Ukraine after Thursday\u2019s strike on Kyiv. <\/p>\n Trump was about to meet Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re, Norway\u2019s prime minister, at the White House when he was asked if Putin would listen to him. \u201cI do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Trump was also asked if Russia was serious about peace. He said: \u201cWe are thinking very strongly that they both want peace. We have to get [Russia and Ukraine] to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re waiting a long time. They have to get them to the table and I think we\u2019re going to get peace. I think they both want to make peace. I do believe so. There\u2019s a lot of hatred there. There\u2019s a lot of very bad blood, a lot of distrust. But I think we\u2019re going to, I hope we\u2019re going to get there for the sake of a lot of young people that are dying.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump claimed that 5,000 young people a week were \u201cdying in that ridiculous war\u201d.<\/p>\n Zelensky defends his stance in Oval Office row<\/p>\n President Zelensky has defended his conduct in the ill-tempered Oval Office meeting with President Trump and JD Vance, telling an American podcaster that he would \u201calways defend \u2026 the dignity of our country\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump and Vance, the vice-president, berated Zelensky, especially after he warned that America would one day feel the impact of Russian aggression. A visibly angry Trump told him: \u201cYou\u2019re gambling with World War Three.\u201d<\/p>\n Zelensky and Trump exchanged angry words in their disastrous meeting at the White House in February<\/p>\n SAUL LOEB\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Zelensky said on Thursday that he had been trying to impress upon Trump that Russia was the aggressor. The US president has repeatedly said that Ukraine \u201cstarted\u201d the war. At other times Trump has suggested that both countries were responsible for Russia\u2019s invasion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe consider the United States as a strong strategic partner with an influence,\u201d Zelensky told Ben Shapiro, a pro-Trump media personality, during an interview in Kyiv that was recorded on Tuesday. \u201cWe would really like to have these two strengths used towards Russia, so that the force would be towards Russia because they\u2019re the one who is the aggressor. We would like to have this common understanding that Russia is the aggressor, not we,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be saying that Ukraine and Russia started this war. I believe that it\u2019s painful for our people to hear. This is why we respond in this way. We\u2019re talking about the dignity of our country,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if we\u2019re talking in a diplomatic environment, everything is related to Ukraine\u2019s dignity. I will always defend it. This is my job.<\/p>\n Give more, Nato chief tells members<\/p>\n Mark Rutte, Nato\u2019s secretary-general, has urged its 32 member nations to devote more funds, equipment and political energy. <\/p>\n \u201cIn 2025, we need to significantly increase our efforts to ensure Nato remains a key source of military advantage for all our nations. Our continued freedom and prosperity depend on it,\u201d Rutte wrote in his annual report, which has been posted on Nato\u2019s website. <\/p>\n Rutte was in Washington on Thursday meeting senior US officials. Nato is the world\u2019s biggest military alliance but America is stepping back from its role as underwriter of European security. <\/p>\n Poland condemns \u2018bestial Russian attacks\u2019 <\/p>\n Poland, which is among Ukraine\u2019s staunchest supporters, has expressed solidarity following Russia\u2019s missile attacks.<\/p>\n Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.<\/a><\/p>\n Enable cookiesAllow cookies onceCash in on turbulence, urges Putin<\/p>\n President Putin has urged his officials to take advantage of opportunities in the global economy arising from market turbulence and intensifying trade wars.<\/p>\n Russian trade with the United States and European Union has fallen sharply because of sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. Because of those sanctions, however, Russia was not on the list of tariffs that President Trump announced last month. Even so, Moscow is braced for a protracted period of lower oil prices \u2014 its main export \u2014 and declining budget revenues.