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Tag: War in Ukraine

  • Trump Calls Putin ‘Crazy’ After Largest Russian Attack on Ukraine

    Trump Calls Putin ‘Crazy’ After Largest Russian Attack on Ukraine

    US President Donald Trump has said he is “not happy” with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, following Moscow’s largest aerial attack yet on Ukraine.

    In a rare rebuke, Trump said: “What the hell happened to him? He’s killing a lot of people.” He later called Putin “absolutely crazy”.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said Washington’s “silence” over recent Russian attacks was encouraging Putin, urging “strong pressure” – including tougher sanctions – on Moscow.

    At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in Ukraine overnight Sunday after Russia fired 367 drones and missiles – the highest number in a single night since Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

    Air sirens warning of incoming drones and missiles sounded again in many regions of Ukraine early on Monday.

    At least three people, including a child, were injured in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

    Speaking to reporters in New Jersey late on Sunday, Trump said of Putin: “I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”

    Asked about whether he was considering increasing US sanctions on Russia, Trump replied: “Absolutely.” The US president has repeatedly threatened to do this before – but is yet to implement any restrictions against Moscow.

    Shortly afterwards, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that Putin “has gone absolutely crazy”.

    “I’ve always said that he wants all of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”

    But the US president also had strong words for Zelensky, saying that he “is doing his country no favours by talking the way he does”.

    “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump wrote of Zelensky.

    Emergency crews work at the site where private houses were destroyed in a Russian strike in the Kyiv region, Ukraine. Photo: 25 May 2025
    Emergency crews work at the site where private houses were destroyed in a Russian strike in the Kyiv region, Ukraine. Photo: 25 May 2025

    Despite Kyiv’s European allies preparing further sanctions for Russia, the US has said it will either continue trying to broker these peace talks, or “walk away” if progress does not follow.

    Last week, Trump and Putin had a two-hour phone call to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire deal to halt the fighting.

    The US president said he believed the call had gone “very well”, adding that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately start” negotiations toward a ceasefire and “an end to the war”.

    Ukraine has publicly agreed to a 30-day ceasefire.

    Putin has only said Russia will work with Ukraine to craft a “memorandum” on a “possible future peace” – a move described by Kyiv and its European allies as delaying tactics.

    The first direct Ukrainian-Russian talks since 2022 were held on 16 May in Istanbul, Turkey.

    Aside from a major prisoner of war swap last week, there was little or no progress on bringing a pausing in fighting closer.

    Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory. This includes Crimea – Ukraine’s southern peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.

  • Zelensky Accuses US Envoy Witkoff of Spreading ‘Russian Narratives’

    Zelensky Accuses US Envoy Witkoff of Spreading ‘Russian Narratives’

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused US special envoy Steve Witkoff of “disseminating Russian narratives” after he appeared to suggest that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine hinged on the status of five Ukrainian regions.

    After holding a five-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Witkoff told Fox News that a deal to end the war was “about these so-called five territories”.

    “I think that Mr Witkoff has taken the strategy of the Russian side,” Zelensky told a Kyiv press conference on Thursday.

    “I think it’s really dangerous, because consciously or unconsciously he is disseminating Russian narratives”.

    Witkoff appeared to be referring to the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in eastern Ukraine, much of which are under Russian military occupation after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022 with the aim of taking control of the whole country.

    The fifth region is believed to be Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 in a move not recognised internationally.

    “The territories are ours, they belong to our people and not only us but the future Ukrainian people… So I don’t understand what he’s talking about,” said Zelensky.

    In his interview with Fox News, Witkoff said: “This peace deal is about these so-called five territories. But there’s so much more to it… I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very important for the world at large.”

    “On top of that, I believe there’s a possibility to reshape the Russian-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities that I think give real stability to the region too,” he added.

    The US and Russia have been holding talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations.

    Zelensky’s intervention is not the first time he has criticised Witkoff.

