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
US president said a future operation to capture Putin would ‘not be necessary’
Removed from bookmarks
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.
Donald Trump has said that Vladimir Putin “fears the US” but not Europe in his latest attack on Washington’s closest allies.
In comments likely to cause concern in Europe, Trump said that a mission to capture the Russian President mirroring the operation to seize Nicolas Maduro would “not be necessary”.
Trump told reporters: “Putin is not afraid of Europe. He’s afraid of the United States of America as led by me. There’s no fear of Europe.”
He also repeated claims that Europe had “fallen behind” with areas that were “not recognisable” due to immigration. Trump and his MAGA allies have frequently backed far-right parties in Europe.
Elsewhere, at least four people were killed in Kyiv as Russia fired total of 278 missiles and drones overnight, according to Ukraine‘s military, which said it downed 244 of them in flight.
Just hours earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky alerted the nation about Russia’s intention to launch a large-scale offensive and urged people to take shelter when asked.
The UK government has earmarked £200m to ready its armed forces for a potential deployment to Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached.
Defence secretary John Healey announced the funding during a visit to Ukraine on Friday and will be used to upgrade military equipment, including vehicles, communications systems, and counter-drone defences.
“As we approach the fifth year of Putin’s full-scale invasion, the Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage, civilians and military alike,” he said.
“We are surging investment into our preparations following the prime minister’s announcement this week, ensuring that Britain’s armed forces are ready to deploy, and lead, the Multinational Force Ukraine, because a secure Ukraine means a secure UK.
“As we look towards a potential peace deal, we continue to step up for Ukraine in the fight today – strengthening its air defences while backing British industry, jobs, and innovation at home.”
The government said the funding would come from the core defence budget, with MPs to vote before any deployment.
The UK’s defence secretary, John Healey, has said Russian president Vladimir Putin should be held accountable for war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to the Kyiv Independent after Russia’s overnight missile and drone strikes, Healey cited evidence of civilian harm, including killings uncovered in Bucha and the “abduction of some of the Ukrainian kids that I met in Irpin”.
His comments came as fresh Russian attacks killed at least four people in the capital, including a paramedic, and left nearly half of Kyiv’s homes without heating in freezing conditions.
Healey said the damage to residential buildings “tells you all you need to know about President Putin and his determination not just to wage a war on Ukraine, but to target civilians, cities, the infrastructure that people absolutely critically depend on in the middle of winter”.
“This is a man who must be stopped. This is a war that must be stopped. And our mission is to support Ukraine in its fight today and to help work to secure the peace for the moment.”
Russia carried out a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine, firing dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones and killing at least four people in Kyiv, officials said on Friday.
For only the second time in the war, Moscow used its nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, which Ukrainian authorities say struck western Ukraine.
In Kyiv, apartment blocks were hit, leaving nearly half the city without heat in sub-zero temperatures. At least 25 people were wounded, including emergency responders, and an emergency medical worker was among those killed.
European leaders condemned the attack as “escalatory and unacceptable”, while Ukraine has called for emergency meetings of the UN Security Council and the NATO-Ukraine Council.
Ukraine’s domestic security service said on Friday it was treating Russia’s overnght strike with an Oreshnik missile on the western Lviv region as a war crime.
In a statement, the SBU said Russia had attempted to destroy critical infrastructure near Ukraine’s border with the European Union amid a sharp deterioration in the weather conditions.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday it was “absolutely premature” to talk about the possibility of Russia being allowed back into the G8 group of leading nations.
Ms Meloni added, however, that she agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron on the need for Europe to reopen a dialogue with Russia.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has advised residents to “temporarily leave” the city while they do not have heating and electricity, with temperatures set to drop well below zero.
Half of Kyiv’s apartment buildings, around 6,000, do not have heating following a large-scale Russian attack on energy infrastructure. There are also disruptions to the water supply.
“City services are operating under emergency conditions. And unfortunately weather conditions are forecast to be difficult in the coming days,” Mr Klitschko said.
“I also appeal to residents of the capital who have the opportunity to temporarily leave the city and go where there are alternative sources of power and heat, to do so.”
He said last nights attack was the most painful one Kyiv has see on its critical infrastructure facilities.
Germany has condemned Russia’s firing of a powerful hypersonic missile at Ukraine and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Kyiv, a government spokesperson said.
“Russia is continuing to escalate the situation without provocation,” said the spokesperson, adding that Russia’s justification for using the missile has already been refuted.
Moscow said it had fired the Oreshnik missile in response to what it has described as an attempted drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences last month, which Ukraine has denied and the United States has said did not happen.
Meanwhile, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul will travel to the United States next week for talks with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Russian troops have taken control of the village of Zelenyi in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Moscow’s Defence Ministry said on Friday.
The ministry also said that between January 3 and 9, it had carried out four massive group strikes on Ukraine’s military and energy facilities, drone launch sites and ammunition depots.
The Independent could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
Donald Trump has said that Vladimir Putin “fears the US” but not Europe in his latest attack on Washington’s closest allies.
In comments likely to cause concern in Europe, Trump said that a mission to capture the Russian President mirroring the operation to seize Nicolas Maduro would “not be necessary”.
Trump told reporters: “Putin is not afraid of Europe. He’s afraid of the United States of America as led by me. There’s no fear of Europe.”
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