The Guardian

Russian president’s remarks come as Kyiv rescuers find more than a dozen dead in apartment block after strikes
Vladimir Putin has said he wants a “lasting and stable peace” in Ukraine but given no indication that he is willing to make any concessions to achieve it, after a week in which Russian missiles and drones again caused death and destruction across Ukraine.
“We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries,” said Putin, speaking to journalists on Friday, a week before a new deadline imposed by Donald Trump for hostilities to cease.
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Joe Biden has said ‘these are dark days’ in the US, and accused the Trump administration of ‘doing its best to dismantle the constitution’ with the help of the Republican-controlled Congress and the supreme court.
‘We see the apparent glee of some of our politicians while watching immigrants who are in this country legally torn from the arms of their family, dragged away in handcuffs from the only home they’ve ever known,’ the former president said
Joe Biden says US is facing ‘existential’ fight with marginalized groups ‘dramatically under attack’
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‘Ukraine is not afraid of meetings; we expect the same brave approach from Russia.’ What we know on day 1,262
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Europe must participate in the peace process between his country and Russia after a call with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, on Thursday. The Ukrainian president embarked on a lightning round of calls with European leaders ahead of a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin expected soon. As the Kremlin refused a three-way meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump, Zelenskyy said: “Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same brave approach from the Russian side.”
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she had spoken with Zelenskyy about the developments of the past days and “next steps on the way towards a negotiated peace agreement and Ukraine’s future membership in the European Union as well as its reconstruction”.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, reaffirmed France’s full support for a ceasefire in Ukraine..

Rights activists say Tehran’s crackdown must be on agenda in any talks on future relations between Europe and Iran
Iranian human rights groups are urging MEPs and European governments to escalate the issue of Tehran’s mistreatment of political prisoners, arguing that the crackdown on internal dissent must be on the agenda in any talks about future relations between Europe and Iran.
The Iranian foreign ministry appears to be in no rush to stage further talks with the west without clear US assurances that it will not be attacked again.
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US president says he will send Ukraine Patriot anti-aircraft batteries and interceptor missiles paid for by EU allies
Trump does deal with Nato allies to arm Ukraine and warns Russia of severe sanctions
Politicians in Kyiv have welcomed Donald Trump’s announcement that billions of dollars worth of US military equipment will be sent to Ukraine, while officials in Moscow dismissed his threat of sanctions against Russia as hot air.
In a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, at the White House, Trump said the US would send Patriot anti-aircraft batteries and interceptor missiles, paid for by European allies.
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US president says he will supply Kyiv with billions of dollars of military equipment paid for by European allies
Kyiv hails US weapons deal as Moscow dismisses Trump’s sanctions threat
Donald Trump said he has sealed an agreement with Nato allies that will lead to large-scale arms deliveries to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, and warned Russia that it will face severe sanctions if Moscow does not make peace within 50 days.
After a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Trump said they had agreed “a very big deal”, in which “billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to Nato … And that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
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EU will buy some US weapons for Kyiv as president credits Melania Trump for his disenchantment with Putin
Kyiv hails US weapons deal as Moscow dismisses Trump’s sanctions threat
For those looking for details, Donald Trump’s rambling half-hour press conference in the Oval Office with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, offered only a handful of clues. The US will sell weapons to Ukraine, the president said, with other Nato countries paying the bill – but otherwise specifics were scant.
No sums of money were mentioned – making it hard to calibrate how much of a difference the proposed weapon supply would make to Kyiv. Details were light on what munitions would be supplied though Trump mentioned complete Patriot missile systems and Rutte added there would be “missiles and ammunition” too.
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Donald Trump announces that the US will send Patriot missiles and other weapons to Kyiv, and will impose ‘very severe tariffs’ on Russia if there is no deal to stop the war in Ukraine in 50 days
Europe live – latest updates
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President says US will send Kyiv ‘sophisticated’ equipment ahead of announcement as frustration with Russia grows
Europe live – latest updates
Donald Trump has indicated that the US will announce a plan to sell Patriot air defence systems and other weapons to Ukraine later on Monday, amid growing White House exasperation with Russia’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire.
The president told reporters on Sunday as he returned from the Club World Cup final that the US would “send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they’re going to pay us 100% for them”.
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Career diplomats and other staff begin receiving notices amid Trump administration cull of about 15% of workforce
The US state department has begun issuing the first of more than 1,350 termination notices as part of a huge reorganisation of America’s diplomatic corps under the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, according to internal documents and US diplomats at the state department on Friday.
Career diplomats and other staff began to receive the notices on Friday morning, days after the supreme court lifted a ban on the Trump administration moving forward with mass firings of government employees that will affect hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
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