Macron says Trump realises Putin has ‘lied’ about Ukraine as Kyiv hit by record drone strike – Russia-Ukraine war live | Ukraine
Published: 2025-05-26 16:30:54 | Views: 6
Macron says Trump realises Putin has 'lied' about Ukraine and wants his new rhetoric to 'translate into action'
French president Emmanuel Macron, who is on a diplomatic trip to Vietnam, has been asked about Russia’s continuing attacks.
He said he thinks Donald Trump is realising aspects of Vladimir Putin’s lies regarding Ukraine, adding that he hopes the US president’s anger at Putin will “translate into action” (presumably meaning sanctions, along with the EU).
We will give you more comments as they come in.
Key events
Giving Ukraine long range missiles' a dangerous move', Kremlin says
A response now from the Kremlin to Germany chancellor’s Friedrich Merz’s comments on Ukraine’s military capabilities.
We reported earlier that Merz said Ukraine now has long-range fire to target military infrastructure in Russia.
Russia has now said European countries lifting any restrictions on capabilities for Ukraine would be a dangerous move, according to Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such a decision would run counter to aspirations for a political settlement to the crisis.
Summary of the day so far...
Moscow launched its third consecutive night of massive drone strikes against Ukraine overnight into Monday, with Russia firing a record 355 Shahed drones as well as nine cruise missiles.
Russia’s attack came despite Donald Trump’s warning on Sunday night that if Vladimir Putin attempts to conquer all of Ukraine it will lead to the “downfall” of Russia. In the same post, the US president said Putin was “absolutely CRAZY” after a weekend of deadly Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine.
In a toughening up of his language, which puts him more in line with the EU’s position, Trump said he was seriously considering imposing “more sanctions on Russia” following the attacks.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the increase in Russian strikes should be met with “increased sanctions”, adding that Moscow’s dismissal of the US-proposed 30 day ceasefire should lead to a “freeze on Russian finances and a halt to its oil trade”.
Moscow defended its latest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine as a reaction to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian infrastructure and military targets.
French president Emmanuel Macron said he thinks Trump is realising Putin had lied to him (about his intentions for peace) and he hoped his anger “translates into action”.
Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz has confirmed that western countries allied to Ukraine are no longer imposing range limits on arms delivered to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy will reportedly visit Berlin on Wednesday, where he will meet with Merz and German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
You can read our latest story about developments in Ukraine here.
Merz says key western allies no longer imposing range limits on Ukraine arms
Germany’s new chancellor Friedrich Merz has confirmed that western countries allied to Ukraine are no longer imposing range limits on arms delivered to Kyiv.
“There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine – neither by the UK, France, nor us. There are no restrictions by the US either,” Merz was quoted by the Kyiv Independent as having said during a discussion forum organized by the WDR channel.
“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia,” the chancellor added. “Until recently, it couldn’t do that, and apart from very few exceptions, it hadn’t done so either.”
Friedrich Merz has promised to back Ukraine to tackle Russian aggression. Photograph: Yauhen Yerchak/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
Last April, Ukraine used longer-range ballistic missiles called Army Tactical Missile System (Atcams) - supplied by Joe Biden administration - for the first time after Washington gave the green light to do so.
There had been hesitation to approve such use amid fears of an escalation of the conflict.
Ukraine has previously received long-range missiles from Washington, London and Paris but Kyiv was initially only allowed to use them against Russian military targets in occupied Ukrainian territories.
My colleagues Peter BeaumontandPjotr Sauer have filed a report about Russia’s continuing attacks on Ukraine and the diplomatic reaction to the assaults. Here is an extract from their piece:
Russia has massively scaled up its domestic production of drones such as the Shahed, meaning it is no longer reliant upon Iran for its supply as it was when the weapons were first deployed even as it has developed sophisticated new tactics for their use, making them an increasingly potent weapon.
Analysts are split, however, whether the heavy bombing of Ukrainian cities is a tactic in its own right, to demoralise the Ukrainian home front, or is part of a wider push on the battlefield going into the summer amid Ukrainian and western intelligence assessments that Russia intends to continue fighting through this year.
The Netherlands will send the last one of 24 promised F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine on Monday, defence minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Sunday on a Dutch television talkshow.
The first 23 Dutch F-16 jets were delivered from last summer. The Netherlands has also provided fighter jets to a training centre in Romania for Ukrainian pilots and crew.
