Straight
Trump claims the end of the war in Ukraine is imminent and expresses his reluctance to supply Tomahawk missiles to kyiv.
- War in Ukraine Trump says Putin "wants to end the war" and won't commit to Zelensky supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine
- War in Ukraine Ukraine, in its fourth winter of war: five scenarios for ending the conflict
- War in Ukraine Zelensky goes to the White House today for a key meeting with Trump to discuss the delivery of the Tomahawks
- Negotiations Trump and Putin will meet in Budapest to try to end"this ignominious war"
Trump and Zelensky shared their shared desire on Friday to end the war in Ukraine and, without openly discussing it, showed their differences on how to achieve that goal.
19:58
Trump on the Tomahawk delivery to Ukraine:"It could escalate things. We don't want to give them to just anyone."
When Trump was asked again about arms deliveries, the president pointed out to his voters that these supplies were paid for. He even cited the European Union as one of the buyers of arms for Ukraine.
The US president once again expressed his confidence in a peace agreement."We have the opportunity to end the war quickly." And when he again addressed the issue of the Tomahawk missiles, he expressed reluctance."They could lead to an escalation," he argued."We also need them," he insisted, claiming that they serve to certify US military leadership."We don't want to give them to just anyone," Trump later said.
19:48
Trump avoids responding to a proposal to exchange Tomahawk missiles for drones.
The US president was asked about the possible delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which seemed to be the initial objective of Friday's meeting before Trump spoke with Putin on Thursday."That's what we're going to talk about, that's why we're here," Trump said, although he later added that the US also needs them and hoped that kyiv would soon no longer need them.
Zelensky, for his part, highlighted the US's Tomahawk production capacity and insisted that his country needs them for defense. He then emphasized that Ukraine produces many drones and expressed his willingness to collaborate with the US on these weapons.
Trump has avoided answering whether he would accept that proposal. He has stated that he hopes the war with Russia can end without having to send the Tomahawk missiles the Ukrainians are requesting to kyiv.
19:44
Zelensky says Putin is"not ready" for peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that "Putin is not ready" for peace. This opinion contrasts with that of Trump, who believes Putin"wants an end to the war," a position he made public after a phone call with the Russian leader on Thursday.
Journalists also directed questions at Zelensky, who was in the front row of Trump's appearance."We want to sit down and talk. We need a ceasefire," the Ukrainian president said. In his remarks, he hinted that his goal is to"force Putin" to sit at the negotiating table.
19:41
Trump:"It could be a three-way meeting or separate ones."
According to Trump, both Putin and Zelensky"want an end" to the war in Ukraine. The US president has referred to peace in the Middle East to argue that a solution to the war in Ukraine is possible. Trump has not specified what concessions Putin would be willing to make, nor has he mentioned a formula for a possible final negotiation.
"It may be a separate three-way meeting," said Trump, who had expressed his approval for Hungary to host the meeting.
19:30
Zelensky arrives at the White House for his meeting with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at the White House, where he was greeted at the door by Donald Trump. Zelensky arrives at the White House in a very different atmosphere than on February 28 of this year, when there was a shameful ambush that ended with the Ukrainian delegation leaving through the back door. After six months of games and deception, Donald Trump has finally identified the person responsible for almost four years of invasion of Europe and for the failure of his plans to end the war: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
Alberto Rojas explains it in this information .
19:08
France arrests four men in alleged plot against exiled Russian human rights activist
French police have arrested four people suspected of plotting an attack against exiled Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin, who exposes prison abuses in Russia, French anti-terrorism prosecutors say. In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Osechkin, who founded a group advocating for prisoners' rights in Russia's notoriously harsh prison system, said he believed Russia's security services were behind a plot to kill him after seeing video evidence from French police, including footage from his home."I saw how everyone was filming, how they prepared shooting sites," he told the AP, adding that he believes"this was an expensive special operation, sanctioned and financed from Moscow."
18:49
Russian Railways to cut management positions amid economic slowdown, Interfax reports.
Russia's state-owned railway monopoly, Russian Railways, plans to cut management positions amid reduced workloads and a broader slowdown in the Russian economy, the Interfax news agency reported Friday, citing the company. Russian industrial giants, from railways and carmakers to metal, coal, and cement producers, are facing weakening domestic demand, cheap Chinese imports, high interest rates, and shrinking export markets.
