'Very good early sign' if Trump called Putin - what’s the latest in the Ukraine war?
Reports that Donald Trump called Russian president Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine were described as a "very good first step" by the UK's defence secretary.
Trump has been on record as saying he can bring an end to the conflict "in 24 hours", without giving any detail as to how he plans to approach the conflict.
His sceptical stance towards Nato and the scale of American support for Ukraine has led some to fear a US-backed peace deal would be more favourable to Moscow, fuelling concerns about security in Europe and the future of Nato under a second Trump presidency.
However, Trump appeared to be standing behind Ukraine on Sunday when The Washington Post reported that the US president-elect spoke to the Russian leader by phone on Thursday, although Moscow dismissed reports of the call as "pure fiction".
But if the reports are correct, British defence secretary John Healy told the Commons on Monday that it would be a "very good first step and an early sign", Sky News reports.
Healy said he expects Trump to "recognise it's in America's interests" to continue supporting Ukraine, adding: "If countries like Russia are able to redraw international boundaries by force, that sends a signal that undermines the security of all nations."
The reports come amid a fast-moving situation, with Moscow being targeted by drones; Russia reportedly suffering its highest daily frontline losses since the start of the war; and Trump speaking by telephone to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.
Read the latest news about the developing situation in Ukraine from our media partners below
> Kremlin dismisses reports of Trump and Putin phone call
> Moscow targeted in biggest drone strike since invasion
> Russia 'suffering highest daily frontline losses since start of war'
> Ukraine says reports it was informed in advance of Trump-Putin call are false
> Trump Jr mocks Zelensky, Ukraine in meme about losing 'allowance'
> ‘Distrustful’ Trump bypasses state department procedures to call world leaders
Kremlin says reports that Trump and Putin have spoken are 'pure fiction'
The Kremlin on Monday denied reports that US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin in recent days, and said Putin had no concrete plans yet to speak to Trump.
"This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it's just false information," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "There was no conversation."
Asked if Putin had plans for any contacts with Trump, Peskov said: "There are no concrete plans yet."
Read more in the full story from Reuters
Moscow targeted in biggest drone strike since invasion
Moscow has been hit by the biggest drone strike since the invasion of Ukraine.
At least 34 drones attacked the Russian capital on Sunday, forcing flights to be diverted from three of the city's major airports and injuring at least five people.
Russia’s defence ministry said that another 50 drones had been destroyed over other regions of Western Russia.
Read more in the full story from The Standard
Russia 'suffering highest daily frontline losses since start of war'
Russian daily losses on the front line in Ukraine are the highest they have been since Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, the UK army chief has claimed.
Sir Tony Radakin told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that Russian forces were suffering 1,500 casualties a day and were nearing the 700,000 mark for the total killed and wounded since February 2022.
Previous Western estimates over the past few months have put Russia’s daily toll of dead and wounded at around 1,200, which at the time was also the highest rate of losses of the war.
Read more in the full story from The Independent
Ukraine says reports it was informed in advance of Trump-Putin call are false
Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Sunday that reports Kyiv was informed in advance of a phone call between US president- elect Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin were false.
The Washington Post... said Kyiv was informed of the call and did not object to the conversation taking place.
"Reports that the Ukrainian side was informed in advance of the alleged call are false. Subsequently, Ukraine could not have endorsed or opposed the call," foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told Reuters.
Read more in the full story from Reuters
Trump Jr mocks Zelensky, Ukraine in meme about losing 'allowance'
Donald Trump Jr, son of US president-elect Donald Trump, shared an Instagram clip... mocking president Volodymyr Zelensky and indicating that Ukraine would soon lose aid from the United States.
Trump Jr reposted an Instagram clip featuring an image of Zelensky with the caption: "POV (point of view): You're 38 days from losing your allowance."
The "38 days" may reference 17 December, the date when US electors meet to cast their votes for president and vice president based on the results of the 5 November vote.
Read more in the full story from the Kyiv Independent
‘Distrustful’ Trump bypasses state department procedures to call world leaders
Donald Trump has reportedly spoken with world leaders like Vladimir Putin this week without the typical oversight of the US state department and government interpreters.
The reasoning for this, as sources explained to The Washington Post, is that Trump is “distrustful” of federal officials after a string of leaked transcripts emerged from calls he made with world leaders during his first White House term.
An insider told the Post that, for now, world leaders have just been calling Trump directly.
Read more in the full story from the Daily Beast
