Vladimir Putin ordered the largest-ever bombardment of Ukraine hours after coming off the phone to Donald Trump.

More than 550 drones and missiles were launched at Ukraine overnight, with Kyiv bearing the brunt of the seven-hour barrage. It left one dead, 23 injured and the capital choked by explosions, smoke and fires.

“Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv. One of the worst so far. Hundreds of Russian drones and ballistic missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital, right after Putin spoke with President Trump,” Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said.

Mr Trump described his phone call with the Russian leader as “disappointing” and said he was “not happy” about the war in Ukraine. However, he stopped short of calling for Putin to end to the conflict.

“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with president Putin, because I don’t think he’s there,” the US president told reporters on Thursday night. “I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”

Hours after the barrage, the Kremlin said it saw no immediate diplomatic way out of the war, and brushed off future peace talks.

Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, claimed Putin and Mr Trump were “on the same page” after the sixth known call between the two leaders. But Mr Trump disagreed, saying: “I didn’t make any progress with him at all.”

Kyiv and other major cities across Ukraine have come under intensified bombardment in recent weeks. Russia is producing drones in record numbers and launching them in ever-larger volleys, in what analysts say is a strategy intended to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defence network through relentless attacks and break the population’s morale.

In total, 539 drones and 11 missiles were fired overnight on Friday, according to Ukraine’s air force.

Reacting to the onslaught, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, called on the US to increase pressure on Russia, warning that Moscow would not “change its dumb, destructive behaviour”.

In a later phone call, Mr Trump agreed to help Ukraine protect its skies, despite pausing some vital shipments of Patriot air defence missiles earlier this week.

Like those before it, Friday’s attack included a combination of Iranian-designed Shahed drones and ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as decoys sent to confuse Ukraine’s defences.

“Today’s attack was like the worst nightmare come to life,” Olha Vershynina, a Kyiv resident, told the Kyiv Independent. “Because when the strike happened, the lights went out and glass came crashing down on my head. It was terrifying. Our entire building was shaking.”

“President Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts,” Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, wrote on social media, after the Polish embassy in Kyiv was damaged in the strikes.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, said Russia would prefer to achieve its goals through “political and diplomatic avenues”, but that “as long as this remains unattainable, the special military operation will continue”.

Friday’s attack damaged apartment buildings, businesses, a school, a medical facility and other civilian infrastructure in districts across Kyiv.

“This time was truly terrifying,” Maria Maznichenko, a pensioner who lives in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, added. “The explosions kept coming. Shahed drones were flying in every minute, like a swarm of bees – one after another.”

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv’s military administration, warned residents to close their windows because of the dangerous levels of “combustion products” in the air. “The Russians bring nothing but terror and murder. That is a fact,” he wrote on Telegram during the bombardment.

After the hours-long barrage, Mr Trump spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart and the pair agreed to work together to “strengthen” Ukraine’s air defences, Mr Zelensky said. Details are not yet clear, but the Ukrainian president suggested they discussed joint production of key air defence systems.

The Trump administration said earlier this week that it would pause shipments of certain critical weapons to Ukraine, including 30 promised Patriot air defence missiles, due to low stockpiles. The vital supplies had been expected in the coming weeks or months.

Kyiv warned that the decision would weaken its ability to defend its cities against Russia’s intensifying air strikes and battlefield advances.

One source briefed on the call said they were optimistic that Patriot supplies could resume after what they called a “very good” conversation between the presidents.

Ukraine is reliant on the US-made Patriot missiles as its only line of defence against certain types of Russian ballistic missile – including the hypersonic Kinzhal, which was used in Friday’s barrage.

Germany said on Friday it would try to fill the air defence gap, and that it was in “intensive talks” to buy Patriots from the US for Ukraine. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, discussed the offer with Mr Trump on the phone on Friday, a government spokesman said.

Pictured: Firefighters putting out blazes in Kyiv

06:18 PM BST

Russian strike damages Chinese consulate in Odesa

A Russian missile and drone strike on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Thursday damaged the Chinese consulate, according to reports.