Russian Railways, which employs around 700,000 people, had already requested three unpaid days off per month for head office staff, sources told Reuters, and other Russian companies, such as the carmaker AvtoVAZ, the cement company Cemros, and mining companies, had reduced working hours and laid off staff. The company said the optimization of its management structure was aimed at improving efficiency amid declining workloads and a difficult economic situation, Interfax reported.
18:35
A massive explosion at an ammunition factory in Russia's Bashkortostan region
A powerful explosion destroyed one of the workshops at the Avangard munitions and chemical products factory in the city of Sterlitamak in the Russian region of Bashkortostan on Friday, the local government reported."An explosion occurred in one of the workshops at the Avangard factory. The relevant services and organizations are currently working at the scene," the official wrote on his VKontakte account, the Russian Facebook page.
Authorities say the situation is under control and have urged the public not to panic. Regional Governor Radii Khabirov wrote on his Telegram channel:"Unfortunately, there are several injured people, and they are receiving the necessary medical attention."
18:12
Zelensky returns to the White House for the third time in a year full of twists and turns.
After having a historic disagreement with the White House last February, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, returns to Donald Trump's residence this Friday to continue talking about ending the conflict with Russia, which began in February 2022.
Previous contacts between both leaders, collected in this information.
17:48
Germany warns that Trump and Putin should not decide on the war in Ukraine without Ukraine's involvement.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned on Friday that US and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, who are due to meet in Budapest in the coming days, should not make any decisions on Ukraine without kyiv's agreement."Any agreement on the war situation in Ukraine requires Ukraine to be present, including, first and foremost, represented by its president. There can be no decision on Ukraine without Ukraine," Wadephul said during a press conference in Ankara alongside his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.
"That's why I understand the Budapest talks as a second attempt, after those in Alaska (last August 15), to finally convince President Putin to negotiate seriously with Ukraine. Ukraine will insist on this and has the support of Germany to do so," the German Foreign Minister stressed.
17:24
Ukraine claims to have attacked a Russian oil depot in occupied Crimea
Ukraine attacked a Russian oil depot and a fuel warehouse in Moscow-occupied Crimea overnight, Kyiv's general staff reported on Friday. The statement said the targets, a base in Hvardiyske and a warehouse in Dzhankoi used by the Russian military, were attacked.
16:59
The European Commission suggests Ukraine use the reparations loan to buy weapons outside Europe, Reuters reports.
The European Commission has suggested that Ukraine use part of a planned reparations loan of 140 billion euros ($163 billion), financed by frozen Russian assets, to buy weapons outside the EU, according to a commission document sent to member states.
The document, seen by Reuters on Friday, describes the possible design of the plan proposed by the European Union's executive branch last month. The proposal would divide the loan into two parts: the bulk would be used to develop Ukraine's defense industry and purchase defense equipment in Ukraine and the 27 EU countries. The second part would consist of budget support, which would also allow Ukraine to purchase weapons elsewhere to contribute to its fierce fight against Russia's large-scale invasion and the intensification of missile and drone attacks. The budget support would also help kyiv provide the financial guarantees needed to obtain further assistance from the International Monetary Fund, according to the document. 4:37 PM
Tomahawk, the missile that could push for the end of the war in Ukraine
They measure 6.25 meters, weigh around 1,400 kilos, are named after the Native American tomahawk, and Ukraine wants them to pressure Russia into negotiating an end to the war: they are Tomahawk missiles. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin maintains that they would only"significantly damage" relations with the United States.
The Tomahawk, high-precision cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, super-bombers and land platforms, have been at the center of conversation since US President Donald Trump suggested delivering them to Ukraine, which has long requested them to improve its long-range strike capabilities.
The United States has used these missiles more than 2,000 times in conflicts such as the wars in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, and, most recently, Syria. Measuring 6.25 meters in length with the booster and with a wingspan of 2.6 meters, the Tomahawks weigh around 1,400 kilograms and were designed in the 1970s. Their maximum range, depending on the model (there are five), is more than 2,000 kilometers, and their subsonic speed is 880 kilometers per hour at a low altitude to avoid radar detection. Their warheads, the front part of the rockets that house the explosive, often carry up to half a ton of detonator.
There are several operational modes, including conventional explosives, fragmentation, bunker-busting, and tactical modes with in-flight reprogramming capability via satellite communications, allowing targets to be changed or information to be received in real time during an attack.
