Donald Trump will call Vladimir Putin this afternoon. Ivor Bennett, our Moscow correspondent, explains the Kremlin’s likely approach. Russia has also banned an international charity. Follow the latest below.
Monday 19 May 2025 13:27, UK
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The UK and EU have agreed a post-Brexit reset deal, with a summit in London today described as “historic” by the bloc.
What does this mean for Ukraine?
According to the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, this represents a boost for Kyiv.
That’s because the deal also reinforces cooperation in security and defence, which she said is the “first step” towards UK participation in Europe’s defence investment programme.
“This will create new opportunities, of course, for our defence industries and open the option for stronger, more coordinated support also for Ukraine.”
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
Judging by his spokesman’s comments, it appears Vladimir Putin has no intention of giving any meaningful ground in his conversation with Donald Trump later today.
“If US mediation helps achieve the goals of the SMO [special military operation] by peaceful means, Russia would prefer this,” was the key line from Dmitry Peskov’s statements to Russian reporters earlier.
It makes it clear that Russia’s goals haven’t changed – that Ukraine never joins NATO and that Russia keeps the four Ukrainian territories it occupies.
And it’s saying that either Kyiv (and the US) gives those things up willingly, or Moscow takes them by force.
30-day truce silence
I think Putin will have to give Trump something, though, or the appearance of a concession at least.
All the pressure now is on Moscow, and I think the Kremlin does want to keep the White House on side to ensure that US-Russia relations continue to soften.
But I doubt it’ll be a full ceasefire that Russia says Ukraine would use to rearm and will only agree to one if Western military support to Ukraine stops.
What’s more, it’s two months since Trump proposed a 30-day truce.
Putin hasn’t agreed to one yet, so why would he now?
Climbdown planned?
The call between the leaders comes after an uptick in aggression from Moscow.
Sunday saw Russia’s largest drone attack of the war so far, and Ukraine also claimed that Russia was going to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile yesterday.
It could be a way to intimidate the West, and assert Russia’s dominance.
Or it could be a way for Putin to give himself something to climb down from, and then sell as a concession to Trump.
The Vatican has now given some more detail on the Pope’s early-morning meeting with the US vice president, which we reported at 9.09.
“There was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” the Vatican has said.
JD Vance was one of the last foreign officials to meet with Leo’s predecessor Francis before the Argentine pope’s death on 21 April.
The two had tangled over migration, with Francis publicly rebuking Donald Trump’s administration over its deportation plan and correcting Vance’s theological justification for it.
Watch below: Does a new American pope help Ukraine?
Russia has claimed its forces have taken two villages in Ukraine, according to state news agency RIA.
The Russian outlet cites the defence ministry, which names the village of Novoolenivka in the eastern Donetsk region, and Marine, in Sumy.
Russia has been pushing through Ukraine’s industrial east since the beginning of its invasion in February 2022.
Its troops recently began pushing into the Sumy region after claiming they had ousted Kyiv’s forces from Russia’s neighbouring Kursk region.
Global human rights charity Amnesty International has been accused of “Russophobia” by Russia’s prosecutor general.
The group highlights human rights abuses around the world and has been critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and domestic crackdown.
Rights groups consistently rank Russia as among the most repressive countries in the world.
In a report from the prosecutor general’s office, Russia has now said Amnesty “positions itself as an active conductor of human rights protection in the world”, in comments cited by news agency Interfax.
“In reality, the London headquarters of AIL [Amnesty International Limited] is the centre for preparing global Russophobic projects paid for by accomplices of the [Kyiv] regime,” it added, also describing the charity as an “undesirable organisation”.
The designation mandates penalties of up to five years in prison for citizens working with or funding Amnesty.
At least two people have been killed and another 13 injured over the past day in Ukraine, according to authorities (see 10.05).
These pictures from Kherson and Donetsk, released by emergency services, show debris and damage after reported Russian attacks.
A little information now from Moscow to bring you now, ahead of Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin.
They will speak at 3pm (UK time), which is 5pm in Moscow and 10am in Washington DC, the Kremlin has said.
RIA news agency cited spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said the two leaders will take into account the results of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul last week.
In the same briefing with reporters, TASS reports the Kremlin said the Romanian election’s conduct had been “strange, to say the least”.
See our post at 7.28 for more on why that vote provided unexpected good news for Ukraine.
Russia’s security service has arrested nine people it said are linked to planned attacks on Victory Day.
The annual celebrations on 9 May – marking the Soviet Union’s role in Nazi Germany’s defeat – were particularly significant this year, on the 80th anniversary.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was among a series of world leaders invited for those events, despite concerns Ukraine would attempt to strike Moscow on the day.
Now, the FSB has said a “series of terrorist crimes” were prevented in Stavropol, a city in southwest Russia, where the nine people have been detained.
Eight of them are teenagers, according to a statement cited by state news agencies, and all were “followers of an international terrorist organisation”.
TASS reported teenagers have been interrogated over alleged preparations to attack police officers. One of them has pleaded guilty, it added.
Watch: Xi joined Putin for Victory Day celebrations
Ukraine’s air force has reported Russia launched 112 drones overnight over various parts of the country.
It added 76 of those were downed – mostly after being shot down, but nearly half by electronic jamming.
It’s not clear what happened to the remaining 36.
Local governors across Ukraine reported two people have been killed in the past 24 hours, with another 13 injured.
In Kherson, the regional administrative district said two people have been killed and six injured.
Another three were hurt in Kharkiv, according to the region’s governor Oleg Synegubov.
Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk, said two people were injured there, while authorities in Sumy reported the same number were hurt in the northern region.
Zaporizhia and Dnipro have also been struck over the past day, authorities said, but no casualties have been reported.
Following an announcement from the EU over defence funding – see the post below – Finland has separately revealed other plans to safeguard against Russia.
The Nordic country has said it will supply ammunition to Ukraine using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
“Finland has been selected as one of the states implementing European Union measures to supply Ukraine with defence materiel using proceeds from frozen Russian assets,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Finnish suppliers will provide the ammunition, which is valued at €90m million euro (£75m), it added.
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