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Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow and is due to meet the Russian president today
Arpan Rai,Alex CroftTuesday 02 December 2025 04:05 GMTComments
CloseRubio says US-Ukraine talks on Russia war 'productive' but much work remains
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Russia claims it has captured the key strategic city of Pokrovsk, in what would be Moscow's most significant battlefield victory in Ukraine in over a year.
The Kremlin's claim came ahead of crucial peace talks in Moscow that are due to involve Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday.
Ukraine has been fighting fiercely to hold on to Pokrovsk for months, and did not acknowledge Moscow's claim late on Monday. Russia claimed its flag had been raised over the city's central square, and that Putin was informed of its capture on Sunday.
Ukraine's latest update reported 43 Russian attacks in the sector around Pokrovsk yesterday, suggesting fighting is still ongoing.
Witkoff's visit to Moscow comes after US and Ukrainian officials discussed a framework for a peace deal in Florida this weekend. Zelensky has said the terms now "look better" for Kyiv but there is little suggestion that Russia and Ukraine are closer to resolving any of the key issues blocking an agreement.
Key Points
- Nato considering ‘pre-emptive’ action against Russia’s hybrid warfare on Europe
- Macron insists peace talks can 'only be finalised with Europeans around the table'
- Zelensky says US peace plan 'looks better' with revisions
- Witkoff to meet Putin in Moscow on Tuesday
- Putin: Capture of Pokrovsk means Russian military can advance further
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade hammers Steve Witkoff's 'totally unacceptable' call: He 'likes Russia too much'
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade hammers Steve Witkoff's 'totally unacceptable' call: He 'likes Russia too much'Arpan Rai2 December 2025 03:37Nato considering ‘pre-emptive’ action against Russia’s hybrid warfare on Europe
Nato is considering “pre-emptive” action against Russia following a string of hybrid attacks on Europe, a senior official in the alliance has warned.
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, an Italian who serves as chair of the Nato Military Committee, said the alliance may need to adopt a more “aggressive” approach to deter Moscow from continuing its campaign of drone incursions and cyber attacks in Europe.
A recent Financial Times investigation revealed how Nato has been put on high alert after three vessels in the Baltic Sea were accused of dragging their anchors in a bid to damage energy and communication cables, with a total of 11 incidents recorded.
Other incidents include frequent cyber attacks on European countries and incursions of Russian drones into Nato airspace.
Admiral Dragone told the FT that the alliance was “studying everything” in deciding how to respond.
Nato considering ‘pre-emptive’ action against Russia’s hybrid warfare attacks
The chair of the Nato Military Committee says a more aggressive approach may be needed to deter PutinArpan Rai2 December 2025 03:23Macron insists peace talks can 'only be finalised with Europeans around the table'
French president Emmanuel Macron yesterday praised US-led efforts to end the Ukraine war, but warned that a peace plan can “only be finalised with Europeans around the table”.
Macron said the talks are still in a "preliminary phase" but called the flurry of diplomatic activity "a moment that could be a turning point" for the future of peace in Ukraine and security in Europe.
“Today, there isn't a finalised plan on territorial questions. These can only be finalised by President Zelensky," Macron said at a press conference alongside his Ukrainian counterpart.
Last week, Macron urged Western allies to bring "rock-solid" security guarantees to Ukraine in case a ceasefire or a peace deal is reached.
He has endorsed deploying a "reassurance force" on land, at sea and in the air to help ensure the country's security. The French president said Monday that the coming days will see "crucial discussions" between US officials and Western partners, who would aim to clarify US participation in security guarantees.
Macron's office said he and Zelensky held talks with other European partners including leaders from Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Norway, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands. Also included were European Union officials Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky prior to their meeting at the Elysee palace in Paris (AFP/Getty)Arpan Rai2 December 2025 03:13Zelensky says US peace plan 'looks better' with revisions
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken optimistically about the process of revising the Trump administration's peace plan, saying "it looks better" and talks continue on how to end Russia's war.
“Today, following the work of the teams in the United States, head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov reported on the main parameters of the dialogue, its emphases, and some preliminary results. It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests,” he said in a post on X late on Sunday.
