𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The first lady could be Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s unlikely ally in the White House, influencing Donald Trump’s recent tougher stance on Russia.

“I go home, I tell the first lady, ‘I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation.’ And she says, ‘Oh really, another city was just hit’,” Mr Trump said from the Oval Office on Monday afternoon.

Melania was born behind the Iron Curtain in 1970 and grew up in the former Yugoslavia.

According to Mary Jordan, author of The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump, Melania’s influence does not come as a surprise to those who know her.

A US citizen who helped the Kremlin target Ukrainian troops has been granted a Russian passport in Moscow.

Daniel Martindale, with a trim beard and dressed in a suit and tie, smiled as he received his new documents, as seen during a Russian state television broadcast a report on Tuesday.

“I, Daniel Richard Martindale, voluntarily and consciously accepting the citizenship of the Russian Federation, swear to observe the constitution,” he said in Russian.

“The belief that Russia is not just my home, but also my family – I am extremely glad that this is not only in my heart, but also by law.”

Mr Martindale told reporters at a press conference last November that he established contact with pro-Russian forces via Telegram and passed them information on Ukrainian military facilities from the Donetsk region in the country’s east.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte warned countries such as Brazil, China and India could be hit very hard by secondary sanctions if they continued to do business with Russia.

Mr Rutte made the comment while meeting with senators in the US Congress the day after President Donald Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened “biting” secondary tariffs of 100 per cent on the buyers of Russian exports unless there is a peace deal in 50 days.

“My encouragement to these three countries, particularly is, if you live now in Beijing, or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard,” Mr Rutte told reporters, who met with the US leader on Monday and agreed the new steps.

“So please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way,” Mr Rutte added.

US president Donald Trump said that weapons are already being shipped to Ukraine.

On being asked yesterday about what he thought of Patriot missiles being purchased by the US allies, Mr Trump said: “They are already being shipped”.

He added that the Patriot anti-missile defence systems are coming in from Germany.

“And in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full. So what’s happening, as you know, is the European Union, if you look, mostly European Union stuff, but let’s put it in the form of Nato, it’s very similar, but Nato’s going to pay us back for everything,” the US president said.

Mr Trump also added that he has not spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin since sanctions against Russia were announced on Monday.

At least two people have been killed as Russian drones and missiles attacked widely separated areas of Ukraine, officials said in the early hours today.

National emergency services reported two deaths in drone strikes east of the northeastern city of Kharkiv near the town of Kupiansk, an area which has been under Russian attack for several months.

In Kharkiv itself, also a frequent target of Russian attacks, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least 17 explosions were recorded in a 20-minute drone attack in which three people were injured.

The head of the military administration in the southeastern town of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksander Vilkul, said Russian forces had deployed missiles and drones in an extended attack that knocked out power and water supplies. The regional governor said there had been an unspecified number of injuries.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defence units had gone into action for a time in the capital, but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

US president Donald Trump has refused to pick a side between Ukraine and Russia and said he just wants the killing to stop.

Asked yesterday if he was now on the side of Ukraine, Mr Trump said, “I am on nobody’s side,” and then declared he was on “humanity’s side” because “I want to stop the killing.”

Mr Trump also defended the deadline he set for Russia to agree to a deal and head off tariffs and sanctions on countries that buy oil from Russia.

He did not say whether any talks were planned to try to work out a deal with Russia.

“At the end of the 50 days if we don’t have a deal, it’s going to be too bad,” he said.

Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal said he had officially filed a resignation letter, as a part of a major governmental reshuffle expected this week.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday nominated first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko for the post.

Mr Shmyhal, who has been in his post since March 2020, is expected to be appointed as Ukraine’s new defence minister, Mr Zelensky said on Monday.

Parliament is due to vote on Ms Svyrydenko’s nomination later this week. Mr Zelensky said that he had already discussed priority tasks for the next six months with her.

“We are preparing the initial steps of the renewed government,” he said on the Telegram app, posting a picture from their meeting in his office.

The shakeup, the biggest since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, comes as the Russian forces continue their grinding advance in Ukraine’s east, and prospects for any fast ceasefire deal look dim.

Vladimir Putin will continue fighting in Ukraine and is unfazed by Donald Trump’s threat of further sanctions, three sources close to the Kremlin have told Reuters news agency.

Moscow’s territorial demands may widen as Russian troops advance in the war-torn country, the sources added.

They said the Russian president believes Russia’s economy and military are strong enough to weather additional Western measures

Mr Trump on Monday expressed frustration with Putin’s refusal to agree a ceasefire and announced a wave of weapons supplies to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. He also threatened further sanctions on Russia unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days.

“Putin thinks no one has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine – including the Americans – so he will continue until he gets what he wants,” one of the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

“Putin values the relationship with Trump and had good discussions with Witkoff, but the interests of Russia come above all else,” the person added.

Donald Trump has clarified that he does not want Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to target Moscow, and repeated that Russian president Vladimir Putin should agree to a ceasefire deal by a 50-day deadline or sanctions will kick in.

His comments came after The Financial Times, citing people briefed on discussions, reported on Tuesday that Trump had privately encouraged Ukraine to step up deep strikes on Russia.

The newspaper said that Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky whether he could strike Moscow if the US provided long-range weapons.

“No, he shouldn’t target Moscow,” Mr Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House when asked if Mr Zelensky should attack the Russian capital.

Mr Trump on Monday announced a toughened stance against Russia for its three-year-old war in Ukraine, promising a fresh wave of missiles and other weaponry for Ukraine. He gave Moscow 50 days to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions.