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Donald Trump has said Russia’s strikes on Ukraine are “what anybody would do” hours before Moscow launched an huge missile attack which killed at least 14 Ukrainians.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Friday, Mr Trump said he is “finding it more difficult to deal with Ukraine” than Russia and that he still believes Russian president Vladimir Putin is committed to peace.
The comments came hours before Russia launched a deadly overnight missile and drone attacks on Ukraine has left at least 14 dead and 37 injured, according to Kyiv.
At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded, including five children, when Russian forces launched strikes on the eastern city of Dobropillia using ballistic missiles, multiple rockets and drones, the Ukrainian interior ministry said on Saturday.
Another three civilians were killed in a drone attack on the Kharkiv region in the northeast, the ministry added Telegram messenger.
The ministry published photos of partially destroyed buildings engulfed in fire and rescuers removing rubble from the buildings, with eight multi-storey buildings and 30 cars damaged.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Trump said he is “strongly considering” widespread sanctions and tariffs on Russia until Moscow and Kyiv agree a peace deal.
Ukraine supporters focus on hope and resilience as US relations sour and war carries on
The theme of “hope” was chosen long before this year’s deterioration of Washington-Kyiv relations, but participants at an international Ukrainian studies conference said that hope is needed more than ever — not only in Ukraine but in the United States itself.
Religious leaders, scholars, artists and diplomats have been gathering at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana since Thursday for a three-day conference focused on “Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine.”
But hope may be hard to summon at a conference that brought together supporters of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s ongoing military assaults.
Alex Croft8 March 2025 10:07
Strikes show ‘Russia’s goal is unchanged’, says Zelensky
Russia’s deadly strikes on Ukraine this morning show Moscow’s goal is unchanged despite supposed efforts towards peace, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Speaking on Telegram after Russian missile, drone and rocket strikes killed at least 14 people in Ukraine’s eastern city of Dobropillia, Mr Zelensky called on tighter sanctions for Russia.
“Such strikes show that Russia’s goals are unchanged,” he wrote.
“Therefore, it is very important to continue to do everything to protect life, strengthen our air defence, and tighten sanctions against Russia. Everything that helps Putin finance the war must break down.”
Alex Croft8 March 2025 09:29
Russia’s Kirishi refinery attacked by Ukrainian drones, governor says
A tank at Russia’s Kirishi refinery, one of the country’s largest, was damaged by falling debris during a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of the northwestern Leningrad region said on Saturday.
Surgutneftegaz’s Kirishinefteorgsintez (KINEF) refinery is one of the top two refineries in Russia. It refines about 17.7 million tons per year (355,000 barrels per day) of Russian crude, or 6.4 per cent of the total, according to industry sources.
“Air defences shot down one drone on approach, the other was destroyed over the territory of the enterprise,” Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, said on Telegram.
“When the debris fell, the external structure of one of the tanks was damaged,” he said.
No one was injured, he said.
The refinery produces about 2.3 million tons of gasoline – 5.3 per cent of Russia’s total – 7.6 per cent of its diesel fuel, 16.3 per cent of its fuel oil and 3.4 per cent of the country’s aviation fuel, according to industry sources.
Stuti Mishra8 March 2025 09:00
Ukraine’s military says it shot down 79 of 145 drones launched by Russia overnight
Ukraine’s military has said it shot down 79 of 145 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Tara Cobham8 March 2025 08:37
Britain and Philippines committed to rules-based order, UK’s Lammy says
British foreign minister David Lammy said on Saturday that Britain and the Philippines were committed to a rules-based international order.
Lammy, who is in the Philippines for an official visit, also said both countries have stood together in supporting Ukraine and advocating for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“Today, we’re charting a new course for our relationship amidst a lot of global volatility, and we must strengthen ties with like minded partners, like the Philippines,” Lammy said in a joint press conference with his Philippine counterpart.
The Philippines and Britain signed a joint framework agreement to enhance cooperation across multiple areas, including defence, regional security, and climate action, paving the way for deeper collaboration in addressing shared challenges and opportunities.
Lammy and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo signed the deal, and both underscored their countries’ commitment to expanding economic ties and promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We are countries that are committed to international law. We are countries that are committed to the rules-based order. We are countries that take our obligations under the UN Charter seriously,” Lammy said.
