Trump won’t participate in ‘endless negotiations’ with Russia, says Rubio

Donald Trump will not engage in “endless” negotiations with Vladimir Putin over a Ukraine ceasefire, his state secretary said, as Nato allies urged the US president to ratchet up pressure on Russia.

Speaking at his first Nato meeting of foreign ministers, Marco Rubio promised the US would know “in a matter of weeks” whether Russia was serious about peace.

Britain and France had earlier pushed Mr Trump to adopt a stronger position against Putin, whose forces continue to target civilian and energy infrastructure in Ukraine after rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal.

“President Trump is not going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations about negotiations,” Mr Rubio said.

“We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not.”

“We will not continue this forever. We have a certain time when we will wait. We want to see during this time whether they are ready for peace or not. And the time is coming.”

He refused to give an official deadline for Putin to sign a deal, but suggested Mr Trump’s patience was running out and said the US could ramp up sanctions on Russia.

‘We hope that Moscow will be ready for peace’

“Congress has already started working on a bill on sanctions and the pressure from the Capitol will already be growing. We will send our message to Moscow, and we hope that Moscow will be ready for peace.”

European governments have grown frustrated by Russia’s refusal to sign up to a ceasefire three weeks after Kyiv said it was ready to stop fighting to negotiate a peace treaty.

There are fears that Mr Trump has been too soft on Putin as he attempts to reset relations between Washington and Moscow.

The US president was quick to punish Ukraine by suspending military aid and intelligence sharing after accusing Volodymyr Zelensky of stalling his attempts to broker an end to the three-year war.

But he has not yet followed through on his threats of devastating the Russian economy with sanctions for rejecting a US-Ukrainian proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire.

Putin snubbed the pause last month and made a US-backed truce in the Black Sea dependent on the West lifting some of its sanctions on Moscow.

Russian forces have since ramped up long-range drone attacks against Ukrainian targets to unprecedented levels after the Kremlin chief rejected the offers.

By the end of March, Moscow was launching over 1,000 one-way attack drones a week, according to a Nato intelligence assessment.

Earlier on Friday, David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, sought to convince Mr Trump that Putin was not yet serious about peace talks.

“It is still the case that our judgement is that Putin continues to obfuscate, continues to drag his feet. He could accept a ceasefire now, but he continues to bombard Ukraine, its civilian population, its energy supplies,” Mr Lammy said in a joint press statement with his French counterpart.

“We see Vladimir Putin, we know what he is, and that is why we pledged to continue to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position in a military, economic, humanitarian context, and we continue to bear down the sanctions on Russia so they are willing to come to this negotiation.”

Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s foreign minister, added: “Right now, our main problem is that Vladimir Putin is procrastinating, is trying to avoid these peace talks.

“Our responsibility as friends and partners of Ukraine is to build up pressure on Vladimir Putin to get him to sit at the negotiating table.

“But also to make the demonstration that the Ukrainians want peace, but that clearly Vladimir Putin has another idea in mind, and that by striking energy infrastructure, by continuing its war crimes, by announcing last week a new conscription of 160,000 soldiers… clearly Vladimir Putin does not have any willingness to enter into a ceasefire and start peace negotiations.”

Britain and France are leading a European “Coalition of the Willing” to help secure any ceasefire deal brokered in Ukraine.

More than 30 nations have discussed plans to monitor any pause in the fighting and even put boots on the ground as part of security guarantees to deter any future Russian attacks.

The Telegraph understands that talks over a possible troop deployment have stalled in recent weeks as politicians have failed to reach an agreement on the shape and size of the mission.

Defence ministers from participating countries will meet in Brussels next week, with defence chiefs also set to huddle for further talks.

Recent discussions have seemingly focused on what extra sanctions could be levelled against Putin’s Russia and immediate packages of military support for Ukraine as the fighting continues.

04:50 PM BST

That’s all for today

Thanks for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. It has now ended.

We’ll be back soon with more updates and analysis.

04:25 PM BST

Pictured: Aftermath of a Russian drone strike in Dnipro

03:54 PM BST

Kremlin says Putin and Trump have no plans to speak

The Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had no plans to talk after a visit to Washington by Putin’s investment envoy as wider negotiations over a ceasefire in Ukraine appeared stalled.

NBC News reported on Thursday that Trump’s inner circle is advising him not to speak to Putin again until the Russian leader commits to a full ceasefire in Ukraine.

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy, said on Thursday that he saw a “positive dynamic” in relations between Moscow and Washington after holding two days of meetings in Washington, but said more meetings were needed to sort out differences.

Asked on Friday whether Putin and Trump would now speak by phone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “No, there are no plans for the next few days. There is nothing in the schedule for now.”

