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Two countries exchange attacks on each other’s capitals two days before Moscow is due to host world leaders for Putin’s Victory Day parade
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Allowing Russia to play in the 2026 World Cup could be a “good incentive” for Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump has said.
Russia has been banned from international competitions by Fifa and Uefa since its 2022 invasion, and will not play at the upcoming World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Mr Trump was unaware that Russia was banned from the tournament. “I didn’t know that. Is that right?” he said at a meeting of Washington’s World Cup 2026 taskforce.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino, sat next to the US president, confirmed it was correct.
Mr Trump continued: “That’s possible. Hey, that could be a good incentive, right?” Mr Infantino is “the boss” when it comes to a decision over Russia’s participation, Mr Trump added, saying that he has “nothing to do” with calls to reinstate them.
It comes after Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine claimed Kyiv is prepared to accept a 30-kilometre demilitarised zone with Russia.
Keith Kellogg said the zone, which could see both Ukrainian and Russian forces both withdrawing 15 kilometres, would be controlled by peacekeepers from the ‘coalition of the willing’ – the group of countries ready to join peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine.
The 17th package of European Commission sanctions against Russia is expected to contain tighter controls on exports as well as sales of technology that can be used by the military, as well as restrictions on Russia’s shadow fleet, EU diplomats said.
The draft package, due to be published on Tuesday, is not expected to contain any major new restrictions, but one source told Reuters that the package shows Russia that the 27-member bloc can “still agree on something against Russia” after repeated veto threats from Hungary.
France’s foreign minister told news agency AFP last week the EU would try to coordinate the timing of its next package with the United States, which has recently finalised new economic sanctions against Russia.
In the shifting sands of British politics, Reform UK is starting to make waves – particularly at the local level. Their recent electoral success can’t simply be written off as a protest vote, and the two main parties are deluding themselves if they think multi-party politics isn’t here to stay.
But with power comes responsibility. Now in charge of ten councils, Reform’s policies are no longer just rhetoric –they’re being put into practice. And rightly, they’re now subject to far greater scrutiny.
Former Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood writes:
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has urged countries not to send any troops to take part in a military parade in Moscow on Friday marking the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s Second World War victory over Nazi Germany.
“The participation of foreign military personnel in this event is unacceptable and will be regarded by Ukraine as an outrage to the memory of the victory over Nazism,” the ministry said.
Russia has said restoring relations between Washington and Moscow is not easy but work is progressing along a number of tracks.
“The contacts are being restored, and given that they were in absolute ruins it is certainly not an easy task, but it is proceeding along a number of tracks,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said this morning.
Chinese president Xi Jinping has arrived in Moscow for his state visit, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
He will be welcomed as Vladimir Putin’s “guest of honour” for Moscow’s commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over the Nazis and, according to Beijing, Mr Xi will deepen his “mutual trust” with the Russian president.
Mr Xi, whose country buys more Russian oil and gas than any other, and which has thrown Moscow an economic lifeline that has helped it navigate Western sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine, is due to arrive on Wednesday evening.
He is the most powerful world leader expected to attend a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany.
Donald Trump has said an invite for Russia to the 2026 World Cup could be an “incentive” to end the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s national team has been banned from international competitions by Fifa and Uefa since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago – meaning Russia will not play at the upcoming World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
During a meeting of Washington’s 2026 taskforce, Mr Trump was unaware that Russia was banned from the tournament.
He asked: “I didn’t know that. Is that right?”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who was sitting next to him, said: “That is right. They are banned for the time being from playing but we hope that something happens and peace will happen so that Russia can be readmitted.”
Mr Trump continued: “That’s possible. Hey, that could be a good incentive, right?
“We want to get them to stop. We want them to stop. Five thousand young people a week are being killed – it’s not even believable.”
Mr Infantino is “the boss” when it comes to a decision over Russia’s participation, Mr Trump added, saying that he has “nothing to do” with any call to reinstate them.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped 205 prisoners of war each, according to the Russian defence ministry, in what would mark one of the largest such exchanges since the start of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale war in February 2022.
The ministry said that the United Arab Emirates had helped mediate the exchange and that the freed Russian prisoners were currently in Belarus receiving medical and psychological support.
It comes just a fortnight after the two sides carried out their largest prisoner swap of the war so far, reportedly exchanging more than 500 prisoners. A month earlier, both sides each returned a further 175 prisoners.
The Ukrainian defence ministry also shared a video of its soldiers returning home on social media.
Former President Joe Biden rebuked Donald Trump’s handling of Vladimir Putin and Russia’s conflict with Ukraine as “modern-day appeasement” in his first interview since leaving the White House in January.
The Democrat sat for a wide-ranging interview with the BBC in Delaware this week, addressing the current state of global affairs and his thoughts on his successor.
Biden responded with blistering criticism when pressed for his opinion on Trump’s behavior since taking office, including the president’s threats against Greenland, making Canada the 51st state, talking about acquiring the Panama Canal, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
James Liddell with the full report:
China continues to be the key enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine, a European Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Without China’s support, Russia would not be able to wage war in Ukraine to the same extent, they added.
Chinese president Xi Jinping has departed for Moscow where he will be Vladimir Putin’s “guest of honour” for Russia’s VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations.
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says World Cup could be ‘good incentive’ for Russia to end war – The Independent
