President Donald Trump has worked ardently to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine — a war that has resulted in millions of casualties and transformed much of Eastern Ukraine into drone-netted wasteland.
Fresh off brokering a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza and speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.
‘They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!’
Former national security adviser John Bolton’s indictment shows he is charged with 18 criminal counts, including eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information.
The indictment also claims that after Bolton was hacked by a “cyber actor” linked to Iran, he failed to reveal what kinds of classified information he had been sending through the hacked account.
The indictment alleges that “from on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor-including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level-with two unauthorized individuals, namely Individuals 1 and 2.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a shift in support toward Russia’s Vladimir Putin as he looks for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, likely striking fear into Ukrainian officials.
Trump held a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, with the potential supply of U.S. long-range cruise missiles, Tomahawks, on the agenda.
Zelenskyy walked away from the meeting not only empty-handed, but apparently upbraided by Trump, who said Ukraine should accept Russia’s terms for ending the war — by handing over the entire eastern territory of Donbas, the epicenter of ongoing fighting in Ukraine.
Offering Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine has been suggested as a way of pressuring Russia to return to the negotiating table.
from www.washingtonpost.com
President Donald Trump has suggested that the U.S. could send Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine if Russia refuses to move toward a settlement in the ongoing war.
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump described the Tomahawk as “an incredible weapon, a very offensive weapon.”
Trump hinted he would use the prospect of deployment as leverage in upcoming discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I may tell him [Putin] that if the war is not settled, we may very well,” Trump said.
ZELENSKY HOPING ‘PEACE COMES FOR UKRAINE AS WELL’: Still basking in the glow of his pivotal role ending the bloodshed in Gaza, President Donald Trump is reengaging in the peace negotiations he essentially gave up on last month, inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington to discuss how to put more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to seriously consider ending the war which is well into its third year, and has claimed hundred of thousand of lives.
“I will also have the opportunity to come to Washington and meet with President Trump on Friday. I believe we will discuss a series of steps that I intend to propose. I am grateful to President Trump for our dialogue and his support,” Zelensky posted on X. “The main focus of the visit is air defense and our long-range capabilities aimed at exerting pressure on Russia for the sake of peace.”
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on Monday warned U.S. President Donald Trump that the supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine could “end badly” for him.
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, appeared to suggest that Russia might issue a nuclear response if Ukraine receives and fires the long-range rockets at targets inside Russia.
“The supply of these missiles could end badly for everyone. First and foremost for Trump,” Medvedev wrote in a post on Telegram after the American president repeated his own threat of supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Russia does not agree to end the war.
The European Union is edging closer to agreeing on new sanctions on Russia, the 19th round since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, but two EU member states are still holding out before giving the green light. And perhaps surprisingly the perennial EU sanctions skeptic Hungary isn’t one of them. Instead, it is Austria and Slovakia that are hesitant to endorse the package — and their issues aren’t related to the proposed measures against Moscow at all. Bratislava has concerns about EU energy policy, as well as the future of Slovakia’s automotive industry.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said it is not in the country’s interest to extradite a Ukrainian man to Germany for his alleged involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
The Ukrainian suspect, Volodymyr Z, who is wanted in Germany in connection with the September 2022 blasts, was detained near Warsaw in late September.
A Polish court ruled on Monday that he must remain in custody for another 40 days while it considers Germany’s request to extradite him under a European arrest warrant.
Speaking on Tuesday, Tusk said it was ultimately the court’s decision to decide whether to hand over Volodymyr Z to Germany — and that the government would not interfere.
However, he once again stated Poland’s opposition to the pipelines, which it has long argued made Europe too dependent on Russian energy.
“The problem of Europe, the problem of Ukraine, the problem of Lithuania and Poland is not that Nord Stream 2 was blown up, but that it was built,” Tusk told a press conference.
“It is certainly not in the interest of Poland … to hand over this citizen to a foreign country,” he added.
A top Kremlin official says the US must not be allowed to retake a massive airbase in Afghanistan, warning it could lead to “new conflicts”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the comments as he hosted a delegation of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government in Moscow.
The Taliban last month rejected a bid from President Donald Trump to take back control of Bagram Air Base, which was America’s largest military site during the 20-year war in Afghanistan. In a warning to the US, Mr Lavrov said: “The deployment of military infrastructure of any third countries on the territory of Afghanistan, as well as on the territories of neighbouring states, is categorically unacceptable under any pretext.” The base has been in the hands of the Taliban since the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in 2021.
“The military presence of any extra-regional players could only lead to destabilisation and new conflicts,” Mr Lavrov said.
“The history of Afghanistan has seen a lot of situations with foreign military presence. I believe everyone should have drawn the right conclusions long time ago.”
Mr Trump previously cited Bagram Air Base’s close proximity to China — the US’ biggest economic and military competitor — as one of the reasons the US wants a presence there again.
“It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said. “So a lot of things are happening.”
Germany will give its federal police the power to shoot down drones, following the disruption caused by recent unknown drone sightings at Munich Airport.
On Wednesday, the cabinet approved the new reform, which now awaits approval in parliament.
