Ukraine-Russia conflict newest: Trump says he and Putin will focus on ‘dividing up assets’ in Ukraine

The US and Europe would likely need to provide military aid to Ukraine more rapidly, in much larger volumes, and at higher cost the closer the ultimate ceasefire lines are to the current frontline, The Institute for the Study of War said.

“Ukraine would likely need an even larger military with greater capabilities to play its critical role in deterring and, if necessary, defeating future aggression along current frontline (both within Ukraine and along Ukraine’s international border with Russia) that is over 2,100 kilometres long,” the US-based think tank said in its latest assessment.

The ISW has said that Russian forces are just across the Dnipro River from Kherson City, roughly 25 kilometres from Zaporizhzhia City, and 30 kilometres from Kharkiv City and a renewed offensive from Russia could threaten Ukraine’s key cities.

“Helping Ukraine regain strategically critical territory, as Trump has suggested he intends to do, could significantly reduce the cost and difficulty of securing a future peace,” the think tank has said.

It added: “A ceasefire along more defensible positions would also place Russian forces in a more disadvantaged position for renewed offensive operations, making future Russian aggression less likely.”

President Donald Trump says he will speak to Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow in his push to force a quick end to the war in Ukraine.

Mr Trump said land and “power plants” are part of the conversation around bringing the war to a close.

“A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” the US president said while flying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One last night.

“We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,” he said. Mr Trump described it as “dividing up certain assets”.

Donald Trump’s whirligig presidency continues with sudden reversals of foreign policy and key diplomatic appointments.

Retired lieutenant general, Keith Kellogg, had appeared “out” of Ukrainian affairs only a few days ago.

Eight weeks ago, the government in Kyiv and many friends of Ukraine abroad had celebrated his appointment as the president’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia as a victory for a hardline stance against Vladimir Putin’s aggression.

Mark Almond writes:

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack targeted energy facilities and other objects in Russia’s Astrakhan region, injuring one person and sparking a fire, the regional governor said this morning.

“The situation is under control,” said Igor Babushkin, the governor of the region in southern Russia, on his Telegram channel.

He did not say what facility was on fire but added that the injured person was hospitalised.

“Getting blown up was not so traumatic compared to the situation that we were in with no comms. No comms, you know, in a grey zone, no communications, no navigational reference,” says Rebekah, 31, a permanent frontline medic volunteer from Colorado in Ukraine since March 2022.

Yet even more traumatic was hearing her own president turn on Ukraine’s president and switch sides, to backing the Kremlin. She heard him do that while watching a drone feed of another of her teams under fire trying to rescue wounded soldiers on the front line near Toretsk, north of Donetsk.

Donald Trump said he plans to speak to Russian president Vladimir Putin tomorrow.

“I’ll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work’s been done over the weekend,” Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One during a late flight back to the Washington area from Florida.

“We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance,” Mr Trump said.

French president Emmanuel Macron has suggested some possible missions that could be undertaken by a military support force for Ukraine that Paris and London are working to put together with other nations.

Speaking to French media ahead of an online summit that the UK hosted on Saturday, Macron said the French-British blueprint doesn’t aim to deploy a “mass” of soldiers in Ukraine and instead envisages stationing troop contingents in key locations.

Two newspapers – La Dépêche du Midi and Le Parisien – reported that the French president spoke of participating nations each deploying several thousand troops to “key points” in Ukraine.

Their missions could include providing training and supporting Ukrainian defences in order to demonstrate long-term support for Kyiv, the reports quoted Mr Macron as saying.

Le Parisien cited Macron as saying that Moscow’s agreement wasn’t needed for such deployment. “Ukraine is sovereign. If it asks for Allied forces to be on its territory, it’s not up to Russia to accept or not,” he said.

Mr Macron added that the proposed contingents from countries that are members of the Nato alliance would serve as “a guarantee of security” for Ukraine and that “several European nations, and also non-European, have expressed their willingness to join such an effort when it is confirmed, reported La Dépêche du Midi.

Donald Trump is set to speak with Vladimir Putin this week to further discuss a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, US envoy Steve Witkoff said the leaders will speak over the phone after what he described as a “positive” meeting with Putin in Moscow.

“I expect that there will be a call with both presidents this week, and we’re also continuing to engage and have conversation with the Ukrainians,” said Witkoff, who met with Putin on Thursday night, adding that he thought the talk between Trump and Putin would be “really good and positive.”

Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Andrii Hnatov as the new chief of the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces as the war-hit nation looks to restructure and strengthen its military.

The change comes at a time when Ukrainian troops are struggling to hold on to their foothold in Russia’s Kursk region and facing increasing pressure in Donetsk.

Hnatov replaces Anatoliy Barhylevych, who held the position since February 2024. The appointment was announced by the general staff via its Telegram channel yesterday.

“We are systematically transforming the Armed Forces of Ukraine to enhance their combat effectiveness,” defence minister Rustem Umerov said.

The outgoing army chief Barhylevych will now serve as the general inspector of Ukraine’s defence ministry.

Mr Umerov emphasised that Barhylevych would “remain part of the team,” overseeing military standards and strengthening discipline in the army.

Oleksandr Syrskyi remains in place as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces.

Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv, said mayor Vitali Klitschko early this morning.

Mr Klitschko said that Ukrainian air defence units were trying to repel the attack.

Witnesses heard blasts in parts of the city in what sounded like air defence systems in operation, reported Reuters.