Russia will 'launch preventative strikes' against West 'if necessary', Putin ally warns

Children's commissioner says Russia 'continues work to reunite children with loved ones'

Further to reports we brought you earlier on Russia and Ukraine returning children separated from their families by the war (see post at 11.23am), the Kremlin's commissioner for children's rights has shared a statement on the exchange, along with images.

In a post on Telegram, she said 11 children from seven families would be reunited with relatives in Ukraine after mediation efforts by Qatar.

She also said the Kremlin would "continue work to reunite children with their loved ones in Russia, Ukraine and other countries".

Ukraine has returned three to Russia, a Qatari official said earlier.

It should be noted that in 2023 the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Lvova-Belova for the forcible deportation and adoption of children from Ukraine.

So what do we know about her?

Lvova-Belova was appointed by Putin as his children's rights commissioner in October 2021.

British and Ukrainian officials have accused Lvova-Belova of the forcible deportation and adoption of children from Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

Lvova-Belova has been sanctioned by the US, Europe, the UK, Canada and Australia.

She claims to be the "saviour" of Ukrainian children caught up in Russia's so-called "special military operation".

Ukraine's new PM plans to 'expand domestic weapons production'

Ukraine's newly appointed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has said her priority for the first six months will be for a reliable supply for the army, expansion of domestic weapons production, and boosting the technological strength of the country's defence forces. 

She has also said her government will be launching a full audit of public finances to achieve "real savings", and that large-scale privatisations should be accelerated. 

Kremlin refuses to comment on Putin ally's remarks about strikes on West

We reported earlier on comments made by the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev who said Moscow should respond in full to the West and if necessary launch preventative strikes (see post at 8.59am).

The Kremlin has declined to comment on the remarks but has said Medvedev was right to draw attention to a "confrontational environment" in Europe.

Asked about the remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not comment in detail as he was a spokesman for Vladimir Putin and not Medvedev, but that Medvedev had vast experience and was expressing his own opinion.

Medvedev's comments come days after Donald Trump showed his shift in stance when it came to Russia and issued the Kremlin with a 50-day period to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.

UK and Germany to sign new defence treaty

Away from Ukraine, Friedrich Merz is embarking on his first trip to London as German chancellor today to sign a wide-ranging friendship treaty with Sir Keir Starmer.

The treaty is part of a broader push to reset the EU's relationship with Britain and follows French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the UK last week.

"The agreement comes at a time when, as Europeans, we are particularly challenged in terms of security policy," a German government official said in a briefing ahead of the trip.

Coming nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the EU, the treaty includes a clause on mutual assistance which, "in light of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, is highly significant", the official said.

It builds on a defence deal agreed last year that included the joint development of long-range strike weapons, and comes after France and Britain agreed last week to reinforce cooperation over their respective nuclear arsenals.

Children in Ukraine and Russia reunited with families

Russia has returned 11 children to Ukraine who have been separated from their families by the war while Ukraine has returned three to Russia, a Qatari official has confirmed.

This brings the number of children reunited with their families during the war to more than 100 children.  

The reunification is part of Qatar's ongoing mediation efforts to reunite children with their families in Ukraine and Russia.

Qatari officials will host the children at the Qatar embassy in Moscow and facilitate their safe departure.

Kremlin continuing to look at Trump warnings on tariffs

The Kremlin has said it is continuing to analyse the US leader's comments on possible secondary tariffs against buyers of Russian exports.

While Vladimir Putin has not yet commented publicly on Trump's threats, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov today reiterated Russia was looking at the statements and that the Kremlin chief would comment if he judges it fit to do so.

What did Trump announce on Monday?

Trump threatened Russia with tariffs and announced a deal to boost weapons shipments heading to Ukraine.

He said he would implement "severe tariffs" on Russia unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days. 

He provided few details on how they would be implemented, but he described them as secondary tariffs, meaning they would target Russia's trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.

A White House official said Trump was referring to 100% tariffs on Russian goods as well as secondary sanctions on other countries that buy its exports.

Ukrainian parliament approves new PM

Ukraine's parliament has voted to appoint Yulia Svyrydenko as the country's new prime minister.

Opposition politician Oleksiy Honcharenko wrote on Telegram that 262 MPs voted for Svyrydenko, a comfortable majority in the 450-seat parliament. 

Her appointment was supported by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

She replaces Denys Shmyhal, who submitted his resignation as prime minister this week as part of a government reshuffle.

Who is Svyrydenko?

Svyrydenko, 39, is an economist by training and has served as first deputy prime minister since 2021. 

She played a key role in recent negotiations for a minerals deal with the US. 

Russia and Ukraine exchange more bodies

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more bodies of their war dead, a Kremlin aide reports.

Vladimir Medinsky, who has led Russia's delegation at peace talks with Ukraine this year, said in a statement on Telegram that Moscow had handed over the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers and had received 19 bodies of its own fallen soldiers in return.