15:44
Russia claims to have destroyed trucks with 65 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones
The Russian military destroyed several trucks in the eastern region of Kharkiv today transporting Ukrainian fixed-wing drones, used by kyiv to attack Russian refineries, with Iskander ballistic missiles, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
"A platoon of an Iskander tactical ballistic missile system attacked the Ukrainian Army's long-range drone and truck training and launch center near the village of Martovoe (Kharkiv)," the Russian military command reported on Telegram. The attack destroyed four trucks carrying 65 Liuti-type long-range drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; five launch vehicles; 40 Ukrainian service members, including drone operators and technicians, and truck drivers, the Defense Ministry said, publishing a video of the attack. The video shows the impact of at least two Iskander missiles, which caused two large explosions.
15:19
The war in Ukraine, in its fourth winter: five scenarios for the end of the conflict
Both armies are now exhausted by nearly four years of bloody warfare and attrition. At this point, with the fourth winter of the war approaching, five scenarios for this conflict can be distinguished.
An analysis by Alberto Rojas.
14:52
A Putin advisor proposes building a tunnel between Russia and the US under the Bering Strait.
The Russian envoy for economic cooperation with the United States, Kiril Dmitriev, has proposed this Friday to build a tunnel between the territories of both countries through the Bering Strait, which would bear the name of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the American president, Donald Trump.
"Imagine connecting the United States and Russia, the Americas and Afro-Eurasia with the Putin-Trump tunnel, a 70-mile link that would symbolize unity," he wrote on X after the first telephone conversation between the two leaders since their Alaska summit on August 15. He added that while the cost is expected to be $65 billion, Elon Musk's The Boring Company would reduce the cost"to $8 billion."
14:34
A Russian court has convicted 15 kyiv soldiers captured in the Ukraine war of terrorism charges.
A court in southern Russia on Friday sentenced 15 captured Ukrainian soldiers on terrorism charges after a trial that kyiv called a farce and a violation of international law. The military tribunal in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 15 members of the Aidar battalion, which Moscow designated as a terrorist group, to between 15 and 21 years in prison.
This was the second mass trial of Ukrainian prisoners of war since March, when 23 members of the elite Azov Brigade were convicted on similar charges in a trial also condemned by Ukraine as a violation of international law.
Memorial, a leading Russian human rights group, calls the defendants political prisoners and claims that the trial violated international conventions protecting prisoners of war, adding that they were being tried only for serving in the Aidar battalion, not for specific war crimes.
14:08
Brussels believes the meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest could be"something positive."
The European Commission considered this Friday that the meeting between the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the United States, Donald Trump in Budapest could be"something positive" if it leads to "a fair and lasting peace for Ukraine", and has indicated that there is no ban on the Kremlin leader entering European territory and that opening the European space is a decision of each member state.
"Any meeting that advances the process of achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine is welcome," said European spokesperson Olof Gill during the European Commission's daily press conference."If things move in the direction I mentioned, we would consider that positive," he added.
Trump announced this Thursday that he will meet with his Russian counterpart in the Hungarian capital to try to end the war in Ukraine, although he did not specify the exact date. It will be the second meeting between the two leaders, following their meeting on August 15 in Alaska.
1:50 PM
Poland will not extradite Ukrainian accused of sabotaging Nord Stream to Germany.
A Warsaw court on Friday denied the extradition to Germany of Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian citizen suspected of participating in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, and who is wanted by the German justice system, Efe reports.
The news comes one day after Italy's Supreme Court halted the extradition by Italian authorities of another Ukrainian national arrested in August as part of the same investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage, led by the German State Prosecutor's Office.
13:35
Russia says it will find and punish those responsible for the death of a RIA Novosti correspondent.
Russia has said it will find and punish those responsible for the death of RIA Novosti war correspondent Ivan Zuyev, 39, who was killed Thursday by a drone in Zaporizhia, one of the Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow.
"Those responsible for the death of the Russian journalist will necessarily be identified and will suffer the deserved and inevitable punishment," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, reported Efe.
The diplomat demanded that international organizations condemn"this new crime by the kyiv regime" and announced that Russia will pressure them to "legally assess this premeditated murder and other crimes by the kyiv junta against civilians."
Ukraine "often deliberately hunts down journalists," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that this is"a crime and, of course, those responsible must be punished."