    In March, he said: “He doesn’t look like a military man. He doesn’t look like a general, and he doesn’t have such experience. As far as I know, he is very good at selling and buying real estate. And this is a little different.”

    The Ukrainian leader’s comments came after top US, Ukrainian and European diplomats met in Paris to discuss the war – a group that included Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

    Meanwhile Donald Trump renewed his own criticisms of Zelensky on Thursday. He appeared to row back on earlier comments accusing the Ukrainian leader of starting the war but said he was “not a big fan”.

    “I don’t hold Zelensky responsible but I’m not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started,” Trump said.

    “I’m not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn’t say he’s done the greatest job, OK? I am not a big fan.”

    Zelensky also told journalists that he had “information” China was supplying weapons to Russia.

    “We have finally received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation,” he said.

    “We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on Russian territory,” he added.

    China has not yet responded but has previously portrayed itself as a neutral party in the war.

    Beijing did respond to an assertion last week by Zelensky that Chinese nationals were fighting for Russia by advising “relevant parties to correctly and soberly understand China’s role and not to make irresponsible remarks”.

    (BBC)

  • Trump Says He Wants Ukraine’s Rare Earth Minerals In Exchange For Further Aid

    Trump Says He Wants Ukraine’s Rare Earth Minerals In Exchange For Further Aid

    President Donald Trump said Monday that Ukraine should provide the US with its rare earth minerals in exchange for Washington’s continued support in the war against Russia.

    Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Washington and Kyiv are engaged in ongoing talks over the matter, adding: “We’re actually working some deals right now, so we have some guarantees and some other things to keep that whole situation going.”

    Trump complained that the US is providing Ukraine with more economic and military aid than Europe and suggested Kyiv is open to his proposal.

    “We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earth. We want what we put up to go in terms of a guarantee. We want a guarantee. We’re handing them money hand over fist,” he said. “I want to have security of rare earth. We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth, and I want security of the rare earth. And they’re willing to do it.”

    Trump has repeatedly vowed to end Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine and has blamed both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the conflict, which is slated to enter its fourth year later this month.

    Ukraine is sitting on massive reserves of critical rare earth minerals. It holds about 5% of the world’s total of mineral resources, according to a 2024 World Economic Forum report.

    In addition to having one of the largest confirmed reserves of lithium, Ukraine boasts semiconductor-grade neon gas that is critical for chip production, beryllium, uranium, zirconium, apatite, iron ore and manganese.

  • ‪Russia’s Oreshnik Missile: What We Know‬

    ‪Russia’s Oreshnik Missile: What We Know‬

    BBC—On Thursday, the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was hit by a Russian air strike which eyewitnesses described as unusual, triggering explosions that went on for three hours.

    The attack included a strike by a missile so powerful that in the aftermath Ukrainian officials said it bore the characteristics of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

    Western officials were quick to deny this, saying that such a strike would have triggered a nuclear alert in the US.

    Hours after the strike, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a TV address, said that Russia had launched a “new conventional intermediate-range” missile with the codename Oreshnik, meaning hazel tree in Russian.

    Putin said that the weapon travelled at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3km per second (10 times the speed of sound), adding that “there are currently no ways of counteracting this weapon”.

    He said that a major military-industrial site in Dnipro, used to manufacture missiles and other armaments, had been hit. He described the attack as a test which was “successful” because the “target was reached”.

    Speaking a day later to senior defence officials, he said tests of the missile would continue, “including in combat conditions”.

    Putin’s description of the weapon notwithstanding, there seems to be no clear consensus about what it actually is.

    Ukrainian military intelligence maintains that the missile is a new type of ICBM known as Kedr (cedar). They say it was travelling at Mach 11 and took 15 minutes to arrive from the launch site, more than 1,000km (621,370 miles) away in the Astrakhan region of Russia.

    They said the missile was equipped with six warheads, each with six sub-munitions.

    This assumption is backed up by BBC Verify’s examination of video footage of the strike. Most of it is blurry or of poor quality, but it clearly shows six flashes against the night sky, each comprised of a cluster of six individual projectiles.