The RIA state news agency reported that Russia plans to return the bodies of 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers and that the exchange today was the beginning of that process.

For context: Both Ukraine and Russia have carried out a series of swaps of captured troops and dead soldiers since renewing peace talks in Istanbul in May.

Yesterday, Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said his country was ready for another round of peace talks with Russia, insisting a meeting between leaders from Kyiv and Moscow would be the most effective step to achieve a ceasefire.

Russia has similarly said it is prepared for a third round of direct peace talks with Ukraine, and is awaiting details from Kyiv.

Zelenskyy challenged Vladimir Putin to meet him personally in Istanbul in May, but the Russian leader did not accept the invitation. 

Kremlin 'recycling longstanding narratives' in attempt to break US from Ukraine - ISW

The Kremlin is recycling several longstanding informational narratives to try to break the US away from Ukraine and NATO, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

The US-based thinktank points out that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed yesterday that all provisions of Russia's nuclear doctrine, including the responsibility of nuclear countries not to "incite" non-nuclear states, remain in effect.

Peskov claimed that "Europeans maintain a rabid militaristic attitude towards Moscow" in response to a question regarding Donald Trump's announcement to increase military aid to Ukraine via NATO.

The Kremlin is "employing the same rhetorical lines that it has continuously used throughout the war to deter Western support for Ukraine", the ISW says.

But it noted that Russia has shifted its objective from preventing new support for Ukraine to reversing recent support and breaking the US away from its transatlantic allies.

This is "likely in response to Trump's recent demonstration of the United States' reinvigorated commitment to arming Ukraine and supporting NATO", the ISW adds.

Kellogg visits Holocaust memorial site in Kyiv

US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg has taken part in a commemoration ceremony for the victims of Babyn Yar in Kyiv.

Babyn Yar is a ravine in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the site of one of the largest mass killings, where Jewish people were lined up and shot during the Second World War.

After his arrival in Kyiv this week, Kellogg met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussed boosting Ukraine's air defences and the Ukrainians buying weapons with European help.

Putin ally warns Russia will 'launch preventative strikes' against West 'if necessary'

The former Russian president has accused the West of waging a full-scale war against Russia and said Moscow should respond in full, and if necessary launch preventative strikes, the TASS news agency reports.

"We need to act accordingly. Respond in full. And if necessary, launch preventative strikes," Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying.

But in the same interview, Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's powerful Security Council and key ally of Vladimir Putin, also dismissed statements by Western officials that Russia could attack Europe as complete rubbish.

"Let me remind you that our president has unequivocally stated that Russia has no intention of fighting NATO or 'attacking Europe'," he added.

On Tuesday, Medvedev said Moscow "didn't care" about the "theatrical ultimatum" Donald Trump issued to the Kremlin in which he threatened Russia with "severe tariffs" unless a peace deal with Ukraine was reached within 50 days.

Kremlin's reaction to Trump 'quite muted'

The Kremlin's reaction to Donald Trump's weapons and sanctions announcement this week has been "quite muted" and they may be "considering their options", the former UK defence attache to Moscow and Kyiv said.

John Foreman told Sky's Matt Barbet Trump's language since March showed continued dissatisfaction and gave off "a sense he is being played along".

"I welcome his comments on Monday that he could send arms and maybe put tariffs on Russian partners in 50 days," he said.

"Of course, the question with Trump is he is the most capricious man in the world - he could easily change his mind.

"One phone call from Putin could sway Trump.

"I welcome what happened on Monday but the proof will be in the pudding."

Looking at what the Kremlin would be making of Trump's announcement, Foreman said Russia "probably overreached" when Trump initially came to power and "thought they could carry on and get an advantage out of Trump".

Now, they have been "sadly mistaken".

"I think there was always a risk for the Kremlin that he would change position and they may think they can ride this out but we know the Russian economy is under severe strain and targeting Russia's war machine means that could change their position even further," he added.

"I think the reaction from the Kremlin has been quite muted. I think they are considering their options."

NATO: Preparations under way to transfer Patriots 'as quickly as possible'

Preparations are under way to transfer additional Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine "as quickly as possible", NATO's top military commander has said.

Speaking at a conference in the German city of Wiesbaden, Alexus Grynkewich said: "Preparations are under way, we are working very closely with the Germans on the Patriot transfer.

"The guidance that I have been given has been to move out as quickly as possible."

Why are they important?

Patriot systems are highly effective against sophisticated Russian weapons like ballistic and cruise missiles.

With a radar range exceeding 150km and their ability to engage multiple targets at one, the systems are vital in protecting large civilian areas and critical infrastructure. 

Beyond their technical prowess, Patriots also signal strong US and NATO support for Ukraine, boosting morale and demonstrating political commitment to Kyiv. 

-SKY NEWS