Ukraine-Russia war live: Two dead in Putin ‘double tap’ missile attack that hits railway station near Kharkiv

Russian forces launched a “double tap” missile attack on a small town near Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv on Saturday.

Prosecutors said that one of the missile attacks was targeted at the railway station in Budy, southwest of Kharkiv. A second missile hit the area after rescue teams arrived, they said.

Two people, an emergency services official and a police officer, were reportedly killed in the attack. Officials also reported four dead in a series of attacks in the Donetsk region and two more in the southern Kherson region.

A further 25 people have been injured in the incidents, including two children. It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the shooting of former US president Donald Trump.

He said there was “no justification” for such violence and that he was “relieved” that Trump was safe and wished him “a speedy recovery”.

Mr Zelensky has recently visited Ireland after a trip to Washington for the Nato summit.

Key points

• Zelensky responds to Biden gaffe, arrives in Ireland

• Poland considering Kyiv proposal to help down Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace

• Ukraine to receive tens of thousands of shells per month, reports Czech Republic

• Zelensky to visit London next week, says report

• Fire at a Russian oil depot as Russia after drone attack

Sunday 14 July 2024 11:25 , Holly Bancroft

Thanks for following along with our coverage, we are pausing the live blog for now.

Here is the latest update on Russian shelling in the Kherson region:

“Russian shelling of Ukraine killed three people on Saturday, officials said, as the two countries exchanged drone attacks, one of which set ablaze a Russian oil depot.

Two people died in Ukraine’s partly occupied Kherson region and two were wounded in the attack close to the regional capital, said Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. Another person died Saturday afternoon and 16 were wounded in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, according to Gov. Oleh Syniehubov.

An oil depot in the Tsimlyansky district, deep inside Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, was set ablaze in the early hours of Saturday following a Ukrainian drone attack — the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces on a border region.”

Shelling kills 3 in Ukraine as a drone attack sparks fire at an oil depot in Russia

‘The whole room was covered in blood’: Inside the Russian missile strike on a Kyiv children’s hospital

Thursday 11 July 2024 06:00 , Tom Watling

‘The room was covered in blood’: Inside Russian strike on Kyiv children’s hospital

Kyiv children’s hospital hit by Russian missile and not Ukrainian air defence, private investigators say

Thursday 11 July 2024 07:00 , Tom Watling

Kyiv hospital hit by Russian missile, not Ukrainian air defence, investigators say

Keir Starmer allows British missiles for strikes against targets inside Russia

Thursday 11 July 2024 07:04 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian forces can now use British missiles for defensive strikes against target inside Russian territory, Keir Starmer told Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit.

New defence secretary in his administration, John Healey, signalled the move but did not share details of the “operational arrangements”. Britain, he said, “will do all we can to help Ukraine in their fight to repel Putin’s invasion”.

“We provide weapons equipment where we can for them to defend themselves, and as we do for ourselves and any other nation in conflict, we require, because it’s international law, that war is conducted within those rules of the Geneva Convention,” Mr Healey told Sky News yesterday.

Russia launches missiles and drones on Ukraine, military says

Thursday 11 July 2024 07:36 , Arpan Rai

Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and six Shahed drones in an attack on Ukraine in the early hours today, Ukrainian air force said.

One person was injured in the missile strike on the northeastern region of Sumy, according to the regional authorities.

Ukrainian air defence said it shot down all six drones launched by Russia over four Ukrainian regions.

Mykolaiv regional governor said drone debris caused a fire in an open area, which has since been put out, and reported no casualties.

The authorities in the western regions of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Khmelnytskyi reported no casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure.

Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s largest hospital complicates treatment of kids with cancer

Thursday 11 July 2024 07:45 , Arpan Rai

The National Cancer Institute in Kyiv was busier than usual after a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital this week, forcing the evacuation of dozens of its young patients battling cancer.

Russia’s heaviest bombardment of the Ukrainian capital in four months severely damaged Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on Monday, terrorising families and severely impacting their children already battling life-threatening diseases.

Now, some families face a dilemma of where to continue their children’s treatment.

Oksana Halak only learned about her 2-year-old son Dmytro’s diagnosis — acute lymphoblastic leukemia — at the beginning of June. She immediately decided to have him treated at Okhmatdyt, “because it is one of the best hospitals in Europe.”

She and Dmytro were in the hospital for his treatment when sirens blared across the city. They couldn’t run to the shelter as the little boy was on an IV. “It is vitally important not to interrupt these IVs,” Halak said.

Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s largest hospital complicates treatment of kids with cancer

UK-supplied weapons to be used to strike Russia

Thursday 11 July 2024 08:31 , Alexander Butler

British-supplied missiles can be used by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia, the UK has told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

UK defence secretary John Healey green-lighted Kyiv’s use of Storm Shadow missiles for defensive strikes inside Russian territory on Wednesday.

Signalling the move, but declining to get into “operational arrangements”, John Healey, the new defence secretary, told Sky News that Britain “will do all we can to help Ukraine in their fight to repel Putin’s invasion”.

Russia outlaws The Moscow Times as ‘undesirable’ organisation

Thursday 11 July 2024 08:54 , Alexander Butler

Russia’s prosecutor general’s office has labelled The Moscow Times an “undesirable” organisation, a designation that bans Russians from working with or having links to the outlet.

“The work of the outlet is aimed at discrediting the decisions of the leadership of the Russian Federation in both foreign and domestic policy,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Russia introduced its “undesirable” list in 2015 to crack down on foreign NGOs and ban Russians from working with or donating to them.

