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Comes as Zelensky says Ukraine is ‚fully committed‘ to peace ahead of meeting with US in Saudi Arabia
Elon Musk said the „entire frontline“ in Ukraine would collapse if he chose to turn off his Starlink internet system, prompting backlash from the Polish foreign minister.
Starlink terminals have played a vital role in securing communications in the war in Ukraine, with most battlefield positions equipped with their own terminal.
Last year, Ukraine said around 42,000 terminals were in operation across the military, hospitals, businesses and aid organisations.
Posting on X, Musk said Starlink was the „backbone of the Ukrainian army“ and the „entire front line would collapse if I turned it off“.
He later clarified he would “never” turn Starlink off in Ukraine despite disagreeing with Kyiv’s government about the conduct of the war.
Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski responded by saying Warsaw was paying $50m a year for Starlink and warned he would seek another provider “if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable” partner.
Meanwhile, Russian troops have crept miles through a major gas pipeline to launch a surprise attack on Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, according to pro-Russian war bloggers.
The United States has „just about“ ended the suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, president Donald Trump says.
Asked if he would consider ending the suspension, Mr Trump said: „We just about have. We just about have.“
On Wednesday last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that the US had halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine, piling pressure on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with Mr Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.
Britain and other European nations must be ready to take over Nato if Donald Trump carries out US threats to withdraw from the organisation.
They must replace American military aid to Ukraine scrapped by Mr Trump and make sure Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not win the conflict.
That was the powerful message delivered on Saturday by former Conservative defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace.
“We are witnessing a new era where we cannot take for granted US security guarantees,” said Sir Ben.
On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region.
Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.
Read the full story by The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley here:
As our world affairs editor reports from Ukraine, Russia is exploiting Donald Trump’s decision to withhold intelligence by stepping up its attacks and, in the process, is regaining ground in Kursk.
Elite Russian airborne and marine units, backed by North Korean soldiers, launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians with artillery, drones and air attacks. The absence of US intelligence is giving Russia a crucial advantage. “We’re losing,” one Ukrainian fighting in Kursk told this newspaper.
The vast intelligence community of the US, with 18 agencies, previously provided Kyiv with crucial information, including satellite imagery. Without it, Ukrainian forces have far less real-time knowledge of Russian formations, movements, logistics and warnings of missile attacks.
On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region.
Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.
Read the full story by The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley here:
Ukraine will try to persuade the US to resume intelligence and military support in high-stakes bilateral talks this week by convincing Donald Trump that Volodymyr Zelensky wants a swift end to the war with Russia, according to the Financial Times.
Officials briefed on preparations for the negotiations in Saudi Arabia said Kyiv was set to propose a partial ceasefire with Russia for long-range drone and missile strikes and combat operations in the Black Sea, in the hope that the talks’ progress would lead Washington to reverse its decision to freeze intelligence sharing and weaponry supplies.
Ukrainian negotiators are travelling to Saudi Arabia on Monday after the first days without US support led to the country’s troops giving up Russian territory they seized last year in the Kursk region.
US officials are planning to use Tuesday’s meeting with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia in part to determine whether Ukraine is willing to make material concessions to Russia to end the war, according to two US officials.
The US delegation will also be watching for signs that the Ukrainians are serious about improving ties with the Trump administration after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky devolved into an argument last month, said one of the officials, who requested anonymity to preview the closed-door talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fly to Jeddah on Sunday for the bilateral talks with Ukrainian officials, who will be led by Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskiy aide. Rubio is expected to be joined by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
„You can’t say ‚I want peace,‘ and, ‚I refuse to compromise on anything,'“ one of the US officials said of the upcoming talks.
„We want to see if the Ukrainians are interested not just in peace, but in a realistic peace,“ said the other official. „If they are only interested in 2014 or 2022 borders, that tells you something.“
On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region.
Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.
Read the full story by The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley here:
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Musk says Kyiv frontline would fold if Starlink cut off, provoking Polish backlash – The Independent