<\/p>\n Putin told officials: \u201cThe global economic situation is becoming more complicated as commodities and financial markets experience significant fluctuations due to intensified global competition. It is necessary not only to monitor these factors and predict their changes but also to use the emerging opportunities to develop domestic production, trade relations and exports to strengthen the national economy as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n Kyiv missile strike injured 90 <\/p>\n The number of people wounded in the attack on Kyiv has also risen. The emergency services say that 90 were injured when a residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district was hit by a missile. <\/p>\n The death toll from the Russian strike on Kyiv early on Thursday has risen to 12, emergency services in the Ukrainian capital have reported. <\/p>\n \u201cRescuers continue to clear the rubble,\u201d said Pavlo Petrenko, spokesman for the city\u2019s emergency services. He said a 17-year-old boy and a 27-year-old woman whose bodies had been pulled out of the rubble were the latest confirmed victims. <\/p>\n Europe\u2019s plan to stop Russian fuel imports <\/p>\n The European Commission will present its plan for phasing out imports of Russian fossil fuels in the next two weeks, Ursula von der Leyen, the president, said at an energy event in London on Thursday.<\/p>\n The European Commission has pledged to stop importing Russian fossil fuels by 2027, in response to Moscow\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n Why Kyiv would rather fight than give Crimea to Russia<\/p>\n Analysis by Marc Bennetts in Kyiv<\/p>\n For President Trump, the solution to the war in Ukraine is extremely simple: Kyiv should recognise the realities on the ground and put aside its objections to the Kremlin\u2019s land grabs. For many Ukrainians, though, Trump\u2019s demands are not only unrealistic but a threat to the very existence of their country.<\/p>\n President Zelensky\u2019s refusal to acknowledge Russian rule in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was annexed in 2014, led Trump to post on his Truth Social platform: \u201cIt\u2019s inflammatory statements like Zelensky\u2019s that makes it so difficult to settle this War.\u201d Crimea had been \u201clost years ago\u201d, he said. <\/p>\n For Kyiv, the recognition of Russia\u2019s seizure of Crimea would set a \u201cdangerous precedent\u201d and only encourage President Putin\u2019s appetite for Ukrainian lands.<\/p>\n Read in full <\/b>here<\/b><\/a>. <\/b><\/p>\n Putin is the obstacle to peace, Macron says<\/p>\n President Macron has said that President Putin is the only person holding up a peace deal. <\/p>\n \u201cIf President Putin says yes, the weapons will fall silent tomorrow, lives will be saved,\u201d he said. \u201cUS anger should be directed at only one person, President Putin.\u201d<\/p>\n North Korean ballistic missiles caused Kyiv devastation <\/p>\n The weapon that killed at least eight people in a major Russian attack on Kyiv overnight was the North Korean KN-23 (KN-23A) ballistic missile, a Ukrainian military source told Reuters.<\/p>\n Russia has not commented directly on the strike, with the Kremlin saying only that it has been hitting \u201cmilitary and military-adjacent\u201d targets. Russia and North Korea have denied weapons transfers that would violate UN embargoes.<\/p>\n Russia fired 70 missiles and 145 drones overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force.<\/p>\n Ukraine has said North Korea has supplied Russia with vast amounts of artillery shells as well as rocket systems, thousands of troops and ballistic missiles, which Moscow began using for strikes at the end of 2023.<\/p>\n By the start of 2025, Pyongyang had supplied Russia with 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, according to Ukrainian intelligence.<\/p>\n Putin must stop lying, Macron says President Putin in Moscow on Wednesday<\/p>\n GAVRIIL GRIGOROV\/POOL\/REUTERS<\/p>\n President Macron has told President Putin to \u201cstop lying\u201d over wanting peace in Ukraine while continuing to strike the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing to do is for President Putin to finally stop lying,\u201d Macron said during a visit to Madagascar, saying the Russian leader was telling US negotiators \u201che wants peace\u201d but then continued \u201cto bombard Ukraine\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Ukraine, they only want a single answer: Does President Putin agree to an unconditional ceasefire?