Pictured: Starmer meets Zelensky at the Nato summit in Washington

Thursday 11 July 2024 08:56 , Alexander Butler

Putin should be put on trial for war crimes, Gordon Brown says

Thursday 11 July 2024 09:07 , Alexander Butler

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has urged the British government to help put Vladimir Putin on trial for war crimes over his invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Brown, 73, said the “time for action” against Mr Putin “was now” and urged the new Labour government to help in putting Russian leadership on trial.

“I believe the new UK government, whose prime minister and foreign secretary have already supported the call for action on the crime of aggression, will add to the urgency of putting the Russian leadership on trial for the full totality of the harm it has inflicted,” Mr Brown wrote in The Guardian.

“It will send a message that there is no hiding place from prosecution for aggressors – and no immunity for war criminals, whether presidents or not. Anger and outrage are not enough. The time for action against Putin is now.”

Children with cancer left in the dark as Russian missile attack struck during IV treatment

Thursday 11 July 2024 09:41 , Alexander Butler

Kyiv‘s National Cancer Institute was busier than ever after a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital this week, forcing the evacuation of dozens of its young patients battling cancer.

Putin’s heaviest bombardment of the Ukrainian capital in four months severely damaged Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on Monday, terrorizing families and severely impacting their children already battling life-threatening diseases.

Now, some families face a dilemma of where to continue their children’s treatment. Oksana Halak only learned about her two-year-old son Dmytro’s diagnosis — acute lymphoblastic leukemia — at the beginning of June.

Children with cancer left in the dark as Russian missile attack struck during IV

China ‘decisive enabler’ of Putin’s war, Nato says

Thursday 11 July 2024 10:52 , Alexander Butler

On Wednesday, Nato labelled China a “decisive enabler” of Putin’s war in Ukraine - in the alliance’s strongest rebuke of Beijing.

But Beijing hit back and accused Nato of smearing the country while demanding the transatlantic alliance stay out of Asia.

“Nato keeps playing up the interlink between Europe’s security and the security in Asia-Pacific. We urge it to stay within its role as a regional defensive organisation in the north Atlantic,” Beijing said.

Jailed Russian rights veteran denounces ‘mass repression’

Thursday 11 July 2024 11:07 , Alexander Butler

Oleg Orlov, a veteran Russian human rights campaigner, on Thursday lost an appeal against his two-and-half-year prison sentence but said he stood by his denunciation of “mass repression” in Russia.

Orlov, the 71-year-old co-chair of rights group Memorial, was found guilty in February of discrediting the Russian army after he protested against the war and wrote an article accusing President Vladimir Putin of leading the country into fascism.

“I have no remorse or regrets. I am in the right place at the right time,” he told a packed courtroom in Moscow, speaking by video link from a detention centre about 750 km (470 miles) away.

“When there is mass repression in the country, I am there alongside those who are persecuted, and in this way I help...” Orlov continued, before the sound was cut from his video feed.

Why China is conducting military exercises in Belarus

Thursday 11 July 2024 11:23 , Alexander Butler

The Chinese military has begun joint drills in Belarus that are being held over the next 11 days in Brest, close to the border with Nato state Poland.

The joint military exercises by two of Russia’s most important allies come after Belarus became the 10th member of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) during its 24th meeting of heads of council in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Belarus’s government said the drills “will allow … the laying of a foundation for further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops”.

Ukraine news: Why China is conducting joint military exercises in Belarus

China tells Nato not to create chaos in Asia

Thursday 11 July 2024 11:27 , Alexander Butler

China accused Nato on Thursday of seeking security at the expense of others and told the alliance not to bring the same “chaos” to Asia.

The statement by a Foreign Ministry spokesperson came a day after NATO labeled China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“Nato hyping up China’s responsibility on the Ukraine issue is unreasonable and has sinister motives,” spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily briefing. He maintained that China has a fair and objective stance on the Ukraine issue.

Labour aims to make Britain the leading European nation in Nato – but will Trump care?

Thursday 11 July 2024 12:19 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine getting ‘closer and closer’ to becoming Nato member, says secretary general

Thursday 11 July 2024 13:30 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine getting ‘closer and closer’ to becoming Nato member, says secretary general

Record number of Chinese military planes breach Taiwan airspace

Thursday 11 July 2024 13:37 , Alexander Butler

A record number of Chinese warplanes breached Taiwanese airspace as part of Beijing’s military exercises amid a key Nato summit, according to Taiwanese authorities.

Up to 66 Chinese aircraft were detected around the self-governing island and 56 of them breached the median line of the Taiwan Strait, Taipei’s defence ministry said. It is a single-day record for this year.

China’s military drills came amid a key Nato summit in Washington, where Western leaders issued their strongest-ever condemnation of Beijing for being a “decisive” enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Record number of Chinese warplanes breach Taiwan airspace

Hungary will not support Nato becoming ‘anti-China’ bloc, minister says

Thursday 11 July 2024 13:39 , Alexander Butler

Hungary does not want, and will not support, Nato becoming an “anti-China” bloc, foreign minister Peter Szijjarto told Hungary’s state television while in Washington on Thursday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a Nato summit, Szijjarto also said Ukraine’s admission to the alliance would weaken unity within the group.

It comes after Nato labelled China a “decisive enabler” of Putin’s war in Ukraine - in the alliance’s strongest rebuke of Beijing.

But Beijing hit back and accused Nato of smearing the country while demanding the transatlantic alliance stay out of Asia.

Russian diplomat says Moscow won't attend a second Ukraine peace summit

Thursday 11 July 2024 13:52 , Alexander Butler

Russia will not attend a follow-up to last month’s Ukraine peace summit, state news agency RIA quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin as saying on Thursday.

Russia was not invited to the initial summit in Switzerland that was attended by representatives of 92 countries, and said that discussing the war in its absence was a waste of time.

Ukraine has said it wants to hold another such summit later this year, probably in the Global South, and that representatives from Russia could be invited this time.