Hours later, Ukraine said it found a Chinese component inside a Russian drone that hit Kyiv.

“Following tonight’s massive Russian air attack on Ukraine, we discovered in Kyiv a component of a Russian-Iranian Shahed-136/Geran-2 combat drone, which was made in China and supplied just recently,” Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, wrote on X.

“And right on the eve, the Chinese Consulate General’s building in Odesa suffered minor damage,” he added.

Beijing has always dismissed claims that it helps supply lethal weapons to its ally, however Western intelligence agencies say China supplies components of weapons, including electronics needed for drones.

05:43 PM BST

Watch: Russian POWs celebrate their release

Credit: Reuters

05:10 PM BST

Russia ‘strikes’ Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, causing blackout

Russia destroyed the power line that connects the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to the power grid, Ukraine’s energy minister German Galushchenko has said.

“The enemy struck the power line connecting the temporarily occupied (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant) with the integrated power system of Ukraine,” he said on Friday.

Just before, the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed that all external power lines supplying electricity to the Russian-occupied plant in Ukraine were down.

“Ukraine’s ZNPP lost all off-site power at 17:36 today, 9th time during military conflict and first since late 2023,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X.

Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, which is not operating but still requires power to keep its nuclear fuel cool, has switched to running on diesel generators, the IAEA said.

The IAEA has repeatedly warned of the risk of a catastrophic accident at Zaporizhzhia, which is located near the front line in the war in Ukraine.

04:48 PM BST

Merz called Trump about supplying Patriots to Ukraine

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed his country’s offer to buy Patriot air defence systems for Ukraine with Donald Trump by phone on Thursday.

Mr Merz initiated the call with Trump to promote arms deliveries to Ukraine, particularly Patriots, after the Pentagon paused some shipments, a government spokesperson told Reuters.

Germany was in “intensive talks” to buy Patriots for Ukraine to help it counter some of the heaviest Russian attacks since the war began in 2022, a spokesman said earlier today.

“There are various ways to fill this Patriot gap,” they said, adding that one option being considered was buying the Patriot missile batteries in the US and then sending them on to Kyiv.

Washington has paused shipments of certain critical weapons to Ukraine including 30 Patriot air defence missiles due to low stockpiles, prompting warnings by Kyiv this would weaken its ability to defend itself.

04:17 PM BST

Pictured: Ukrainian POW returns from Russian captivity

04:05 PM BST

Putin launches record attack on Kyiv after Trump phone call

Vladimir Putin fired 550 drones and missiles at Ukraine in a new record attack hours after Donald Trump lamented their “disappointing” phone call.

Kyiv was the main focus of Russia’s overnight bombardment, which left one dead and 23 injured in the capital, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

“Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv. One of the worst so far. Hundreds of Russian drones and ballistic missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital. Right after Putin spoke with President Trump,” Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said Russia would not “change its dumb, destructive behaviour” without increasing pressure, particularly from the US.

The attack, which broke a record set only last weekend, came hours after Mr Trump spoke with Putin, a phone call the US president described as “disappointing”.

“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there,” he told reporters. “I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov claimed Putin and Mr Trump were “on the same page”. The US president disagreed: “I didn’t make any progress with him at all.”

03:59 PM BST

Nato chief calls for balance between US stockpiles and Ukraine aid

Mark Rutte, head of Nato, said on Friday that he understands Washington’s need to maintain its own weapons stockpiles, but added he hopes for flexibility to ensure Ukraine continues receiving necessary military support.

“I totally understand for the US to make sure that the stockpiles are at a level that we have the collective defense we need,” Mr Rutte told reporters after a change-of-command ceremony that saw US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich take over as Nato’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

But “we all hope for a level of flexibility to make sure that also Ukraine has what it needs,” he added.

03:54 PM BST

Pictured: Ukrainians hold up pictures of their missing relatives

03:15 PM BST

Watch: Ukrainian POWs return home

Ukrainian POWs are seen crying and kissing the floor in footage taken after they were released from captivity as part of the latest prisoner swap with Russia.