For his part, Manalo expressed his country’s appreciation for Britain’s “firm support of a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” adding that both nations have agreed to continue participation and exchanges in joint military exercises.

Tara Cobham8 March 2025 08:36
Russia’s Kirishi refinery hit by debris during Ukrainian drone attack
A tank at Russia’s Kirishi oil refinery, one of the country’s largest, was damaged by falling debris during a major Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of the northwestern Leningrad region said on Saturday.
Surgutneftegaz’s Kirishinefteorgsintez (KINEF) refinery is one of the top two refineries in Russia. It refines about 17.7 million metric tons per year (355,000 barrels per day) of Russian crude, or 6.4 per cent of the country’s total.
“Air defences shot down one drone on approach, the other was destroyed over the territory of the enterprise,” Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, said on Telegram.
“When the debris fell, the external structure of one of the tanks was damaged,” he said.
No one was injured, he said.
A source at the refinery told Reuters that debris fell on the tank but nothing caught fire, adding that specialists were dealing with the wreckage.
Tara Cobham8 March 2025 08:33
US revokes some satellite imagery access for Ukraine
The US government has suspended Ukraine’s access to certain satellite imagery, as part of president Donald Trump’s administration’s move to halt intelligence sharing with Kyiv, US aerospace firm Maxar Technologies said on Friday.
Maxar said it had disabled Ukrainian users’ access to satellite imagery through the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery (GEGD) program, a US government platform that provides access to commercial satellite images collected by the United States.
“The US government has decided to temporarily suspend Ukrainian accounts in GEGD,” Maxar said, referring further questions to the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
The NGA confirmed the suspension, saying: “In accordance with the administration’s directive on support to Ukraine, NGA has temporarily suspended access to the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system, or GEGD, which is the primary portal for access to US government-purchased commercial imagery.”
This decision follows a broader intelligence freeze imposed by Washington, as the Trump administration seeks to pressure Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky into negotiating a ceasefire with Russia.
John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, said on Wednesday that intelligence-sharing with Ukraine had been suspended as part of this strategy.
Maxar, whose commercial satellite images have been crucial for Ukraine in tracking Russian troop movements, emphasized that this suspension affects only GEGD users and does not extend to other customer programs.
“We take our contractual commitments very seriously, and there is no change to other Maxar customer programs,” the company said in a statement.
The move is the latest in a series of shifts in US policy under Mr Trump, as his administration reassesses Washington’s support for Ukraine amid ongoing conflict with Russia.
Stuti Mishra8 March 2025 08:00
UPDATE: At least 14 killed and 37 wounded in Russian missile strike on Ukraine, Kyiv says
At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded, including five children, in Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s eastern city of Dobropillia overnight , Ukrainian Interior Ministry has said.
Another three civilians were killed in a drone attack on the Kharkiv region in the northeast, the ministry added on Saturday.
The ministry said Russian forces attacked Dobropillia with ballistic missiles, multiple rockets and drones, damaging eight multi-storey buildings and 30 cars.
“While extinguishing the fire, the occupiers struck again, damaging the fire truck,” the ministry said on the Telegram messenger.
The ministry published photos of partially destroyed buildings engulfed in fire and rescuers removing rubble from the buildings.
Dobropillia, home to about 28,000 people before the war, is in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, 22 kilometres (13.67 miles) from the front line north of the key hub of Pokrovsk, which the Russian troops have been attacking for weeks.
The ministry also said at least three were killed and 7 injured in a separate drone attack on Kharkiv region overnight.
Ukrainian military said Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and one Iskander-K cruise missile as well as 145 drones.
They said air forces shot down one cruise missile and 79 drones. The military said another 54 drones did not reach their targets likely due to electronic countermeasures.

Tara Cobham8 March 2025 07:46
Russian strike on eastern Ukraine kills 11
At least 11 people have been killed and 30 injured in a night-time attack launched by on the eastern Ukrainian town of Dobropillia.
The strike on Friday targeted the town north of Pokrovsk, a key frontline in Russia’s offensive through eastern Ukraine.
Earlier, regional governor Vadym Filashkin reported four deaths but the death toll was later revised.
Eight residential buildings and an administrative building were damaged in the attack, the regional emergency service reported. The town lies north-west of Russian-held Donetsk city.
Stuti Mishra8 March 2025 07:10
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