Russian strike on southeastern Ukrainian city kills at least 13
KYIV — A Russian bomb strike killed at least 13 people Wednesday in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, marking the deadliest single attack on a Ukrainian city in months.
Local officials said 18 others, including a 13-year-old girl, were injured in the bombing that hit a residential building and an industrial facility. Authorities never disclose whether military facilities are targeted in attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement on social media that “there is nothing more cruel than bombing a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer.”
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KYIV — A Russian bomb strike killed at least 13 people Wednesday in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, marking the deadliest single attack on a Ukrainian city in months.
Local officials said 18 others, including a 13-year-old girl, were injured in the bombing that hit a residential building and an industrial facility. Authorities never disclose whether military facilities are targeted in attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement on social media that “there is nothing more cruel than bombing a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer.”
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Ukraine’s future unclear as Pentagon chief holds his final support meeting
On Thursday, President Joe Biden’s Pentagon chief, Lloyd Austin, chaired his final meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an assemblage of more than 30 nations providing military aid to Ukraine. It has been a core part of Austin’s record as defense chief during a tumultuous period including Biden’s calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the renewal of major conflict in Europe and the Middle East.
During that time, allied countries have pledged more than $126 billion in military aid, facilitating a surge of tanks, mortars and other arms that has enabled Ukraine’s survival after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion. But as Biden prepares to hand off to President-elect Donald Trump, the course ahead is shrouded in uncertainty as Kyiv struggles to sustain adequate fighters and firepower and steadily loses ground to Russia’s far larger military.
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On Thursday, President Joe Biden’s Pentagon chief, Lloyd Austin, chaired his final meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an assemblage of more than 30 nations providing military aid to Ukraine. It has been a core part of Austin’s record as defense chief during a tumultuous period including Biden’s calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the renewal of major conflict in Europe and the Middle East.
During that time, allied countries have pledged more than $126 billion in military aid, facilitating a surge of tanks, mortars and other arms that has enabled Ukraine’s survival after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion. But as Biden prepares to hand off to President-elect Donald Trump, the course ahead is shrouded in uncertainty as Kyiv struggles to sustain adequate fighters and firepower and steadily loses ground to Russia’s far larger military.
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Ahead of Trump’s return to office, Ukraine and Russia battle for Kursk
KYIV — With nine days to go before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, Russia and Ukraine are locked in an intense battle to control a patch of Russia’s Kursk region that is expected to be a key negotiating point in the peace talks Trump has pledged to hold.
Ukrainian troops launched a counterattack in the region last weekend, attempting to retake some of the territory it first seized last summer and then lost — with the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office boasting on social media that Russia was “getting what it deserves.” The assault came after Russia started sending thousands of North Korean troops into battle in Kursk last month, using them in what Ukrainian troops have described as waves of cannon fodder.
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KYIV — With nine days to go before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, Russia and Ukraine are locked in an intense battle to control a patch of Russia’s Kursk region that is expected to be a key negotiating point in the peace talks Trump has pledged to hold.
Ukrainian troops launched a counterattack in the region last weekend, attempting to retake some of the territory it first seized last summer and then lost — with the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office boasting on social media that Russia was “getting what it deserves.” The assault came after Russia started sending thousands of North Korean troops into battle in Kursk last month, using them in what Ukrainian troops have described as waves of cannon fodder.
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Zelensky ready to hand North Korea back its captured troops
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to exchange North Korean soldiers captured by Kyiv’s forces for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Moscow, adding that it was “just a matter of time” before more of Pyongyang’s troops were taken prisoner.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our fighters who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelensky said in a social media post late Sunday, referring to the North Korean leader.
Zelensky added that “for those soldiers who do not wish to return” to North Korea, “there may be other options available.” He did not provide further details, other than to say that “those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth” about the war in Ukraine “will be given that opportunity.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to exchange North Korean soldiers captured by Kyiv’s forces for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Moscow, adding that it was “just a matter of time” before more of Pyongyang’s troops were taken prisoner.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our fighters who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelensky said in a social media post late Sunday, referring to the North Korean leader.
