Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelensky makes demand for Trump talks to end war as Kyiv shoots down missile attack

The smiling face of President Alexander Lukashenko gazed out from marketing campaign posters throughout Belarus because the nation held an orchestrated election assured to present the 70-year-old autocrat one other time period in energy.

“Wanted!” the posters proclaim beneath a photograph of Mr Lukashenko, his palms clasped collectively. The phrase is what teams of voters responded in marketing campaign movies after supposedly being requested in the event that they needed him to serve once more.

However his opponents, a lot of whom are imprisoned or exiled overseas by his unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech, would disagree. They name the election a sham – very similar to the final one in 2020 that triggered months of protests that have been unprecedented within the historical past of the nation of 9 million individuals. The crackdown noticed greater than 65,000 arrests, with hundreds crushed, bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West.

His iron-fisted rule since 1994 earned Mr Lukashenko the nickname of “Europe’s final dictator”, counting on subsidies and political assist from shut ally Russia.

He let Moscow use his territory to invade Ukraine in 2022 and even hosts a few of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons, however he nonetheless campaigned with the slogan, “peace and safety,” arguing he has saved Belarus from being drawn into struggle. “It is higher to have a dictatorship like in Belarus than a democracy like Ukraine,” Mr Lukashenko mentioned in his attribute bluntness.

His reliance on assist from Russian President Vladimir Putin helped him survive the 2020 protests.

Observers consider Mr Lukashenko feared a repeat of these mass demonstrations amid financial troubles and the combating in Ukraine, and so scheduled the vote in January, when few would need to fill the streets once more, somewhat than in August. He faces solely token opposition.

The Russian president additionally echoed his US counterpart’s declare the battle in Ukraine might have been prevented had he been within the White Home in 2022 in what was his bluntest endorsement but of Mr Trump’s refusal to simply accept his defeat within the 2020 election.

Within the interview with Russian state tv on Friday, Mr Putin praised Mr Trump as a “intelligent and pragmatic man” who is targeted on US pursuits and mentioned: “We consider the present president’s statements about his readiness to work collectively. We’re at all times open to this and prepared for negotiations.”

Learn the total story right here:

Donald Trump’s international coverage chief has mentioned international assist to all nations aside from Israel and Egypt is to be halted. The outcomes for Ukraine could possibly be catastrophic, writes Sam Kiley in Dnipro

Ukrainian air defences downed 50 of 72 drones launched by Russia in a single day, the air drive mentioned on Sunday.

It mentioned that 9 drones have been “misplaced,” referring to Ukraine’s use of digital warfare to redirect Russian drones, whereas one remains to be in Ukrainian airspace, reported Reuters.

No casualties or damages have been reported but.

Russia is making an attempt to revive its info marketing campaign geared toward deterring the US and different Western states from offering Ukraine with additional navy help, in accordance with a US struggle suppose tank.

The Institute for the Examine of Conflict went on to say: “Ukraine stays in important want of US and European navy help to take care of its protection in opposition to Russian aggression and to conduct future negotiations from a place of energy.”

Authorities in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast have mentioned they’ll start forcible evacuations of households with youngsters in over 20 settlements within the space on account of elevated shelling from Russia.

Governor Vadim Filashkin mentioned that households with youngsters in a number of settlements within the Komar and Kryvorizhzhia communities shall be evacuated on a compulsory foundation, in accordance with the Kyiv Unbiased.

“Now that the enemy has intensified shelling of Donetsk Oblast, persons are struggling and dying daily, I ask dad and mom to be very accountable in regards to the evacuation,” Filashkin wrote.

“Kids ought to stay in peace and tranquility, not cover from shelling!”

He added that 76 youngsters at present stay within the Komar space and 34 in Kryvorizhzhia.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has described how her nation’s cooperation with Ukraine “strengthens resilience and brings lasting stability to our area”.

She made the feedback on a day when she travelled to Kyiv to satisfy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has praised Donald Trump’s risk to Vladimir Putin to finish the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “the exhausting approach” utilizing tariffs and sanctions as sending a “robust sign” to the Kremlin.

In his first main remarks on Ukraine after re-entering the White Home, the US president urged Putin to “settle now and cease this ridiculous struggle” or face intensified sanctions, taxes and tariffs, including: “We will do it the simple approach, or the exhausting approach.”

My colleague Andy Gregory reviews:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Saturday that the U.S. has not stopped navy assist to Ukraine despite the fact that new American Secretary of State Marco Rubion introduced he’s pausing international assist for 90 days.

Zelenskyy didn’t make clear whether or not humanitarian assist had been paused.

Ukraine depends on the US for 40 per cent of its navy wants.

“I’m centered on navy assist; it has not been stopped, thank God,” he mentioned at a press convention with Moldovan president Maia Sandu.