Norway to give Ukraine $93 mln to boost air defences, PM says

Thursday 11 July 2024 15:32 , Alexander Butler

Norway will give 1 billion crowns ($92.69 million) to boost Ukraine’s air defences, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Thursday at a NATO summit where alliance members have promised more aid to Kyiv as it fights Russian invaders.

The announcement came a day after Norway said it would give Ukraine six F-16 fighter jets. “The Ukrainians need more air defence to protect their population from Russian bombs and missiles,” Stoere said in a statement.

“The brutal attacks we have seen this past week show why it is so vital for the Ukrainians to have greater protection from Russian air attacks,” he added.

Starmer signals Ukraine can use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia

Thursday 11 July 2024 16:30 , Alexander Butler

Keir Starmer has signalled that Ukraine can use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike military targets inside Russia, a move likely to anger Moscow.

This comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the UK at the Nato summit in Washington for lifting the ban on using these missiles for attacks across the border.

While the prime minister emphasised that the use of the missiles must comply with international humanitarian law, he said it is up to Ukraine to decide how to deploy them.

Starmer signals Ukraine can use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia

U-turn sees Ukrainian toddler reunited with refugee parents in UK as calls grow for government policy change

Thursday 11 July 2024 18:30 , Andy Gregory

Ukrainian refugee parents barred from bringing their two-year-old daughter to Britain after the UK’s sponsorship rules were suddenly tightened will now be reunited with their child after a government U-turn.

Oleksandra and Yaroslav, both aged 31, decided to leave their daughter Anna with her grandparents in Kyiv while getting set up with their own accommodation and establishing a new business after arriving in Britain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme in April 2022.

But after they overcame these hurdles, their application in April this year for Anna to join them was refused by the Home Office on the grounds that – as per rule changes brought in without warning in February – they were no longer eligible sponsors, being neither UK or Irish citizens nor having indefinite leave to remain.

U-turn sees Ukrainian toddler reunited with refugee parents in UK

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

Thursday 11 July 2024 19:30 , Alexander Butler

China hit back at Nato for its “belligerent rhetoric” and warned against bringing “chaos” in Asia after the 32-member alliance called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The joint declaration’s sharpest tone yet on China came after the three-day summit Nato summit held in Washington on the 75^th anniversary of the formation of the bloc.

With its “no-limits partnership” with Russia and its “large-scale support for its defence industrial base” China has become a war enabler, the communique said. The Nato members urged China to “cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort”.

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

Children with cancer left in the dark as Russian missile attack struck during IV treatment

Thursday 11 July 2024 20:30 , Alexander Butler

Kyiv‘s National Cancer Institute was busier than ever after a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital this week, forcing the evacuation of dozens of its young patients battling cancer.

Putin’s heaviest bombardment of the Ukrainian capital in four months severely damaged Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on Monday, terrorizing families and severely impacting their children already battling life-threatening diseases.

Now, some families face a dilemma of where to continue their children’s treatment. Oksana Halak only learned about her two-year-old son Dmytro’s diagnosis — acute lymphoblastic leukemia — at the beginning of June.

Children with cancer left in the dark as Russian missile attack struck during IV

Labour aims to make Britain the leading European nation in Nato – but will Trump care?

Thursday 11 July 2024 21:30 , Alexander Butler

Labour aims to make UK the leading European nation in Nato – but will Trump care?

Ukraine getting ‘closer and closer’ to becoming Nato member, says secretary general

Thursday 11 July 2024 22:30 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine getting ‘closer and closer’ to becoming Nato member, says secretary general

Nato pledges F-16s and billions in finance to Ukraine during historic summit

Thursday 11 July 2024 23:30 , Alexander Butler

Nato pledges F-16s and billions in finances to Ukraine during historic summit

What is the Nato and why is the 2024 summit important for Ukraine?

Friday 12 July 2024 01:00 , Alexander Butler

What is the Nato military alliance and how is it helping Ukraine?

Ukraine official calls for end to limits on use of allied-supplied arms

Friday 12 July 2024 02:00 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine’s top presidential aide on Thursday called for an end to restrictions imposed on the use of allied-supplied weapons against targets deep inside Russia, saying it would be a “game-changer” in fighting Moscow’s occupation.

Andriy Yermak did not name any specific country’s restrictions but his comment came days after the White House reaffirmed a prohibition on Ukraine conducting strikes deep inside Russia with U.S.-supplied arms, following a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv children’s hospital.

“The partners have to take off any restrictions to use weapons not just by Ukrainian territory but have the possibility to answer (Russian attacks) including the territory of Russia,” Yermak told a public forum on the final day of the 2024 Nato summit, speaking English.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko issues plea for air defences after ‘very painful’ Russian attack on hospitals

Friday 12 July 2024 03:00 , Alexander Butler

Kyiv mayor Klitschko’s urgent plea after ‘very painful’ Russian attack on hospitals

Editorial: Nato offers post-Brexit Britain a rare chance to show leadership on a global scale

Friday 12 July 2024 04:00 , Alexander Butler

Nato offers post-Brexit Britain a rare chance to show leadership on a global scale

Biden says he has 'no good reason' to talk to Putin right now

Friday 12 July 2024 04:03 , Arpan Rai

Joe Biden said he has no reason to talk to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin right now unless the Russian leader changes his behaviour.

Mr Biden, at a solo news conference ending the Nato summit, said “Putin’s got a problem” because Russia has not been successful in its two-and-a-half year war against Ukraine.

“I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now,” Mr Biden said.

Asked about Mr Zelensky’s appeal for greater freedom in targeting Russian forces, Mr Biden showed no sign of easing the US limits, saying he was following the advice of his defence and intelligence officials.