He thanked US president Donald Trump’s team, and “the president personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war”.
Arpan Rai2 December 2025 02:56Landmine deaths hit four-year high in 2024, report finds
Deaths and injuries from landmines and unexploded ordnance hit a four-year high in 2024, driven by conflicts in Syria and Myanmar as well as European countries moving to withdraw from the treaty banning their use, a new report showed on Monday.
Over 6,000 incidents were recorded last year, including 1,945 deaths and 4,325 injuries - the highest annual total since 2020, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025 report. Nearly 90% were civilians, with almost half women and children.
Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the Convention on June 29. Military analysts said that doing so could help slow the Russian advances Kyiv is struggling to contain over three years after Moscow's full-scale invasion.
The report documented signs of new Ukrainian mine use. Russia and Myanmar, non-signatories, used landmines extensively, the report said.
Alex Croft2 December 2025 02:00Belarus accuses Lithuania of drone incursion - ICYMI
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has lodged a protest with Lithuania over an alleged border violation by a drone, Russia's Tass state news agency reported.
A Lithuanian drone violated Belarus' border on 30 November, TASS cited the ministry as saying on Monday.
It follows a wave of allegations Russia has been responsible for drone incursions into Nato territory in recent months.
Alex Croft2 December 2025 01:00Zelensky arrives in Dublin
Volodymyr Zelensky has touched down in Dublin Airport for his first official visit to Ireland.
The Ukrainian president’s plane landed shortly before 11pm tonight. He is being joined by Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and minister of state at the Department of Foreign Affairs Thomas Byrne greeted Mr Zelensky on Dublin Airport’s runway.
Mr Zelensky will hold bilateral talks with the taoiseach and will visit newly inaugurated Irish president Catherine Connolly in Áras an Uachtaráin on Tuesday.
He is also expected to address the Dáil and the Seanad, the two houses of the Irish parliament.
Alex Croft2 December 2025 00:07Putin: Capture of Pokrovsk means Russian military can advance further
Russian president Vladimir Putin said the capture of the key Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk would enable the military to proceed with its tasks in its offensive operations in Ukraine, according to Russian news agencies.
"This is an important direction. We all understand just how important. It will ensure solutions going forward to the tasks we initially set at the beginning of the special military operation," Putin was quoted as saying during a visit on Sunday to a command post.
Russia refers to its more than 3-1/2-year-old invasion of Ukraine as a special military operation.
"Russia's armed forces are confidently holding the initiative and continue to carry out the operation's tasks. Russian forces are advancing on practically all directions."
Ukraine, Putin was quoted as saying, was unable to react to the advances of the Russian military and he singled out successes recorded further south in Zaporizhzhia region.
In his remarks, Putin also described heavy losses that he said had been sustained by Ukrainian forces in the fighting as "the tragedy of the Ukrainian people".
(AFP/Getty)Alex Croft2 December 2025 00:01Zelensky: Trump's peace deal 'looks better' after latest talks
Ukraine's president has spoken optimistically about revising the Trump administration's peace plan, saying "it looks better" and the work will continue during talks on how to end Russia's nearly four-year war.
Volodymyr Zelensky spoke after meeting France's president in the latest discussions aimed at brokering the terms for a potential ceasefire in the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
Mr Zelensky's visit to Paris followed Sunday's meeting between Ukrainian and US officials, which secretary of state Marco Rubio described as productive.
The two sides have worked to revise the proposed US-authored plan that was developed in negotiations between Washington and Moscow but criticised as being too weighted towards Russian demands.
"It's a process, it's not over yet," Mr Zelensky said. He called the topic of Ukraine's control over its territories "the most complicated" in the discussions.
Mr Zelensky met French president Emmanuel Macron today (AP)Alex Croft1 December 2025 23:02Putin told that Russia has captured Pokrovsk
Russian president Vladimir Putin visited a military command post on Sunday and heard reports from top commanders of the capture of the towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military's General Staff, "reported to the commander in chief of the liberation of the cities of Pokrovsk (called Krasnoarmeysk in Russia) in (Donetsk region) and Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, as well as the results of other offensive actions of troops in other sectors."
Ukrainian officials have made no acknowledgement that either city has fallen into Russian hands.
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