Live war in Ukraine: White House hits back at Zelensky after ‘difficult’ peace talks

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said it has “no reason” to believe India has changed its position on purchasing Russian oil.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that India has agreed to halt imports of crude oil from Russia.

“We have no reason to believe that India has changed its position on the purchase of Russian hydrocarbons. India’s purchase of Russian hydrocarbons benefits both countries and helps maintain stability in the international energy market,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in her weekly briefing.

“There is nothing new in the claims of US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have usurped the right to dictate to independent nations,” Zakharova said.

However, industry data showed that Russian crude accounted for the smallest share of Indian oil imports since January-end 2022.

India – the world’s third-largest oil importer and consumer – had sharply increased purchases of discounted Russian oil after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with volumes exceeding 2 million barrels per day in some months.

But Western sanctions and pressure to strike a trade deal with the United States have prompted New Delhi to scale back imports.

Since November, China has overtaken India as the largest buyer of Russian crude oil from the sea.

The White House has withdrawn after Volodymyr Zelensky described US pressure tactics on Kiev as ‘unfair’.

Zelensky had complained that Donald Trump continued to publicly call on Ukraine to make concessions to Russia in peace talks, without making similar demands to Moscow.

In response to Zelensky’s comments, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump views the conflict as “deeply unfair – not only to the Russians and Ukrainians who lost their lives, but also to the American people and American taxpayers who footed the bill for this war effort before President Trump ended it.”

In March last year, the Trump administration suspended billions of dollars in US military aid to Ukraine, halting crucial arms deliveries as Washington increased pressure on Kiev to continue negotiations with Moscow. Later, a revised arrangement was introduced under which Ukraine receives weapons from US stockpiles financed by NATO countries.

On Monday, Trump called on Ukraine to end the war, claiming it was up to the war-affected country to reach a conclusion.

“Ukraine better come to the table quickly. That’s all I’m telling you,” Trump said on Air Force One.

Volodymyr Zelensky announced sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday and vowed to “significantly intensify countermeasures” over Minsk’s support for Russia’s war effort.

“We will significantly intensify countermeasures against all forms of Lukashenko’s assistance in the murder of Ukrainians,” Zelensky wrote on social media.

Belarus, one of Moscow’s closest allies, served as the stage for Russia’s 2022 invasion, allowing its forces to advance toward Kiev before being pushed back by Ukrainian forces.

Zelenskiy said Belarus – which shares more than 1,000 km of border with Ukraine – has also facilitated Russia’s large-scale drone attacks.

Although there has been no active fighting along the Belarusian border, he said Minsk has given Russia permission in the second half of 2025 to deploy relay stations on its territory to monitor drones used in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

In his late-night speech, Zelensky accused Lukashenko of continuing to align himself with Vladimir Putin in what he described as a “dangerous geopolitical game,” including hosting Russia’s hypersonic Oreshnik missile system in Belarus.

“Belarus continues to be used as a supply base for parts, equipment and machinery for the Russian military,” he said. “Minsk must understand this. The sanctions send a political signal.”

Ukrainian forces launched a massive missile at the Russian city of Belgorod, causing power outages in large parts of the border city, local officials said.

Ukraine also reportedly attacked an oil depot in Russia’s Pskov Oblast.

“Unfortunately, another massive rocket attack has occurred on energy facilities in the city of Belgorod. There is extensive damage,” Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

“We can see that there is a partial loss of electricity and heat, so we are currently investigating this,” he added.

The city where Ukraine struck is just 34 km from Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia.

Explosions and fires were reported overnight at an oil depot in the town of Velikiye Luki in Russia’s northwestern Pskov Oblast.