“If he had the capacity to strike Moscow, strike the Kremlin, would that make sense?” Mr Biden said of Mr Zelensky.

He later added, “We’re making it on a day-to-day basis... how far they should go in” to Russian territory.Ukraine has been the primary focus for European and North American leaders at the summit of the 75-year-old military alliance, with Mr Biden earlier in the day announcing a new military aid package and pledging to Mr Zelensky: “We will stay with you, period.”

Biden mistakenly call Zelensky ‘Putin’ as Nato summit wraps up

Friday 12 July 2024 04:08 , Arpan Rai

Joe Biden had a series of verbal slip-ups last night alongside the Nato summit in Washington, an unfortunate development for the 81-year-old as he tries to move past concerns that he is too old to run for re-election.

Verbal gaffes are not unusual in the long political career of Mr Biden, who overcame a childhood stutter, but there is closer attention on him amid the fallout from his dismal debate performance against Republican candidate Donald Trump last month.

Mr Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin”.

“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said at the Nato summit, drawing gasps from those in the room.

“Going to beat president Putin, president Zelensky. I am so focused on beating Putin,” Mr Biden said while correcting himself.

Nato outlier Hungary’s Orban talks ‘peace mission’ with Trump

Friday 12 July 2024 04:30 , Arpan Rai

Viktor Orban met with Donald Trump yesterday and the pair discussed the “possibilities of peace”, a spokesperson for the Hungarian prime minister said as he pushes for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Trump and Orban met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida “as the next stop of his peace mission”, Orban’s spokesperson said. “The discussion was about the possibilities of peace.”

Orban, a long-time Trump supporter, made surprise visits to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing in the past two weeks on a self-styled “peace mission”, angering Nato allies.

His meeting in Moscow with Russian president Vladimir Putin in particular vexed some other Nato members, who said the trip handed legitimacy to Putin when the West wants to isolate him over his war in Ukraine.

Orban traveled to Kyiv before visiting Moscow but did not tell Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky about his mission to Russia, Zelensky said, dismissing Orban’s ambition of playing the peacemaker.

Belarus and China join forces in a military drill near the Polish border

Friday 12 July 2024 05:00 , Alexander Butler

Belarus and China join forces in a military drill near the Polish border

Faced with threats from Russia, Nato and Indo-Pacific partners get closer

Friday 12 July 2024 05:10 , Arpan Rai

Four Pacific countries attending the Nato summit issued a joint statement yesterday to “strongly condemn the illicit military cooperation” between Russia and North Korea, showing how the North Atlantic military alliance and its Pacific allies are forging closer ties to counter what they see as shared security threats.

For the third year in a row, leaders or their deputies from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia — which are not Nato members — attended the summit of the 75-year-old military alliance of European and North American countries. In Washington, they launched cooperative projects on Ukraine, disinformation, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

“We will address our shared security challenges, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, China’s support for Russia’s war economy and the growing alignment of authoritarian powers,” Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said when meeting officials of the four Pacific partners.

“We must work even more closely together to preserve peace and protect the rules-based international order,” he said. “Our security is not regional. It is global.”

Faced with threats from Russia and its Asian supporters, NATO and Indo-Pacific partners get closer

Healey warns of ‘a decade or more’ of Russian aggression

Friday 12 July 2024 05:34 , Arpan Rai

Defence secretary John Healey has warned that the west is facing “a decade or more of growing aggression” Vladimir Putin’s Russia as Labour seeks to drawn Britain closer into EU defence arrangements.

The new defence secretary was speaking to journalists at the Nato summit in Washington DC after a series of meetings with the other 31 allies and Ukraine.

Mr Healey has committed to UK £3bn of aid to Ukraine for the war to be transferred within the first 100 days of the government.

He denied that the UK’s bid to draw back on some of the Tory Brexit arrangements would see the UK joining an EU military force but he confirmed that work on a security pact will start next week when Britain hosts the European Political Council summit.

Healey warns of ‘decade or more’ of Russian aggression as he pushes EU military deal

Ukraine urges Nato to lift restrictions on targeting Russia

Friday 12 July 2024 05:55 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine urged Nato to lift restrictions on its use of long-range weapons against targets in Russia, saying that would be “game-changer” in the ongoing war while China slammed Nato criticism of its support for Russia as biased and malicious.

Andryi Yermak, president Vlodomyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, told a public forum that Russia had no restrictions on its use of weapons and it would be “a real game-changer” if Ukraine‘s allies could lift all limits on the use of weapons they supply to Ukraine.

Nato members have taken different approaches to how Ukraine can use weapons they send to Kyiv. Some have made clear Kyiv can use them to strike targets deep inside Russia while the United States has taken a narrower approach, allowing its weapons to be used only just inside Russia’s border against targets supporting Russian military operations in Ukraine.

Mr Biden told a press conference the United States had allowed Mr Zelensky to use American weapons in a limited way within Russia’s borders.

“If he had the ability to strike Moscow, strike the Kremlin, would that make sense? It wouldn’t,” he added.

Putin loses over 1,000 soldiers in past day on frontline, says Ukraine

Friday 12 July 2024 06:37 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have lost 1,030 soldiers killed and wounded in the past 24 hours on the war frontline in Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has said.

The losses for Vladimir Putin’s troops include 48 artillery systems and 23 armoured combat vehicles, said the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s estimates of Russia’s losses since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022 state the Moscow has lost at least 556,650 of its troops to fatalities and injuries on Ukrainian battlefield.

China ‘decisive enabler’ of Putin’s war, Nato says

Friday 12 July 2024 07:00 , Alexander Butler

On Wednesday, Nato labelled China a “decisive enabler” of Putin’s war in Ukraine - in the alliance’s strongest rebuke of Beijing.

