Ukraine Russia war latest: Ukrainian charities in shock over Trump aid freeze

North Korean troops have withdrawn from the frontline in part of Russia’s Kursk region after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian commander said.

The North Korean troops, who have been fighting alongside Russia, have temporarily withdrawn from one of the axes of Kursk oblast where Ukraine’s 73rd Special Operation Forces (SOF) centre is deployed, colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, an SOF spokesperson, told the Kyiv Independent.

His comments came after another commander, with codename “Puls”, told Sky News that the North Korean troops were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first fierce battlefield clashes with Ukrainian soldiers or waiting for reinforcements.

The North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Vladimir Putin’s military have shown ferocious commitment, brutality – and a determination to kill themselves rather than face capture, The Independent has been told.

A Ukrainian military source with direct knowledge of these troops has disclosed in brutal detail the extraordinary lengths to which they will go to prevent being caught.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Sumy:

The immediate freeze on US aid ordered by the Trump administration has hit many Ukraine-based humanitarian projects, leaving them with a struggle to find funding.

“Most of the projects have received an order to stop,” a source at the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) mission in Ukraine told AFP.

War-battered Ukraine has been providing for the humanitarian needs of millions through foreign aid, with the US contributing the largest chunk. Ukraine also faces the likely prospect of the Trump administration cutting economic aid worth billions.

The aid freezes is impacting organisations that support veterans, remove land mines, provide healthcare and aid the recovery of injured soldiers. Maria Vorotylo, a soldier’s wife who had been receiving help from Veteran Hub, wrote on Facebook that its closure was “a very severe blow”, AFP reported.

Local media organisations will also be hit and some announced on social media that they would have to close as a result. One humanitarian worker at an American NGO told AFP a project that was about to launch assisting Ukrainian aid groups has been “put on hold”.

“We don’t know if it will be completely cancelled or reduced,” they said on condition of anonymity.

The European Union has renewed its wide-ranging sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, after Hungary briefly held up the move in return for a declaration on energy security.

“Europe delivers: EU Foreign Ministers just agreed to extend again the sanctions on Russia,” Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, posted on social media.

“This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war,” she added. “Russia needs to pay for the damage they are causing,” she said.

Officials from other EU countries had warned that failure to roll over the sanctions before a 31 January deadline would have consequences, such as the unfreezing of Russian assets in Europe that are being used to help Kyiv.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, who maintains close ties with Moscow, had first called for consultations with the Trump administration before a renewal decision. He also said it was time for a “sanctions-free” relationship with Russia.

But president Donald Trump has not backed the Hungarian position. He said last week he was ready to increase economic pressure on Russia to strike a peace deal. Budapest then cited its complaints about Ukraine ending a transit deal that brought Russian gas to Hungary.

Foreign secretary David Lammy spoke with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, with the pair saying they look forward to meeting in person soon, the UK government said in a statement last night.

“They both welcomed the opportunity for the UK and the US to work together in alignment to address on shared challenges including the situation in the Middle East, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, the challenges posed by China and the need for Indo-Pacific security,” the statement said.

The North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Vladimir Putin’s military have shown ferocious commitment, brutality – and a determination to kill themselves rather than face capture, The Independent has been told.

A Ukrainian military source with direct knowledge of these troops has disclosed in brutal detail the extraordinary lengths to which they will go to prevent being caught.

One of those was so determined not to be held as a prisoner of war that he tried to bite his own wrists after being wounded in the Kursk region, according to the senior military source in Sumy, northern Ukraine, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sam Kiley, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor, reports from Sumy:

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has asked alliance members to step up defence spending beyond their common goal of two per cent of national output, saying this was now too low because of new challenges.

“We know that the goal of two per cent, set a decade ago, will not be enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” Mr Rutte said. “That means we need to spend more on our defence now.”

Nato allies will discuss whether they should raise the current two per cent target at a summit in the Hague this summer, amid pressure from US president Donald Trump for Nato allies to raise defence spending to five per cent of GDP – a target no Nato member currently meets.

Mr Rutte was speaking in Lisbon alongside Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro, who reiterated his country’s pledge to meet the two per cent goal by 2029. In 2023, Portugal spent 1.5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.

The Nato chief warned Russia was trying to destabilise Nato member states with acts ranging from assassination attempts to cyber attacks and sabotage, while waging a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.