Germany announces fresh military aid to Ukraine

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday to discuss ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

The meeting lasted more than four and a half hours, the Kremlin said. No details of their discussion have been released.

According to Russian media outlet Interfax, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not rule
out the possibility of another phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump following the discussions. 

After Witkoff landed in Russia, Trump ramped up the pressure on Moscow, posting on his Truth Social platform that "Russia has to get moving" and end the war in Ukraine.

"Too many people [sic] ere DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war - A war that should have never happened, and wouldn't have happened, if I were President!!!," Trump said.

The US president has been pushing for Russia and Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire deal since returning to the White House in January.

While Ukraine has agreed to a US truce proposal, Russia has yet to make any concessions despite repeated talks between Russian and US officials.

Ukraine and several of its Western allies suspect Russia of stalling the talks on purpose.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last week that the Trump administration would not tolerate "endless negotiations" with Russia over the conflict.

Witkoff has held two previous meetings with Putin in Russia since Trump was inaugurated for his second term this year.
 

Ukraine needs more air defense systems to protect civilians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, addressing the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting from Kryvyi Rih, the city where a recent Russian missile strike killed several children.

"I called on the participants of today's meeting of the Ramstein-format Contact Group to focus, first and foremost, on air defense for Ukraine. We truly need it. Ten Patriot systems — the free world has them," Zelenskyy said.

He called on the allies to make progress on a possible military deployment that could act as a deterrent against future Russian aggression after the fighting stops.

"We need to define clear details regarding the size, structure, deployment, logistics, sustainment and the equipment and weapons of this security contingent in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

He also spoke of hundreds of Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russia on the front lines in Ukraine.  "As of now, we have information that at least several hundred Chinese nationals are fighting as part of Russia's occupation forces," the Ukrainian president said.

 "This means Russia is clearly trying to prolong the war — even by using Chinese lives," he added. Earlier this week, Ukraine said its forces had captured two Chinese nationals in the eastern Donetsk region fighting for Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff have started their meeting in St. Petersburg.

The Kremlin released a video showing the two shaking hands. They are scheduled to discuss the war in Ukraine and a future meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump.

Witkoff has held two previous meetings with Putin in Russia since Trump returned to the White House in January.

US President Donald Trump apparently urged Russia to move on his proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

"Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war," he wrote In a post on Truth Social.

Trump also reiterated that the war between Russia and Ukraine would not have happened if he were president.

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin were meeting on Friday for talks on the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin said, but warned they were unlikely to produce a breakthrough.

The European Union and its member states have committed more than €23 billion ($26.2 billion) in military aid to Ukraine so far this year, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

It is a higher amount than €20 billion of support for Ukraine last year, she added in a post on social media.

"We are already doing more — and we can go even further," Kallas said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks on Ukraine on Friday with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who is visiting Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

According to Peskov, the two could also discuss a future meeting between Putin and Trump. But he cautioned that Witkoff's visit will not be "momentous" and that no one should expect any major "breakthroughs."

Earlier in the day, Witkoff met Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg. Putin is also visiting St. Petersburg.

Witkoff has met with Putin twice in Russia since Trump returned to the White House in January. After their last meeting, Witkoff said Putin was a "great leader" and "not a bad guy."

The Estonian navy boarded and detained an oil tanker in the Baltic Sea to check its legal status and safety, the country's prime minister said.

"Estonia takes suspicious activities in the Baltic Sea very seriously," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in a post on social media.

The oil tanker, Kiwala, had been sanctioned for past activities by both the EU and at least three non-EU countries (Canada, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) and was en route to the Russian port of Ust-Luga, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported, calling the vessel part of Russia's sanctions-busting "shadow fleet."

According to Estonian authorities, the vessel has no flag state, which means it is not allowed to sail on the high seas.

At the Ukraine Contact Group meeting, Ukraine's allies pledged $21 billion (€23.8 billion) in new military aid as the country continues to come under attack from Russia, British Defense Secretary John Healey announced.