13:25
Fico supports the Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest and offers help to Hungary in organizing it.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the populist, expressed his support for the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to be held in Budapest. He offered his government's cooperation to Hungary in organizing it and advocated for the meeting to seek a"just and sustainable peace" in Ukraine, Efe reported.
"On behalf of the government, I publicly declare that we fully support this meeting," Fico said in his opening remarks before a joint cabinet meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments in the eastern Slovak town of Kosice.
Fico, who is considered close to Moscow and who in the past blamed kyiv for the war, used more conciliatory rhetoric today, saying that his government"supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine." He then added that "it is key to find a complex, just, and sustainable peace, in harmony with the UN Charter," something that, according to Fico, Trump and Putin must adhere to when they meet shortly in the Hungarian capital.
"The Slovak government will provide all necessary cooperation to our partners and friends in Hungary to organize this very complex summit," the Slovak politician added in the presence of his Ukrainian counterpart, Yulia Svyrydenko.
12:45
Russia defends Hungary's choice and says there are many issues to be resolved before the Putin-Trump meeting.
The Kremlin today defended the choice of Hungary, despite its membership in NATO and the European Union (EU), as the host of the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
"Hungary, a NATO and EU member state, maintains a special position regarding its sovereignty, from the perspective of defending its national interests. This undoubtedly inspires respect among both leaders," said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov in his telephone press conference, confirming that Putin had discussed the matter over the phone with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Furthermore, the presidential spokesman also considered that there are"many" issues to be resolved before the meeting, including the composition of the respective delegations."Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov and Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio will begin working on this. There are many issues; the negotiating teams and other points need to be defined," Peskov said.
Peskov commented that the meeting between Putin and Trump"could indeed take place in two weeks, or a little later."
For its part, the European Commission said this Friday that it welcomes such a summit if it serves to"advance the peace process."
12:40
Russia will consider the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine a "hostile step"
Russia said Friday that it will consider the supply of US Tomahawk missiles to kyiv a "hostile step," an issue that will be discussed at the White House by Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky."Russia will consider such a step, if carried out, as hostile," said Sergei Naryshkin, director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, during a meeting of intelligence chiefs from the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), according to the TASS news agency.
He added that this decision"will significantly increase security risks, not only in Europe, but around the world." "This issue was partially addressed yesterday during the telephone conversation between the presidents of Russia and the United States," he noted.
In this regard, Naryshkin also described NATO's aspiration to inflict a"strategic defeat" on Russia as a "fantasy."
12:02
Ukrainian drones kill two civilians in Belgorod
A massive Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian border region of Belgorod has left two civilians dead in the past 24 hours, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported. One man died when his car was hit by a drone, while another died in an attack on a small village, he said on Telegram.
In addition, eight other people were injured in the attack by 119 enemy drones against 43 towns and eight districts of Belgorod, the Russian region hardest hit by the war, along with neighboring Kursk. Gladkov, who assured air defenses that 51 drones were shot down, reported that kyiv also fired 11 missiles.
Meanwhile, Russian anti-aircraft batteries shot down 61 fixed-wing drones tonight in five regions of the country, two of them near Moscow, and the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Ministry of Defense reported.
11:39
Russia claims to have captured three more villages in eastern Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry reported Friday that its forces have taken control of three new villages in eastern Ukraine.
According to the ministry, Russian troops have taken control of Pryvilla in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as Pishchane and Tykhe in the Kharkiv region, according to Reuters, which has not been able to independently verify the information about the battlefield.
11:22
Russia attacks energy infrastructure in four Ukrainian regions
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy has reported that Russia has attacked energy infrastructure in four regions of the country, forcing power outages. The regions attacked are Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad, in the center-east of the country; Sumi, in the northeast and bordering Russia; and Donetsk, in the east and the epicenter of the ground hostilities.
Authorities in the city of Krivi Rig, located in Dnipropetrovsk, have reported Russian attacks on industrial and energy infrastructure. The current Russian campaign of attacks on energy infrastructure has focused particularly on Ukrainian areas bordering Russia or in regions bordering or adjacent to the front.
According to the Ministry of Energy, due to the repeated attacks on the electrical system in recent days, a rationing regime has been instituted again that will limit the consumption of large companies for most of today.
Russia attacked Ukrainian territory last night with 70 drones, of which 31 could not be intercepted and impacted in several locations not specified by the Ukrainian Air Force.
