Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump and Putin say they could attend China peace summit without Zelensky

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump and Putin say they could attend China peace summit without Zelensky The US president thinks somebody else needs to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in American and Russian officials say arrangements are being made for Ukraine peace talks in China next month involving Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, but without any Ukrainian representation. Asked whether he would meet Putin and Xi without Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said he would do "anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody is there or not". Secretary of state Marco Rubio confirmed there had been "talk of a meeting", and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that while the prospect of such a meeting had been mentioned, "no substantive proposals or agreements” have been discussed. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha criticised the idea of peace talks without Kyiv, saying it would only embolden Putin. Trump was also asked about Zelensky saying the president was “on the wrong side of history” with the Russia diesel deal, to which he responded: “Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Zelensky’s a man that should have this war settled a long time ago. “To be honest, I think it’s time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.” US officials plan to travel to Norway, Russia for Ukraine talks, say sources US president Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Norway this week for the next round of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, according to three people familiar with the matter. Two of the people said they expected Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to attend the meetings. Another person familiar with the matter said Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was expected to take part in the talks, was sick and would attend virtually. The Oslo discussions are expected to include Zelensky, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store, representatives of the E4 – made up of Britain, France, Germany, and Poland – the European Union, and Nato. Witkoff is also set to travel to Russia to meet president Vladimir Putin, two of the people familiar with the matter said. The Russian conversations are going to focus on a range of topics related to Ukraine as well as the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was jailed in Russia in 2022. Senators hold call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky Senators who organised a call with Volodymyr Zelensky said he confirmed that critical Starlink services remain degraded, impeding Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian drones. Republican senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said in a statement that Zelensky also reported disruptions to US intelligence sharing concerning early warning of Russian ballistic missile launches. "As a result of these disruptions, civilians - children - are dying," the senators said. The senators participated in the call after the Trump administration waived sanctions against Russia approved recently by Congress. The senators said that Democrats and Republicans understand what will happen if Russian president Vladimir Putin faces no consequences, and they remain committed to Ukraine and European allies trying to end "the slaughter in Russia's war of aggression". "Zelensky reiterated his willingness to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities as President Trump has proposed, but only if Putin agrees to the same - a fair request," they said. Russia strikes 28 energy critical energy facilities Russia has struck 28 substations and other critical energy facilities across Ukraine in another wave of attacks. At least 550,000 households lost power overnight, Volodymyr Zelensky said. “Restoration work is underway everywhere, and electricity is gradually being restored to people. “Grateful to every repair crew, all employees of energy companies—men and women alike.” Both Russia and Ukraine have ramped up attacks on energy facilities after Donald Trump’s energy ceasefire collapsed. Comment: Why a mysterious Russian satellite is threatening to spark a space war If Russia were to detonate a nuclear weapon in low orbit, it would be a game-changer – an escalation in conventional military strategy that would kill no one directly. More alarming still, it would not require the industrial capacity Moscow lacks, but rely on technology it already possesses, says missile defence expert Dr Sidharth Kaushal Why a mysterious Russian satellite is threatening to spark a space war Trump claims Zelensky ‘never wanted to end war’ as rift deepens with Kyiv Donald Trump has claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky “never wanted to end” the war with Russia as he escalated his attacks on the Ukrainian president. Over the past few weeks, the relationship between the US and Ukraine has rapidly declined after Washington announced it would pause sanctions on Moscow and import fuel. The rift between the two powers deepened on Sunday when Trump posted on Truth Social that Zelensky “doesn’t want to end this war”. He said: “Frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, and that crooked Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.” Read more: Trump claims Zelensky ‘never wanted to end war’ as rift deepens with Kyiv Watch: Ukrainian drone attack on St Petersburg and Leningrad region Bulgarian court approves arrest warrant for two Germans over Starlink fire A Bulgarian court approved the issuance of a European arrest warrant for two German citizens accused of setting fire to SpaceX Starlink antennas near Sofia, a spokesperson told Reuters. Prosecutors allege the two entered Bulgaria from Serbia on 9 October 9, spent several hours in the country and later returned to Serbia. They are accused of setting fire to Starlink antennas at the Plana Teleport facility south of Sofia. If convicted, they face between three and 12 years in prison, Bulgarian state news agency BTA reported. The ruling can be appealed within three days Ukraine uses Starlink terminals extensively for battlefield communications and installs Starlink receivers in many of its drones as part of their guidance systems Other countries have blamed Russia-linked sabotage for similar fire incidents. Moscow says such accusations are baseless and the result of anti-Russian hysteria Zelensky discusses speeding up supplies of Patriots with Lockheed Martin Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed ways of speeding up supplies of the Patriot system, vital to countering Russia ballistic missiles, with representatives of the US company Lockheed Martin. The Ukrainian leader said it is the company’s “Patriot systems and F-16 planes that play an important role in defending against Russian ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones. “And things are not easy on both fronts right now. We talked about how we can expand and increase supplies,” he added. “The company is currently ramping up production of ballistic missile interceptors. We count on the opportunity to purchase some of them to protect more lives. “We are also trying to do everything possible to ensure that F-16 maintenance and repairs are carried out in Ukraine.” Homeland Security grants temporary deportation reprieve for more than 100K Ukrainians and Sudanese More than 100,000 people from Ukraine and Sudan can stay in the United States without immediate risk of deportation, the Department of Homeland Security said, in what amounts to a temporary reprieve after their right to stay in the country was set to expire Monday. Temporary Protected Status was set to end Oct. 19 for about 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese. But DHS said an announcement “will be made at the appropriate time.” Until then, the department said in a written statement, Ukrainians and Sudanese in the U.S. covered by those temporary measures “retain protection.” The Department did not indicate how long they could stay or when a final announcement would be made on their status. DHS did not respond to a question about whether they can keep their work permits, but TPS generally allows people to work while their protections remain in effect. Homeland Security grants temporary deportation reprieve for more than 100K Ukrainians and Sudanese Trump hits out Zelensky and says Ukraine has 'given us nothing' Donald Trump has said it may be time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine, as he hit out at Kyiv for “giving us nothing”. He told reporters: “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine, they’ve given nothing to us...We’ve given hundreds of billions of dollars. I gave the Javelin [missiles] to Ukraine. That was me. [Barack] Obama gave them pillows. “All I want is for Russia and Ukraine to stop that stupid war.” Asked if he would meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin to discuss the end of the war without Zelensky there, he said: “Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody is there or not.” Trump was also asked about Zelensky’s comments, in which he said the president was “on the wrong side of history”. “Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” the president responded. “Zelensky’s a man that should have this war settled a long time ago. “If he would have listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago and had a million people living from his side. “To be honest, I think it’s time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. “Maybe it’s time for Zelensky to get someone else to negotiate.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments [Image text:] FOMOEO 0686666686866