Zelensky added that “for those soldiers who do not wish to return” to North Korea, “there may be other options available.” He did not provide further details, other than to say that “those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth” about the war in Ukraine “will be given that opportunity.”
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U.K.’s Starmer visits Ukraine to pledge support amid Russian air raid
The arrival of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv on Thursday morning to sign a “100 year” security and trade agreement was accompanied by the sound of explosions as air defenses fended off an apparent Russian attack.
Shortly after noon local time, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv, warning of an attack from an incoming drone. A few minutes later, blasts could be heard from the city’s air defense systems, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram. Debris from the damaged drone struck a car, but there were no casualties.
The attack was part of a larger assault by Russian attack drones, Ukraine’s air force wrote on Telegram.
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The arrival of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv on Thursday morning to sign a “100 year” security and trade agreement was accompanied by the sound of explosions as air defenses fended off an apparent Russian attack.
Shortly after noon local time, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv, warning of an attack from an incoming drone. A few minutes later, blasts could be heard from the city’s air defense systems, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram. Debris from the damaged drone struck a car, but there were no casualties.
The attack was part of a larger assault by Russian attack drones, Ukraine’s air force wrote on Telegram.
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Ukraine intel chief says North Korean weapons are flooding into Russia
The head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate said in an interview published Wednesday that North Korea has sent hundreds of artillery and rocket systems to help Russia’s ongoing fight against Ukraine, with more on the way.
North Korea troops have been helping Russian forces as they seek to push Ukrainian soldiers out of Russia’s Kursk region, where they have controlled a small salient for the last six months. Multiple clashes between Ukrainian armed forces and North Korean troops have been reported, though neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has confirmed their presence.
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The head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate said in an interview published Wednesday that North Korea has sent hundreds of artillery and rocket systems to help Russia’s ongoing fight against Ukraine, with more on the way.
North Korea troops have been helping Russian forces as they seek to push Ukrainian soldiers out of Russia’s Kursk region, where they have controlled a small salient for the last six months. Multiple clashes between Ukrainian armed forces and North Korean troops have been reported, though neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has confirmed their presence.
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With Trump, Ukraine renews appeal to seize Russia’s frozen billions
Ukrainian officials have renewed their push to gain access to hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets in hopes of convincing newly arrived President Donald Trump to overcome opposition in Europe to the move.
The idea is that the use of an alternative source of funding to buy Ukraine weapons and pay for reconstruction will appeal to Trump as he seeks to cut foreign aid. The proposal has gained renewed urgency amid increased uncertainty over U.S. military support for the country.
Kyiv has long sought the outright confiscation of nearly $300 billion in Russian central bank assets — held mostly in Europe and frozen after Russia’s 2022 invasion — and Trump’s return, with his focus on ending the conflict, has revived conversation.
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Ukrainian officials have renewed their push to gain access to hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets in hopes of convincing newly arrived President Donald Trump to overcome opposition in Europe to the move.
The idea is that the use of an alternative source of funding to buy Ukraine weapons and pay for reconstruction will appeal to Trump as he seeks to cut foreign aid. The proposal has gained renewed urgency amid increased uncertainty over U.S. military support for the country.
Kyiv has long sought the outright confiscation of nearly $300 billion in Russian central bank assets — held mostly in Europe and frozen after Russia’s 2022 invasion — and Trump’s return, with his focus on ending the conflict, has revived conversation.
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Power cuts in Ukraine as Russia pounds natural gas sector in major strike
Russian forces pummeled Ukraine overnight Tuesday with missiles and drones, damaging gas facilities and causing temporary electricity cutoffs, Kyiv officials said — the latest mass aerial attack on the country, as U.S. officials travel to Europe this week to discuss possible plans to bring the war to an end.
As the bombardment was ongoing, Ukraine’s state energy distributor Ukrenergo introduced emergency electricity outages in some of the country’s regions, which it lifted once the attacks ended and “the situation in the power system stabilized,” the company said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Naftogaz said the nation’s energy infrastructure sustained a major attack and production facilities in the Poltava region were damaged. The company said there were no casualties, and it was “implementing measures to stabilize gas supplies in Poltava region,” without providing further details.