    The location that was hit is an industrial area to the southwest of Dnipro city.

    Damage caused by Thursday’s attack on Dnipro, carried out by the Oreshnik in combination with other missiles

    Why is speed important?

    If Putin’s description is correct, the missile is at the upper edge of the definition of hypersonic, and few things can achieve this.

    Speed is important because the faster a missile travels, the quicker it gets to target. The quicker it gets to target, the less time a defending military has to react.

    A ballistic missile generally gets to target by following an arcing path up into the atmosphere and a similar one down towards its destination.

    But as it descends, it picks up speed and gains kinetic energy, and more kinetic energy gives it more options. This allows it to manoeuvre down towards the target – by performing some kind of defending wriggle – that makes interception by surface-to-air missile systems (such as Ukraine’s US-built Patriot defence missile system) particularly difficult.

    This is not new for militaries that have to defend against such threats of course, but the greater the speed, the harder it becomes.

    That is why Putin has likely placed emphasis on its speed in announcing this new type of missile.

    Some 80% of the missiles fired by Russia have been intercepted by Ukraine, an extraordinary figure. But these faster speeds of ballistic missiles are intended to try to bring that percentage down.

    What is the new missile’s range?

    Russian military expert Ilya Kramnik told the newspaper Izvestiya it is likely that the new missile, whose development has been classified until now, is at the upper end of medium-range missiles.

    ‘It is likely that we are dealing with a new generation of Russian intermediate-range missiles [with a range of] 2,500-3,000km [1,550-1,860 miles] and potentially extending to 5,000km [3,100 miles], but not intercontinental,” he says.

    This could put almost the whole of Europe within range, but not the US.

    “It is obviously equipped with a separating warhead with individual guidance units,” Kramnik added.

    He suggested that it could be a reduced version of the Yars-M missile complex, which is an ICBM.

    Russia was reported to have started production of a new version of this missile complex last year which included much more mobile independent warheads.

    Another expert, Dmitry Kornev, told the paper the Oreshnik could have been created on the basis of the shorter-range Iskander missiles – already commonly used on Ukraine – but with a new-generation engine.

    An Iskander with an enlarged engine was used at the Kapustin Yar test site in southern Russia last spring, he said, adding that this may well have been the Oreshnik. Thursday’s missile was fired into Ukraine from the same site.

    How effective could it be?

    Military analyst Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestiya that the Oreshnik was capable of overcoming any existing modern missile defence systems.

    It could also destroy well-protected bunkers at great depths without using a nuclear warhead, he said, although there is no evidence of underground facilities being destroyed at the Dnipro plant.

    Another Russian analyst, Igor Korotchenko, told Tass news agency the missile had multiple independently guided warheads, adding that the “practically simultaneous arrival of the warheads at the target” was extremely effective.

    Justin Crump, CEO and founder of the risk advisory company Sibylline, told BBC Verify that the missile had the capacity to seriously challenge Ukraine’s air defences.

    “Russia’s short range ballistic missiles have been one of the more potent threats to Ukraine in this conflict,” he said. “Faster, more advanced systems would increase that an order of magnitude.”

  • Volodymyr Zelensky Net Worth and Rise From Actor to President

    Volodymyr Zelensky Net Worth and Rise From Actor to President

    President Volodymyr Zelensky’s net worth is estimated to be $596 million. Before entering politics, he worked in comedy, acting, and television production.

    Most of his earnings came from these entertainment ventures, including TV appearances, film roles, and content creation through his company, Kvartal 95.

    This article highlights his net worth, sources of income, career, and personal life.

    Volodymyr Zelensky Net Worth
    [Photo: CNN]

    Volodymyr Zelensky Net Worth

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician, former actor, and comedian. He has been the president of Ukraine since 2019.

    As president, he supports e-government and unity between the Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking parts of the country.

    Zelenskyy grew up in Kryvyi Rih, a Russian-speaking region in southeastern Ukraine.

