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Top US diplomat Steve Witkoff is in Russia to meet Vladimir Putin, according to reports
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US president Donald Trump has posted that “Russia has to get moving” as his envoy Steve Witkoff prepared to meet Vladimir Putin.
He posted on his social media platform: “Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Western allies have agreed a record £18 billion (€21bn) of military support for Kyiv, Britain has announced.
The UK’s defence secretary, John Healey, opened the meeting of the the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels with a plea to his fellow defence ministers to “step up our support for Ukraine in the fight”. Mr Healey added: “2025 is the critical year for the war in Ukraine, and this is the critical moment.”
Top US diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff has travelled to Russia for a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has confirmed Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin are set to meet for talks, according to Russian news agency Tass.
US president Donald Trump has pledged that officials will look at evidence that Chinese mercenaries are fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine.
US president Donald Trump has posted that “Russia has to get moving” as his envoy Steve Witkoff prepared to meet Vladimir Putin.
He posted on his social media platform: “Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war.”
And a poorly worded phrase implied he did not know he was US president.
“A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!” he wrote.
As well as Steve Witkoff, Russia’s Vladimir Putin was also in St Petersburg today to hold what the Kremlin called an “extraordinarily important” meeting about the development of the Russian Navy, which is in the throes of a major modernisation and expansion drive.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down the planned Witkoff-Putin meeting, telling Russian state media the US envoy’s visit would not be “momentous” and that no breakthroughs were expected.
The meeting will be their third this year.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov described the meeting of the “contact group” at Nato headquarters as “productive, effective and efficient”, saying it produced “one of the largest” packages of assistance Ukraine has received.
“We’re thankful to each nation that has provided this support,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will on Friday holds talks on Ukraine with US president Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who is on a visit to Russia, the Tass state news agency reported, citing the Kremlin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two could also discuss a future meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Trump.
But he cautioned that Mr Witkoff’s visit would not be “momentous” and that no one should expect major breakthroughs.
The Estonian navy detained an oil tanker in the Baltic Sea on Friday and boarded the vessel to inspect its legal status and safety, the country’s prime minister said.
The vessel, named Kiwala, was on its way to Russia at the time of the seizure, MarineTraffic data showed.
“Estonia takes suspicious activities in the Baltic Sea very seriously,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in a post on social media X.
A former ballerina jailed for donating £40 to support Ukraine has returned home after being freed in a prisoner exchange.
Ksenia Karelina, who spent more than a year in a Russian jail, landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at around 11pm, local time, on Thursday.
Her fiance boxer Chris van Heerden was there to greet her at the runway. He said in a statement he was “overjoyed to hear that the love of my life, Ksenia Karelina, is on her way home from wrongful detention in Russia.
“She has endured a nightmare for 15 months and I cannot wait to hold her. Our dog, Boots, is also eagerly awaiting her return.”
Britain’s defence Secretary, John Healey, has said Ukraine’s allies had pledged €21bn (£18.2bn) in military aid – a record boost in funding to Ukraine
Included in that figure is the UK’s £4.5bn commitment for this year, which Mr Healey says is its highest contribution yet.
Mr Healey said 2025 is the critical year for Ukraine in the fight against Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
“Now is the critical moment… for defence industries, militaries and governments to step up,” he said, adding it’s about sending a message to Ukraine that “we stand with you in the fight and in the peace”.
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Ukraine war live: Kyiv allies agree £18bn support package ahead of Putin talks – The Independent