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Russian forces pummeled Ukraine overnight Tuesday with missiles and drones, damaging gas facilities and causing temporary electricity cutoffs, Kyiv officials said — the latest mass aerial attack on the country, as U.S. officials travel to Europe this week to discuss possible plans to bring the war to an end.
As the bombardment was ongoing, Ukraine’s state energy distributor Ukrenergo introduced emergency electricity outages in some of the country’s regions, which it lifted once the attacks ended and “the situation in the power system stabilized,” the company said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Naftogaz said the nation’s energy infrastructure sustained a major attack and production facilities in the Poltava region were damaged. The company said there were no casualties, and it was “implementing measures to stabilize gas supplies in Poltava region,” without providing further details.
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Trump talks to Putin in first announced call since taking office
President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their first publicized call since Trump returned to the White House, breaking a years-long silence between the Oval Office and the Kremlin as the U.S. leader kicked off a bid to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump had warm words for the Russian leader — who has ruled Russia for 25 years and has repeatedly invaded neighboring nations and killed, imprisoned or exiled his most formidable opposition — as he declared that the two men would visit each other’s countries and “agreed to work together, very closely.”
The call, which the Kremlin said lasted nearly 90 minutes, came the same day that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO allies that Ukraine’s stated goal of reclaiming its full internationally recognized territory was “unrealistic.”
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President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their first publicized call since Trump returned to the White House, breaking a years-long silence between the Oval Office and the Kremlin as the U.S. leader kicked off a bid to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump had warm words for the Russian leader — who has ruled Russia for 25 years and has repeatedly invaded neighboring nations and killed, imprisoned or exiled his most formidable opposition — as he declared that the two men would visit each other’s countries and “agreed to work together, very closely.”
The call, which the Kremlin said lasted nearly 90 minutes, came the same day that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO allies that Ukraine’s stated goal of reclaiming its full internationally recognized territory was “unrealistic.”
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Russians evacuated to Ukraine after Kursk shelter bombed
More than 100 Russian civilians, several of them severely wounded, have been evacuated to Ukraine in recent days as President Vladimir Putin intensifies efforts to retake Russian territory ahead of any potential peace talks.
Most of the civilians moved over the border in dramatic nighttime evacuations after a Feb. 1 strike on the main bomb shelter in the town of Sudzha killed at least five people and left an unknown number buried under rubble. Many were elderly and left Russia with only the clothes on their backs, piling into civilian and Ukrainian military vehicles that moved without headlights through treacherous backroads, hoping to avoid detection by armed Russian drones circling overhead.
Aid workers from the local Red Cross, waited just inside Ukraine, where they moved the civilians into vans and ambulances and rushed them away from the frequently bombed border villages to hospitals and a temporary shelter.
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More than 100 Russian civilians, several of them severely wounded, have been evacuated to Ukraine in recent days as President Vladimir Putin intensifies efforts to retake Russian territory ahead of any potential peace talks.
Most of the civilians moved over the border in dramatic nighttime evacuations after a Feb. 1 strike on the main bomb shelter in the town of Sudzha killed at least five people and left an unknown number buried under rubble. Many were elderly and left Russia with only the clothes on their backs, piling into civilian and Ukrainian military vehicles that moved without headlights through treacherous backroads, hoping to avoid detection by armed Russian drones circling overhead.
Aid workers from the local Red Cross, waited just inside Ukraine, where they moved the civilians into vans and ambulances and rushed them away from the frequently bombed border villages to hospitals and a temporary shelter.
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Europe, sidelined by U.S. and Russia, seeks influence in Ukraine talks
As the Trump administration moves toward direct talks with Russian officials over the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has called European leaders to an emergency meeting to discuss how they might influence the talks.
Leaders will meet in Paris on Monday as they scramble for a role in negotiations that could determine the future of Ukraine and of Europe’s security landscape — and that are advancing quickly without them. President Donald Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and U.S. plans to hold talks with Russian officials this week, have fueled European concerns that their defense interests will be sidelined.
