Donald Trump will hold a call with Vladimir Putin to discuss the war with Ukraine before Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s White House visit on Friday.
The US president will speak to the Russian leader on Thursday, the White House said, amid growing signs that he will supply American long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv to bolster its resistance against Russia.
Zelensky promises that Ukraine has “already prepared our part of the homework”. He added: “Every detail is ready. The agenda of our meeting with the President of the United States is very substantive, and I thank everyone who is helping.”
Meanwhile, Russia has said that 84,000 people are still without power in the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Kherson region after Ukrainian strikes this week on energy infrastructure. The warring countries continue to target each other’s energy infrastructure as Ukraine said Moscow targeted its grid with over 300 drones and 37 missiles in the early hours of Thursday.
Recap: What are Trump’s most recent comments on Ukraine?
Ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza were central to Donald Trump’s reelection pitch in 2024.
In the Middle East, a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is holding – despite a row over the return of hostages held by the militant group.
Now Trump will turn his attention to Ukraine. He had told reporters traveling with him to Israel on Sunday that he had planned to discuss the provision of Tomahawks to Kyiv with Putin as a way to pressure him to end the war.
“Do they want to have Tomahawks going in that direction? I don’t think so,” Trump said on Sunday. “I think I might speak to Russia about that.”
Pictured: A residential building is seen on fire after a Russian strike in Nizhyn, Chernihiv
Trump and Putin to speak this evening before Zelensky’s White House visit
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold a phone call this evening – a day before the US president welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House.
The White House confirmed an earlier report in Axios that the two leaders would speak, amid growing signs that Trump is willing to offer further military support to Ukraine.
Trump has recently voiced his frustration with Putin over a lack of effort on Moscow’s part to end the war in Ukraine.
Tomahawk missiles are Trump’s ace card for Ukraine – Zelensky says it’s time to play it
Ukraine armed forces unload shells for M114 self-propelled howitzer in Donetsk
Ukraine in talks with international allies to raise funds for gas as energy infrastructures targeted
Ukraine’s cash-strapped government is in talks with international allies to raise funds to import more for gas the cold autumn and winter months.
Its air force said direct hits of 14 missiles and 37 drones were recorded overnight at 14 locations in the barrage, while 283 drones and five missiles were downed.
Russian drone strikes have also caused power cuts, with Ukraine limiting supplies to industrial consumers on Thursday.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed its forces had carried out a “massive strike” on Ukrainian gas infrastructure, which it said was supporting Kyiv’s military, in retaliation for what it said were Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Kyiv has ramped up its own attacks on Russian oil refineries in border regions and beyond, including on an oil refinery in the Saratov region on Thursday. Zelensky, who is due to meet president Donald Trump on Friday during a visit to the US, issued a fresh appeal for more long-range capabilities for Ukraine.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin has turned a deaf ear to everything the world says, so the only language that can still get through to him is the language of pressure,” he said.
“That is exactly what I will be discussing today and tomorrow in Washington.”
Watch: Zelensky says preparations underway for his White House meeting with Trump
Ukraine hit with over 300 drones and 37 missiles as Zelensky calls for United States help in ending war
Zelensky has called on the United States and Europe to pursue “momentum towards peace” following a large Russian overnight assault.
Russia launched more than 300 attack drones and 37 missiles, a significant number of them ballistic, against Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said in a statement on social media. The strikes targeted people, the energy sector and civilian infrastructure.
“Infrastructure in the Vinnytsia, Sumy, and Poltava regions came under attack. In the Chernihiv region, the city of Nizhyn was struck – the post office was damaged, and one person was injured. In the Kharkiv region, the enemy targeted critical infrastructure and a State Emergency Service department. There are wounded.
“Recovery efforts are underway everywhere. Emergency services are working. And there is confirmation that the Russians are using double terror – attacking with ‘shaheds’ carrying cluster munitions and launching repeated strikes to injure firefighters and energy workers who are restoring damaged facilities.
He continued: “This autumn, the Russians use every single day to strike at our energy infrastructure. Putin has turned a deaf ear to everything the world says, so the only language that can still get through to him is the language of pressure – pressure through sanctions and pressure through long-range capabilities.
“Strong decisions are possible, decisions that can help. And this depends on the United States, on Europe, on all partners whose strength directly determines whether the war will be ended. Now there is an important momentum toward peace in the Middle East. In Europe, this is also possible. That is exactly what I will be discussing today and tomorrow in Washington.”
Recap: Zelensky says ‘we have already prepared our part of the homework’ for Trump meeting
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is prepared for its meeting with US president Trump, taking into account military and economic “homework.”
He said in a statement on X: “We have already prepared our part of the homework ahead of the meeting with President Trump – both the military component and the economic one. Every detail is ready. The agenda of our meeting with the President of the United States is very substantive, and I thank everyone who is helping.
“This can truly bring the war closer to an end – it is the United States that can wield this kind of global influence, and we are doing everything to ensure that others around the world stand on our side in this effort.”
Lavrov warns Tomahawk missile supplies could derail US-Russia relations
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow has warned that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv would deal a “colossal blow” to prospects of normalising relations between the US and Russia, which he said were already damaged by previous administrations.
He described Europe’s role in the Ukrainian conflict as pushing the US into “Trump’s war” and claimed European leaders were issuing “shameless ultimatums” to President Donald Trump.
“This will simply deal a colossal blow to the prospects of normalizing relations between Russia and the US, and of breaking out of the complete deadlock into which the Biden administration has driven these relations,” he said.
His comments come as the Trump administration weighs Kyiv’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles ahead of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with Trump.
Shipments of Tomahawk missiles are set to be a key topic when President Zelensky meets President Trump later this week.
