German leader says peace cannot come at Ukraine’s expenseGerman chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that the war in Ukraine could still last for a long time and ending it quickly at the country’s expense was not an option.In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, Mr Merz, when asked whether a ceasefire might be possible this year, said he hasn’t lost hope but “harbors no illusions,” and emphasised that supporting the country to defend itself against Russia was an “absolute priority”.German chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during the North Rhine-Westphalia federal state party convention of the Christian Democratic Union in Bonn, Germany, 30 August 2025 (Reuters)”We are trying to end it as quickly as possible. But certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation. You could end the war tomorrow if Ukraine surrendered and lost its independence,” Mr Merz said.”Then the next country would be at risk the day after tomorrow. And the day after that, it would be us. That is not an option,” the chancellor said.Germany is a key backer of Ukraine and has delivered or pledged military support worth around $47bn since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Namita Singh1 September 2025 05:15Ukrainian drone attack sparks brief fire at Krasnodar power substation, Russia saysFalling debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at a power substation in the town of Kropotkin that was promptly extinguished, the administration of the southern Russian region of Krasnodar said on Monday.”Preliminary reports indicate no injuries,” the administration said on the Telegram messaging app.The full scale of the attack and potential damage was not immediately known. The report could not be independently verified.Several southern and southwestern Russian regions were under air raid alerts for hours at a time overnight, according to information published on official regional Telegram channels.Flight operations at several airports, including in Saratov and Volgograd, were halted for several hours to ensure air safety, Russia’s civil aviation body Rosaviatsia said on Telegram.There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv says its strikes inside Russia target infrastructure that is critical for Moscow’s overall war efforts. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched in February 2022. Namita Singh1 September 2025 04:57Ukrainian suspect arrested over killing of politician Andriy Parubiy in LvivA man has been arrested over the assassination of senior Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy, president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed.Parubiy, 54, was gunned down in the western city of Lviv on Saturday by an assailant posing as a delivery worker. Unverified video circulating online appears to show the attacker walking behind him before raising a weapon. Lviv police chief Oleksandr Shliakhovskyi said the gunman “fired about eight shots from a firearm”.Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy gestures as he speaks to lawmakers during an extraordinary hearing of the parliament in Kyiv on 22 May 2019 (AFP via Getty Images)Interior minister Igor Klymenko said the suspect was detained in the Khmelnytskyi region, also in western Ukraine, and that the murder had been “carefully prepared” with the victim’s travel schedule and an escape route studied in advance. He promised further details from investigators.Mr Zelensky said he had been briefed by prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko, who confirmed the suspect had already given an initial statement. “Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder,” the president said, thanking police and prosecutors for “working around the clock”.Parubiy rose to prominence during the 2014 Euromaidan uprising, a mass movement that toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych and pushed Ukraine closer to the European Union. Namita Singh1 September 2025 04:32Watch: Putin arrives in China for summit after Moscow launches aerial attacks on OdesaPutin arrives in China for summit after Moscow launches aerial attacks on OdesaBryony Gooch1 September 2025 03:00Inside Putin’s campaign of ‘psychological terror’ in KyivBryony Gooch1 September 2025 02:00German leader says peace cannot come at Ukraine’s expenseGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that the war in Ukraine could still last for a long time and ending it quickly at the country’s expense was not an option.In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, Merz, when asked whether a ceasefire might be possible this year, said he hasn’t lost hope but “harbors no illusions,” and emphasized that supporting the country to defend itself against Russia was an “absolute priority.”“We are trying to end it as quickly as possible. But certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation. You could end the war tomorrow if Ukraine surrendered and lost its independence,” Merz said.Read the full article here: Holly Evans1 September 2025 01:00Watch: Ukraine hit by over 500 drones, 45 missiles in overnight Russian attack, Zelensky saysUkraine hit by over 500 drones, 45 missiles in overnight Russian attack, Zelenskyy saysBryony Gooch31 August 2025 23:30Zelensky says new ‘deep strikes’ being prepared against RussiaRussian drone attacks on power facilities in northern and southern Ukraine overnight left nearly 60,000 customers without electricity, with President Volodymyr Zelensky vowing to retaliate by ordering more strikes deep inside Russia.Three and a half years into the war, Russia and Ukraine have both intensified airstrikes in recent weeks. Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy and transport systems, while Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries and pipelines.”We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine’s defence. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned,” Zelenskiy said on X after meeting Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Syrsky, without giving further details of the plans.Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said Russian drones had attacked four energy facilities in the Odesa region during the night, and local authorities reported that 29,000 people were left without electricity early on Sunday.Holly Evans31 August 2025 22:30Von der Leyen says Europe is drawing up ‘precise’ plans to send troops to Ukraine, FT reportsEurope is drawing up “pretty precise plans” for a multinational troop deployment to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees that will have the backing of U.S. capabilities, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday.President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop, von der Leyen told the FT.The deployment is set to include potentially tens of thousands of European-led troops, backed by assistance from the U.S., including control and command systems and intelligence and surveillance assets, the report said, adding that this arrangement was agreed at a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders last month.European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and von der Leyen are expected to gather in Paris on Thursday, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, to continue the high-level discussions on Ukraine, the FT reported, citing three diplomats briefed on the plans.Holly Evans31 August 2025 21:30Recap: Putin, Xi discussed recent Russia-U.S. contacts, Kremlin saysRussian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed on Sunday recent contacts between Russia and the United States, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian media without elaborating.Putin held talks in Alaska with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month.Xi and Putin met on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Coooperation Organisation in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin.Bryony Gooch31 August 2025 20:24
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Europe has ‘pretty precise’ plan to send troops to Ukraine; Zelensky vows revenge
