Russia says it is aiming to create a „security strip“ in Ukraine’s Sumy region after claiming to have driven Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region. It comes after JD Vance said the war in Ukraine was „not going anywhere“. Listen to the latest episode of The World podcast as you scroll.
Friday 2 May 2025 16:44, UK
Thank you for reading.
We will be back soon for more on the Ukraine war and the diplomatic talks seeking to end the conflict.
Ukraine’s internal security agency has accused Russian intelligence of trying to assassinate a prominent Ukrainian blogger.
The SBU claims a 45-year-old woman carried out the failed hit.
In a statement on Telegram, the SBU said the woman, who it did not name, had fired several shots with a pistol, one of which hit Serhii Sternenko in the leg.
The blogger said there was no danger to his life.
Sternenko is known for crowdfunding donations for military drones.
The woman does not contest the facts of the case, her lawyer said in court.
Russia’s FSB security service and its military intelligence agency did not immediately reply to requests for comment, Reuters reported.
Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, has proposed that members of the military alliance boost defence spending to 3.5% of GDP.
He is also suggesting that countries spend a further 1.5% on other defence-related items to meet Donald Trump’s demand for a 5% target, Reuters is reporting.
Rutte’s proposal could allow the US president to declare a win at a NATO summit in The Hague in June.
However, it would not commit European nations and Canada to a 5% pledge on core defence spending that many see as politically and economically unviable.
NATO’s current defence spending goal is at least 2% of GDP, met by 22 of its 32 members.
UK defence spending will rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, Sir Keir Starmer said in February.
Russia says it will help the Taliban in battling off the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group, Moscow’s special representative for the country has told Russian state media.
„We see and appreciate the efforts that the Taliban are making in the fight against the Afghan wing of ISIS,“ Zamir Kabulov told RIA in an interview.
„We will provide our best assistance to the authorities of [Afghanistan] through specialised structures.“
Vladimir Putin said last year that Taliban-run Afghanistan was now Russia’s „ally“ in combating terrorism – and last month Moscow removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organisations, to which it had been added in 2003.
It’s unclear what form any Russian assistance will take.
Want to catch up on the details of the freshly-signed Ukraine-US natural resources deal?
International affairs editor Dominic Waghorn takes you through everything we know in just over two minutes…
By Michael Drummond, foreign news reporter
„My dad was shot down over the Soviet Union,“ Gary says. „As a kid I thought it was normal, everybody’s dad goes through this.“
In the thick of the Cold War, an American spy plane flew over Russian missile sites, taking pictures for the CIA.
The US thought that at 70,000 feet, their U-2 aircraft was beyond the reach of Soviet air defences. They were wrong.
What resulted from the downing of the U-2 plane and the capture of pilot Francis Gary Powers was an international incident that could have led to nuclear war.
Sixty-five years later, with conflicts raging in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere, militaries around the world still gather intelligence in a game of espionage cat-and-mouse. Could something similar happen again?
Read the full piece here.
New British air systems are set to come into operation today as Sir Keir Starmer vowed the government would „take bold action to stand up to Putin and ruthlessly protect UK and European security“.
The autonomous StormShroud drones will be equipped with a signal jammer able to disrupt enemy signal radar from a long range, in order to protect the RAF crews it will fly alongside on frontline missions.
„Learnings from countering Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine“ were used to develop the cutting-edge technology, according to Number 10.
„StormShroud is an incredibly forward looking piece of kit and capability that will help us as we go forward,“ Sir Keir said.
The RAF will initially invest £19m into the cutting-edge drones, which utilise electronic warfare technology BriteStorm, made by Leonardo UK.
The Financial Times reports that France and Poland will next week sign a new treaty deepening their security and defence ties in the face of Russia aggression in Europe.
The report suggests the treaty will cover a „broad range of topics“ and put Poland on a similar footing to Germany, Italy and Spain in terms of its relationship with France.
The treaty is not expected to include any nuclear weapons commitments, however, despite comments from Emmanuel Macron last month when he suggest he could extend France’s „nuclear umbrella“ to protect NATO allies.
Poland has massively ramped up defence spending is aiming to provide all men in the country with comprehensive military training, while its border areas have had extensive defences implemented.
Russia says it is aiming to create a „security strip“ in border areas of Ukraine’s Sumy region after claiming to have driven the last Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region.
Vladimir Putin said in March that Russia should look to create a buffer zone in Sumy region, which borders Kursk.
Fighting continues in Kursk, as per our 7.20 post.
We’ve heard a lot about ratification with regards to the Ukraine-US natural resources deal – but what does the process actually involve?
Before the deal can be signed into Ukrainian law, ratification involves discussion, unless otherwise decided at a meeting of representatives of factions and groups.
There’s a feeling in Kyiv however, according to sources, that this will be shortened procedure than usual.
That could involve presentations, a speech by the relevant committee, speeches from different political factions – two for and two against the agreement.
It will then officially be decided by a majority vote – with 150 needed if it’s a shortened procedure.
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Ukraine war latest: Russia creating 'security strip' in Sumy region – as JD Vance says conflict not ending 'any time soon' – Sky News
