The UK has accused Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet on a Ukraine ceasefire at a meeting of allies – at which more than £18bn in aid was pledged to Kyiv. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s envoy has travelled to Russia for a reported meeting with Putin. Follow the latest on the Ukraine war.
Friday 11 April 2025 17:21, UK
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke is back next week for his regular Ukraine war Q&A.
He’ll be answering your questions on anything from the battlefield to peace talks – you decide.
Submit yours in the box above and he’ll get through as many as he can.
Thanks for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine today.
Before we go, here’s everything you need to be aware of:
Massive military aid boost for Ukraine
NATO allies pledged nearly £20bn in additional military aid for Ukraine, it was announced today.
That followed a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group – previously run by the US but now headed up by the UK’s John Healey.
He pledged a UK-led investment totalling £450m, before Germany revealed it would increase its commitment to Ukraine by nearly £10bn by 2029.
European figures echoed recent rhetoric regarding the need to step up in terms of funding Ukraine while Donald Trump pulls back American interest.
Russia must ‚get moving‘ on peace
Speaking of Trump, the president told Russia it must hurry up when it comes to peace in Ukraine.
His comments came as his envoy, Steve Witkoff, flew to St Petersburg for talks with Vladimir Putin.
The result of those talks has not been made public yet.
Russia’s navy now ‚fitted with newest weapons‘
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin claimed Russia’s naval strategic nuclear forces are now fully fitted with the latest weapons and equipment.
Speaking at a meeting of military and civil officials in St Petersburg, the Russian leader said Moscow’s top priority has been to strengthen its naval strategic nuclear forces – which consist of atomic-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles.
„Undoubtedly, one of the top priorities is strengthening the key segment of our domestic fleet, which is its strategic nuclear forces, which serve as a crucial guarantee of Russia’s security and the preservation of global balance,“ he said.
„In this regard, I would like to note that the part of modern weapons and equipment in Russia’s naval strategic nuclear forces has already reached 100%, and I want to emphasise that this level must be maintained going forward.“
Earlier, John Healey announced that NATO would support Ukraine with an additional £18.2bn in military funding, following contact group meeting this morning.
But can that support, impressive as it sounds, actually have a positive impact on the ground for Ukraine?
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke explains in this video…
Vladimir Putin and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff have begun their meeting in St Petersburg.
We’re unsure how long the meeting is set to last, and details are scarce, but the Kremlin has warned not to expect much from it.
The Kremlin has played down today’s meeting between Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff, but it’s more significant than it appears, Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett says.
Donald Trump’s envoy arrived in Russia this morning and met with Putin’s international cooperation envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
„The Kremlin has played down any expectations of a breakthrough,“ Bennett says. „They said that no major breakthroughs are expected from these talks and that the visit to Russia cannot be called momentous.
„I think it is significant, though, because this is [Witkoff’s] third visit to Russia in as many months, and I think it’s a sign of the Trump administration’s increasing frustration at the lack of progress on peace talks.
„Russia has said that it wants peace and that it wants a ceasefire. But it hasn’t shown any sign of compromise, any sign of concessions. It only imposes conditions.“
Bennett adds that Witkoff’s appearance in Russia is for him to „try and push things along“.
Vladimir Putin claims Russia’s naval strategic nuclear forces are now fully fitted with the latest weapons and equipment.
Speaking at a meeting of military and civil officials in St Petersburg, the Russian leader said Moscow’s top priority has been to strengthen its naval strategic nuclear forces – which consist of atomic-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles.
„Undoubtedly, one of the top priorities is strengthening the key segment of our domestic fleet, which is its strategic nuclear forces, which serve as a crucial guarantee of Russia’s security and the preservation of global balance,“ he said.
„In this regard, I would like to note that the part of modern weapons and equipment in Russia’s naval strategic nuclear forces has already reached 100%, and I want to emphasise that this level must be maintained going forward.“
While his envoy is set to sit down with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump continues to issue statements on ending the war via social media.
In his latest Truth Social post, the president says Moscow must „get moving“…
However, he does not threaten Russia with any additional measures or sanctions, instead repeating long-standing claims that the conflict would never have started had he been in office.
Estonia’s navy has boarded and detained an oil tanker bound or Russia.
The vessel, named Kiwala, was on its way to Russia via the Baltic Sea at the time of the seizure, MarineTraffic data showed.
„Estonia takes suspicious activities in the Baltic Sea very seriously,“ Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said.
Earlier this week, security and defence analyst Michael Clarke answered more of your Ukraine war questions, in a live Q&A hosted by Sky News presenter Kamali Melbourne.
You can watch his full Q&A here…
Have a question for Professor Clarke?
Submit yours in the box above and he’ll get through as many as he can.
Russian state media confirms that Vladimir Putin will meet with Steve Witkoff.
TASS says that the pair will discuss Ukraine, while RIA adds they may also talk about a potential meeting between Donald Trump and Putin.
It’s not specified when or where the pair will meet, with Witkoff in St Petersburg all of this morning for other meetings.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said not to expect a „momentus“ meeting and that no one should expect major breakthroughs.
The big news earlier this week was the Ukrainian claim that it had captured Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russians.
Read more about that here.
We were also shown a video by Ukraine of a man in military fatigues, purporting to be Chinese.
We get snippets of a conversation where the alleged combatant seems to be talking about the events that led to his capture.
„When we arrived at the place… and then my commander.“ The man gestures at the floor and ceiling, making shooting noises. „I was also injured.“
In this piece, international correspondent John Sparks takes a look at what we can learn from the video – and the serious questions it raises.
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Ukraine war latest: US envoy meets Putin – as Trump tells Russia to 'get moving' on peace deal – Sky News
