Ukrainian children forced to learn underground as new year starts in the shadow of Russian assaults

Pupils across Ukraine returned to school on Monday, embarking on a new academic year under the shadow of Russia’s ongoing invasion, with many lessons now taking place underground.

Schoolchildren enter an underground school (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)Schoolchildren enter an underground school (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Steffie Banatvala3 September 2025 22:00

On the ground: North Korea sending another 6,000 troops to Russia

Steffie Banatvala3 September 2025 21:00

ICYMI: China trialling visa-free travel for Russians: Putin adviser

China will extend visa-free travel to ordinary passport holders from Russia on a trial basis, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The visa exemption will be for a period of a year from September 15, with entry to China of no more than 30 days.

Steffie Banatvala3 September 2025 20:00

Zelensky seeks ‘sanctions, tariffs, any pressure’ on Russia

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said officials will “try to connect” with President Trump to hear about new ways to increase pressure on Russia.

The Ukrainian leader recalled, in Denmark, how he and Mr Trump had previously discussed ways the United States could put pressure on Russia to lead Vladimir Putin to engage in political negotiations over the war.

Mr Zelensky said he’d asked Mr Trump to put “sanctions, tariffs, any pressure” he could on Russia if Mr Putin did not agree to a “diplomatic format of dialogue, not the dialogue by weapon”.

“When we speak about pressure, we mean air defence, we mean weapon deals, we mean drone production, and of course, of course, sanctions,” the Ukrainian leader said at a news conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

“Such signals we gave (the) president of the United States. He said ‘couple of weeks’, and he will answer on this,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Trump.

“‘Couple of weeks’, in my understanding, it’s two weeks or maximum three weeks. This Monday, two weeks ended.”

(Ritzau Scanpix)

Jane Dalton3 September 2025 19:30

All Ukraine’s bold attacks on Russia explained

Steffie Banatvala3 September 2025 19:00

I will know plan after speaking to Zelensky, says Trump

US president Donald Trump has said he will be speaking to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky soon and he will know what to do after that to end the war.

Asked by a UK reporter about his two-week deadline for Vladimir Putin to agree to a meeting with Mr Zelensky, which expires early next week, Mr Trump said: “I’m having a conversation with him very shortly, and I’ll know pretty much what we’re going to be doing.

“We’ve taken very strong action, as you know, and in other ways, we’ve taken very strong action.

“But I’ll be speaking to him over the next few days, and we’re going to see with whom… I’m going to know exactly what’s happening.

“I’m not happy with all the people. You got 7,819 people killed last week, Russian soldiers and Ukraine soldiers, right? Not American soldiers, not soldiers from Poland, but they’re human beings, they’re souls. They have parents. They wave goodbye to their parents, and the parents never see them again. Over a stupid war, and I want to see it stopped now.”

Mr Trump had said: “I’m having a conversation with him very shortly,” and it was not clear to whom he was referring. A White House official later clarified the president had been referring to Mr Zelensky, not Mr Putin.

Jane Dalton3 September 2025 18:32

Trump vows never to pull US soldiers out of Poland

President Trump has hailed the “very special relationship” between the US and Poland, vowing never to pull American troops out of the country that borders Ukraine.

And he said he could even increase their numbers.

“We never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland,” he said during a visit by Polish president Karol Nawrocki to the White House.

“We think about it with regard to other countries but we’re with Poland all the way and we will help Poland protect itself.

“We’ll put more there if they want,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Nawrocki said it was the first time in the 20th and 21st century his country was happy to have foreign soldiers on its land.

The US has nearly 10,000 soldiers in Poland.

American troop numbers in Poland could increase, Trump hinted (AFP via Getty Images)

Jane Dalton3 September 2025 18:07

Czech government approves buying 44 Leopard 2A8 tanks

File image of Germany battle tanks (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Czech government has approved army plans to buy Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany as part of its modernisation efforts.

The NATO member Czech Republic will agree a framework agreement with the German defence ministry for the purchases, Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said. A binding order could be sent in the coming weeks.

• First phase: Czech Republic will buy 44 tanks for 34.2 billion crowns (£1.2 billion) to be delivered in 2028-2031, which an option buy a further 14.
• It is also in talks to buy up to 19 specialised version 2A8s under a separate deal to have up to 77 of the 2A8 tanks overall.

Steffie Banatvala3 September 2025 18:00

Ending war harder than I expected, Trump admits

Donald Trump has admitted ending the Russia-Ukraine war is much harder than he had expected.

“I think we’re going to have a good solution, but they’re losing soldiers at levels that nobody has seen since the Second World War,” he said.

“This is the worst conflict, and it’s just going on and on. It’s one’s defence, one’s offense. The offence moves a little bit, just a little bit. You take a look, they move inches. They’re dropping bombs and killing everybody.

“Not, since the Second World War has there been anything even close to this.

“And they’re not soldiers from my country. This is my country, but I have a power to end things. That’s why I was able to end seven other wars.”

He said the seven others were tough to end, “much tougher I thought than the war with Ukraine and Russia”.

“I thought that Ukraine and Russia – have a very good relationship with President Putin. I thought that that would be much easier.

“I thought that would be in the middle of the pack, maybe one of the easiest. Sometimes you never know with war. You know war is a very interesting thing. War is complex and dangerous and and what a mess, what a bloody mess.

“It’s going to get done one way or the other, but they have to stop killing all of these souls, their souls, and we have to stop killing.”

Jane Dalton3 September 2025 17:47

Trump suggests he has more action planned against Putin

Donald Trump has suggested he has more action planned against Vladimir Putin over the war.

During a visit to the White House by Polish president Karol Nawrocki, a Polish reporter asked the US leader why there had been “no US action” against Russia since he took office.

Mr Trump denied this, citing US sanctions on India over its continued purchase of Russian oil.

“You call that no action?” he said. “And I haven’t done phase two yet. Or phase three.”

(AP)

Jane Dalton3 September 2025 17:29