Ukraine war latest: Kremlin says starting point for peace could be 2022 talks; rearming will 'ruin Europe', Orban warns

'Every day they beat up Ukraine': The Trump White House's confusing approach to peace

Ukraine is being "beaten up" by the Trump White House, a senior military analyst has said.

It is happening "every day", Sky News's Professor Michael Clarke added.

The US administration loses "no opportunity to insult Zelenskyy", he said.

Asked about the current American approach, Clarke said: "Apologists for President Trump say it's all about strategy.

"Don't worry about his tactics - his tactics are always to break things and create chaos and he pulls a rabbit out of the hat at the end of the show.

"And his strategy is to stop the fighting and to leave Ukraine as a strong, independent sovereign state."

'All the carrots are going to Russia'

Clarke went on: "Well, that's fine, if that's what it comes to.

"But with the exception of one off-the-cuff remark he made, everything he's said and everything the administration has done is completely against that.

"And so it's a carrot and stick approach.

"But all the carrots are being offered to Russia, and all the sticks are being used to beat Ukraine.

"Every day they beat up Ukraine.

"In the administration, the Republican backers, they lose no opportunity to insult Zelenskyy, insult the Ukrainians, and yet Russia is not being asked for anything at the moment."

Can Europe fill intelligence gap left by US withdrawal?

The US has withdrawn intelligence sharing from Kyiv.

Asked whether Europe could fill the gap, Clarke said there are Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft which can circulate over the Black Sea and provide Ukraine with "general intelligence".

But US intelligence is "more or less instant", he said.

Clarke explained: "So if the Russians move material around, they [Ukraine] can get coordinates on it and launch a missile against it with American intelligence.

"Can't do that without it."

A European future without American support has been on the way for a "long time", Clarke said.

"Those of us in the analytical community could see this happening over the next five to 10 years.

"But President Trump has created an urgency - it's happening now over six months or a year."

NATO in jeopardy

"NATO is absolutely on the line now," Clarke added.

"NATO will continue but whether it's a meaningful transatlantic relationship at a military level is now on the line."

The US is looking further east, Clarke pointed out.

"A lot of us have been saying the Americans are going to take their equipment out of Europe and move it to the Pacific at some point in the next few years," he said.

Can Europe match US spending?

Clarke said the answer is yes. Big amounts of money, invested now, could "start to pay off in four or five years' time".

But European countries "should have been talking about this in 2014", he added.

"That was the great moment when the Russians invaded Crimea and parts of the Donbas. 

"That was the wake-up call."

Ukraine says it has received first funds from UK - taken from $1bn in frozen Russian assets

Ukraine has received the first part of funds worth $1bn from the UK, taken from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets, according to the country's prime minister. 

Denys Shmyhal says: "The funds will go towards strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities.

"We expect all sovereign assets of the Russian Federation to be confiscated and transferred to benefit our country in the future." 

France considering loan to fund defence spend boost

France could launch a national loan to fund plans to boost its defence spending, according to the country's prime minister and finance minister. 

Given Donald Trump's freezing of military aid for Ukraine, and his apparent cooling of support for NATO allies in Europe, countries across the continent are facing up to paying for more of their own defence.

Finance Minister Eric Lombard has said at a news conference today that a national loan dedicated to defence was "among the tools that we can choose from". 

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou also told Europe 1 radio and Cnews TV that such a loan was "a possibility" - but he added "we would still have to decide on it", and no such decision had yet been taken. 

Macron's defence push

In a televised address on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron warned Europe of Russia's threat.

The president said France would spend more on defence - though he did not say how much more.

He said there would be no tax increases to finance that, but tough choices would have to be made. 

It passed its 2025 budget last month only after weeks of delay in a deeply divided parliament. 

More on upcoming US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia

We can bring you a bit more now on planned talks between American and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia next week.

Yesterday, President Zelenskyy said he'd be travelling to the country next week for part of the negotiations.

Now, Saudi Arabia has welcomed the prospect of hosting the meeting in Jeddah.

Its foreign ministry also said in a statement it would continue to do its utmost to end the Ukrainian crisis. 

EU guilty of 'confrontational rhetoric' at odds with search for peace

Russia has accused the European Union of indulging in "confrontational rhetoric and confrontational thinking" over Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "We see that the European Union is now actively discussing the militarisation of the EU and the development of the defence segment. 

"This is a process that we are watching closely, because the EU is positioning Russia as its main adversary." 

Peskov said such talk is a "topic of deep concern for us" and that Russia would "need to take appropriate measures in response to ensure our security".

He went on: "And, of course, such confrontational rhetoric and confrontational thinking that we are now seeing in Brussels and in European capitals is seriously at odds with the mood for finding a peaceful settlement around Ukraine." 

Earlier ( in our 7.40 post) we reported comments from EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who said that up to €800bn could be "mobilised" by a plan called REARM Europe.

European countries are taking action after the US paused military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Zelenskyy calls for 'silence in the skies' and says 'task is to force Russia to stop'

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has again called for a truce in the air and at sea - while saying Russia is the "sole source" of the war in his country.

The Ukrainian president has now appealed for a pause in the fighting three times in the last few days.

Today, he said there should be "silence in the skies" which would include "banning the use of missiles, long-range drones, and aerial bombs".

He added: "And silence at sea – a real guarantee of normal navigation. 

