Ukraine war latest: Trump, Putin to meet ‘in coming days’ but no Zelensky invite yet

Earlier, we reported Russia claimed it had shot down eight British-made Storm Shadow missiles in service with the Ukrainian army over the past 24 hours.

– Storm Shadows are cruise missiles developed by France and the UK in the 90s. They are launched from aircraft.

– They have a range of more than 155 miles and exceed 600mph, according to manufacturer MBDA.

– The RAF and French air forced used them in the Gulf, Libya and Iraq.

– The UK announced it would provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles in May 2023 – the first country to do so.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Europe must participate in the peace process between his country and Russia after a call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.

“Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same brave approach from the Russian side,” he said.

Russian President Putin is set to visit India soon, NDTV reported, citing India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.

Mr Doval is in Moscow but did not specify dates.

Putin and Trump are likely to meet next week, RIA reported, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Zelensky will be bullied by Trump and Putin if Britain is not invited to peace talks, UK former defence secretary has said.

“Because both Trump and Putin are known to be bullies, they bully people all the time, and I don’t think two bullies versus Zelensky, who is a brave man, but I don’t think would necessarily produce the right outcomes,” Sir Ben Wallace told Times Radio.

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday its drone units had hit the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, sparking flames in gas processing equipment.

Russian emergency services reported a fire at the plant caused by falling drone debris.

As Trump’s sweeping new global tariffs have come into force today, India is set to be hit by another 25 percent in late August, bringing the total to 50 percent.

The tariffs aim to target India’s big purchases of Russian oil, the cornerstone of Moscow’s war coffers and economy.

Here, Arpan Rai explains:

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday it had shot down eight British-made Storm Shadow missiles in service with the Ukrainian army over the past 24 hours, Interfax news agency reported.

Russia also hit a railway hub used for transferring weapons and military equipment to Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, the ministry added.