03:00 PM BST

Pictured: The aftermath of a Russian strike on a school in Kyiv

02:58 PM BST

Zelensky and Trump agree to ‘strengthen’ Kyiv’s defences

Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump have agreed to work together to “strengthen” Ukraine’s air defences after Kyiv came under a record bombardment.

Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to pummel Ukraine’s capital after a phone call with Mr Trump on Thursday night that the US president described as “disappointing”.

Mr Zelensky said he spoke with Mr Trump on Friday and the two agreed to “strengthen protection of our skies”. Details of the agreement are not yet clear, but the Ukrainian president suggested they discussed joint production of key air defence systems.

Mr Trump’s administration paused some shipments of weapons to Ukraine earlier this week, sparking warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s intensifying airstrikes and battlefield advances.

Germany’s chancellor also spoke with Mr Trump on Thursday. Friedrich Merz said he discussed buying US-made Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap.

02:40 PM BST

Trump spoken with Zelensky, says source

Donald Trump has spoken with Volodymyr Zelensky, according to reports.

It was a “good conversation”, said a source familiar with the details, cited by an Axios reporter.

Their phone call follows Mr Trump complaining he was “disappointed” with the conversation he had with Vladimir Putin last night, which the president said “didn’t make any progress” towards peace.

02:33 PM BST

US not facing weapons shortage, official claims

The US is not facing a shortage of weapons despite that being used as a reason to pause aid shipments to Ukraine, an American official has said.

Adam Smith, a leading Democrat who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon’s justification for pausing weapons deliveries was disingenuous.

“We are not at any lower point, stockpile-wise, than we’ve been in the 3½ years of the Ukraine conflict,” he told NBC News.

The news outlet also reported that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defence, took the decision alone, the third such time he had stopped shipments of aid to Ukraine without consulting other departments.

In the other cases, which took place in February and May, the weapons shipments were resumed.

02:01 PM BST

Germany could buy US weapons before sending them to Kyiv

Germany is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems for Ukraine to help it counter some of the heaviest Russian attacks since the war began, Berlin has said.

Washington has paused shipments of certain critical weapons to Ukraine, including 30 Patriot air defence missiles, prompting warnings by Kyiv this would weaken its ability to defend itself.

“There are various ways to fill this Patriot gap,” a government spokesperson told a news conference in Berlin, adding that one option being considered is buying  Patriot missile batteries from the US and then sending them on to Kyiv.

“I can confirm that intensive discussions are indeed being held on this matter,” he said.

01:36 PM BST

Trump envoy ‘pushing to lift Russia sanctions’

Steve Witkoff, a senior negotiator in the Trump administration, is pushing for energy sanctions to be lifted on Russia, according to reports.

Politico reported that Moscow was in early talks with Washington about restarting the Nord Stream pipeline project, which has worried some officials in Brussels.

Other Trump officials disagree, however, including Doug Burgum - the interior secretary - who has pushed to reduce reliance on Russian imports.

01:22 PM BST

Macron and Starmer to chair joint Ukraine summit next week

Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer will co-chair a summit to discuss boosting Ukraine’s defences on July 10 in the United Kingdom, the Elysee Palace has said.

“There will certainly be a discussion on how to seriously maintain Ukraine’s combat capability,” the Elysee Palace said, adding that the two leaders will co-chair the meeting of Kyiv’s allies by video link.

01:16 PM BST

Pictured: Russian POWs cheer after exchange

12:53 PM BST

Moscow says its forces hit military targets in Kyiv

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces successfully carried out strikes against military targets in Kyiv overnight.

It said high-precision long-range weapons along with hypersonic missiles and drones were used in the onslaught which injured over a dozen in the capital.

Ukraine said Russia launched at least 550 drones and missiles, making it the largest aerial attack of the war so far. In recent weeks, Moscow has repeatedly set new records in the size of its bombardments.

12:37 PM BST

How much more can Kyiv take?

A few weeks ago, I met with Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko in his office in the capital. Just 24 hours earlier, Russia had launched one of its biggest bombardments on the capital of the entire war.