"Ukraine is ready to pursue the path to peace, and it is Ukraine that strives for peace from the very first second of this war. 

"The task is to force Russia to stop the war."

The "first steps" towards a "real peace" must include "forcing the sole source of this war, Russia, to stop attacks against life", he added.

He also referenced the "massive attack" on Ukrainian gas infrastructure overnight that we have been reporting.

"In total, the Russians used nearly 70 missiles, both cruise and ballistic, as well as almost 200 attack drones," he said. 

"All of this was directed against infrastructure that ensures normal life."

Lammy urges Japan to 'ramp up' economic pressure on Putin

David Lammy, the UK's foreign secretary, has urged Japan to help Ukraine by increasing economic pressure on Russia.

In a televised statement made alongside his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya in Tokyo, Lammy said: "Our shared interests in a stable international system and rules-based trade is absolutely clear and fundamental.

"Europe is stepping up, but Japan can help too, including on ramping up economic pressure on [Vladimir] Putin." 

Draft peace deal discussed in 2022 could be starting point now, Kremlin says

A draft peace deal that was discussed between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in 2022 could be the starting point for a settlement of the war, the Kremlin has said.

Turkey, a member of NATO, hosted initial talks between the two sides in the early weeks of the conflict.

Child among at least 10 injured in 'massive' Russian aerial attack overnight

More details are coming in now about a "massive" attack on Ukraine overnight (see also our 7.04 post).

At least 10 people, including a child, were injured in Russian missile and drone attacks, Ukraine's energy minister has said.

German Galushchenko said Moscow was trying to "hurt ordinary Ukrainians by striking energy and gas production facilities".

He said Vladimir Putin's regime has a goal of "leaving us without light and heat, and causing the greatest harm to ordinary citizens".

The largest private energy company in Ukraine, DTEK, said this morning it had halted gas production at its facilities in the central Poltava region after they suffered significant damage from the Russian attacks. 

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power grid since it invaded its neighbour more than three years ago.

Electricity generation capacity has been depleted.

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of "weaponising winter".

Russia's defence ministry said its forces carried out strikes with long-range air, sea and land-based precision weapons against what it called gas and energy infrastructure.

French Mirage 2000 jets make Ukrainian air defence debut

French Mirage 2000 jets have taken part in Ukrainian air defence for the first time, Ukraine's air force has said.

Some 34 missiles and 100 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on various Ukrainian regions were shot down, the air force added. 

Putin will only agree ceasefire 'on his terms'

Vladimir Putin could agree a ceasefire with Ukraine but it would be "on his terms", a senior British diplomat has said.

Sir Laurie Bristow, a former UK ambassador to Russia, also said a cessation in fighting has to be made "attractive" to the Kremlin.

Sir Laurie told Sky News: "Mr Putin will agree a ceasefire but on his terms.

"Those terms are that a ceasefire has to be a more attractive prospect to Russia than fighting.

"That can happen in one of two ways. 

"Either Ukraine is weakened or Russia is weakened.

"At the moment what I think we're seeing is a Ukraine that is being weakened on the battlefield by the suspension of US military support."

EU has 'no money' and rearmament plan could 'ruin Europe', Hungarian PM says

Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, has ridiculed an ambitious new plan among EU nations to spend enormous extra sums on defence, saying it could "ruin Europe".

As we reported in our previous post, the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, says a proposal called REARM Europe could "mobilise" up to €800bn.

But Orban, speaking on state radio this morning, said: "If now the US quits [financing the war] why would the other 26 member states [of the EU] have a chance to take this war to the end? 

"Today it appears that I have vetoed. But within weeks they will come back and it will turn out that there is no money for these goals."

He added that the way in which the EU wants to support Ukraine, while also boosting Europe's own defence spending, would "ruin Europe".

Orban, who has refused to send weapons to Ukraine since the start of the war and has kept close relations with Moscow, said that instead of prolonging the war, Europe should support Donald Trump's peace talks. 

'History is being written,' von der Leyen says, as she promises up to €800bn in extra defence spending

Up to €800bn could be "mobilised" by a plan called REARM Europe, the EU Commission president has said.

Speaking after a meeting of European leaders in Brussels - including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - Ursula von der Leyen said there was a fresh resolve among EU nations and Britain.

She said there was a "clear and present danger" and Europe was determined to "act with the scale, the speed, and the resolve that this situation demands".

"We are determined to invest more, to invest better, and to invest faster together," she added.

"From Paris to London to Brussels, we have shown that we're willing and able to step up our joint efforts and to coordinate effectively.

"I think today history is being written."

'Massive' attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure

Russian forces have targeted Ukraine's energy and gas infrastructure in a "massive" missile and drone attack, the Ukrainian energy minister has said.

German Galushchenko said on Facebook: "Once again, energy and gas infrastructure in various regions of Ukraine has come under massive missile and drone fire."

He added: "Wherever possible, rescuers and power engineers are working to eliminate the consequences. All necessary measures are being taken to stabilise power and gas supplies."

Natural gas production facilities at the state-run oil and gas firm Naftogaz were damaged, the company said in a statement.

"Fortunately there were no casualties," it said on the Telegram messaging app. 

Last night (9.37pm post) a regional governor for the port city of Odesa said drones had damaged energy infrastructure and sparked fires there.

It was described as a "massive drone attack".

-SKY NEWS