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As the Trump administration moves toward direct talks with Russian officials over the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has called European leaders to an emergency meeting to discuss how they might influence the talks.
Leaders will meet in Paris on Monday as they scramble for a role in negotiations that could determine the future of Ukraine and of Europe’s security landscape — and that are advancing quickly without them. President Donald Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and U.S. plans to hold talks with Russian officials this week, have fueled European concerns that their defense interests will be sidelined.
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Top Russian and U.S. officials to meet in Riyadh over Ukraine war
Top U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine, officials said, as Washington and Moscow race to advance President Donald Trump’s bid to broker an end to the conflict and, potentially, conclude a long period of frigid relations.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who will lead Russia’s delegation for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top American officials, said the time had come for the United States and Russia to put an “absolutely abnormal period” of estrangement behind them. “We want to listen to our partners,” Lavrov told reporters Monday in Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks in Saudi Arabia would lay the groundwork for a planned summit between Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
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Top U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine, officials said, as Washington and Moscow race to advance President Donald Trump’s bid to broker an end to the conflict and, potentially, conclude a long period of frigid relations.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who will lead Russia’s delegation for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top American officials, said the time had come for the United States and Russia to put an “absolutely abnormal period” of estrangement behind them. “We want to listen to our partners,” Lavrov told reporters Monday in Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks in Saudi Arabia would lay the groundwork for a planned summit between Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
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Europeans plan for troops to back Ukraine ceasefire — but want U.S. support
As European leaders strategize on sending troops to Ukraine under a ceasefire deal, they are also sounding out the Trump team about what kind of U.S. military support they would get. Washington is seeking answers, too, on the weaponry and forces European countries could commit.
Ukraine’s European backers are scrambling for a role in the negotiations to end the conflict from which they have been excluded even as the talks could reshape the continent’s security landscape. The prospect of troops in Ukraine has gained traction among European leaders as the Trump administration moves fast toward direct negotiations with Moscow, with U.S. and Russian officials expected to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
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As European leaders strategize on sending troops to Ukraine under a ceasefire deal, they are also sounding out the Trump team about what kind of U.S. military support they would get. Washington is seeking answers, too, on the weaponry and forces European countries could commit.
Ukraine’s European backers are scrambling for a role in the negotiations to end the conflict from which they have been excluded even as the talks could reshape the continent’s security landscape. The prospect of troops in Ukraine has gained traction among European leaders as the Trump administration moves fast toward direct negotiations with Moscow, with U.S. and Russian officials expected to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
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Trump administration launches talks with Russia on Ukraine war
The Trump administration launched talks with Russia on Tuesday over the war in Ukraine, a turning point in Washington’s handling of Europe’s most destructive conflict in decades and a sign of the U.S. president’s willingness to sideline allies in his determination to impose a swift peace.
The talks marked a departure from an earlier U.S. insistence that Ukraine must lead any negotiations. The meeting also is part of an approach that appears likely to deliver an agreement unfavorable to Kyiv.
Rubio was joined at a cavernous Saudi palace by national security adviser Michael Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, and national security adviser, Musaad al-Aiban, joined the U.S. and Russian officials at a sprawling table to open the meeting but were expected to depart when the talks began in earnest.
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The Trump administration launched talks with Russia on Tuesday over the war in Ukraine, a turning point in Washington’s handling of Europe’s most destructive conflict in decades and a sign of the U.S. president’s willingness to sideline allies in his determination to impose a swift peace.
The talks marked a departure from an earlier U.S. insistence that Ukraine must lead any negotiations. The meeting also is part of an approach that appears likely to deliver an agreement unfavorable to Kyiv.
Rubio was joined at a cavernous Saudi palace by national security adviser Michael Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, and national security adviser, Musaad al-Aiban, joined the U.S. and Russian officials at a sprawling table to open the meeting but were expected to depart when the talks began in earnest.
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North Korea sending more troops to fight for Russia, Seoul says
North Korea appears to have sent more troops to support Russia in its war, South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday, but the agency has not yet determined exactly how many extra soldiers have been deployed.