    Estimates of Zelenskyy’s net worth vary widely. Some sources say he has around $1.5 billion, while others suggest it’s closer to $20 million.

    These differences come from difficulties in valuing his assets and income before his presidency.

    The public has mixed views on Zelensky’s net worth. Some Ukrainians see him as a successful businessman who uses his wealth to help the country.

    Others worry about potential corruption and think his wealth could lead to conflicts of interest.

    Category Details
    Net Worth $596 Million
    Annual Income $60 Million
    Monthly Income $5 Million +
    Presidential Term 20 May 2019 –
    Office President of Ukraine since 2019
    Political Party Independent
    Residence Mariinskyi Palace
    Private Jets 3
    Mansions and Villas 15+

    Financial Disclosure and Pandora Connection

    Another source of information is Zelenskyy’s 2020 financial disclosure. This document showed that he and his family earned 22.748 million hryvnias (about $8.2 million) that year.

    Their income came from various sources, including his salary as President of Ukraine, his wife’s business income, and investments.

    Zelenskyy has faced accusations of corruption, especially after the Pandora Papers leak in 2021.

    These documents claimed that Zelenskyy and his associates owned offshore companies and used them to transfer funds.

    Zelenskyy denied any wrongdoing and said the companies were used for legal purposes.

    Volodymyr Zelensky Watch Collection

    While running for president and during his presidency, Volodymyr Zelensky received expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen and oligarchs. Here are a few watches in Zelensky’s collection.

    Here are a few watches in Zelensky’s collection

    Watch Brand Value (USD)
    Franck Muller $250,000
    Roger Dubuis $260,000
    Chopard $105,000
    F.P Journe $190,000
    Breguet and Fils $365,000
    Patek Philippe $400,000

    Zelensky Movies and TV Shows

    Zelenskyy starred in several popular Ukrainian TV shows and movies, including “Servant of the People” (2015–2019). This show inspired the name of his political party.

    • Production company

    He was a co-founder and owner of Kvartal 95, a prosperous production company responsible for creating comedy shows, movies, and various entertainment content.

    • Endorsements and advertising

    Zelenskyy also made money through endorsements and advertising agreements.

    Assets and Investments

    Zelensky owns over 12 real estate properties, 8 cars, and 5 luxury yachts. His assets also include cash reserves of over $75 million.

    Additionally, he owns an investment portfolio of 15 stocks valued at $60 million. Here’s the list of stocks in which Zelensky has invested:

    • Saudi Aramco
    • Apple
    • Microsoft
    • Meta
    • Alphabet
    • Amazon
    • Tesla

    Volodymyr Zelensky Biography

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy, born to Jewish parents on January 25, 1978, in Kryvyi Rih, then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, earned a law degree from the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics.

    Six months before announcing his candidacy for the Ukrainian presidential election in 2019 (December 31, 2018), Zelenskyy was already one of the frontrunners in opinion polls.

    Throughout the election campaign, he continued to tour with Kvartal 95.

    Zelenskyy declared that as president, he would develop the economy and attract investment to Ukraine by “restarting the judicial system” and restoring confidence in the state.

    Who is Zelensky’s father?

    Zelensky’s father, a professor and computer scientist, heads the Department of Cybernetics and Computing Hardware at the Kryvyi Rih State University of Economics and Technology.

    Zelensky’s Career in Entertainment

    In 2008, Zelensky starred in the feature film Love in the Big City, along with its sequel, Love in the Big City 2.

    He continued his movie career with the film Office Romance. Our Time in 2011.

    In August 2014, Zelensky opposed the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture’s plan to ban Russian artists from Ukraine.

    Then, in 2015, he became the star of the television series Servant of the People, portraying the role of the president of Ukraine.

    Volodymyr ZelenskyNet Worth Growth

    Year Net Worth (Million)
    2024 $596 Million
    2023 $536 Million
    2022 $476 Million
    2021 $421 Million
    2020 $370 Million
    2019 $320 Million