But Beijing hit back and accused Nato of smearing the country while demanding the transatlantic alliance stay out of Asia.

“Nato keeps playing up the interlink between Europe’s security and the security in Asia-Pacific. We urge it to stay within its role as a regional defensive organisation in the north Atlantic,” Beijing said.

Ukrainian air force says it downs 5 cruise missiles, 11 drones launched by Russia

Friday 12 July 2024 07:34 , Alexander Butler

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down all five cruise missiles and 11 out of 19 drones launched by Russia in a statement on Friday.

Russia’s main target was the town of Starokostiantyniv, important Ukrainian air base and a frequent target of Moscow’s strikes, it added in the statement.

Hungary will not support Nato becoming an ‘anti-China’ bloc

Friday 12 July 2024 08:30 , Alexander Butler

Nato must not become an “anti-China” bloc amid rising tensions between the Western alliance and Beijing, Hungary has warned.

Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said Nato should avoid tension with China after it condemned Beijing for “enabling” Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

It comes after Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban - who has consistently delayed EU military aid to Ukraine - made a surprise visit to Beijing after similar trips to Moscow and Kyiv to discuss an immediate ceasefire.

“Nato is a defence alliance. We cannot organise it into an anti-China bloc,” Mr Szijjarto said when asked about Nato’s presence in the Indo-Pacific.

Hungary will not support Nato becoming an ‘anti-China’ bloc

Details of US aid package

Friday 12 July 2024 09:19 , Alexander Butler

Healey warns of ‘a decade or more’ of Russian aggression

Friday 12 July 2024 09:23 , Alexander Butler

Defence secretary John Healey has warned that the west is facing “a decade or more of growing aggression” Vladimir Putin’s Russia as Labour seeks to drawn Britain closer into EU defence arrangements.

The new defence secretary was speaking to journalists at the Nato summit in Washington DC after a series of meetings with the other 31 allies and Ukraine.

Mr Healey has committed to UK £3 billion of aid to Ukraine for the war to be transferred within the first 100 days of the government.

Healey warns of ‘decade or more’ of Russian aggression as he pushes EU military deal

We have some photos from the frontline

Friday 12 July 2024 09:43 , Tom Watling

Below we have some photos from the frontline published by the Russian ministry of defence.

Ukraine's top prosecutor wants ICC to prosecute Kyiv hospital attack

Friday 12 July 2024 10:15 , Tom Watling

Ukraine‘s top prosecutor has called for the International Criminal Court to prosecute Russia over a missile strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv earlier this week.

Ukraine‘s capital suffered on Monday one of its worst days of airstrikes since the start of Russia’s war, and attacks across the country killed at least 44 people including two adults at Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, Ukrainian officials have said.

“For the sake of international justice, cases like the intentional attack on the biggest child hospital in Kyiv (are) worth lifting to the ICC,” Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin told Reuters late on Thursday in an interview in The Hague, where the ICC is based.

Moscow denies attacking the hospital and has blamed Ukrainian anti-missile fire for the hit on the clinic, which is one of Europe’s largest and treats patients with serious conditions such as cancer and kidney disease.

Keir Starmer defends Joe Biden’s Nato leadership after Zelensky gaffe

Friday 12 July 2024 10:45 , Tom Watling

Starmer defends Biden’s Nato leadership after Zelensky gaffe

Ukrainian air force says it downs 5 cruise missiles, 11 drones launched by Russia

Friday 12 July 2024 11:15 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian air force said it shot down all five cruise missiles and 11 out of 19 drones launched by Russia in a statement on Friday.

Russia’s main target was the town of Starokostiantyniv, important Ukrainian air base and a frequent target of Moscow’s strikes, it added in the statement.

Former Ukraine army chief becomes UK ambassador

Friday 12 July 2024 11:45 , Tom Watling

The former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces has become the country’s ambassador to the UK.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi confirmed his appointment in a message on Telegram this morning.

“The victory of Ukraine in the war with the Russian aggressor remains the main priority of my activity and the activity of the Embassy,” he said.

He posted a picture with foreign office official Victoria Busby as he handed over his credentials for the job.

Mr Zaluzhnyi was fired by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in February this year in a move that many saw as political, as the former general enjoyed considerably more public popularity than Mr Zelensky.

Kremlin says Orban did not tell Putin of plans to meet Trump

Friday 12 July 2024 12:15 , Tom Watling

The Kremlin has said that Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban did not tell Russian president Vladimir Putin of his plans to meet with former US President Donald Trump, and Putin did not convey any message to Trump via Orban.

Mr Orban last week visited Russia for talks with Putin amid a flurry of travel to Ukraine and China, before this week meeting Trump in Florida.

Psychiatrist shares analysis of Joe Biden’s gaffes at Nato summit

Friday 12 July 2024 12:45 , Tom Watling

Psychiatrist shares analysis of Joe Biden’s gaffes at Nato summit

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

Friday 12 July 2024 13:15 , Tom Watling

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

IAEA Board condemns attack on Kyiv children's hospital, blaming Russia

Friday 12 July 2024 13:45 , Tom Watling

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors has passed a resolution condemning Monday’s military strike on a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital, blaming Russia.

The 35-nation Board passed the resolution by 20 votes to two with 12 abstentions, said diplomats at the emergency, closed-door meeting which was held at Ukraine‘s request.

Ukraine asked the Board to consider the matter because Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital had received support from the International Atomic Energy Agency in the field of cancer diagnostics and treatment.

“(The Board) Condemns in the strongest terms the disruption of IAEA technical assistance to Ukraine caused by the Russian Federation’s recent military strike that hit the ‘Okhmatdyt’ National Children’s Specialized Hospital,” the resolution said.

