Trump says Putin wants dying to stop - as he reveals he's spoken with Russian leader | War latest

Three Ukrainian counterattacks were launched in the Russian region of Kursk overnight, according to Moscow.

In quotes carried by state news agency Tass, Russia's defence ministry said it repelled all three offensives.

The report said Ukrainian troops also targeted the west of the Kursk region - near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka - on Thursday.

These were also pushed back, it added. 

The reported fighting has not been independently verified.

For context: Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Russian soil in August last year, invading the region of Kursk in an apparent bid to stretch Russian resources.

The below map shows what is believed to be the latest state of fighting in the area.

These maps show the battlefield situation in Ukraine and the Russian region of Kursk.

As the post below suggests, the front lines are shifting as the war progresses.

The first map shows a general view of Ukraine's eastern front, with a closer look at the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as you scroll left to right. 

The final maps show Ukraine's progress in the Kursk region of Russia after Kyiv's forces invaded in August. 

State media reports Russian troops have claimed control of the settlement of Orikhovo-Vasylivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

TASS news agency cites the defence ministry in its report, which has not been independently verified.

There is no alternative to Ukraine's victory, a former Tory MP serving in their military has just told us - vowing to stay "as long as I'm needed".

Jack Lopresti, who was MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke from 2010 to 2024, lost his seat in the July election and revealed he's now serving with the International Legion of Ukraine in its defence intelligence division.

Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, he said he's there because this not just a battle for Ukraine.

"We know what Putin wants, which is the restoration of the Russian Empire," he said.

"If we fail here, then we know he won't stop. So, this is a battle for Europe. And if Putin succeeds, it is a green light for dictators everywhere - and we'll all be in it."

Ukraine will fight for as long as it takes, he said, because the alternative to winning on the battlefield would be "catastrophic".

"I volunteered, and I will stay here for as long as I'm needed, and I'll do whatever I'm asked to do and whatever I need to, to the best of my ability," he added.

"And that's pretty much the feeling amongst the military and amongst the civilians here."

US President Donald Trump said he has spoken with Vladimir Putin about ending the war - claiming the Russian leader wants the dying to stop (see our 7.55am post).

In November, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told us a ceasefire deal could possibly be struck if Ukrainian territory he controls were taken "under the NATO umbrella" - allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later "in a diplomatic way".

But Lopresti said he "doesn't know" what negotiation means.

"I don't think you can negotiate away an invasion, war crimes, atrocities," he said.

"The Ukrainians know they have to win to remain a free, independent, sovereign nation."

Russia's defence ministry has said its troops destroyed or intercepted 35 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Around half of them were brought down over the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, the ministry said, while the rest were intercepted over various western and southern regions in Russia.

Russia hasn't seen the US do enough on disarmament.

The country's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva said Moscow is "ready to maintain smooth relations of cooperation with any American administration".

And Gennady Gatilov told RIA Novosti they would be "ready to do this within the framework of the Conference on Disarmament", but so far "do not see any positive progress in this regard in Geneva".

Gatilov also said they are "closely monitoring the rhetoric and first steps" of the Donald Trump administration.

"We expect that the Americans will move from words to action, especially since they have said a lot since January 20," he added, referring to the date of Trump's inauguration.

Talks with Washington on nuclear arms control and wider security issues have not resumed, he said.

For context: The conference, an international disarmament forum that meets in the Swiss city, has negotiated a major multilateral arms limitation and disarmament agreements.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, which caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads the US and Russia can deploy, is due to expire on 5 February next year.

It's the last remaining control of nuclear arms between the world's two biggest nuclear powers.

Neither the Kremlin nor the White House had immediately commented on Donald Trump's remarks overnight, in which he said he has spoken with Vladimir Putin - see our 7.55am post.

But Moscow has now said it can "neither confirm nor deny" the report.

That's according to Russian state news agency TASS, which cites Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Waves of Russian drone attacks have been a regular occurrence throughout the war, with another reported overnight.

Ukraine's military said today Russia launched 151 drones while Ukrainians slept overnight.

Its air force said 70 of those drones have been shot down, while 74 did not reach their target, likely due to electronic warfare.

However, two are still in the air, according to the latest information.

It's not clear where the remaining five are.

There has been talk in recent days of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin preparing to speak over the phone, or even meet in person.

Late last month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin is ready for a call, although on Friday he played down suggestions they're on the verge of agreeing to meet.

But in an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he has discussed an end to the war with Putin on the phone.

"He [Putin] wants to see people stop dying," Trump said, adding he "better not say" how many times the two have spoken.

Trump told the Post he has "always had a good relationship with Putin" and he has a concrete plan to end the war - though he did not give further details.

"I hope it's fast," Trump said. "Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing."

He added: "All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They're like your kids, two million of them - and for no reason."

The war will mark its third anniversary on 24 February, when Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, with thousands of people dying since.

Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Overnight, Ukraine says it downed dozens of Russian drones after another night of attacks.

The war doesn't show any signs of stopping, even as Donald Trump told US media in the early hours this morning that Vladimir Putin wants "to see people stop dying".

He said he has based that on conversations with the Russian president, though he wouldn't say how many he has had.

Moscow, however, had a less positive view, in comments we will bring you shortly.