03:20 PM BST

Watch: Rubio speaks after Nato meeting

03:08 PM BST

Putin is ready and desperate to do a deal with Trump

All but drowned out by the hubbub over Donald Trump’s tariffs, Vladimir Putin is this week making his own business pitch to the White House, writes Owen Matthews.

The Kremlin’s smoothest money-man is in Washington for top-level talks aimed at launching a new era of business cooperation between the US and Russia.

Envoy Kirill Dmitriev’s task is to talk up a raft of supposedly huge mineral deals in the Arctic. And while he’s about it, he is also to reset relations between the two countries which are, he says, “exactly what the world needs for lasting global security and peace.”

Russia was notable by its absence from Trump’s tariffs – an unmistakable sign of favour. Nonetheless, The Kremlin has clearly been rattled by Trump’s talk last week of being “pissed off” and “very angry” at Russia’s foot-dragging over ceasefire negotiations.

For all their shortcomings – not least on operational security – Trump’s national security team are not complete fools. Putin’s promises of various conditional ceasefires have proved worthless.

02:49 PM BST

Vatican’s foreign minister discusses Ukraine with Russia’s Lavrov

The Vatican’s foreign ministry Archbishop Paul Gallagher held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the war in Ukraine and plans to stop the fighting, the Vatican said.

Russia’s foreign ministry later said the call had been initiated by the Vatican, and that Lavrov and Gallagher had discussed “ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis with the obligatory reliable elimination of its root causes”.

The Vatican has regularly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but also called for negotiations to bring the war to an end.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a limited truce last month against launching attacks against the other side’s energy facilities. Both have accused each other of violating the agreement, which was brokered by the United States.

02:09 PM BST

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01:48 PM BST

Ukraine could become arms trafficking hub after war

Ukraine could become a global arms trafficking hub after the war with Russia ends, the law-enforcement wing of the EU has warned.

Stockpiles of military-grade weapons, drones and ammunition left behind on battlefields will likely be exploited by organised crime groups when hostilities cease, according to a landmark report from Europol.

The report titled ‘The changing DNA of serious and organised crime’ said “concerns persist about Ukraine becoming a significant source of illicit firearms and ammunition… in the short to medium term”.

The 100-page report cited the example of how the Western Balkans emerged as one of the world’s largest sources for arms trafficking following the series of ethnic conflicts in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo that erupted after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991.

Tomasz Siemoniak, Minister of the Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland, said: “The ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine is a source of ever new threats to our internal security.

“Aware of this fact, we must identify and monitor these threats on an ongoing basis, reacting quickly and adequately.

01:25 PM BST

Putin does not want peace — here is the proof

The number of Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine has surged by more than 50 per cent since US-led peace talks began in mid-February, Telegraph analysis has found.

In the 30 days following Feb 18, when the peace talks began, some 4,776 drone strikes were launched by Russia, compared to 3,148 drone strikes in the 30 days before, according to Ukrainian Air Force Command updates.

Experts said that Moscow has ramped up its attacks to force concessions from Kyiv – and take control over as much land as possible – as Donald Trump, the US president, pledged to bring a swift end to the fighting.

Ukraine is also finding it increasingly difficult to intercept Russian missiles, resulting in more civilian targets being hit by Russia.

01:01 PM BST

Rubio: ‘Matter of weeks’ to know if Russia serious about peace

Marco Rubio has said that Donald Trump was not “going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia over Ukraine, adding it would soon be clear if Moscow was serious about peace.

“We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not,” Mr Rubio told journalists after a Nato meeting in Brussels.

12:22 PM BST

Vatican’s foreign minister discusses Ukraine with Russia’s Lavrov

The Vatican’s Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher held a phone call today with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the war in Ukraine, the Vatican said in a statement.

The two officials discussed the overall situation of the three-year conflict and “some initiatives aimed at stopping the military actions,” the statement said.

12:16 PM BST

Pictured: Nato’s Rutte speaks from Brussels

12:15 PM BST

‘Ball is in Russia’s court,’ says Rutte

The ball regarding a Ukraine ceasefire is in the Russian court, Mr Rutte said.

Several European ministers asked for a deadline to be set for Moscow to answer to the US proposal for a ceasefire, but Mr Rutte declined to say if he was in favour of that proposal.

12:11 PM BST

Nato will ‘spend more on defence’

Nato allies will spend more on defence, and many allies have begun to do so already, Mr Rutte said.

He added that allies had heard from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the United States remained committed to the transatlantic alliance.

12:07 PM BST

Safety guarentees must be given to Ukraine, Rutte says

When asked about Ukraine, Mr Rutte highlighted several Nato member states’ contributions, including Poland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

He stated that “the shortest answer” to questions about safety guarantees is implementing measures to ensure that “Putin will never, ever try again to get one square kilometre or one square mile of Ukraine in the future, that he knows that there is a deterrence and a defence by which Ukraine can never be attacked in the future.”

