Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says ‘something good may be happening’ in peace talks after Kyiv lays out red lines

Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that only President Donald Trump would like to see Russia in the G8.

“At the moment, I cannot see that among the six members of today’s G7 who are not America, there is a willingness to readmit Russia to this group,” Merz said on Monday.

Russia was excluded from the group in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea.

He let the performance play out. Donald Trump would give the impression of independence from the Kremlin, threatening sanctions on Russian fuel importers and muttering insults, but, in the end, Vladimir Putin has snapped the puppet strings tight, and the US president is again dancing the Moscow jig.

It is a desperate but effective move by Moscow to dominate the terms of discussion over a war Russia cannot win.

James C Reynolds reports:

President Donald Trump has issued an update on peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

In a post on Truth Social, the American leader wrote on Monday: “Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

“Spoke with Zelensky ahead of this morning’s informal EU leaders’ meeting on Ukraine peace efforts, to get his assessment of the situation,” Antonio Costa, president of the European Council wrote in a statement on X/Twitter on Monday.

“A united and coordinated EU position is key in ensuring a good outcome of peace negotiations – for Ukraine and for Europe.”

Russia has lifted temporary flight restrictions on Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports after air defences downed a Ukrainian drone en route to Moscow on Monday.

Three airports serving the capital were forced to restrict all incoming and outgoing flights in response.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said emergency services were working at the scene of the downed drone, in a statement.

The restrictions were introduced and quickly lifted after the operation.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has outlined his expectations for Ukraine as negotiations appear to advance ahead of EU talks on a peace deal with Russia on Monday.

“We all continue working with partners, especially the United States, to look for compromises that will strengthen but not weaken us,” he said.

He added that the use of frozen Russian assets was crucial to talks and accountability was necessary.

“Right now, we are at a critical moment,” he said.

“There is a lot of noise in the media, and all the political pressure, and even greater responsibility for the decisions ahead.”

Ukraine’s borders cannot be changed by force if a lasting peace is to be achieved, Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Monday ahead of EU talks on a potential peace deal.

Stenergard said that limitations could not be imposed on Ukraine’s military capacities, preventing it from defending itself against the threat of any future Russian aggression, according to Reuters.

Donald Trump’s peace plan to end Russia’s war with Ukraine would reduce Ukraine to Russia’s “tethered goat”, according to the former head of MI6.

Sir Alex Younger said the US president’s proposal was “lopsided” in favour of Russia and would “almost guarantee” another invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin.

It was time for European countries stop “dithering” and stand shoulder to shoulder with Volodymyr Zelensky to prevent this happening.

Sir Alex, head of MI6 from 2014 to 2020, told Radio 4’s Today programme: “We should be under no illusion: the original proposals are lopsided, essentially Moscow talking points, that would render Ukraine a tethered goat, a juicy target with little chance of defending itself.”

The plans would “almost guarantee the war would restart because Russia would have engineered weakness that it would be bound to try to exploit”.

Sir Alex said it was “obvious” that Zelensky could not agree to such terms, instead it should be used as a “negotiating framework”.

Trump’s plan was “an attempt to stop the killing, and that is good, but we have to make it less lopsided,” he argued.

“In the end it is about an Ukraine that is sovereign and can defend itself and that is much more important. The idea that Ukraine’s army is limited to the point that it cannot defend itself is an absolute non starter.”

It was “Europe’s moment to stand up and show some leadership,” said Sir Alex.

“There is a critical weakness in the US approach: it appears to uncritically accept that Russia is winning,” he said.

This analysis was wrong, he claimed. “The answer is more pressure on Russia not less.”