The move comes after suspicious drone incursions at Munich Airport led to air traffic being suspended for several hours last week, with thousands of passengers directly affected.
Other European countries, including Denmark and Lithuania, have also spotted rogue drones in recent weeks.
In response, EU leaders such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have attributed the incidents to Russian hybrid warfare, something Moscow denies.
Days after the drone sightings in Munich, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said federal police reform is intended to reorganise responsibilities and make it easier to defend against drones.
Russia seriously damaged one of Ukraine’s thermal power plants in an overnight attack, authorities said on Wednesday, as Moscow continues to pursue its annual campaign to cut Ukrainians off from heat, light and running water as winter approaches.
Two workers were injured in the attack, according to Ukraine’s biggest electricity operator, DTEK. The company provided no further information, such as the location of the plant that was hit.
Ukrainian authorities generally release few details about routine Russian strikes on its power grid in order not to give away intelligence to the enemy.
Russia also struck energy infrastructure in the northern Chernihiv, southern Kherson and southeastern Dnipropetrovsk regions, authorities said.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted or jammed 154 out of 183 Russian strike and decoy drones fired at the country.
The energy sector has been a key battleground since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
Ukraine says it has struck oil terminal in Crimea and key Russian explosives factory | World News– news.sky.com Source Link Excerpt:
Ukraine’s military says it has struck one of Russia’s main explosives factory as well as an oil terminal in Russian-occupied Crimea.
“Numerous explosions” were reported after the strike at the Y M Sverdlov plant in Dzerzhinsk, which makes explosives for ammunition for Russia’s armed forces, the Ukrainian general staff said in a statement.
The attacks were carried out as part of a strategy to reduce Russia‘s “offensive potential, as well as its missile and bomb capabilities”, the general staff said.
It added that the plant was one of Moscow’s largest producers of explosives, which are used in a wide variety of ammunition for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces, including aviation and artillery shells, fighter jet bombs, anti-tank guided missiles and warheads for air defence missile systems.
Regional governor Gleb Nikitin said air defence forces had repelled an overnight attack by 20 drones near Dzerzhinsk. He said one person was injured by falling debris.
Mr Nikitin said there was fire damage to residential homes but “no damage was caused to industrial facilities”.
Opposition Politician Shlosberg Released From House Arrest Pending ‘Discreditation’ Trial– www.themoscowtimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
A court in the northwestern Pskov region released opposition politician Lev Shlosberg from house arrest pending trial for his criticism of the invasion of Ukraine, the Yabloko party’s press service said Tuesday.
Shlosberg, a senior Yabloko member who has remained in Russia despite his opposition to the war, faces up to five years in prison if found guilty of repeatedly “discrediting” the military. The 62-year-old politician was already fined twice on administrative charges for the same offense.
The Pskov City Court ruled to impose a ban on certain activities instead of continuing Shlosberg’s house arrest, which he has been under since June. Yabloko said Shlosberg was barred from using the internet, a phone and communicating with anyone outside his household for four months.
Local media reported that the Pskov court system’s Telegram channel preemptively published — and then deleted — a post wrongly claiming that the court had extended Shlosberg’s house arrest by another two months.
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Ukraine is working to influence Hungary’s elections, warns Hungarian foreign minister– rmx.news Source Link Excerpt:
Ukraine is interested in influencing Hungarian national elections in April, said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in a new video posted to his Facebook page.
He points to work done by Ukrainians in creating an app for the rival Tisza Party, which is the main opposition facing Orbán during April national elections.
“It is clear what Ukraine’s interest is in the Hungarian parliamentary election, and it is clear who and through what they want to act in line with this interest,” said Szijjártó.
He added that “if anyone had any doubts about whether the Ukrainians would interfere in next year’s Hungarian parliamentary election, they could be sure that the Ukrainians are strongly interested in influencing the outcome of the Hungarian parliamentary election.”
The foreign minister is referencing a data leak that showed that individuals connected to Ukraine were behind the creation of an app for the Tisza party. The leak affected approximately 18,000 users of the party’s mobile app. Among the data leaked was that of one of its admins, a Ukrainian developer, Myroslav Tokar, who works for app development company PettersonApps.
Russia mocks Donald Trump’s America – ‘Civil war is coming in US’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
A Russian lawmaker has claimed civil war is brewing in America, as he called Donald Trump “dumb”. Andrey Lugovoy, an MP in the State Duma, the lower chamber of Russia’s parliament, claimed Moscow should take advantage of Republican–Democrat “divisions” and cause a “shutdown”.
In a staggering appearance on Russian state TV, he claimed differences between the two US political parties are “entering a phase of being impossible to resolve” and the Kremlin should “interfere”. He said he doesn’t treat claims that a “civil war in America is coming” as a “conspiracy theory”. In reference to the Republicans and Democrats, he said: “They’re currently using political repressions against each other in the most proactive way.
“Secondly, they will never agree about migration, we’ve heard it from their statements.
“Of course, we should take advantage of this unsolvable problem.”
He went on to accuse the US of “meddling” in Russian affairs and said Moscow should be “more politically aggressive”.