Mr Rutte added: “When you look at Nato and more generally, allies, what we are doing is providing Ukraine what they need to stay in the fight, and that is an enormous amount of defence support into Ukraine, defence equipment, including ammunition.”

12:06 PM BST

Nato committed to defending Ukraine

Nato allies have “assured” Ukraine that they will continue to support the country “today and to help build its armed forces for the future”, according to Mr Rutte.

He added that Nato supports the push for peace lead by the US and further efforts “spearheaded by France and the UK”.

Mr Rutte said that Nato ministers met with the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to talk about the EU’s plans to increase defence spending.

12:03 PM BST

Nato needed ‘more than ever’, Rutte says

Over the last two days of the summit, world leaders have agreed that the “world grows more dangerous” and that Nato is needed “more than ever”, Mark Rutte has said.

He added that Nato “faces real threats to our security, the most direct from Russia, but also from others, state and non-state in the High North, from the south, on the eastern flank and in cyberspace”.

“Whatever the challenges we face, we need to make sure that we have the forces and capabilities necessary to deter aggression and defend ourselves should anyone make the mistake of attacking,” he said, pledging to increase Nato spending.

11:58 AM BST

Nato’s Rutte speaks from Brussels

Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, is now giving a statement after two days of a Nato ministerial summit in Brussels.

11:44 AM BST

Kremlin: Iran ‘nuclear problem’ can only be solved diplomatically

The Kremlin said Friday that tensions around Iran’s nuclear programme could only be solved “diplomatically” and called for “restraint,” after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran if it develops nuclear weapons.

Trump last week had said “there will be bombing” of Iran if it does not drop its efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

“The problem of Iran’s nuclear dossier can only be solved by political-diplomatic means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to a question by AFP, adding that “all sides should show restraint and concentrate on diplomatic efforts”.

Trump wants Iran to negotiate a new nuclear deal after he pulled the US out of an agreement in 2018 that relieved sanctions on Tehran in return for curbing its nuclear programme.

Russia and Iran are close allies, with Tehran one of the main backers of Moscow’s Ukraine offensive.

11:28 AM BST

Russian forces ‘take control of two settlements’

Russian troops have taken control of the settlements of Rozivka and Uspenivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday.

Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report.

11:12 AM BST

Trump advised not to call Putin until he agrees to truce

Donald Trump’s inner circle has warned him against speaking to Vladimir Putin until the Russian leader commits to a full ceasefire, according to reports.

Administration officials told NBC News that there were no scheduled talks planned between the pair as of Thursday afternoon. 

On March 30, Mr Trump said he was “very angry” at Putin for his lack of willingness to agree to the ceasefire.

Russian attacks against Ukraine continued on Friday, with Kharkiv hit by drone attacks that killed three people and injured dozens more.

Five other people were injured in the regions of Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, local authorities said.

11:05 AM BST

Army chiefs meet in Kyiv

Admiral Tony Radakin, the British Chief of the Defence Staff, and General Thierry Burkhard, the French Chief of the Defence Staff, have arrived in Kyiv for talks today.

10:50 AM BST

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking its energy infrastructure

Russia’s Defence Ministry on Friday accused Ukraine of attacking Russian energy facilities six times in the past 24 hours despite a US-brokered moratorium on striking each other’s energy infrastructure, Russian news agencies reported.

Reuters could not independently verify the alleged attacks.

10:25 AM BST

Ukraine has addressed troop shortages

Ukraine has addressed its troop shortages in the ongoing war with Russia, according to US General Christopher Cavoli.

Mr Cavoli said that Kyiv has expanded its pool of eligible recruits, resolving manpower issues that were critical last autumn.

Measures such as lowering the mobilisation age and offering incentives for enlistment have bolstered Ukraine’s military strength.

Mr Cavoli also stressed the importance of continued US support, warning that any halt in weapons or intelligence aid would severely hinder Ukraine’s war effort.

10:09 AM BST

Pictured: Destruction in Kharkiv

09:54 AM BST

Putin using ceasefire negotiations as ‘leverage to seize territory’

Russia is using ongoing peace negotiations as a strategy to seize more territory in Ukraine, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts from the ISW suggested Moscow aims to leverage ceasefire talks to install a pro-Russian puppet government in Kyiv while continuing military operations if it cannot secure Ukraine’s “full surrender” through diplomatic means.

09:39 AM BST

French and British army chiefs to meet in Kyiv

French and British army chiefs are set to meet in Kyiv on Friday to advance plans for a “Coalition of the Willing” peacekeeping force.

