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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer convened a meeting of world leaders Saturday to marshal support for Ukraine and put pressure on Russia to back a 30-day ceasefire proposal put forward by Washington. The virtual meeting comes a day after President Donald Trump said the US had “good and productive” talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Follow our live coverage.
‘Trump overestimated his ability to push Putin towards a ceasefire’
Eager for a “diplomatic success”, US President Donald Trump has overestimated his ability to sway Russia’s Vladimir Putin, says General Jean-Paul Palomeros, a former NATO Allied Forces Supreme Commander.
Click on the video below for his take on the diplomatic standoff over Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
Ukraine says it destroyed 130 Russian-launched drones overnight
Ukrainian air defences destroyed 130 out of 178 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight strike, Kyiv’s air force has said.
It added that another 38 drones had been “locationally lost”, typically a reference to electronic jamming, and that Russian forces had also fired two ballistic missiles.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is convening a second meeting of global leaders Saturday to discuss the developments regarding the war in Ukraine, following another frantic week of diplomacy aimed at getting Russia to back a 30-day ceasefire.
Unlike the first summit on March 2, the meeting of what Starmer has termed the “coalition of the willing” will be conducted virtually.
The call is expected to delve into how countries can help Ukraine militarily and financially as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission.
It comes a day after US President Donald Trump praised talks held with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US-proposed ceasefire deal in Ukraine as “good and productive”.
- President Donald Trump on Friday said the US had “good and productive discussions” with Russia’s Vladimir Putin the day before, and that there was “a very good chance” of putting an end to the war.
- Trump also said his country had strongly urged Putin to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops Russia claims are surrounded in the Kursk region – a claim dismissed by Kyiv.
- French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia to accept a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine and stop making statements aimed at “delaying” the process.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops were under mounting pressure in Russia’s Kursk region but that the operation had eased pressure elsewhere on the front line.
- A Russian missile struck a residential area in Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, injuring four people.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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