\u201d<\/p>\n Ramaphosa calls for unconditional ceasefire<\/p>\n During their press conference in Pretoria, President Ramaphosa said the meeting with President Zelensky had reaffirmed the \u201cbonds\u201d between South Africa and Ukraine. He also said he had spoken with Trump and Putin earlier this week.<\/p>\n He said South Africa sees diplomacy as the only path to peace in Ukraine and noted his government has experience in this area because of the transition from apartheid. <\/p>\n \u201cIf there is one thing history \u2026 has taught us it is diplomacy and dialogue is more important than any weapon,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n Asked if he subscribed to the US view that Ukraine may have to cede territory to Russia to achieve peace, Ramaphosa replied that he supported an \u201cunconditional ceasefire\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump tells Putin: \u2018Vladimir, stop!\u2019<\/p>\n Donald Trump has taken to his Truth Social account to condemn the overnight strikes on Kyiv by Russia, which claimed at least eight lives.<\/p>\n \u201cI am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,\u201d wrote the US president. \u201cNot necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!\u201d<\/p>\n Last night Trump lashed out at President Zelensky and accused him of being an obstacle to a peace deal.<\/p>\n Zelensky: US putting no pressure on Russia President Zelensky held talks with his South African counterpart<\/p>\n PHILL MAGAKOE\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n President Volodymyr Zelensky said he did not see signs the United States was putting \u201cany strong pressure\u201d on Russia as part of its peace push.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian leader, at a joint press conference in South Africa alongside President Ramaphosa, said it was already a big compromise on Kyiv\u2019s part to agree to negotiate with Russia once a ceasefire is in place.<\/p>\n He added that Ukraine was fighting for \u201cour survival\u201d.<\/p>\n UK unveils Russian tech sanctions<\/p>\n The Foreign Office has announced some 150 new trade sanctions against Russia.<\/p>\n They target software and technology used in Russian defence and energy sectors, including banning video game controllers used to pilot drones on the front lines in Ukraine.<\/p>\n The Foreign Office minister, Stephen Doughty, said: \u201cPutin thought he could use British markets to boost his war effort, buying harmless goods and turning them into tools of war \u2014 but the UK is exposing and acting on this sinister trade. <\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s action clamps down on Russia\u2019s sneaky trading and deprives Putin of the goods he desperately needs to fight his barbaric war.\u201d<\/p>\n Starmer: Attacks demonstrate Moscow is \u2018aggressor\u2019<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s overnight strikes on Kyiv are \u201ca real, human reminder\u201d that Russia is the aggressor, Sir Keir Starmer said.<\/p>\n The prime minister said: \u201cI think it\u2019s a real reminder that Russia is the aggressor here and that is being felt by the Ukrainians, as it has been felt for three long years now.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to get Russia to an unconditional ceasefire. Obviously, we had talks in London this week, Paris last week. We\u2019re making progress towards the ceasefire. It\u2019s got to be a lasting ceasefire.<\/p>\n \u201cBut these attacks \u2014 these awful attacks \u2014 are a real, human reminder of who is the aggressor here and the cost to the Ukrainian people.\u201d<\/p>\n Moscow blames \u2018drug addict\u2019 Zelensky for deadlock<\/p>\n Russia attacks Zelensky over peace deal<\/p>\n Russia has accused President Zelensky of a \u201cschizophrenic\u201d attitude to peace talks, saying he \u201ctorpedoed\u201d talks in London by refusing to countenance recognition of Moscow\u2019s rule over Crimea.<\/p>\n Maria Zakharov, the combative spokeswoman of Russia\u2019s foreign ministry, used Moscow\u2019s frequent and false smear that Zelensky is supposedly a drug addict to denigrate the Ukrainian leader.<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday, Zelensky, apparently having sniffed [drugs], categorically rejected any concessions and announced [Kyiv] does not recognise the joining of Crimea, as he put it, to Russia,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe demonstratively expressed his wish to hold negotiations only about a ceasefire, and only on his own conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Zakharova added that Zelensky had, \u201cwrecked the London round of consultations, confirming Bankova\u2019s [Zelensky\u2019s administration] intention to torpedo the \u2026 peace process\u201d.