Putin Launches Fresh Ukraine Strikes After Talks With Trump

Vladimir Putin snubbed Donald Trump’s latest attempts at ending the war in Ukraine by launching a brutal attack on Kyiv just hours after the two leaders spoke.

The US president spoke to the Russian autocrat over the phone for nearly 90 minutes on Saturday while America was celebrating the 250th anniversary of its independence.

The Kremlin claimed their conversation was “business-like and quite constructive”.

But Russia was back to bombing Ukraine by Sunday night.

At least 11 people were killed overnight and a further 46 others injured as Putin’s missile and drone strikes targeted the capital.

It was the second set of strikes on Kyiv in a week.

Trump’s phone call with Putin came after previous US-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia stalled while the White House was focused on its war in Iran.

The US president has also shifted away from his sympathy for Putin in recent weeks and instead acknowledged that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “holding his own” on the battlefield.

Even so, the Kremlin described Putin and Trump’s conversation as “business-like and quite constructive”.

Russian aide Yuri Ushakov said early on Sunday: “The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis.”

He said Putin was pushing for a “political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia’s fundamental approach”.

Ushakov then accused both Ukraine and its European allies of “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict and on terrorism against civilians”, referring to Ukraine’s long-range missile strikes on Russian targets.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy also revealed he spoke to Trump over the weekend.

He said they had “very good” discussions about the war, including its 1,200-kilometre front line.

He said: “There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning.”

Zelenskyy and Trump are set to attend this week’s Nato summit in Ankara, where member states are expected to reaffirm support for Ukraine and offer more financial support.

The US is not expected to contribute to any further funding.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.