Ruben Brekelmans (R) waves goodbye to an F-16 fighter jet as it departs for Ukraine at Volkel air base in the Netherlands. Photograph: Robin van Lonkhuijsen/EPA
The F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine has received from its western partners to help fight Russia’s invasion have been the frontline combat planes of choice for the Nato alliance for 50 years.
Analysts say the F-16s enhance Ukraine’s military strength, especially by upgrading its air defences and enabling it to hit distant targets with sophisticated weaponry.
Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine over the weekend proved that Moscow is not interested in peace, Reuters reports.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday
Reuters reports that, despite the chancellery in Germnay declining to comment, several sources have confirmed to it that Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday.
It was first reported by news outlet Spiegel, who said Zelenskyy would meet with chancellor Friedrich Merz and German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Emmanuel Macron said Monday he hopes Donald Trump’s anger at Moscow “translates into action”.
Speaking to reporters in Hanoi, AFP reports the French president said:
President Trump realises that when President Putin said on the phone he was ready for peace, or told his envoys he was ready for peace, he lied. We have seen once again in recent hours Donald Trump express his anger. A form of impatience. I simply hope now that this translates into action.
In a post to social media yesterday, the US president said Vladimir Putin had gone “crazy” and that an attempt to conquer all of Ukraine “will lead to the downfall of Russia!”.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected proposals for a 30-day ceasefire from Kyiv and its western allies, but the unwillingness of the Trump administration to press ahead with wider sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine has been the subject of some dismay in European capitals.
Reuters has a quick snap, citing Der Spiegel, that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Berlin on Wednesday.
Macron says Trump realises Putin has 'lied' about Ukraine and wants his new rhetoric to 'translate into action'
French president Emmanuel Macron, who is on a diplomatic trip to Vietnam, has been asked about Russia’s continuing attacks.
He said he thinks Donald Trump is realising aspects of Vladimir Putin’s lies regarding Ukraine, adding that he hopes the US president’s anger at Putin will “translate into action” (presumably meaning sanctions, along with the EU).
We will give you more comments as they come in.
Last month, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said China was supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery, and that Chinese representatives were involved in weapons production on Russian territory. He citedreporting by Ukrainian security and intelligence agencies.
China dismissed the accusations as “groundless” in response, with the country’s foreign minister saying Beijing has been trying to push for a ceasefire in the war and have been promoting peace talks.
As my colleague Dan Sabbagh notes in this story, Russia makes heavy use of Chinese-made components in its arms industry, and Ukraine does so to some extent.
Both sides make significant use of Mavic drones from the Chinese manufacturer DJI, though Kyiv is trying to reduce its dependence on products from Beijing.
In February 2022, China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership when Vladimir Putin visited Beijing to meet Xi Jinping shortly before he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, on 4 February 2022. Photograph: SPUTNIK/Reuters
China supplying equipment to Russia, Ukraine says
Ukraine has said that China is supplying a range of important products to Russian military plants, the chief of Ukrainian foreign intelligence told Ukrinform news agency.
Oleh Ivashchenko said:
There is information that China is delivering machines, special chemicals, gunpowder, and components specifically to military-purpose enterprises. We have confirmed data on 20 Russian factories.
Here is a snippet of the Ukrinform report, which we have not yet independently verified.
According to Ivashchenko, at least five instances of “aviation-related cooperation” with China were recorded in 2024–2025, involving equipment, spare parts, and documentation. Additionally, six major shipments of special chemicals were identified.
The intelligence chief also noted that as of early 2025, 80% of critical electronics used in Russian drones originate from China. This includes cases of mislabeled items, deceptive product naming, and the use of shell companies to smuggle necessary components for microelectronics production from China into Russia.
Russia’s defence ministry said earlier today that air defence systems had downed 96 Ukrainian drones, including six over the Moscow region.
Moscow claims latest aerial assaults on Ukraine are 'a response strike' to Kyiv's attacks
Dmitry Peskov said the latest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine – the heaviest recorded so far in the war - are in reaction to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian infrastructure.
“We have seen how the Ukrainians have been hitting our social infrastructure, peaceful infrastructure. This is a response strike. It’s a strike against military facilities, military targets,” the Kremlin spokesperson has been quoted by BBC News as having said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has been speaking to journalists at a Kremlin press briefing. Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/Reuters