<\/p>\n Talks in London between the US, UK, France, Germany and Ukraine were postponed on Wednesday amid reports that the US and Russia had made progress in bilateral negotiations to end the conflict, including division of territory between the warring sides.<\/p>\n Kremlin welcomes US stance on Crimea A pro-Russian mural in occupied Crimea<\/p>\n ALEXEY PAVLISHAK\/REUTERS<\/p>\n The Kremlin has said that it fully shares President Trump\u2019s assertion that Ukraine lost Crimea years ago and it cannot be returned.<\/p>\n \u201cThis completely corresponds to our understanding and to what we have been saying for a long time,\u201d Dmitry Peskov, President Putin\u2019s spokesman, told reporters.<\/p>\n Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that \u201cCrimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion\u201d.<\/p>\n The US leader also criticised President Zelensky for insisting Kyiv would not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea, saying this was \u201cvery harmful to the Peace Negotiations\u201d.<\/p>\n Peskov refused to comment on reports that US recognition of Russia\u2019s 2014 annexation of Crimea could be part of a peace deal. <\/p>\n \u201cI repeat: work is continuing,\u201d he said of talks over the conflict, adding: \u201cWe are focused on continuing the negotiation process and we value the intermediary role of the American side.\u201d<\/p>\n US and South Africa \u2018want end to Ukraine war\u2019<\/p>\n As he met his Ukrainian counterpart, President Ramaphosa of South Africa announced on X he had spoken to the US leader on the eve of President Zelensky\u2019s visit and the two had \u201cagreed that the war should be brought to as end as soon as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n He said he and President Trump had also agreed to \u201cto meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations\u201d.<\/p>\n Since taking office Trump has attacked South Africa for what he claims is the persecution of the white Afrikaner minority. He cut aid to the country and offered Afrikaners refugee status in the US. <\/p>\n The South African government has denied white people are being persecuted and said Trump, whose key adviser, Elon Musk, was born in South Africa, has been taken in by right-wing propaganda.<\/p>\n Kharkiv hit during wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine<\/p>\n Eye witness: anger on shattered streets of Kyiv Residents were faced with yet more destruction from Russian bombing on Thursday<\/p>\n KOSTIANTYN LIBEROV\/LIBKOS\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n There was palpable anger among survivors of last night\u2019s attack on Kyiv, as rescue workers continued to clear rubble and remove shattered glass from apartment blocks.<\/p>\n The suspected ballistic missile that slammed into the city\u2019s Sviatoshynskyi district at about 1am tore roofs from buildings and destroyed parked cars. The devastation stretched over hundreds of metres.<\/p>\n \u201cThere can\u2019t be any peace with Russia. Putin wants to destroy us,\u201d said Viktor, 66, as he stood outside his daughter\u2019s windowless flat. \u201cI don\u2019t believe a word he says.\u201d<\/p>\n Another woman started to comment, but then stopped herself. \u201cI can\u2019t speak about Putin without swearing,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen is all this going to end?\u201d<\/p>\n Others queued at tents set up by humanitarian groups to provide aid, including psychological assistance. Volunteers helped carry out wreckage from damaged flats, a task that will likely take days to complete.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are stronger together,\u201d one of them said, smiling in face of the latest dose of death and destruction delivered by Russia.<\/p>\n Russian critic of army leadership sent to penal colony<\/p>\n A Russian general who became famous for accusing top brass of betraying his troops fighting in Ukraine has been sentenced to five years in a penal colony for fraud.<\/p>\n Ivan Popov was also stripped of his rank and given an 800,000 rouble (\u00a37,225) fine by a military court in Tambov for allegedly stealing 1,700 tonnes of metal products intended for military construction.<\/p>\n Popov came to prominence in 2023 when he accused the Russian army leadership\u2019s failure to provide adequate artillery support to frontline troops in Ukraines.