Zelensky aide calls for Western allies to greenlight strikes on mainland Russia

Friday 12 July 2024 14:15 , Tom Watling

A Ukrainian presidential aide to Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the country’s key allies to cease their opposition to Kyiv using Western-supplied missiles to hit targets on mainland Russia.

It comes after the British Ministry of Defence walked back Mr Zelensky’s claims that newly-elected prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had told him Ukraine could fire Storm Shadow missiles, which are UK supplied long range missiles, onto Russian territory.

An article published in The Telegraph  suggested that there was more “nuance” to Sir Keir’s alleged remarks and that it would not be as simple as Kyiv using the Storm Shadows to hit targets inside Russia.

You can read Mykhailo Podolyak’s full quote below.

Russia accuses South Korea of blackmail and threats over potential weapons supplies to Ukraine

Friday 12 July 2024 14:45 , Tom Watling

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday accused South Korea of blackmail and threats over potential weapons supplies to Ukraine.

In late June, South Korean National Security Advisor Chang Ho-jin said Seoul might review the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine, after North Korea and Russia signed a pact pledging mutual defence in the event of war.

“We very much regret that Seoul’s foreign policy uses NATO narratives, blackmail and threatening tactics, which is unacceptable to sovereign states,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

US special advisor on disability rights hails The Independent’s Ukraine investigation: ‘Not an acceptable loss’

Friday 12 July 2024 15:15 , Tom Watling

US special advisor on disability rights hails The Independent’s Ukraine investigation

Germany says it won't be intimidated by Russian threats after report on alleged assassination plot

Friday 12 July 2024 15:45 , Tom Watling

Germany says it won't be intimidated by Russian threats after report on alleged assassination plot

Biden issues message of defiance

Friday 12 July 2024 16:30 , Tom Watling

US president Joe Biden issues message of defiance on X, formerly Twitter.

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

Friday 12 July 2024 17:00 , Tom Watling

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

Biden mistakenly calls Zelensky ‘Putin’ while introducing him at NATO summit

Friday 12 July 2024 18:00 , Tom Watling

Biden mistakenly calls Zelensky ‘Putin’ while introducing him at NATO summit

Paris to bring Olympics back to the people with opening ceremony like no other

Friday 12 July 2024 19:00 , Tom Watling

Paris to bring Olympics back to the people with opening ceremony like no other

Starmer signals Ukraine can use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia

Friday 12 July 2024 20:00 , Tom Watling

Starmer signals Ukraine can use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia

Healey warns of ‘a decade or more’ of Russian aggression as he outlines new military deal with EU

Friday 12 July 2024 21:00 , Tom Watling

Healey warns of ‘decade or more’ of Russian aggression as he pushes EU military deal

Hungary will not support Nato becoming an ‘anti-China’ bloc

Friday 12 July 2024 22:00 , Tom Watling

Hungary will not support Nato becoming an ‘anti-China’ bloc

Labour aims to make Britain the leading European nation in Nato – but will Trump care?

Friday 12 July 2024 23:00 , Tom Watling

Labour aims to make UK the leading European nation in Nato – but will Trump care?

Nato pledges F-16s and billions in finance to Ukraine during historic summit

Saturday 13 July 2024 00:00 , Tom Watling

Nato pledges F-16s and billions in finances to Ukraine during historic summit

Psychiatrist shares analysis of Joe Biden’s gaffes at Nato summit

Saturday 13 July 2024 01:00 , Tom Watling

Psychiatrist shares analysis of Joe Biden’s gaffes at Nato summit

Modi receives Russia’s highest civilian award for promoting bilateral ties

Saturday 13 July 2024 02:00 , Tom Watling

Modi receives Russia’s highest civilian award for promoting bilateral ties

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko issues plea for air defences after ‘very painful’ Russian attack on hospitals

Saturday 13 July 2024 03:00 , Tom Watling

Kyiv mayor Klitschko’s urgent plea after ‘very painful’ Russian attack on hospitals

‘The whole room was covered in blood’: Inside the Russian missile strike on a Kyiv children’s hospital

Saturday 13 July 2024 04:00 , Tom Watling

‘The room was covered in blood’: Inside Russian strike on Kyiv children’s hospital

Ukrainian president to hold talks with Simon Harris in Ireland

Saturday 13 July 2024 04:15 , Shahana Yasmin

Ukrainian president to hold talks with Simon Harris in Ireland

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will meet Irish premier Simon Harris at Shannon Airport on Saturday.

It will be the first bilateral meeting with Mr Zelensky on Irish soil and will focus on Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

While discussing the future of the conflict, Mr Harris is expected to express his condolences for the citizens whom Ukraine has lost in the war including the bombing of Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital earlier this week.

He will also express Ireland’s full support for Ukraine’s bid towards EU membership.

Zelensky reacts to Joe Biden calling him ‘Putin’

Saturday 13 July 2024 04:30 , Shahana Yasmin

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s reacted to President Joe Biden mistakenly introducing him as “Putin” at a NATO summit in Washington on Thursday (11 July).

“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said while speaking to reporters about NATO’s support for Ukraine.

He immediately corrected himself, saying: “President Putin? He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky.”

Ukraine urges ICC to investigate strike on Kyiv children’s hospital as crime against humanity

Saturday 13 July 2024 04:45 , Shahana Yasmin

Ukraine urges ICC to investigate strike on Kyiv children’s hospital

Ukraine’s top prosecutor has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Russia over a missile strike on a children’s hospital that killed or wounded dozens of doctors and civilians.

Prosecutor general Andriy Kostin, who was in The Hague where the ICC is based, for meetings with legal officials, said the strike was worth “lifting” to the court in part because Kyiv seeks to demonstrate the systematic nature of Russia’s attack on civilians.

