Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Swipe for next article
The US and Russian leader had been set to meet in Budapest but Moscow has rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Russia tested its nuclear capabilities on land, sea and air on Wednesday – just a day after Trump said he did not want to have a “wasted” meeting with Vladimir Putin.
The test included the launch of a land-based “Yars” intercontinental ballistic missile and the launch of nuclear-capable cruise missiles from strategic bombers. Moscow holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal during a period of soaring tensions with Nato and western Europe.
On Tuesday night, Trump said: “I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to have a waste of time — so we’ll see what happens.”
His comments followed a phone call between Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which Lavrov stated that Moscow’s negotiating position remained unchanged since the Alaska summit that failed to yield progress.
“No one wants to waste time, neither President Trump nor President Putin,” the Kremlin said on Wednesday. “Preparation is necessary. It takes time.”
Trump has said preparatory talks between senior US and Russian officials showed that the gap between the two countries was too large to begin negotiations over ending the conflict.
The intended summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was put on hold on Wednesday after Moscow refused to budge on its red lines for ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump said on Tuesday that he did not want to have a “wasted meeting” with Putin after officials concluded that the gap between the two sides was two big to begin negotiations.
A senior White House official told Reuters that there are “no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future”. It comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a “productive call” but opted against an in-person meeting.
Read our full explainer below.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a letter of intent to export up to 150 of Saab’s Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
Gripen is a fourth generation light single-engine supersonic fighter jet. It is a so-called multi-role fighter aircraft, designed for missions such as air-to-air combat, aerial bombing and reconnaissance.
It is seen as a solid low-cost alternative to the more expensive fifth generation planes, such as the F-35.
Gripen, Swedish for the mythical creature Griffin, has been in commission since 1996 but has been upgraded several times.
The first plane of the latest version, Gripen E, was delivered to the Swedish Air Force in October. In total more than 280 Gripens have been manufactured.
President Vladimir Putin oversaw a test of Russia’s nuclear forces on land, sea and air to rehearse their readiness and command structure.
The test included the launch of a land-based “Yars” intercontinental ballistic missile from a cosmodrome and the launch of nuclear-capable cruise missiles from strategic bombers.
Russia carries out regular drills of its nuclear forces to put them through their paces and to remind adversaries that it holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal at a period of soaring East-West tensions.
“The exercise tested the level of preparedness of the military command and the practical skills of the operational personnel in organising the control of subordinate forces,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“All exercise tasks were completed”.
Sweden has signed a letter of intent to export up to 150 of its domestically produced Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The two leaders met for talks in Linkoping in southern Sweden and visited Saab, which is the maker of the JAS 39 Gripen fighter and other equipment.
Kristersson told a news conference the two countries had signed a long-term cooperation agreement over air defences that included the possibility of exporting 100-150 newly produced Gripen E fighter jets.
“We fully realise it’s a long road ahead of us,” Kristersson said with a Gripen in Swedish livery in the background.
“But from today we are committed to exploring all the possibilities in providing Ukraine with a large amount of Gripen fighters in the future.”
Ukraine hit a Russian ammunition plant in the Mordovia region and an oil refinery in Dagestan in “tit for tat” overnight attacks on Wednesday.
“The defence forces continue to take all measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor and force the Russian Federation to stop its armed aggression against Ukraine,” the military said in a statement on the Telegram app.
EU diplomats have said that the 19th sanction package against Russia will include four companies in China’s oil industry.
They include two refineries, one trading firm and an entity engaged in circumvention.
The final text of the package has been agreed by member states but it has not been adopted yet owing to reservations from Slovakia.
Sanctions require unanimity to be passed.
Slovakia said it would back the package, providing its conclusions were taken into account.
What a relief that Vladimir Putin is more of a bully than a strategist. Had he been as savvy as Benjamin Netanyahu, he would have suckered the US president into backing a “ceasefire” that meant a victory and impunity.
Instead the White House has announced that planned talks between Donald Trump and Putin to be held in Budapest are off. They were cancelled after the US president said that the current front lines should be frozen as part of an immediate ceasefire.
Putin had reason to believe that he’d renewed backing from the US president for his demand that Ukraine must hand over more territory than Russia has already stolen as part of a deal to stop the shooting – because Trump had earlier said as much.
But now that the Europeans and the UK have made it clear that, alongside Ukraine, a ceasefire can only happen where the fighting actually is going on at the moment, Putin has decided to snub the summit in the Hungarian capital, which had been expected in the next few weeks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the country is holding strategic nuclear drills.
“We have planned drills on management of nuclear forces,” he said on Wednesday.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in