Donald Trump has blamed his inability to end the war in Ukraine on its president Volodymyr Zelensky – not Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Asked why US-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe‘s largest land conflict since the Second World War, Trump responded: “Zelensky”. He added that Putin “is ready to make a deal” while “Ukraine is less ready to make a deal”.
The claim from Trump is in sharp contrast with European allies who have proven Putin as the key figure ramping up military aggression and rejecting peace proposals from Trump’s envoys.
Just hours earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Moscow was not interested in agreeing to a ceasefire, instead holding out for a peace agreement that would end the conflict on its terms.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has said he will declare a state of emergency for Ukraine’s energy sector following sustained Russian attacks on the country’s infrastructure.
Crews are making round-the-clock efforts to restore power and heating supplies thrown into disarray, particularly in Kyiv, last week.
Military chief says UK has no plan for defending nation in event of war
The UK does not have a plan for the defence of the nation if a war breaks out, the country’s top military chief said.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton was answering questions from MP on Monday when he confirmed that the Ministry of Defence does not have funding to cover its equipment programme and additional ambitions published in a sweeping review of defence.
Sir Richard also admitted there is not enough money to continue all planned military programmes on top of doing everything outlined in the strategic defence review (SDR), but became visibly irritated when MPs suggested the military may have to make cuts.
Ceasefire before peace deal not ‘serious’ proposition, says Russia
Russia will not agree to a ceasefire before a peace deal, the country’s veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
Mr Lavrov added that it would be helpful if the US updated Moscow on the latest developments in peace proposals for Ukraine.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are seeking to travel to Moscow to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Recap: Trump warns Putin ‘not looking to stop’ war with Ukraine
In his remarks in July last year, Donald Trump warned that Vladimir Putin is “not looking to stop” the war with Ukraine following a “disappointing” phone call between the Russian and American leaders.
The US president revealed that a conversation with Putin earlier in the day resulted in no progress to end the fighting.
“I’m disappointed with the conversation I had today with president Putin, I don’t think he’s there. I don’t think he’s looking to stop,” he said.
Watch: Zelensky to declare state of emergency over Putin’s attacks on energy grid
Trump suggests he might meet Zelensky in Davos next week
Donald Trump has hinted at a likely meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week.
“I would – if he’s there,” Trump said. “I’m going to be there.”
Asked why he believed Zelensky was holding back on negotiations, Trump did not elaborate, saying only: “I just think he’s, you know, having a hard time getting there.”
Zelensky has publicly ruled out any territorial concessions to Moscow, saying Kyiv has no right under the country’s constitution to give up any land.
Trump says Zelensky, not Putin, holding up Ukraine peace deal
Donald Trump has claimed Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky is holding up a potential peace deal, not Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in a fresh U-turn.
Speaking to Reuters in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky, he said, was more reticent.
His claim is in sharp contrast with European allies who have proven Putin as the key figure ramping up military aggression and rejecting peace proposals from Trump’s envoys.
“I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said of the Russian president. “I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”
Asked why US-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe’s largest land conflict since the Second World War, Trump responded: “Zelensky”.
In pictures: Life without heat in freezing temperatures
Ukraine ‘received 23 air defence systems last year’
Ukraine received 23 medium- and long-range air-defence systems in 2025 as well as 11,000 missiles for them, outgoing Ukrainian defence minister Denys Shmyhal has said.
He made the remark in an address to Ukraine’s parliament shortly before his expected appointment as energy minister.
Kyiv residents freezing after Russia cuts power
Emergency repair crews are working to restore power in the Kyiv region after relentless Russian barrages on energy infrastructure left Ukrainians at the mercy of the coldest winter in years.
At Boryspil, a town with a population of around 60,000, workers dismantled and rebuilt burnt-out electrical systems as they rushed to fix the damage.
They worked in the snow amid temperatures of -15C from early morning until midnight, said Yurii Bryzh, who leads the regional department of private electricity provider DTEK.
They have managed to restore the supply for four hours a day. But Bryzh told the Associated Press the problem was “when the power comes back on, people turn on all the electrical equipment that is available in the house” as they dash to wash, cook or recharge their phones. That collapses the system again, he said.
The hardship of civilians is acute amid what Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko described as the longest and broadest outages since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour almost four years ago. Some homes have been without electricity for days.
Apartments in the capital are freezing, and when venturing outside people wear heavy layers of clothes against the bitter cold that chills to the bone.
Across Kyiv, snow covers the ground and roofs and is piled up next to pavements. At night, the streets are dark and towering apartment blocks show no light in the windows.
Source: independent.co.uk