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Trump risks collapsing Ukraine’s front lines if he decides to starve Kyiv of military aid, Dmytro Kuleba warns
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Vladimir Putin will not accept a peace deal pushed by US president-elect Donald Trump, because the Russian president is “obsessed” with “crushing” Ukraine and exposing the weakness of the West, Ukraine’s former foreign minister has warned.
Dmytro Kuleba – who resigned in September – warned that Mr Trump instead risks collapsing Ukraine’s front lines if his administration decides to starve Kyiv of military aid.
Warning that Mr Putin still believes he “can snuff out Ukrainian statehood”, he told Politico: “Ukraine is a personal obsession for Putin, but crushing Ukraine is also a means to accomplish his grand goal – to show to the world how the West is incapable of defending itself or what it stands for.”
It came as Ukrainian officials said an experimental new ballistic missile fired by Russia at Dnipro last week carried multiple dummy warheads but no explosives. Mr Putin has called the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile strike a successful test and claimed it reached its target – a missile and defence facility.
Nato members reaffirmed their support for Ukraine during talks with the country’s officials yesterday, held in response to Russia’s launch of an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile.
“The chief of the defence intelligence of Ukraine and acting commander of the air force joined the meeting online and briefed the allies on the details of the attack and its possible consequences,” Nataliia Galibarenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Nato, said in a statement.
Ambassadors representing Nato’s 32 member countries were briefed by senior Ukrainian officials after Kyiv called a meeting of the Nato-Ukraine Council, a forum for cooperation.
“They emphasised to the partners that this outrageous attack was a blatant demonstration of force by Russia and a fruitless attempt to intimidate the allies,” she added.
Vladimir Putin said Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new intermediate-range, hypersonic ballistic missile in response to the US and UK’s allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons.
Dozens of British soldiers have been drafted in to help the US find out who is responsible for flying more mystery drones over three air bases in England.
A small number of drones were spotted overnight flying over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk, United States Air Force (USAF) confirmed on Tuesday.
Sources told the PA news agency around 60 troops have been deployed to help USAF in its investigation of the incident.
USAF confirms drones spotted overnight flying over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk
Sir Keir Starmer has been pressed by his own MPs to go faster in pursuing closer relations with Europe on defence and security, amid an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and fears for global security.
Calvin Bailey, who served in the RAF for 24 years and is now the Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead, called for “an acceleration of the government’s work to rebuild our partnerships on the continent” in order to promote security at home and abroad.
He told The Independent that the UK should prioritise cooperation with Europe in Labour’s Strategic Defence Review – a “root and branch review” of UK defence – launched by Sir Keir when he took office.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has more in this exclusive report:
Exclusive: Pressure on the prime minister comes as Russia fires deadly new ballistic missile at Ukraine and Nato sceptic president-elect Trump due to take over White House
Joe Biden’s administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilisation laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18.
A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said on Wednesday that the outgoing US administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilisation age to 18 from the current age of 25 to help expand the pool of fighting age men available to Kyiv.
The White House has pushed more than $56bn in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months.
But with time running out, the Biden White House is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and now must dramatically increase its manpower if it is going to stay in the fight with Russia.
The official said the Ukrainians believe they need about 160,000 additional troops, but the US administration believes they probably will need more.
Russia has expelled a British diplomat for spying in an accusation denied by London as a fresh row erupts in the latest blow to relations between the two countries.
The Russian FSB security service named the diplomat, whose photo was splashed across TV news bulletins, as Edward Wilkes and alleged he had intentionally provided false information when he entered Russia – a claim disputed by the UK Foreign Office as “malicious and baseless”.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff. We will respond in due course.”
My colleague Tara Cobham has more in this report:
London denies espionage accusation as fresh row erupts to deal latest blow to already dire state of relations
Ukrainian officials should consider lowering the age for its soldiers to 18 years old, a senior US administration official has said.
In comments to Reuters, the US official warned that Ukraine is not mobilising or training enough new soldiers for its war with Russia.
Poland has detained a German citizen and charged the suspect with brokering and exporting dual-use goods to Russia.
“The German citizen traded in specialist machines used in the technological industry, which – through his company – were illegally sent to Russian military plants involved in the production of weapons,” the Internal Security Agency said.
“The suspect pleaded guilty and filed a motion for voluntary submission to punishment.”
A German foreign office source said the embassy in Warsaw was in touch with Polish authorities and working urgently to get details.
European Union sanctions levied against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine include a ban on selling to Russia certain dual-use goods and technologies that have both civilian and military applications.
The Internal Security Agency statement did not specify the article of the criminal code under which the suspect was charged and it was not immediately clear what penalty he faces.
Europe needs to take a greater responsibility for its own security, Swedish premier Ulf Kristersson has warned, as his nation joined numerous others in jointly vowing to bolster aid to Ukraine.
“That is preconditioned on us increasing our cooperation and continuing to support Ukraine, which is fighting for both its own and our security, over the long term,” he said in a statement issued shortly after the agreement was struck.
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