Vladimir Putin’s advisors increasingly blame him for Russia’s mounting losses in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, hailing the success of Kyiv’s protracted campaign of strikes deep behind enemy lines.
The Ukrainian president wrote that Ukraine’s buoyed confidence on the battlefield is “creating a new atmosphere” around his Russian counterpart, with allies losing faith in Putin’s ability to continue to prosecute the four-year conflict.
“A very toxic atmosphere,” Zelensky assessed. “He alone is the reason this war began and hasn’t ended. Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russians continue to suffer. His retinue understands this – they are signalling it to us and to our partners.”
Zelensky’s stark assessment came as the US secretary of state conceded that there would be no quick path to a deal to end the war, and that diplomacy would require a sustained effort and new ideas.
Marco Rubio emerged from talks with his Russian counterpart acknowledging that past talks had been “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful”. He said the US was prepared to mediate against “if the opportunity presents itself”.
While Zelensky said on Thursday he believed Ukrainian representatives could meet with the US side within days to discuss restarting talks, the Kremlin said it was not overly optimistic about the prospects of a quick deal to end the war.
Ukrainian and US teams could meet within days to discuss restarting talks, says Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukrainian and U.S. teams could meet in the United States in the coming days.
Zelenskiy added that he had spoken to U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Wednesday to discuss ideas on how to reinvigorate peace talks.
James Reynolds23 July 2026 13:38
Zelensky tasks new military leadership with improving mobilisation
Ukraine’s new top commander, Mykhailo Drapatyi, and acting defence minister Yvhenii Khmara will be tasked with improving mobilisation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday.
The Ukrainian president said that Mykhailo Fedorov, whose dismissal from the defence minister post last week sparked protests, was offered to become a vice prime minister for defence innovation.
Zelensky added that he offered Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s former PM, the post of the country’s envoy to the U.S.
James Reynolds23 July 2026 13:37
Kash Patel’s reported Russia trip is already sparking fierce backlash
FBI Director Kash Patel is planning a trip to Russia later this year, likely in mid-October, according to a report.
Two insiders cited by Politico said Patel is scheduled to visit on October 14 and 15, a matter of weeks before the midterm elections at home, and will make appearances in both Moscow and St Petersburg.
It is unclear whether he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin or his entourage during his stay, the insiders said, but he is expected to be hosted by the FSB, the main successor organization to the Soviet Union’s KGB. Patel has yet to respond to the report, and the FBI and DOJ have been contacted for comment.
In full:
FBI director Kash Patel plans Russia trip: report
Official planning to spend time in Moscow and St Petersburg and will be hosted by the KGB’s successors, according to insidersJames Reynolds23 July 2026 13:30
Lavrov slams ‘unacceptable’ deliveries of US arms to Ukraine
Russia’s veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told his US counterpart that it was “unacceptable” for deliveries of arms to the “Kyiv regime” to continue.
Lavrov met with secretary of state Marco Rubio in Manila for around 30 minutes on Thursday to discuss the war in Ukraine.
The Russian foreign ministry said that Lavrov “emphasised that it was unacceptable to continue arms deliveries to the Kyiv regime”.
He also slammed “a destabilising policy by European countries that are always seeking to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia”.
James Reynolds23 July 2026 13:00
Former defence secretaries back Healey plan to use war bonds to boost defence spending
Two former Tory defence secretaries have backed using defence bonds to raise the funds needed to boost spending for the UK’s military and security, which The Independent understands is under consideration by new chancellor John Healey.
A senior source who worked with Mr Healey to try to raise extra money for defence before he quit Sir Keir Starmer’s government has said the chancellor is considering a bid to join a new Canada-led global banking scheme, which would allow it to find cheaper ways to finance defence projects.
Mr Healey resigned as defence secretary in June over a failure to meet the requirements in defence spending, claiming the package was £13bn short of what was required meaning the armed forces could not keep Britain safe. It later emerged another £4.7bn of the £15bn plan was unfunded.
Former defence secretaries back plan to join banking scheme to boost defence spending
Rachel Reeves rejected joining the Global Defence Bank set up by Canadian PM Mark Carney, but her replacement John Healey is understood to be reconsidering itJames Reynolds23 July 2026 12:30
Recap: Zelensky claims there is ‘toxic atmosphere’ in Putin’s inner circle after battlefield failures
James Reynolds23 July 2026 12:00
In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s Sumy
James Reynolds23 July 2026 11:31
Russia not optimistic on Ukraine peace deal after Rubio-Lavrov meeting
The Kremlin said on Thursday that it was not overly optimistic about the prospects of a quick deal to end the conflict in Ukraine following a meeting between Russian and U.S. officials in Manila.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Ukraine on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering on Thursday, with Rubio saying that Washington remains prepared to play a “constructive role” in finding a solution to the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that he hoped U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would come to Moscow when they are available, and that Russia would continue dialogue with the U.S.
Washington’s efforts on Ukraine peace have largely stalled as it has become distracted by its war in Iran.
James Reynolds23 July 2026 11:00
Kremlin declines comment on report that Russia may have helped Iran strike CIA facilities in Gulf
The Kremlin on Thursday declined to comment on a Reuters report that U.S. intelligence analysts were investigating possible Russian assistance in Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf.
Four people familiar with U.S. intelligence told Reuters that the officials had not yet reached firm conclusions about the possible Russian involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities. But they cited the strikes’ effectiveness and apparent precision, as well as Russia’s broader technical support for Iran, as possible evidence.
James Reynolds23 July 2026 10:48
Explained: Dismissal of Ukraine’s defense minister started a sudden transformation of the military
In the span of a single week, the dismissal of a Ukrainian defense minister set in motion a transformation of the country’s armed forces that replaced the old guard with a new generation of leadership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to fire his popular defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, triggered days of public protest that quickly shifted toward the country’s commander-in-chief and highlighted the growing rift over the future of Ukraine’s military.
Demonstrators denounced the commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and overwhelmingly rallied behind the departed defense minister, who has emerged as one of the country’s most influential wartime reformers with support from Ukrainians hungry for change. Protesters demanded his reinstatement. Fedorov’s dismissal followed months of increasingly bitter disagreements between the two men.
As it happened:
Dismissal of Ukraine’s defense minister started a sudden transformation of the military
In just a week, the dismissal of a Ukrainian defense minister set in motion a transformation of the country’s armed forces that replaced the old guard with a new generation of leadershipJames Reynolds23 July 2026 10:30NewerOlder