At least 30 injured in Russian strike on railway station, Zelensky says– www.bbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
Watch: Video shared by the Ukrainian president shows the aftermath of the strike in Shostka
At least 30 people have been injured following a Russian drone strike on a railway station in north-east Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky has said.
In a post on X, he said that preliminary reports indicated train staff and passengers were at the site of the strike in the city of Shostka, in the Sumy region.
Emergency services are on the scene and have begun helping people, he said, adding that information regarding the injured was still being established.
He also posted a video showing a damaged train carriage on fire.
“The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians. This is terrorism, which the world has no right to ignore,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“Every day Russia takes people’s lives. And only strength can make them stop.”
NATO ally warns of ‘hybrid war’ threat from Russia as drones plague European military bases and airports– fortune.com Source Link Excerpt:
Denmark, a founding member of NATO, has added to growing alarms about the threat of “hybrid war” from Russia as drone sightings spread to more European airports and even military installations.
On Thursday, the airport in Munich, Germany, grounded flights after several drone sightings. And on Friday, Belgium said it was investigating drone sightings above a military base near the German border. That’s after Denmark also reported drones flying above its airports and largest military base.
“I hope that everybody recognizes now that there is a hybrid war, and one day it’s Poland, the other day it’s Denmark and next week, it will probably be somewhere else,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday. “There is only one country…willing to threaten us, and it is Russia, and therefore, we need a very strong answer back.”
Denmark hasn’t directly attributed the recent drone incidents to Russia. But the remarks follow Russian drone incursions into Poland as well as Russian fighter jets violating Estonian airspace, forcing NATO to intercept them.
Poland accuses Russia of attack plot involving explosives smuggled in corn tins– www.euronews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Prosecutors in Poland are investigating an alleged Russia plot that involved smuggling food cans labelled as corn packed with explosives into the country, according to Polish media.
An article published in Gazeta Wyborcza on Thursday cited sources at the Polish National Prosecutor’s Office and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) confirming the development.
A Ukrainian suspect linked to Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU), who has only been identified as Władysław D, allegedly transported the cans to Poland after digging them up at a cemetery in neighbouring Lithuania.
The young man left them near the city of Łódź in central Poland, according to Gazeta Wyborcza.
A military expert told the Polish paper that the quantities of explosives believed to have been involved could have caused severe damage to a car and life-threatening injuries to people nearby.
Russia targets Ukraine’s gas facilities in biggest attack of the war, officials say– www.euronews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Russia aimed 35 missiles, many of them ballistic, and 60 drones at Naftogaz’s gas extraction and processing facilities in the northeastern Kharkiv and central Poltava regions.
Situation ‘Critical’ As Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant Runs On Emergency Generators– www.rferl.org Source Link Excerpt:
Power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant in a Russian-occupied part of Ukraine have been cut off for over a week. That means that the plant, which is not currently generating its own power, is relying on diesel generators to keep its nuclear reactors cool. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that the plant was not designed to operate in emergency mode, while Russian officials say they are doing everything necessary to ensure the plant’s safety.
France detains Russian ‘shadow’ tanker to disrupt war in Ukraine | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com Source Link Excerpt:
France has said it is increasing pressure on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine by detaining an oil tanker suspected of operating as part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and putting its captain on trial.
France’s detention of the tanker is part of a new European strategy to block revenue funding Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said at an EU event in Copenhagen on Thursday.
Ukraine Battles To Restore Power As Russian Strikes Batter Grid Sites– www.rferl.org Source Link Excerpt:
Ukrainian emergency crews were battling to restore power to northern parts of the country as Russian forces continued to attack crucial civilian infrastructure with drone and rocket attacks, while Ukraine’s strategic Pokrovsk region remained under pressure.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Sochi amid drone alerts in that Black Sea resort city, warned the United States against sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying it would bring an entire new “level of escalation.”
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram late on October 2 that power was back on line in the Sumy region near the Russian border following overnight attacks.
Russia economy meltdown as bank profits ‘collapse’ amid market chaos | World | News– www.express.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
Russia’s financial sector is grappling with significant challenges as bank profits plummeted in August, signalling potential economic instability. According to data highlighted by Kyrylo Shevchenko, a prominent Ukrainian banker, Russian banks’ collective profits fell to $2.4 billion (£1.79 billion) in August, down from $4.7 billion (£1.71 billion) in July, a staggering 49% decline.
Shevchenko noted that the corporate sector, particularly where floating-rate loans dominate, has been hardest hit by weaker margins. He tweeted: “The credit market is cooling, reserves are rising, and the era of easy wartime profits is fading. Despite surviving sanctions and high rates so far, the financial sector cannot remain immune to war and isolation forever.”
Germany: Munich airport shuts down after drone sightings; 17 flights grounded– timesofindia.indiatimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
Munich Airport in Germany was forced to temporarily close early Friday local time following multiple drone sightings, officials confirmed. The disruption grounded 17 flights, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, the airport said in an official statement.In addition, 15 inbound flights were redirected to other German cities, including Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt, as well as Vienna in Austria, the airport said. Munich Airport, located in Bavaria in southern Germany, handled nearly 20 million passengers in the first half of 2025.