That superlative - be it ‘biggest’, ‘largest’, or ‘longest’ - recurs with chilling regularity in the Ukrainian capital these days, with Moscow’s vastly stepped up production lines now able to send hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles every few nights.

A year ago, around 300 drones were fired at Ukraine per month. The figure is now above 5,000. And the consequences can be in the palls of smoke and burning buildings that Kyiv’s residents wake-up to, often after long nights in bomb shelters.

Mr Klitschko was insistent on a single point. Ukraine needed the US to provide more defensive weapons to protect the city, including Patriot munitions for the air defence batteries that guard against ballistic missiles.

The answer has been a resounding disappointment. While Donald Trump mused about providing more Patriot ammunition during the Nato summit at the Hague, the Pentagon has instead halted supplies of weaponry destined for Ukraine.

So Kyiv burns, increasingly unaided. European nations are trying to step into the breach, but the question hangs in the air: what will the Ukrainian capital look like, if nights like last one continue at this punishing rate for a month - for a year - or for longer?

12:17 PM BST

Putin not serious about peace, says Downing Street

Russia’s record strikes on Kyiv shows Vladimir Putin is “not serious” about securing a peace deal, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Continued Russian strikes are clear evidence that Putin is not serious about peace.

“Since Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire over four months ago 700 civilians have been killed, more than 3,000 injured.

“We are, alongside our allies, absolutely united in support of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. We are clear that must start with a full immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

“But Putin has shown he is not serious about peace.”

12:02 PM BST

This dramatic escalation must push Trump to action

President Donald Trump has had it with Vladimir Putin. After a nearly one-hour phone call with his Russian counterpart, Trump expressed disappointment with Putin’s obstinate continuation of the Ukraine War and admitted: “I didn’t make any progress with him at all.”

The Kremlin rushed to calm the waters and claimed that Russia was still interested in peace negotiations with Ukraine. Nonetheless, Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov still emphasised the contrast between Trump’s push for a swift ceasefire in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s desire to eliminate the root causes of the Ukraine War.

Russia’s latest actions suggest that Trump’s frustrations are warranted. During the early hours of Friday morning, Russian forces pummelled Ukraine with 550 Shahed drones and ballistic missiles. This attack was Russia’s largest aerial assault of the war, and broke the record set earlier this week of 537 drones and missiles.

Even though Russia has not taken much-feared apocalyptic steps like using tactical nuclear weapons or triggering a meltdown in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, it is steadily escalating its war against Ukrainian civilians.

11:47 AM BST

Kremlin vows to continue war against Ukraine

The Kremlin has vowed to continue its war against Ukraine, saying it is “not possible” to achieve its aims through “diplomatic means”.

“We are interested in achieving our goals in the course of the special military operation and it is preferable to do it by political and diplomatic means,” a Kremlin spokesman told reporters after being asked about US efforts to push for peace.

“But until that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation.”

11:39 AM BST

Child casualties in Ukraine increase threefold

The number of children killed or injured in Ukraine has surged by 200 per cent in the past three months, the latest UN-verified data has found, writes Lilia Sebouai.

At least 222 children were killed or injured between March and May, compared to 73 from December to February, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

“The situation for children is at a critical juncture, “ said Regina De Dominicis, Unicef’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, adding that “there is no respite from the war for children across Ukraine.”

The UN said use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas has been “particularly deadly and destructive”.

It comes as Russia has stepped up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. Kyiv was on Friday struck by a wave of overnight drones and missile attacks in the largest aerial assault since Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago.

11:27 AM BST

Russia and Ukraine exchange more prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine exchanged another batch of prisoners of war on Friday.

The warring sides have exchanged prisoners several times - the latest on June 26 - as part of an agreement struck in Istanbul last month.

11:16 AM BST

Russia’s record attacks in numbers

Russia is frequently firing a record number of missiles and drones at Ukraine, targeting major cities such as Kyiv and Dnipro.

Moscow fired 550 drones and missiles overnight, breaking a record set only last weekend when 537 aerial weapons were fired across the country.