<\/p>\n \u201cThe armed forces of Ukraine could not break through our army from the front, [but] our senior commander hit us from the rear, treacherously and vilely decapitating the army at the most difficult and tense moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Popov was arrested on suspicion of fraud in May last year in what was widely seen as punishment for his criticism.<\/p>\n Zelensky meets South African president President Zelensky with President Ramaphosa on a grim day for Ukraine<\/p>\n PHILL MAGAKOE\/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n President Zelensky has arrived at the Union Buildings in Pretoria where President Ramaphosa greeted him, smiling and shaking his hand.<\/p>\n The two then went in the building for private talks.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian leader had already announced he is cutting short his visit to return to Kyiv following overnight Russian attacks on his capital city.<\/p>\n From the street far below protest songs could be heard, as despite the rain supporters of former President Jacob Zuma\u2019s new populist, anti-Western opposition party were demonstrating. UK \u2018does not recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea\u2019 <\/p>\n Britain does not recognise Russian claims over Crimea or any territory \u201cillegally seized from Ukraine\u201d.<\/p>\n Stephen Doughty, a foreign office minister, told the Commons: \u201cThe UK position on Ukrainian sovereignty is well known and our position has not changed. We do not recognise Russian sovereignty over any territory illegally seized from Ukraine, including Crimea, and when, how and on what terms this war comes to an end can only be decided by negotiations with Ukraine at the heart of them.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said there had been \u201cno softening of the UK\u2019s commitment to the coalition of the willing\u201d and that the government\u2019s commitment to sanctions remains \u201cundiminished\u201d.<\/p>\n The government was even \u201cramping up the pressure\u201d by announcing new sanctions including on the re-purposing of game console controllers to kill Ukrainians.<\/p>\n Bombing of Kyiv \u2018absolutely horrific\u2019, UK says The UK government condemned Russia\u2019s recent missile and drone attacks on civilians, including the \u201cabsolutely horrific scenes overnight\u201d in Kyiv.<\/p>\n Stephen Doughty, a foreign office minister, also told the Commons that yesterday\u2019s meeting of representatives of the UK, France, Germany and the US in London was \u201cproductive and successful and significant progress was made in reaching common position on next steps\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cAll parties reiterated strong support for Trump\u2019s commitment to stopping the killing and achieving just lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Airstrikes achieved their goals, Russia boasts <\/p>\n Moscow said it achieved its objectives in a \u201cmassive strike\u201d on Ukraine overnight.<\/p>\n Russia said on Thursday it had targeted Ukraine\u2019s defence industry, including plants that produced \u201crocket fuel and gunpowder\u201d, during strikes that Kyiv said killed at least eight people.<\/p>\n \u201cOvernight, the Russian armed forces carried out a massive strike with long-range air, land and sea-based weapons, and drones, on Ukraine\u2019s aviation, aerospace, machine-building and armoured vehicle industries,\u201d the Russian defence ministry said.<\/p>\n It added: \u201cThe objectives of the strike have been achieved\u201d. <\/p>\n Kyiv shaken by worst airstrikes since July Rescue workers take a break at the site of a Russian missile attack on a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv<\/p>\n IVAN ANTYPENKO\/SUSPILNE UKRAINE\/JSC UA:PBC\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n For residents of Kyiv, drone attacks have become an almost nightly occurrence. But Wednesday\u2019s barrage of ballistic missile and kamikaze drones was the deadliest strike since July, when over 30 people were killed in the Ukrainian capital.<\/p>\n \u201cI woke up from the sound of the blasts. I\u2019d been sound asleep because I take medication to calm my nerves,\u201d said Olena, a middle-aged woman. \u201cWe ran straight to the air raid shelter in the metro.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA neighbour, a veteran of the war, died in the attack,\u201d she said. \u201cAnother boy we know is still missing. I think Putin did this because our president refused to agree to his terms for ending the war. This was his answer.