As Nato leaders met in Brussels this morning, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that military capacity will be needed to support any future peace agreement, which is why the army chiefs are meeting in Kyiv to move this work forward.

“There will be at some point a need for military capacity or reassurance, whenever peace is reached. And this is the reason why our army chiefs will be in Kyiv today in order to advance this work,” Mr Barrot said in Brussels, AFP reported.

09:22 AM BST

Lammy meets Nato leaders in Brussels

French and British officials are meeting in Brussels today.

The meeting comes as France and the UK continue to advance plans for a “coalition of the willing” initiative, aimed at deploying European troops to enforce and maintain any peace agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine.

09:08 AM BST

Russian air defences repel drone approaching Moscow

Russian air defence units intercepted a drone heading toward Moscow early Friday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported.

“Air defence units of the Defence Ministry repelled an attack by a drone flying towards Moscow,” Mr Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. Emergency crews are currently working at the site where fragments of the drone fell.

The incident temporarily disrupted operations at three of Moscow’s airports.

08:53 AM BST

World leaders blame Russia for stalled ceasefire

World leaders blamed Russia for thwarting a US push for peace in the Ukraine war as they joined together for a Nato meeting today.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Vladimir Putin’s talk of negotiations was “nothing but empty promises” and accused the Russian leader of “playing for time by raising ever new demands”.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Moscow “owes an answer to the United States, that have worked very hard to come up with a mediation effort and a ceasefire proposal”.

“It has to be yes. It has to be no. It has to be a quick answer,” he said.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said a deadline should be set for Russia to respond to the ceasefire offer.

08:37 AM BST

Dmitriev sees ‘positive dynamic’ in Russia-US relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that he saw a “positive dynamic” in relations between Moscow and Washington, though more meetings were needed to sort out differences.

Dmitriev, speaking after talks with officials from President Donald Trump’s administration, also said he saw prospects for the beginning of a solution to the more than three-year-old war in Ukraine.

He said his talks in Washington had touched on matters as wide-ranging as rare metals production, cooperation in the Arctic and even crewed flight to Mars. He said work was proceeding on restoring direct air links.

“Without doubt, we note a positive dynamic in our relations,” Russian news agencies quoted him as telling journalists in Washington. “A series of meetings will still be needed for us to resolve all our differences. But the main thing we see a positive, creative attitude.”

08:19 AM BST

Lammy hits out at Putin

David Lammy has accused Vladimir Putin of stalling on ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine.

The Foreign Secretary highlighted Putin’s continued attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure as he hit out against the Russian president.

Speaking at Nato headquarters in Brussels on Friday, Mr Lammy said: “Our judgement is that Putin continues to obfuscate, continues to drag his feet.

“He could accept a ceasefire now, but he continues to bombard Ukraine, its civilian population, its energy supplies.”

“We see you, Vladimir Putin. We know what you’re doing,” he added.

Mr Lammy emphasised the urgency of bolstering support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia to negotiate in good faith.

“We are pledged to continue to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, militarily and economically,” he said.

08:10 AM BST

Russia still striking Ukraine energy infrastructure

France’s foreign minister said Russia was still striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and accused Moscow of dragging its heels over US peace efforts.

“Over the past three weeks, Russia has been flip-flopping, continuing its strikes on energy infrastructure, continuing its war crimes,” Jean-Noel Barrot said.

07:57 AM BST

Pictured: Russian drones hti Kharkiv

07:46 AM BST

Ukraine shoots down 42 drones overnight

Ukrainian air defence units shot down 42 of 78 Russian drones launched overnight, while electronic warfare redirected 22 others, the air force reported.

Drone attacks caused damage in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

In Dnipro, three people were injured, and infrastructure and residential buildings were damaged.

Thirteen drones were intercepted over the Dnipropetrovsk region.

In the Kyiv region, two people were injured, while in Zaporizhzhia, seven drones struck targets, injuring one person.

07:44 AM BST

Kharkiv hit by overnight attacks

Russia launched a series of drone attacks on Kharkiv overnight, killing at least four people and injuring 35 others, including children, according to regional officials.

The strikes targeted residential areas in the city’s Novobavarskyi district, damaging multiple apartment buildings and sparking fires across several locations.

Rescue teams worked through the night to search for survivors amid the rubble. Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported via Telegram that four fatalities had been confirmed, with one body recently recovered from the debris.

Among the injured were three children.

07:42 AM BST

Putin ‘could agree’ to ceasefire, says Lammy

Vladimir Putin could agree to the proposed ceasefire with Ukraine but continues to stall, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Friday upon arriving at Nato headquarters in Brussels for talks with his counterparts from Nato member states.

Mr Lammy also emphasised the significance of hearing from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, reaffirming America’s commitment to Nato.