Ukraine-Russia war latest– Donald Trump’s threat to leave Nato over its lack of support for his war in Iran “looks like Putin’s dream plan”, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has said. The US president on Wednesday said that he was “seriously considering” withdrawing Washington from the military alliance as they “were not there for us” when he began his war in Iran.
In a social media post, Mr Tusk wrote: “The threat of Nato’s break-up, easing sanctions on Russia, a massive energy crisis in Europe, halting aid for Ukraine and blocking the loan for Kyiv by Orbán – it all looks like Putin’s dream plan.”
The war in Iran has significantly diverted US attention from the war in Ukraine, with peace talks stalled and hopes of an end to the war appearing to be remote.
In other developments, Ukraine’s military has rejected Russia’s claim to have taken full control of the eastern Luhansk region, saying there have been no significant battlefield changes in the area. Luhansk is one of two industrialised regions that make up the Donbas. It has been almost entirely occupied by Russia since the start of the war, while Ukraine still holds a relatively large stretch of neighbouring Donetsk.
Hungary’s potential replacement for Orban is not the EU ally many think he is
Hungary’s centre-right Tisza party widened its lead over prime minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz ahead of the parliamentary election on 12 April, two opinion polls showed yesterday, although a large share of voters remained undecided. Veteran nationalist Orban faces the biggest challenge to his rule in 16 years, although the outcome of the election remains uncertain due to the many undecided voters.
His opponent, Peter Magyar, has said his party would curb corruption, unlock billions of euros in frozen European Union funds to boost the economy, and firmly anchor Hungary in the EU and Nato. While most polls have shown a Tisza lead, Fidesz points to other surveys that still show it on course to victory, though its opponents say these have mainly been conducted by institutes with financial or personal ties to the ruling party.
But even if Magyar wins the elections, he is unlikely to represent the pro-Ukrainian alternative Brussels is hoping for. Magyar often sounds strikingly similar to Orban when it comes to Ukraine. He has opposed fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU membership, said he would deny military help to Kyiv, and signalled he would put Ukraine’s EU accession to a referendum – which could derail the process entirely.
Macron defends values of Nato after Trump criticism
Emmanuel Macron has launched an impassioned defence of Nato after Donald Trump threatened to withdraw from the alliance over its lack of support for the war in Iran. “I believe that organisations and alliances like Nato are defined by what is left unsaid – that is, the trust that underpins them, and that has often been the case, incidentally, with military and strategic matters. If you cast doubt on your commitment every day, you erode its very substance,” he said.
“We need to be serious, and if you want to be serious, you don’t go around saying the opposite of what you said the day before,” he added. “I think there is too much talk.”
Putin to hold call with Saudi crown prince
Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak by phone to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday, TASS news agency reported. It quoted presidential aide Yuri Ushakov as saying the call would take place after a meeting between Putin and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow. The Kremlin said earlier that Russia was ready to contribute to efforts to end the Iran war and that Putin was continuing contacts with regional leaders.
US seeking to expand military presence in Greenland
The US is seeking to expand its military presence in Greenland just two months after President Donald Trump threatened to take over the island. According to American military officials, Washington is seeking access to three additional bases on the Arctic territory, including two that they had previously abandoned.
It follows days of tension between Trump and Europe after the US leader said he was “absolutely” considering withdrawing America from Nato over a lack of support in the Iran war, which has driven a further wedge between him and other western leaders. Earlier this year, Europe was thrown into mayhem after Trump said that the US “needed” Greenland and demanded control of the territory “right now”, threatening to impose extortionate tariffs on countries that prevented the move or disagreed.
Russian gymnast turns back during Ukrainian national anthem after Ukraine’s victory
Trump’s threat to leave Nato looks like ‘Putin’s dream plan’, says Tusk
Donald Trump’s threat to leave Nato over its lack of support for his war in Iran “looks like Putin’s dream plan”, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has said. The US president on Wednesday said that he was “seriously considering” withdrawing Washington from the military alliance as they “were not there for us” when he began his war in Iran.
In a social media post, Mr Tusk wrote: “The threat of Nato’s break-up, easing sanctions on Russia, a massive energy crisis in Europe, halting aid for Ukraine and blocking the loan for Kyiv by Orbán – it all looks like Putin’s dream plan.”
Ukraine says it has liberated nine settlements in frontline hotspots
The Ukrainian military says it has regained control of nine settlements in the eastern part of the country where fighting has been most active. The Air Assault Forces said in a report on Tuesday that the liberated areas include seven settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk region and two in the Zaporizhzhia region, and that approximately 480 sq km of territory on the Oleksandrivka axis has been regained.
The battlefield report added that three other settlements have been cleared of Russian forces, and stabilisation efforts are currently underway in those areas. According to the military units in the region, Russian forces are increasing their use of drones for reconnaissance and strikes against Ukraine’s logistics and positions. Ukrainian units are responding to this offensive by applying pressure and preventing Russian forces from stabilising the line of contact or achieving their objectives in the area.
Ukraine’s Odesa port targeted overnight as officials report fire and damage
Ukraine’s Odesa port has come under attack from Russian forces, officials said this morning, confirming damage to residential buildings and port infrastructure. “Residential buildings and the port area have been hit. Containers and four cars caught fire in the port zone. Two warehouses have been damaged,” Oleh Kiper, head of Odesa military administration, said. No casualties have been reported and the fire has been extinguished, the regional official added.
Russia continues drone attacks on Ukraine as 12 locations hit overnight
Russia has attacked Ukraine with more than 170 drones since last evening and overnight, Ukraine’s air force said this morning, adding that the airstrikes are still underway. The Ukraine Air Force said Russian forces fired 172 drones from Wednesday evening on several Ukrainian cities and hits have been recorded at at least 12 locations. These include Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, and other types of drones fired from the Russian cities of Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Ukraine’s occupied territories of Donetsk and Crimea.
Of these, at least 120 were recorded to be Iran’s Shahed loitering drones. As of 8am local time, Ukrainian air defence forces said they have destroyed or jammed 147 Russian drones in the country’s north, south, and east.
Zelensky says Trump’s envoys agreed to bolster Kyiv’s security guarantees in new round of talks
Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed his latest round of talks with the US delegation on post-war securities for Ukraine, lauding it as a “positive conversation”. “Today, we had a detailed discussion with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, joined by Lindsey Graham and Mark Rutte, on how to strengthen diplomacy, what steps are possible, and on security guarantees and the involvement of Europeans. It was a positive conversation,” Zelensky said in his evening address.
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He added: “We agreed to strengthen security guarantees, and I have already instructed our team to promptly update the documents so that the security guarantees for Ukraine are strong, the prospects for post-war reconstruction are real, and everything is doable.” Zelensky said the war-hit nation should “receive reliable security”. “…this is the main task. I am grateful that the US president’s envoys hear us and are ready to work together to find the right compromises, steps, and decisions,” he said.
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