Ukraine-Russia war latest: Musk says Kyiv frontline would fold if Starlink cut off, provoking Polish backlash

On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky.

During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region.

Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.

Read the full story by The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley here:

Ukraine will try to persuade the US to resume intelligence and military support in high-stakes bilateral talks this week by convincing Donald Trump that Volodymyr Zelensky wants a swift end to the war with Russia, according to the Financial Times.

Officials briefed on preparations for the negotiations in Saudi Arabia said Kyiv was set to propose a partial ceasefire with Russia for long-range drone and missile strikes and combat operations in the Black Sea, in the hope that the talks’ progress would lead Washington to reverse its decision to freeze intelligence sharing and weaponry supplies.

Ukrainian negotiators are travelling to Saudi Arabia on Monday after the first days without US support led to the country’s troops giving up Russian territory they seized last year in the Kursk region.

US officials are planning to use Tuesday’s meeting with a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia in part to determine whether Ukraine is willing to make material concessions to Russia to end the war, according to two US officials.

The US delegation will also be watching for signs that the Ukrainians are serious about improving ties with the Trump administration after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky devolved into an argument last month, said one of the officials, who requested anonymity to preview the closed-door talks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fly to Jeddah on Sunday for the bilateral talks with Ukrainian officials, who will be led by Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskiy aide. Rubio is expected to be joined by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

“You can’t say ‘I want peace,’ and, ‘I refuse to compromise on anything,'” one of the US officials said of the upcoming talks.

“We want to see if the Ukrainians are interested not just in peace, but in a realistic peace,” said the other official. “If they are only interested in 2014 or 2022 borders, that tells you something.”

On the ground, Ukrainians are acutely aware of the repercussions of Donald Trump’s hardline decision to cut aid and access to military intelligence in the wake of his fateful White House row with Volodymyr Zelensky.

During the last day of fighting alone, Russian commandos have reportedly spearheaded an assault using an abandoned oil pipeline to sneak behind Ukrainian forces occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region.

Elite airborne and marine units backed by North Korean soldiers also launched full-frontal assaults on the Ukrainians under a barrage of artillery, drones and air attacks.

Read the full story by The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley here:

The Trump administration’s top diplomat joined DOGE chief Elon Musk in picking a fight with Poland’s foreign minister on Sunday as the three squabbled over Musk’s Starlink system and its use in Ukraine.

Sunday’s three-way exchange was just the latest example of American foreign relations turning into a blame game as Marco Rubio, the secretary of State, reiterated the White House’s position that Europe was insufficient with its praise and gratitude after three years of US support for Ukraine’s defense.

Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, responded to the Tesla and X/Twitter CEO on social media after Musk barked back at a self-identified MAGA fan who rebuked him and Donald Trump for not treating Russia as the aggressor in the conflict.

Agroup of volunteers who bonded over their love of Peaky Blinders have become one of Kyiv’s most-feared military units – claiming to have killed hundreds of Russian soldiers in Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

At the beginning of Russia’s invasion, the group of civilians turned out to defend their hometowns armed only with shotguns like the Shelby gang in the television hit. But after three years of intense fighting, the unit – named The Peaky Blinders – has evolved to become one of Kyiv’s deadliest drone squads.

They play out a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, launching cheap, mass-produced drones to drop bombs on tanks and enemy foxholes while dodging Russian retaliation in the forests in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. The region is the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war.

Read the full story by Barney Davis here:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski of “making things up” and suggested on Sunday he was ungrateful.

Poland pays for Kyiv to use the services of Elon Musk’s Starlink, which provides crucial internet connectivity to Ukraine and its military.

Musk, a high-profile figure in the administration of US President Donald Trump, said in a post on his X social media platform on Sunday that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse if I turned it (Starlink) off”.

He said he was “sickened by years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose”.

The US government has already revoked some access to satellite imagery for Ukraine and paused intelligence sharing, piling pressure on Kyiv as Trump seeks a swift end to the war, now in its fourth year after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

US negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to the service, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in February.

“Starlinks for Ukraine are paid for by the Polish Digitization Ministry at the cost of about $50 million per year,” Sikorski wrote on X later on Sunday.

“The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers.”

Rubio hit back at Sikorski, saying in a post on X that he was “making things up” and that “No-one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink”.

“And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now,” Rubio added.

Musk later said he would “never” cut Starlink off despite disagreeing with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has carried out “hundreds of attacks” against Ukrainians this week.

Posting on X, Ukraine’s president said “around 1,200 guided aerial bombs, nearly 870 attack drones, and over 80 missiles” had been used by Moscow.

He said: “Every day, we work with our partners to ensure that decisions are made to provide life-saving support: air defence systems, investments in our defence production, and the strengthening of sanctions against Russia.

“We continue our efforts to bring a just peace closer and ensure reliable security guarantees.”

Elon Musk says the “entire frontline” in Ukraine would collapse if he chose to turn off his Starlink internet system.

Starlink terminals have played a vital role in securing communications in the war in Ukraine, with most battlefield positions equipped with their own terminal.

Last year, Ukraine said around 42,000 terminals were in operation across the military, hospitals, businesses and aid organisations.

Posting on X, Musk said Starlink was the “backbone of the Ukrainian army” and the “entire front line would collapse if I turned it off”.

He said he was “sickened by… years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose”.