“For the sake of international justice, cases like the intentional attack on the biggest child hospital in Kyiv (are) worth lifting to the ICC,” he said.

At least 44 people were killed and around 200 wounded by the Russian strikes on Monday in what one United Nations aid worker described as “one of the worst attacks” they had seen since February 2022, when the full-scale invasion began.

Mapped: Russian missile strikes kill dozens across Ukraine

Saturday 13 July 2024 05:00 , Tom Watling

Mapped: Russian missile strikes kill dozens across Ukraine

Saturday 13 July 2024 05:15 , Shahana Yasmin

Kherson sees ‘massive shelling’ as Russia targets several cities across Ukraine

Saturday 13 July 2024 05:30 , Shahana Yasmin

The Ukrainian city of Kherson saw “massive shelling” by Russian forces, said the head of the regional military administration said on Friday.

The Russian assault hit the central Dnipro district and lasted about an hour, Roman Mrochko posted on Telegram, along with footage of heavily damaged and collapsed buildings.

“Miraculously, no one was hurt,” he added.

Ukraine’s air defences shot down five cruise missiles and 11 drones aimed at cities across Ukraine overnight to Friday, the commander of the country’s air forces, Lt Gen Mykola Oleschuk said on Telegram.

In the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, three civilians were injured by a mine. The regional military administration said the incident took place in the village of Staritsa, about 46km from Kharkiv.

Jailed human rights campaigner denounces mass repression across Russia before court hearing feed cut off

Saturday 13 July 2024 05:45 , Shahana Yasmin

Jailed human rights campaigner denounces mass repression across Russia

The jailed co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, Oleg Orlov, hit out at the “mass repression” in Russia during a court hearing – before the sound on his video feed was cut.

Mr Orlov, 71, was found guilty in February of discrediting the Russian army after he protested against the war and wrote an article accusing Russian president Vladimir Putin of leading the country into fascism. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, losing an appeal against that sentence on Thursday.

The case has been condemned by the West as being part of a increasing crackdown on dissent as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine moves through a third year.

US special advisor on disability rights hails The Independent’s Ukraine investigation: ‘Not an acceptable loss’

Saturday 13 July 2024 06:00 , Tom Watling

US special advisor on disability rights hails The Independent’s Ukraine investigation

Finnish lawmakers approve controversial law to turn away migrants at border with Russia

Saturday 13 July 2024 06:15 , Shahana Yasmin

Finnish lawmakers approve controversial law to turn away migrants at border with Russia

Finnish lawmakers on Friday narrowly approved a controversial bill that will allow border guards to turn away third-country migrants attempting to enter from neighboring Russia and reject their asylum applications because Helsinki says Moscow is orchestrating an influx of migrants to the border.

The government’s bill, meant to introduce temporary measures to curb migrants from entering the Nordic nation, is a response to what Finland sees as “hybrid warfare” by Russia. It believes Moscow is funneling undocumented migrants to the two countries’ border.

Hungary’s Viktor Orban gushes over Trump after ‘peace talks’ at Mar-a-Lago

Saturday 13 July 2024 06:30 , Shahana Yasmin

Hungary’s Viktor Orban gushes over Trump after ‘peace talks’ at Mar-a-Lago

While Joe Biden was meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, DC, on Thursday as part of the latest NATO summit to discuss ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his presidential rival Donald Trump was hosting Hungary’s Kremlin-friendly authoritarian leader Viktor Orban at his home in Florida.

Orban branded his visit “peace mission 5.0” in a tweet, posting a picture of himself posing beside the American at Mar-a-Lago as both men grinned and made the thumbs-up sign.

“We discussed ways to make peace,” the Hungarian prime minister wrote. “The good news of the day: he’s going to solve it!”

US urges India to use its relationship with Russia to help end the war in Ukraine

Saturday 13 July 2024 06:45 , Shahana Yasmin

US urges India to use its relationship with Russia to help end the war in Ukraine

The US said it “privately and directly” raised its concerns over India’s relationship with Russia as Narendra Modi met Vladimir Putin with bonhomie amid international outrage over Moscow’s deadly missile strike on a children’s hospital in Ukraine.

The White House urged India to use its long-standing relationship with Moscow to persuade the Kremlin leader to end his “brutal war” in Ukraine.

Mr Modi travelled to Russia on 8-9 July for his first bilateral visit to the country since the start of its war on Ukraine. India under Mr Modi’s leadership has taken a neutral stance in the Ukraine war while increasing energy trade with Russia.

Keir Starmer defends Joe Biden’s Nato leadership after Zelensky gaffe

Saturday 13 July 2024 07:00 , Tom Watling

Starmer defends Biden’s Nato leadership after Zelensky gaffe

Ukraine orchestra performs at destroyed children’s hospital

Saturday 13 July 2024 08:08 , Tom Watling

Poland to spend 5% of GDP on defence in 2025, says foreign minister

Saturday 13 July 2024 08:35 , Tom Watling

Poland will spend five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2025, the foreign minister told Bloomberg Television in an interview broadcast on Friday evening.

Warsaw has already ramped up defence spending to more than 4% of its economic output this year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Poland spends four (percent of GDP on defence) and we are going to spend five next year,” Radoslaw Sikorski said. “We are number one in nato including the United States, in proportion obviously, because we are no longer in eternal post-Cold War peace.”

Deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk told private broadcaster TVN24 on Thursday that Poland would increase its defence budget by about 10 per cent in 2025 to a record high.

Army chief of staff General Wieslaw Kukula told a press conference on Wednesday that Poland needed to prepare its soldiers for all-out conflict.

