Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump suggests letting two sides ‘fight for a while’ after Kyiv’s drone attacks

Donald Trump was reportedly left marveling at the ingenuity of Kyiv’s Operation Spider Web, which damaged more than Russian 40 war planes.

According to Axios, Mr Trump has privately described it as “strong” and “badass.”

One of the US president’s advisers likened the audacious move to “a chihuahua inflicting some real damage on a much bigger dog.”

Andrew Feinberg has a full-write up of that story below.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Telegram that Russia had launched ballistic missiles and drones into the war-torn country early on Friday, per CNN.

A Telegram post from the air force warned, “Several Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air. They allegedly launched cruise missiles!”

CNN reported that Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv City Military Administration, said that there were reports of fires in buildings across Kyiv, and that a high-rise in the Solomyansky district was damaged.

Russia will respond to Ukraine’s latest attacks as and when its military sees fit, the Kremlin said yesterday, accusing Kyiv of state terrorism.

Ukraine used drones to strike Russian heavy bomber planes at air bases in Siberia and the far north at the weekend, and Russia also accused it of blowing up rail bridges in the south of the country, killing seven people.

US president Donald Trump downplayed prospects for an immediate peace between the countries.

Mr Trump said that during a more than two-hour-long call with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday he urged him to refrain, but fully expected Moscow to strike back.

“It’s probably not going to be pretty. I don’t like it,” said Mr Trump, who described what he called “great hatred” between Mr Putin and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Kremlin confirmed that Mr Putin had told Mr Trump that Moscow was obliged to retaliate.

US president Donald Trump has said it is better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” and then “pull them apart” as he met with German chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House yesterday.

The German leader, a key ally of Kyiv, urged the American president to increase pressure on Russia.

However, Mr Trump casted doubts of successful peace talks and said, “sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart”.

He also said that he told Vladimir Putin that the two nations at war, was like “two young children fighting like crazy in a park” during his one hour and 15 minute long phone call on Wednesday.