"I am impressed and grateful for the announcements and pledges, for the support packages from partners around the world," said acting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The British and German ministers co-chaired an international meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels to coordinate further military assistance to Ukraine.

Earlier, Germany announced new military aid to Ukraine worth €11 billion through 2029.

Following a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, acting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Russia is still not interested in peace.

He added that Russia must understand that Ukraine is capable of continuing to fight.

"Given Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, we must concede (that) peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future. We will ensure that Ukraine continues to benefit from our joint military support," he said.

According to Pistorius, Germany will provide Ukraine with more than €11 billion ($12.5 billion) in military aid by 2029 in addition to the funds already pledged.

However, Germany can't provide Ukraine with new Patriot air defense systems as it is waiting on deliveries of these systems itself, he added.

Pistorius added that it was important that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attended the meeting, even if it was only a virtual participation. Former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had formerly chaired the regular meetings of Ukraine's allies throughout the war. 

US military support of Ukraine has been called into question since Donald Trump took office in January, and immediately began embracing Russian narratives on the war. Trump has even threatened to pull the plug on US aid deliveries. 

Acting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced a new military aid package from Germany at a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels.

According to Pistorius, more guided missiles and ground surveillance radars will be delivered to Ukraine this year.

The package will also include a further 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, 300 reconnaissance drones, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 15 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks, 120 Manpads ground-based air defense systems and 14 artillery systems.

In recent days, 30 additional Patriot guided missiles have also been delivered to Ukraine, the minister added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to attack Ukraine and cause an increasing number of civilian casualties, Pistorius said. "There is no sign of any decline in the fighting on Putin's part. He accepts the deaths of civilians, even children," he added.

Russia will discuss further prisoner swaps with the United States following an exchange earlier this week, the head of Moscow's foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, has said.

"Dialogue with the new US administration will certainly continue in various directions, including the issue you mentioned," spy chief Sergei Naryshkin told reporters when asked about future talks on prisoner exchanges.

On Thursday, Russia freed dual US citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was convicted of "treason" in Russia and sentenced to 12 years in prison over a donation she made to a pro-Ukrainian charity.

She was released in exchange for alleged technology smuggler Arthur Petrov, whom the US accused of running a global smuggling ring to export sensitive electronics to the Russian military.

US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Axios and Russian news agencies, citing their sources and FlightRadar data, reported earlier that Witkoff had traveled to Russia and was expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Peskov said he would announce any meeting Putin had with Witkoff if time for such a meeting appeared in the Russian leader's schedule.

Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine. According to media reports, he was angry with Putin at the end of March, saying he was "pissed off".

At the recent NATO foreign ministers' meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear that Trump would not accept the Russian president's stalling tactics for much longer.

Most recently, the US tried to broker a 30-day ceasefire during the negotiations. While Ukraine agreed to the proposal, Putin set preconditions for such a ceasefire.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 39 drones and one ballistic missile in attacks over the past day.

The air force shot down 24 drones and another 13 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures, it said in a statement on social media.

It did not specify what happened to the remaining two drones or the missile.

Defense ministers from the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group, once led by the United States, are meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The meeting will be chaired by acting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his British counterpart John Healey. 

The two ministers are standing in for former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who had initiated and led the so-called Ramstein Group of some 50 countries in support of Ukraine, up until the Trump administration took office in January. 

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to give ministers an update on the battle situation on the front lines and outline what defense equipment his armed forces most urgently need at the moment.

Early on Friday, the British Ministry of Defense announced a £450 million (€517 million or $588 million) "surge" of military assistance to Ukraine. The military aid package will be delivered by British and Ukrainian suppliers.

Britain said a joint effort with Norway would provide hundreds of thousands of military drones, radar systems and anti-tank mines, as well as repair and maintenance contracts to keep Ukraine's armored vehicles on the battlefield.

Defense ministers from the so-called Ukraine Contact Group are meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. 

Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia.

We will follow what's happening there as well as other events related to Russia's war on Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.