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearby, survivors sat on a bench outside a wrecked block of apartments, the few possessions that they could salvage piled in front of them in bags.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve lived here my whole life,\u201d said one woman, shaking with emotion. \u201cWhere am I going to go now?\u201d<\/p>\n Zelensky can\u2019t agree a peace deal, Kremlin claims <\/p>\n Russia has claimed that is becoming clearer \u201cwith every second\u201d that the government in Kyiv is unable to negotiate a deal to end the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, said: \u201cWith every day, with every hour, with every second, Zelensky\u2019s inability to make a deal is becoming more obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n Zakharova accused Zelensky of \u201csabotaging\u201d both a 30-day mutual cessation of attacks on energy infrastructure, and a 30-hour Easter ceasefire announced by President Putin.<\/p>\n On both occasions, Ukraine accused Russia of violating the agreements, while Moscow said Ukrainian attacks continued against Russian targets.<\/p>\n Devastation in the wake of Russian attacks The rubble of an apartment block in the Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv on Thursday morning<\/p>\n IVAN ANTYPENKO\/SUSPILNE UKRAINE\/\/GETTY IMAGES)<\/p>\n The scene in the Sviatoshynskyi district, where many of the victims of last night\u2019s attack had their homes, was one of utter devastation on Thursday morning. <\/p>\n The missiles destroyed or damaged hundreds of flats in an ordinary residential area in the west of Kyiv.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were at home, when we heard the first explosion. We grabbed our baby and managed to go into the corridor and then a second explosion blew out the front door and all the windows,\u201d said Oleksandr, 30. \u201cWe weren\u2019t injured, but our flat wasn\u2019t hit as badly as many others.\u201d<\/p>\n He was standing next to remains of his car as he spoke. Other locals sat around in shock around the shattered husk of the apartment building. \u201cWe don\u2019t feel any effect of the peace talks,\u201d Oleksandr said.<\/p>\n Shapps: Disgusting that Trump\u2019s backing tyranny Grant Shapps, then the UK defence secretary, meets President Zelensky in Kyiv in September 2023<\/p>\n UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE\/PA<\/p>\n Former defence minister Grant Shapps said he has \u201csome theories\u201d as to why President Trump \u201cseems to support the tyrant\u201d, President Putin, but he is barred by the Official Secrets Act from sharing why.<\/p>\n He told Times Radio: \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s too much of a stretch, and many of your listeners will already know because it\u2019s publicly reported that he\u2019s had previous run-ins with Kyiv, unrelated to the war, and people may come to their own theories as to why he seemed to be in cahoots with Putin, who after all is a dictator who wants a completely different type of world to the one which has been constructed after the Second World War.\u201d<\/p>\n Shapps added that he finds it \u201creally disgusting\u201d that the leader of the free world is \u201ccoming out as nothing more than a swaggering bully and choosing tyranny over democracy\u201d.<\/p>\n Zelensky cuts short trip to South Africa President Zelensky arriving in South Africa on Thursday. He is now heading back to Kyiv<\/p>\n JACQUILINE PRINSLOO\/EPA<\/p>\n President Zelensky has announced he is cutting short his trip to South Africa following the deadly attacks overnight on Ukraine.<\/p>\n Shortly after touching down in South Africa, Zelensky said on X that after meeting President Ramaphosa he would be cancelling the rest of his programme and returning to Kyiv.<\/p>\n \u201cThe foreign minister of Ukraine will hold all the necessary meetings in South Africa to fully inform the country\u2019s political and civil society leaders about the situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Zelensky added that Russia must stop its strikes immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been 44 days since Ukraine agreed to a full ceasefire and a halt to strikes \u2026 And it has been 44 days of Russia continuing to kill our people.\u201d<\/p>\n Peace deal is not close, Ukrainian MP warns A drone attack on the Ukrainian capital<\/p>\n GLEB GARANICH\/REUTERS<\/p>\n It is unlikely any sort of peace is close, a Ukrainian MP has claimed.