The additional troops appear to have been deployed to the fronts in Russia’s Kursk region in the first week of February, after North Korean troops reportedly withdrew from the area at the end of January, the National Intelligence Service said in a brief statement to South Korean media.
Earlier on Thursday, South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo had reported that 1,000 to 3,000 additional North Korean troops had been deployed. The NIS press office did not answer its phone line for comment on Thursday afternoon.
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North Korea appears to have sent more troops to support Russia in its war, South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday, but the agency has not yet determined exactly how many extra soldiers have been deployed.
The additional troops appear to have been deployed to the fronts in Russia’s Kursk region in the first week of February, after North Korean troops reportedly withdrew from the area at the end of January, the National Intelligence Service said in a brief statement to South Korean media.
Earlier on Thursday, South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo had reported that 1,000 to 3,000 additional North Korean troops had been deployed. The NIS press office did not answer its phone line for comment on Thursday afternoon.
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Amid low birth rates, war and emigration, Ukraine’s numbers are dwindling
Ukraine is shrinking.
The war has killed tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers. At least 5 million more have fled and live outside Ukraine, and a fifth of the country — another 5 million people — are under Russian occupation.
And the number of deaths is nearly three times the number of births, according to the justice minister.
These missing Ukrainians — the ones who have fled, the dead, the occupied — have left a gaping hole in today’s Ukraine that will greatly shape what sort of country will be left when the conflict ends. A diminished population could have a major impact on the country’s economic health, political stability, ethnic makeup and ability to fight wars in the future.
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Ukraine is shrinking.
The war has killed tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers. At least 5 million more have fled and live outside Ukraine, and a fifth of the country — another 5 million people — are under Russian occupation.
And the number of deaths is nearly three times the number of births, according to the justice minister.
These missing Ukrainians — the ones who have fled, the dead, the occupied — have left a gaping hole in today’s Ukraine that will greatly shape what sort of country will be left when the conflict ends. A diminished population could have a major impact on the country’s economic health, political stability, ethnic makeup and ability to fight wars in the future.
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Trump administration to pause future deliveries of military aid to Ukraine
President Donald Trump has decided to pause all future deliveries of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine in an extraordinary move aimed at pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into peace talks with Russia, said two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
U.S. military support for Ukraine has been essential to fending off Russia’s invading forces, but what started as a conflict with widespread bipartisan support has fractured along partisan lines amid doubts about the war’s costs and a diplomatic off-ramp.
“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” said a White House official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive policy deliberations. “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
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President Donald Trump has decided to pause all future deliveries of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine in an extraordinary move aimed at pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into peace talks with Russia, said two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
U.S. military support for Ukraine has been essential to fending off Russia’s invading forces, but what started as a conflict with widespread bipartisan support has fractured along partisan lines amid doubts about the war’s costs and a diplomatic off-ramp.
“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” said a White House official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive policy deliberations. “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
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U.S. pauses sharing the intelligence Ukraine uses for strikes on Russia
The United States has paused major portions of its intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, squeezing the flow of vital information that Kyiv has used to repel invading Russian forces and strike back at select targets inside Russia, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
The rupture in intelligence-sharing includes a halt in targeting data that U.S. spy agencies supply to Kyiv so it can launch American-provided weapons and Ukrainian-made long-range drones at Russian targets, Ukrainian officials said. Some Ukrainian missile operators say they are no longer receiving information needed to hit targets inside Russia.
The pause comes amid a decision early this week by President Donald Trump to freeze future deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into peace negotiations with Russia.
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The United States has paused major portions of its intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, squeezing the flow of vital information that Kyiv has used to repel invading Russian forces and strike back at select targets inside Russia, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
The rupture in intelligence-sharing includes a halt in targeting data that U.S. spy agencies supply to Kyiv so it can launch American-provided weapons and Ukrainian-made long-range drones at Russian targets, Ukrainian officials said. Some Ukrainian missile operators say they are no longer receiving information needed to hit targets inside Russia.
