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An intended summit in Budapest between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was called off on Wednesday
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Russia has tested a new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missile named the Burevestnik, Russia’s top general told president Vladimir Putin in remarks released on Sunday.
The missile travelled 14,000 km (8,700 miles) and was in the air for about 15 hours, General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, told Putin.
Putin has said the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel) – dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO – is “invincible” to current and future missile defences, with an almost unlimited range and unpredictable flight path.
It follows news that Donald Trump has said he will not meet with Vladimir Putin until he thinks a deal to secure peace between Russia and Ukraine is in place.
“You have to know that we’re going to make a deal, I’m not going to be wasting my time,” the US president told reporters in Doha on Saturday.
Mr Trump said earlier this week he did not want to have a “wasted meeting” with Putin, after officials concluded that the gap between the two sides was too big to begin negotiations on peace in Ukraine.
Sir Keir Starmer has urged allies to “finish the job” on frozen Russian assets by using them to strengthen Ukraine’s defences.
At a major press conference on Friday, the prime minister urged the so-called “coalition of the willing” to help to take Russian oil and gas off the global market.
It comes after the UK targeted Russia’s oil companies with tough sanctions earlier this month.
He said: “Last week, the UK became the first country to sanction all of Russia’s oil majors. On Wednesday, the US acted decisively and joined us.
“Together with further sanctions from the EU, we’re choking off funding for Russia’s war machine.
“And I’m urging others to take these steps, to go further to reduce their dependence and incentivise third countries to stop buying these tainted resources.”
Other measures under consideration include seeking ways to use billions in frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s defences.
Sir Keir met Ukrainian President Voloydmyr Zelensky for a bilateral meeting in No 10 on Friday ahead of the two leaders joining a call along with the wider coalition of the willing – a group of more than 30 countries pledging support for Kyiv.
Slovakia will not take part in any European Union programme aimed at financing military help for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday.
Slovakia stopped state military aid for Ukraine when Fico’s government came to power in 2023, but has still allowed commercial sales. Fico differs with European Union states on the war, saying a solution is not on the battlefield.
EU leaders agreed on Thursday to meet Ukraine’s “pressing financial needs” for the next two years but held off on endorsing a plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund a 140 billion euro loan to Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the money could be used right away to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, air fleet and frontline positions.
“I refuse to allow Slovakia to take part in any financial scheme aimed at helping Ukraine manage the war and military spending,” Fico told a televised news conference.
The Kremlin said on Sunday it was wrong to talk about cancellation of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, but added that preparation for it was needed, state television Vesti reported on its Telegram channel.
“Presidents cannot meet for the sake of meeting, they cannot just waste their time, and they are open about that. That’s why they instructed (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and (U.S. Secretary of State Marco) Rubio to prepare this process. The process is complicated,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
Peskov also commented on sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft, calling them “an unfriendly step”, but said that Russia seeks to build friendly relations with all countries, including the U.S.
“Despite the various nuances voiced by the president of the United States, we must still be oriented towards our interests. Our interests are to build good relations with all countries, including the United States,” Peskov told Zarubin.
“Of course, the actions that were taken this week were an unfriendly step. They have indeed damaged the prospects for resuscitating our relations. But that does not mean that we should abandon these aspirations. We should do what is favourable to us,” Peskov said.
He also said Russia would prosecute anyone found to be involved in the possible confiscation of frozen Russian assets.
Russian armed forces will respond forcefully in the event of strikes deep inside Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published on Sunday.
“Like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin said, the response will be overwhelming,” Peskov told state TV Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
Putin said on Thursday that Moscow would never bow to pressure from the United States or any other foreign power, and cautioned that it would deliver an “overwhelming” response to any military strikes deep inside Russia.
On Sunday, Putin said that Russia had successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon Moscow says can evade any defence system, and would move towards deploying the weapon.
Volodymyr Zelensky has responded after a heavy bombardment overnight in Kyiv to say emergency services are tackling the aftermath of Russia’s latest attack.
“Response efforts are ongoing in Kyiv following the Russian attack. All the necessary emergency services are working at the sites. Last night, Russia launched more than 100 drones against us. Ordinary apartment buildings in several districts of the city have been damaged.
“Unfortunately, as of now, three people are known to have been killed in the attack. My deepest condolences to their families. Dozens have been injured, including children. Every Russian strike is an attempt to inflict as much damage as possible on ordinary life. This week, they’ve been striking residential buildings, our people, children, and civilian infrastructure. These are the main targets for the Russians.
“Thousands of strikes with various types of weapons: in just one week, Russia has used nearly 1,200 attack drones, more than 1,360 guided aerial bombs, and over 50 missiles of different types against Ukraine. Under all these strikes, Ukraine has continued to defend itself actively – on the battlefield, in the sky, and through diplomacy. There are significant results regarding the pressure on Russia: the 19th EU sanctions package and new U.S. sanctions targeting Russian oil.
“We are grateful to our partners for these steps, but it is important not to stop here. We count on the synchronization of these sanctions across the G7 and other partner jurisdictions. And, of course, additional tariff and sanctions restrictions are needed against Russia and all those helping it stay afloat. Certainly, pressure will help bring about peace. I thank everyone who contributes to this.”
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