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Volodymyr Zelensky has rebutted that ‘Ukraine will never be a stumbling block to peace’
Maira Butt & Bryony GoochFriday 16 January 2026 01:03 GMT- Bookmark
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CloseZelensky rebuts Trump: 'Ukraine will never be a stumbling block to peace'
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Donald Trump has blamed his inability to end the war in Ukraine on its president Volodymyr Zelensky – not Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Asked why US-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe's largest land conflict since the Second World War, Mr Trump responded: "Zelensky”. He added that Mr Putin “is ready to make a deal” while “Ukraine is less ready to make a deal”.
Mr Zelensky has rebutted that “Ukraine will never be a stumbling block to peace”, citing Mr Putin’s continued attacks on Ukrainian energy sites as proof Russia wasn’t looking for peace.
The claim from Mr Trump is in sharp contrast with European allies, who see Mr Putin as the key figure ramping up military aggression as he rejects peace proposals from the US president’s envoys.
Just hours earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Moscow was not interested in agreeing to a ceasefire, instead holding out for a peace agreement that would end the conflict on its terms.
Crews are making round-the-clock efforts to restore power and heating supplies thrown into disarray, particularly in Kyiv, last week.
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Recap: IMF chief meets top Ukrainian officials
International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva met with top Ukrainian officials in frosty, snow-covered Kyiv on Thursday and inspected energy infrastructure damaged in Russian strikes as Ukraine nears the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion on February 24.
Central bank chief Andriy Pyshnyi greeted Georgieva in front of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in a square in central Kyiv, where burnt-out Russian tanks are on display. Together, they placed flowers at a memorial wall bearing portraits of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers killed while fighting Russia.
The IMF managing director met with Pyshnyi, prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko and finance minister Serhii Marchenko after her arrival, followed by an afternoon meeting with president Volodymyr Zelensky later in the day, an IMF official said. She was also due to meet with business executives during the one-day visit.
(REUTERS)Bryony Gooch16 January 2026 01:03Watch: Emergency workers extinguish Kharkiv fires after Russian strike
Emergency workers extinguish Kharkiv fires after Russian strikeBryony Gooch16 January 2026 00:01Russia expels another British diplomat amid accusations of spying
Russia expels another British diplomat amid accusations of spying
He has been given two weeks to leave the countryBryony Gooch15 January 2026 23:00Watch: Zelensky rebuts Trump: 'Ukraine will never be a stumbling block to peace'
Zelensky rebuts Trump: 'Ukraine will never be a stumbling block to peace'Bryony Gooch15 January 2026 22:39Nato discusses Russia's attacks and energy problems with Zelensky
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte spoke to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday to discuss the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, which have led to widespread power outages in the country.
"Spoke with @ZelenskyyUa about the energy situation in Ukraine, with Russia's attacks causing terrible human suffering, as well as on the ongoing efforts to bring an end to the war." wrote Rutte on X on Thursday.
"We're committed to ensuring that Ukraine continues to get the crucial support needed to defend today and ultimately secure a lasting peace."
Bryony Gooch15 January 2026 22:00In pictures: The site of a Russian drone strike near the statue of Stepan Bandera, one of the founders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
(REUTERS)Bryony Gooch15 January 2026 21:00Watch: Zelensky to declare state of emergency over Putin’s attacks on energy grid
Zelensky to declare state of emergency over Putin’s attacks on energy gridBryony Gooch15 January 2026 20:00Russia destroys large energy facility in Kharkiv, mayor says
Russian forces have destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine's second-biggest city Kharkiv, the mayor said on Thursday, the latest target of a winter air campaign by Moscow that has plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness and cold.
Russia has attacked the power grid and other energy facilities while pressing a battlefield offensive that has left Kyiv on the back foot as it faces US pressure to secure peace.
Ihor Terekhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, did not specify what sort of facility had been hit, but said emergency crews were on the scene and working around the clock.
Kharkiv, just 25 km from the Russian border, has been regularly targeted by drones, missiles and glide bombs throughout the war, which enters its fifth year next month.
Bryony Gooch15 January 2026 19:02France claims to provide two-thirds of Ukraine's intelligence information
President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France was now providing two-thirds of intelligence information to Ukraine, largely replacing the United States, which until last year had delivered the bulk of those services.
In March 2025, Washington made the decision to suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine as part of efforts to crank up pressure on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with President Donald Trump's bid to convene peace talks with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The relationship has had its ups and downs since, but there has been no indication that Washington has drastically cut its intelligence provision to Ukraine.
In a New Year's speech to the French military, Macron praised Europe's efforts over the last two years in taking over major strands of weapons support to Ukraine.
He said a coalition of some 35 countries was now providing all of the support, including financial, to Kyiv after Washington had decided to no longer fund or directly give weapons to Ukraine.
"Where Ukraine was extremely dependent on American intelligence capacity, huge majority (of it) a year ago, in (the space of) a year, two-thirds is today provided by France," Macron said.
Bryony Gooch15 January 2026 18:03Spain sceptical of Russia-Ukraine ceasefire chances
Spain is sceptical of the chances of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, according to the country’s defence minister Margarita Robles.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not seem to want peace,” she told an event in Madrid on Thursday.
She added that Russia would not accept foreign troops on a peace mission there, which was earlier confirmed in statements made by the country’s foreign ministry.
(AP)Maira Butt15 January 2026 17:00Newer1 / 4OlderMore about
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