Ukraine war latest: Trump says no meeting with Putin until peace deal is reached

The Donald Trump administration is reportedly preparing additional sanctions targeting Russia’s economy in a bid to get Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

US officials have also told European counterparts they support the EU using frozen Russian assets to buy US arms for Kiev, two US officials told Reuters.

According to the report, Washington has had preliminary internal talks about leveraging Russian assets held in the US to support Ukraine’s war effort.

While it is unclear whether Washington will actually take any of these steps in the immediate term, it shows there is a well-developed toolkit within the administration after Mr Trump imposed sanctions on Russia on Wednesday for the first time since returning to office in January.

A senior US official told Reuters he would like to see European allies take the next big step towards Russia, which could be additional sanctions or tariffs.

A separate source said Mr Trump may wait for a few weeks and gauge Russia’s reaction to Wednesday’s sanctions announcement.

Those sanctions were aimed at oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. The move sent oil prices rising by more than $2 and prompted major Chinese and Indian buyers of Russian crude to look for alternatives.

North Korean Foreign Minister Cho Son Hui will visit Russia and Belarus, state media KCNA said.

KCNA said his visit is at the invitation of the foreign ministries of Russia and Belarus.

Reuters reported that meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev and US officials were to continue today.

“Meetings between Kirill Dmitriev, the special envoy of the Russian President for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, and representatives of President (Donald) Trump’s administration took place on October 24 and 25 and will continue on October 26,” a source told the news agency.

Mr Dmitriev is in the US for a series of long-planned meetings.

Four children were among 14 people injured in Russia’s overnight airstrike on Kiev, the Ukrainian capital’s military administration said this morning.

“Everyone is receiving medical assistance, some have been hospitalized,” the administration said on Telegram.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko earlier said that two high-rise residential buildings were affected as a result of the attack.

He did not say whether the buildings were hit directly or whether it was debris from destroyed weapons that fell on the apartment complexes.

Ukrainian forces operating behind enemy lines derailed Russia’s hopes of reuniting the captured Zaporizhia nuclear power station before Vladimir Putin’s birthday earlier this month, sources have claimed.

Ukrainian sources told Guardian He believed Russia was trying to get power back to the plant in time for the president’s birthday on October 7, after losing external power in late September.

Europe’s largest power station, which had been under Russian control since the beginning of the invasion, was forced to operate on diesel backup generators after its last remaining external power line was severed on 23 September. Russia and Ukraine accused each other.

Mayor of the Russian capital Sergei Sobyanin said this morning that Russian air defense systems destroyed a drone heading towards Moscow.