11:10
Russia imposes long prison sentences on 15 captured Ukrainian fighters
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office reported that 15 members of a Ukrainian militant group were convicted Friday by a Russian military court of participating in"a terrorist organization" and sentenced to between 15 and 21 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
The men belonged to Ukraine's Aidar Battalion and were captured in 2022. The trial took place behind closed doors at a military court in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, although the Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman had previously called the proceedings"shameful."
Human rights organizations, including the Russian Memorial, denounced the men's prosecution as a violation of the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war. Russia rejects these accusations, arguing that the charges are based on alleged activities prior to the start of the war. The defendants were not charged with war crimes.
10:20
Putin calls a Security Council meeting after his call with Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of the Russian Security Council after his telephone conversation with Donald Trump, Russian news agencies reported Friday, citing Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov. According to Ushakov, Putin gave Security Council members a detailed report on his conversation with Trump.
Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to hold another summit on the war in Ukraine, an unexpected decision that came as Moscow feared a new US military aid package for kyiv.
9:12
Russia shoots down 61 Ukrainian drones, two of them near Moscow
Russian air defenses shot down 61 fixed-wing drones last night and this morning in five regions of the country, two of them near Moscow, and the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"From 11:00 p.m. on October 16 to 7:00 a.m. (GMT+3) today, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones," the military report published on Telegram and reported by Efe states.
Two of the Ukrainian drones were shot down in the Moscow region, the administrative unit surrounding the Russian capital. According to the Russian military command, 32 drones were shot down over the territory of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and six other aircraft were destroyed over the Black Sea, whose waters bathe the peninsula.
The other unmanned aircraft destroyed last night were shot down over the regions of Rostov (13), Bryansk (5), Tula (2) and Kursk (1).
9:00
Zelensky meets with US arms manufacturers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met in Washington with representatives of US arms companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, which produce some of the military technologies that Zelensky will request from US President Donald Trump when he receives him at the White House on Friday.
"We discussed Raytheon's production capabilities, potential avenues for our cooperation to strengthen Ukraine's air defense and long-range capabilities, and the prospect of joint Ukrainian-American production," Zelensky said after his meeting with executives of the company that produces the Patriot anti-aircraft systems.
Raytheon also manufactures the long-range Tomahawk missiles that Zelensky will again request from Trump this Friday.
In his meeting with Lockheed Martin representatives, Zelensky explained Ukraine's air defense needs, particularly those requiring missiles that could be used by the F-16s that kyiv already has."Russia is carrying out increasingly brutal attacks against Ukraine ahead of winter, and our air defenses must be strengthened now," Zelensky said on social media after the meeting.
8:49
Orbán says he will speak with Putin this Friday
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he would speak with Vladimir Putin on Friday, as Budapest begins preparations to host the meeting between the Russian president and US President Donald Trump.
Trump announced Thursday that he would meet with Putin in the Hungarian capital to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Orbán said the meeting"will be about peace" and that, if a peace agreement is reached, it would lead to a new phase of economic development in Hungary and Europe.
Orbán told state radio that the meeting could take place within the next two weeks if the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers manage to resolve outstanding issues at a meeting scheduled for next week."Last night I gave the order to create an organizing committee; we have defined the most important tasks and preparations have already begun," Orbán said. He did not offer further details.
8:05
A journalist from a Russian state media outlet dies in Ukraine.
A correspondent for a Russian state media outlet was killed in a drone strike in the Moscow-occupied part of the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia, its news agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday.
"RIA Novosti military correspondent Ivan Zuev was killed in the Zaporizhia region, and his colleague Yuri Voitkevich was seriously wounded," the outlet said, adding that Zuev died"as a result of a Ukrainian drone strike."
The deceased reporter had worked for RIA Novosti for several years and had received several decorations, the agency added. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences for Zuev's death and wished its injured colleague a speedy recovery.
More than 20 communicators have died, according to UNESCO and professional organizations, since the war began in February 2022.
Trump warns that the US cannot"deplete" its Tomahawk missile stockpile.
President Donald Trump expressed doubts about delivering Tomahawk missiles to kyiv, one day before hosting Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington. The US president said his country cannot"deplete" its own reserves."We cannot deplete our own country's reserves," he said in response to a question about these cruise missiles.
"We need them too, so I don't know what we can do," he added. Speaking to reporters, Trump also said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a call about the possibility of providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, and that Putin"didn't like the idea."