Ukraine urges ICC to investigate strike on Kyiv children’s hospital as crime against humanity

Saturday 13 July 2024 09:04 , Tom Watling

Ukraine urges ICC to investigate strike on Kyiv children’s hospital

Zelensky to arrive in Ireland today

Saturday 13 July 2024 09:27 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Ireland later this morning when he touches down in Shannon airport, Co Clare, for a meeting with the Irish taoiseach, Simon Harris.

Zelensky to visit London next week

Saturday 13 July 2024 09:50 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to the UK next week to address European leaders at Blenheim Palace who are meeting to discuss Ukraine, European security and democracy, The Guardian has reported.

Fire at a Russian oil depot as Russia

Saturday 13 July 2024 10:00 , Tom Watling

An oil depot caught fire in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region Saturday following a Ukrainian drone attack in the early hours, local officials said, in the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces on a border region.

Ukraine has in recent months stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals in an effort to slow down the Kremlin’s war machine.

Moscow’s army is pressing hard along the front line in eastern Ukraine, where a shortage of troops and ammunition in the third year of war has made defenders vulnerable.

Rostov regional Gov. Vasily Golubev said a drone attack had caused a blaze spanning 200 square meters (2,100 square feet), but there were no casualties. Some five hours after he reported the fire on Telegram, Golubev said the fire had been extinguished.

In addition to two drones being intercepted over the Rostov region, Russian air defense systems overnight destroyed two drones over the country’s western Kursk and Belgorod regions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Saturday.

Zelensky thanks US governors after post-Nato summit meeting

Saturday 13 July 2024 10:15 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked US governors after giving an address at the National Governors Association following the Nato summit in Washington.

Mr Zelensky spoke to the US governors at the NGA’s 2024 summer meeting, held in Salt Lake City at the Grand America Hotel.

Ukraine intercepts 80% of Russian drones fired overnight

Saturday 13 July 2024 10:40 , Tom Watling

Ukraine‘s air defenses intercepted four of the five drones launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said Saturday morning.

Mykola Oleschuk, commander of Ukraine‘s Air Forces, said the fifth drone left Ukrainian airspace in the direction of Belarus.

Ukraine to receive tens of thousands of shells per month

Saturday 13 July 2024 11:05 , Tom Watling

The Czech Republic will send tens of thousands of vital ammunition to Ukraine each month through to the end of the year, the Czech president has announced.

Speaking after the Nato summit in Washington, president Petr Pavel announced that they will send 50,000 shells to Ukraine in July and August, and then between 80,000 to 100,000 each month from September until the end of 2024.

The donation of shells is part of an initiative set up by the Czech Republic to supply half a million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine in 2024.

The country has suggested it can find the shells from third-party countries that remain unnamed so long as its allies provide funding.

The plan is intended to offset an ammunition disparity between Ukrainian and Russian forces, caused by European underinvestment in defence and the delay of a US military package for seven months, from October to April, while Congress disagreed over how to apportion its funds.

The Czech Republic says it could supply up to 1.5 million rounds to Ukraine.

Hungary’s Viktor Orban gushes over Trump after ‘peace talks’ at Mar-a-Lago

Saturday 13 July 2024 11:30 , Tom Watling

Hungary’s Viktor Orban gushes over Trump after ‘peace talks’ at Mar-a-Lago

Belarus jets scrambled after Russian drone veers off course towards Minsk

Saturday 13 July 2024 12:00 , Tom Watling

Belarus was forced to launch a fighter jet and attack helicopter to intercept a misfired Russian drone intended for Ukraine last night, it has been revealed.

The Russia-launched “Shahed” drone flew some 217 miles in Belarusian airspace, at one point heading close to the capital Minsk, after it veered off course in Ukraine. Ukraine shares its northern border with the south of Belarus.

Sources confirmed that the Belarusian Mig-24 helicopter and Su-30 fighter jet were indeed scrambled to respond to the drone threat.

You can read more details on the incident below.

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

Saturday 13 July 2024 12:30 , Tom Watling

China lashes out after Nato says it is ‘decisive enabler’ of Ukraine war

Zelensky arrives in Ireland

Saturday 13 July 2024 12:59 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has just arrived in Ireland, photos show.

He will meet with the Irish taoiseach, Simon Harris.

We will have more on Mr Zelensky’s visit later.

Labour aims to make Britain the leading European nation in Nato – but will Trump care?

Saturday 13 July 2024 13:30 , Tom Watling

Labour aims to make UK the leading European nation in Nato – but will Trump care?

Footage shows Zelensky arriving in Ireland

Saturday 13 July 2024 13:42 , Tom Watling

Footage has shown the moment Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at at Shannon Airport, Co Clare

We have some more details from Zelensky’s trip to Ireland

Saturday 13 July 2024 13:53 , Tom Watling

Irish taoiseach Simon Harris has expressed his condolences to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for those who lost their lives during the widespread Russian bombing of Ukraine on Monday, which destroyed, among other areas, the country’s largest children’s hospital.

After Mr Zelensky touched down, Mr Harris also expressed the country’s full support for Ukraine’s bid for European Union membership and offered further assistance for thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly relocated to Russia and Belarus and entered into Russian re-education programmes since the war began.

He confirmed Ireland’s membership of an international coalition for the return of the estimated 20,000 children.

The pair were seen embracing after Mr Zelensky’s arrival.

Zelensky and Harris hold meeting in Ireland - images

Saturday 13 July 2024 14:00 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Irish taoiseach Simon Harris have been pictured holding a bilateral meeting at Shannon Airport, Co Clare.

Mr Zelensky was also pictured being greeted by Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland Larysa Gerasko.

Asked by reporters for his message to Ireland upon arrival, Mr Zelensky said: “First of all, thank you so much for your support, thanks to Ireland for hosting a lot of Ukrainian refugees, you were with us from the very beginning of the Russian invasion.”

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website