Ukraine-Russia latest: Trump ‘to call Putin’ as Biden plans final surge in military aid to Kyiv

The G7, involving some of the world’s richest nations, have made clear that they believe the reports of thousands of North Korean troops being used to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine show Vladimir Putin’s “desperation” to compensate for losses on the frontline.

Putin’s forces are believed to be losing hundreds of troops a day, with Ukrainian estimates going as high as 1,200 to 1,500, so the more than 10,000 troops South Korea believes are in Russia would last two weeks or so at that rate.

“In the big picture, even 12,000 soldiers don’t affect the general situation of the war significantly,” says Emil Kastehelmi, who runs the Black Bird Group, which tracks the war in Ukraine.

Russian leaders and media figures responded with a mix of jubilation and caution after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

“There is only one place in the world where the mood is worse than it is at Kamala Harris’s campaign headquarters: Bankova Street, the office of the president of Ukraine in Kyiv,” the host of the Russian TV show The Big Game, Dmitry Suslov, said after the election, according to a translation from Russia analyst Julia Davis.

“Trump now has 24 hours to end the war in Ukraine. Donald, the clock is ticking! This is what Trump has promised,” presenter Olga Skabeeva said of Trump’s “resounding” victory, according to Davis.

Soldiers in a Ukrainian artillery battery on the front lines in the country’s east were only vaguely aware of American election results of Donald Trump’s victory. But they were firm in their hopes for the next president of the United States. Their entrenched artillery battery fires on Russian forces daily — and takes fire nearly as often. Just the other day, one of their overhead nets snared a Russian drone.

Trump’s election throws into doubt American support for Ukraine — and ultimately whether Kyiv can beat back Russia’s invasion. But Mozart — who like other soldiers did not give his name in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol — is among many Ukrainians who hope that Trump will hold the line on American support for their country. Russian forces have recently made gains in the east, although the commander described the frontline situation as “static.”

The Kremlin has said that the United States remains an “unfriendly” country towards Russia.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that there are no plans for President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Donald Trump on any potential election victory.

Mr Peskov’s comments came as he discussed Moscow’s cautious approach to the changing political landscape in the US, noting that Russia is closely monitoring the statements made by American politicians.

“Our relations with the United States are at a historic low,” he told reporters. “It is practically impossible for them to get any worse.”

The spokesperson acknowledged that the US has the capacity to change its foreign policy approach, but he added that Moscow would wait until January, when Trump is set to take office, to see if there would be any shift in direction.

Russian forces have captured two more settlements in areas of heavy military activity in eastern Ukraine, Russia’s defence ministry said yesterday.

Ukraine’s military noted fighting around both villages in eastern sectors of the 1,000km (600-mile) frontline, but did not acknowledge that either had fallen into Russian hands.

The Russian ministry identified the villages as Maksymivka, just north of the hilltop town of Vuhledar, captured by Russian forces last months after long months of fighting, and Antonivka, near the embattled town of Kurakhove, further north.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s military said Kyiv’s forces had repelled two attacks near Maksymivka and a nearby village in the vicinity of Vuhledar in Donetsk region. Four clashes were still going on, it said.

The general staff reported a “tense” situation around the city of Kurakhove, with 39 Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions. It listed Antonivka as one of several villages in the area where Moscow’s troops were trying to advance.

The head of Australia‘s national intelligence agency said it was troubling to see an “emerging axis” of countries supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine emerge as allies of the Kremlin mounted a challenge for western countries supporting Kyiv.

Andrew Shearer, who leads the government’s Office of National Intelligence (ONI), said North Korea, Iran, and more significantly China, posed a “strategic challenge” for countries including Canberra as the war dragged on.

He said the emerging axis, which has China and Russia as its main pillars, had been underestimated since the war began as Beijing emboldened Moscow by providing dual-use goods as well as economic and diplomatic support.

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