The pause comes amid a decision early this week by President Donald Trump to freeze future deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into peace negotiations with Russia.
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Spooked by Trump and Putin, Europe rushes to rearm
The European Union, an entity that casts itself as a peace and trade project, is in crisis talks Thursday focused on defense.
Along with the specter of a belligerent Moscow, President Donald Trump’s sudden redrawing of alliances and withdrawal of aid for Ukraine are driving Europeans to fast-track plans to bolster their militaries, upgrade their arsenals — and, ultimately, to curb their dependence on the United States.
“I want to believe the U.S. will stand by our side, but we have to be ready for that not to be the case,” French President Emmanuel Macron told his country in a speech Wednesday night. “The future of Europe must not be decided in Washington or Moscow.”
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The European Union, an entity that casts itself as a peace and trade project, is in crisis talks Thursday focused on defense.
Along with the specter of a belligerent Moscow, President Donald Trump’s sudden redrawing of alliances and withdrawal of aid for Ukraine are driving Europeans to fast-track plans to bolster their militaries, upgrade their arsenals — and, ultimately, to curb their dependence on the United States.
“I want to believe the U.S. will stand by our side, but we have to be ready for that not to be the case,” French President Emmanuel Macron told his country in a speech Wednesday night. “The future of Europe must not be decided in Washington or Moscow.”
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Ukraine fears Musk may cut vital Starlink internet amid Trump pressure
With the pausing of billions of dollars in U.S. military aid and of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, there are fears in the country that billionaire Elon Musk’s vital Starlink internet service could also be cut.
Thousands of Starlink terminals are working on Ukraine’s battlefields. They serve as commanders’ eyes and ears, providing access to drone footage in real time and maintaining command and control communications across the sprawling front.
Front-line commanders are increasingly concerned that the military has grown too reliant on Starlink, a product of Musk’s SpaceX, and it could become the latest pressure point for the White House as it pushes Ukraine to engage in peace talks with Russia and sign a deal giving the United States access to its minerals.
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With the pausing of billions of dollars in U.S. military aid and of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, there are fears in the country that billionaire Elon Musk’s vital Starlink internet service could also be cut.
Thousands of Starlink terminals are working on Ukraine’s battlefields. They serve as commanders’ eyes and ears, providing access to drone footage in real time and maintaining command and control communications across the sprawling front.
Front-line commanders are increasingly concerned that the military has grown too reliant on Starlink, a product of Musk’s SpaceX, and it could become the latest pressure point for the White House as it pushes Ukraine to engage in peace talks with Russia and sign a deal giving the United States access to its minerals.
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Amid fierce fighting along the front, Ukraine prepares for U.S. talks
Ukrainian forces battled to stave off fierce Russian attacks both inside Russia and along Ukraine’s front lines, as the country’s officials prepared Monday for high-stakes talks in Saudi Arabia with an increasingly skeptical ally, the United States.
Ukraine hopes the talks, set to begin Tuesday, will restore relations after a bruising week in which President Donald Trump paused the provision of military aid and intelligence sharing vital for Kyiv to repel Russian attacks. After Russian advances in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military said the situation was stabilizing.
Ukrainian officials will seek to convince the U.S. delegation that they are ready for a swift end to the war, and are set to present a case for a partial ceasefire after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week he would push for a ban on long-range drone and missile attacks as well as on military operations in the Black Sea.
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Ukrainian forces battled to stave off fierce Russian attacks both inside Russia and along Ukraine’s front lines, as the country’s officials prepared Monday for high-stakes talks in Saudi Arabia with an increasingly skeptical ally, the United States.
Ukraine hopes the talks, set to begin Tuesday, will restore relations after a bruising week in which President Donald Trump paused the provision of military aid and intelligence sharing vital for Kyiv to repel Russian attacks. After Russian advances in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military said the situation was stabilizing.
Ukrainian officials will seek to convince the U.S. delegation that they are ready for a swift end to the war, and are set to present a case for a partial ceasefire after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week he would push for a ban on long-range drone and missile attacks as well as on military operations in the Black Sea.
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