Ukraine War Live: Zensky mentions new PM; Trump threatens Putin with ‘serious rates’

Donald Trump, once a fierce critic of NATO, is now much more positive about the future of the military alliance.

The American president was asked by the BBC if NATO had become ‘outdated’ – a word he used to describe it before.

“No. I think NATO is now the opposite,” he told the broadcaster, adding that the alliance “pays their own bills”.

At the end of June, NATO bondmen came in to increase their defense expenditure to 5 percent of gross domestic product, a movement that the White House had repeatedly demanded since the performance.

Mr. Trump added that he still believes in collective defense to enable smaller countries to defend themselves against larger ones.

Volodyymyr Zensky thanked Donald Trump last night after the US president had threatened a new series of heavy sanctions against Russia if Vladimir Putin does not enter into a peace agreement.

Mr Trump warned on Monday that he would implement 100 percent rates “if we don’t have a deal in 50 days”.

The Ukrainian president made a phone call with Mr Trump after the American president had met NATO -Secretary -General Mark Rutte in the White House on Monday.

“It was a very good conversation,” said Mr. Zensky after the phone call. “Thank you for the willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the murders and to establish a permanent and just peace.

“It is important that we have such a good relationship and that the Alliance countries work to increase defense expenditure.”

The couple discussed how Ukraine could protect against Russian attacks and agreed to make up for by telephone more often, Mr Zensky added.

VolodyMyr Zensky has offered Ukraine’s first Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko a chance to serve as Prime Minister of the country in a cabinet.

The 39-year-old leader served Ukraine in one of the first successful negotiations with the US about minerals deal. She is an economist and has been the first deputy Prime Minister since 2021.

When they signed the minerals deal with the Trump administration, Mrs. Svyrydenko repaired the broken ties between Mr. Zensky and the US President after their public oval office splash.

She flew to Washington and said that the new fund would “attract worldwide investments in our country”.

“Another milestone on the way to the launch of the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund: Ukraine has completed all the necessary procedures on schedule,” wrote Mrs. Svyrydenko in English on social media.

Shortly after the deal, the ties between Kyiv and Washington normalized.

In writing on X, Mrs. Svyrydenko said yesterday that she would pursue deregulation, reduce bureaucracy, protect the business community and reduce non-critical expenses in order to achieve the “complete concentration of the state resources” for defense and post-war recovery.

Donald Trump said he was disappointed, but was not finished with Russian President Vladimir Putin while hinting that he did not trust the Kremlin leader.

In a BBC interview that was published today, hours after Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine and Russia threatened with sanctions, the American president said: “I am disappointed in him (Putin), but I am not done with him. But I am disappointed in him.

“We will have a great conversation. I will say:” That’s good, I think we’ll get it close to it, “and then he will precipitate a building in Kiev,” the president added.

When he was asked if he trusted the Kremlin leader, Mr. Trump said: “I hardly trust anyone.”

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zensky said on Monday that he had spoken with US President Donald Trump after his announcement of new weapons for Ukraine and thanked him for his support.

“It was a very good conversation. I thanked him for his willingness to support Ukraine and continue to work together to stop the murders and to establish a permanent and just peace,” wrote Mr. Zensky.

His comments were when Mr. Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine yesterday and sanctions threatened against buyers of Russian export, unless Russia agrees in the next 50 days a peace agreement.

Mr. Trump’s threat to impose so -called secondary sanctions on Russia, if implemented, would be a major shift in Western sanctions. The laws of both US political parties insist on a bill that would allow such measures, aimed at other countries that buy Russian oil.

The Ukrainian President VolodyMyr Zensky says that he had “a productive conversation” with the special envoy of US President Donald Trump for Ukraine and Russia about strengthening Ukrainian air defenses, joint weapons production and buying American weapons in combination with European countries.

The two also talked about the possibility of stricter international sanctions on the Kremlin.

Mr. Zensky, who met the retired LT -Gen Keith Kellogg in Kyiv, wrote on social media: “We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless the … ambitions are stopped with violence.”

Several people were injured and houses and non-residential buildings were damaged as a result of the nightly drone attack of Ukraine on Russia, regional officials said.

The drones were brought down in the southwestern regions of Lipetsk and Voronezh in Russia, said regional governors this morning.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Telegram that his units have destroyed 55 Ukrainian drones at night over five Russian regions and the Black Sea, including three across the Lipetsk region.

The full degree of damage caused by the attacks was not immediately known. There was no immediate remark of Ukraine about the attack.

The Russian air defense units destroyed 12 drones over the Voronezh region that borders Ukraine, said Governor Alexander Gusev on Telegram.

“Unfortunately there were injuries,” said Gusev. “In Central Voronezh, several people suffered minor injuries as a result of the rubble of a downstairs UAV (unmanned aircraft).”

Various apartments in multi-storey buildings in the city of Voronezh that are the administrative center of the wider Voronezh region were damaged, as well as houses in the suburbs, Mr. Gusev said.

In addition, various commercial facilities throughout the region were damaged by falling drone rubble, he said, without providing further details.

In the city of Yelets in the Lipetsk region, a drone crashed into an industrial zone, said regional governor Igor Artamonov on Telegram.

“One person was injured and receives all necessary medical help,” said Artamonov.

Donald Trump said that his shift in imposing punitive actions on Russia was motivated by frustration with Vladimir Putin.

“We probably had a deal four times. And then the deal would not happen because bombs would be thrown away that night and you would say that we do not close deals,” said Mr. Trump.

Last week he said: “We get a lot of bulls *** thrown at us by Putin.”

Since he returned to the White House who promised a quick end of the war, Mr. Trump has sought an increase in Moscow’s increase and spoke to Mr Putin several times.

His administration has withdrawn from pro-Ukrainian policy, such as supporting Kyiv membership in NATO and demanding Russia that withdrew from all Ukrainian territory.

But the Russian leader still needs to accept a proposal from Mr Trump for an unconditional cease -the Fires, which was quickly endorsed by Kiev. In recent days, Russia have used hundreds of drones to attack Ukrainian cities.

With the secretary -general of NATO next to him in the Oval Office, the US President warned that Russia would be confronted with “100 percent” rates if it did not agree with a cease -the fireplace with Kiev within 50 days.

He continued to criticize Putin several times for his warm approach and way on the phone that he then followed by renewed rocket attacks Ukraine.

“I wouldn’t call him a murderer, but I would call him a very tough guy,” he said about the Russian president.