11:10 AM BST

Putin told Trump he wanted more peace talks, says Kremlin

Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he expected Russia to agree to a date for a third round of peace talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin has said.

The two sides met for direct talks in May and June, though they came no close to any substantial agreement beyond exchanging prisoners and repatriating the dead.

The Kremlin said it followed “all statements” by Mr Trump, who expressed his “disappointment” with Putin after their phone call on Thursday.

11:05 AM BST

Republicans urge Trump to increase pressure on Putin

Republicans are urging Donald Trump to ramp up pressure on Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table and end the war in Ukraine.

Don Bacon, the Congressman for Nebraska’s 2nd District, said Putin had mocked the US president and America by launching another record attack on Ukraine overnight - hours after the two leaders spoke on the phone.

“Mr President, your policy towards Russia is not working. While we negotiate, Putin bombs Ukrainian cities,” Mr Bacon said.

“It is time to change strategy. We and our allies must arm Ukraine to the teeth & we need the toughest sanctions. Putin is mocking you and America.”

Joe Wilson, a Congressman in South Carolina, said Putin had resorted to “scorched earth tactics” across Ukraine just as “Americans begin to enjoy the sounds of fireworks in celebration of our Nation’s Independence”.

Ukrainians pack into bomb shelter

10:26 AM BST

Zelensky and Trump to speak this afternoon

Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump will speak later this afternoon, a Ukrainian official has confirmed to AFP.

The call follows a conversation between the US president and Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

09:58 AM BST

Russia expands chemical weapons use in Ukraine, says German spy agency

Russia has increased its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency said on Friday, citing evidence it obtained alongside its Dutch counterparts.

Russia uses not only tear gas, but also “the more dangerous chemical chloropicrin, which can be lethal in high concentrations in enclosed spaces” in Ukraine, the BND said in a statement.

“This represents a more serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of this lung warfare agent under all circumstances,” it said.

The defence minister and chief of military intelligence in the Netherlands told Reuters.

09:24 AM BST

Polish embassy damaged in attack on Kyiv

The Polish embassy was damaged during a Russian attack on Kyiv, Poland’s foreign minister has said.

“In a massive (Russian) attack on Kyiv, the building of our embassy’s consular section was damaged,” Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on X.

“I just spoke with Ambassador Lukasiewicz; everyone is safe and sound. Ukraine urgently needs air defence resources.”

09:00 AM BST

Pictured: Aftermath of Russia’s record attack

08:53 AM BST

Has the US paused weapons shipments to Ukraine?

The extent to which the US has suspended weapons deliveries to Ukraine remains unclear.

Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson, said the US “hasn’t paused” sending weapons to Ukraine but that the recent suspension is “one aspect, one situation, one event that has been changed”.

But  Sean Parnell, a senior Pentagon spokesperson, said the defence department had “paused” weapons to Ukraine in order to conduct a “capability review”.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, said last night not all weapons shipments had been paused.

“We’re giving weapons, but we’ve given so many weapons. But we are giving weapons. And we’re working with them and trying to help them, but we haven’t,” he said.

“You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.”

08:46 AM BST

We need Russia to win the war, China admits

China cannot afford for Russia to lose the war in Ukraine, its foreign minister has said, in unguarded comments to European officials.

Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, said Beijing does not want to see a Russian loss because of fears the United States would then shift its focus on to China.

The comments were made during a four-hour meeting between Mr Wang and Kaja Kallas, the vice-president of the European Commission, according to several sources who spoke to the South China Morning Post.

The remarks took many by surprise as Chinese officials do not often speak this candidly, even in closed-door meetings.

According to those familiar with the conversation, Mr Wang also gave Ms Kallas several “history lessons and lectures” about realpolitik and concerns in Beijing that Washington will gradually turn its attention east.

08:17 AM BST

Watch: Trump says he’s ‘disappointed’ with Putin

Donald Trump said he was “disappointed” by a phone call with Vladimir Putin after the pair spoke for less than an hour on Thursday.

“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there,” he told reporters. “I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”

Credit: Reuters

08:07 AM BST

Pictured: Russian drone intercepted above Kyiv