<\/p>\n Oleksiy Goncharenko said the overnight attacks were \u201creally awful\u201d and unscored Ukraine\u2019s need to end the war \u201cas soon as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n Talking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Goncharenko said Kyiv\u2019s \u201cred lines\u201d include not recognising occupied territories as Russian as well as the need for security guarantees.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope [President Trump] will understand to achieve this peace you need to put pressure not just on Ukraine but on Russia too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Zelensky in South Africa for talks with Ramaphosa President Zelensky and his wife Olena are greeted as they arrive in South Africa on Thursday<\/p>\n JACQUILINE PRINSLOO\/EPA<\/p>\n President Zelensky is in Pretoria for talks with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, as he tries to shore up international support following the latest attack from President Trump.<\/p>\n Ukraine and South Africa\u2019s relations have been strained, as Pretoria took a neutral stance on Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion and refused to vote with Ukraine and its allies at the UN.<\/p>\n This drew condemnation from President Biden\u2019s administration, especially after South Africa hosted Russian ships for war games. The former US ambassador to South Africa accused Pretoria of secretly arming Russia \u2014 allegations that were never proven.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is crucial to bring a just peace closer. We are working to ensure that the G20 countries are actively engaged in diplomatic efforts,\u201d Zelensky said in a post on X.<\/p>\n 70 missiles launched at Ukraine A residential building is hit in Kyiv overnight, killing two people<\/p>\n KOSTIANTYN LIBEROV\/LIBKOS\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Russia fired 70 missiles and 145 drones in a large-scale attack on Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force.<\/p>\n Ukraine units shot down 48 missiles and 64 drones, while 68 drones were redirected by electronic warfare, the air force said in a post on Telegram.<\/p>\n The Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia and Khmelnytskyi regions were all hit by the Russian attack.<\/p>\n Kremlin repeats nuclear threat to West <\/p>\n Moscow reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of territorial aggression by Western countries, the secretary of Russia\u2019s Security Council has said.<\/p>\n Sergei Shoigu told state news outlet TASS that in November 2024 Russia made amendments to its nuclear weapons policy.<\/p>\n \u201cRussia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against it or the Republic of Belarus, including with the use of conventional weapons,\u201d said Shoigu.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the event that foreign states commit unfriendly actions that pose a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, our country considers it legitimate to take symmetrical and asymmetrical measures necessary to suppress such actions and prevent their repetition,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Trump: Zelensky comments are inflammatory<\/p>\n President Trump has lashed out at President Zelensky after Ukraine appeared to resist a US ultimatum to concede swathes of territory to end the war.<\/p>\n The US president<\/a> said a peace deal was very close but accused Zelensky of \u201charming\u201d the negotiations and making \u201cinflammatory\u201d comments after the Ukrainian president said that Kyiv would not accept Russian sovereignty over Crimea.<\/p>\n Trump said Ukraine was in a dire \u00adsituation with \u201cno cards to play\u201d after he abruptly withdrew American negotiators from talks in London.<\/p>\n![\"Zelensky](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/\/5f6bdfb2-186c-448d-ad24-a54767405fcf.jpg\")
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The Umkhonto We Sizwe party has called the Ukrainian leader a \u201cNATO\u201d puppet.<\/p>\n![\"Stephen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/\/7d2df279-f144-4d42-9eca-47af5db99cd0.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/\/0eafd883-355a-4975-a07b-2d6c0f7ce867.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/\/0fe01fc3-5f7c-405a-b56c-63594623562e.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/\/8d09c4ce-2d83-4a3d-968c-1c90993652c7.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/\/770ecc5e-fa4a-46e7-96a3-b6eb1b5c9a94.jpg\")
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