Ukraine-Russia war latest: King Charles ‘was key influence’ in Trump changing stance on Putin

A Russian oil pumping station has been hit by Ukrainian drones, an official has said.

Work at the station in the Russian Volga riverside region of Chuvashia was halted after the strike on Saturday, regional governor Oleg Nikolaev said.

Nikolaev said that the attack took place near the village of Konar, around 1200km from Ukrainian territory.

He said there had been no casualties and only “minor damage” inflicted.

Reform UK’s former leader in Wales has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to eight bribery charges while an elected member of the European parliament.

The charges stated that Nathan Gill, as an elected member of the European parliament for the constituency of Wales in the UK, “agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money”, which constituted “the improper performance” as the holder of an elected office.

At his last court appearance, it was alleged that the 52-year-old made statements in the European parliament and in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine, which were “supportive of a particular narrative” that would “benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine”.

The King is said to have been a vital influence on Donald Trump’s dramatic U-turn on the war in Ukraine.

This week, Trump went from urging Kyiv to make territorial concessions to insisting it can win back all of the territory captured by Russia since 2022.

President Zelensky’s chief of staff revealed the US President’s state visit to the UK played a huge role in his change of position.

Asked whether the Ukrainian delegation had changed Mr Trump’s mind, Andriy Yermak, said: “I’d like to mention that it was a great visit of President Trump to the United Kingdom, and I know the position of His Majesty, the position of Prime Minister Starmer and the people whom President Trump met… it was very important.”

The King mentioned the war in Ukraine as he addressed the state dinner held in Mr Trump’s honour at Windsor Castle.

“Our countries have the closest defence, security and intelligence relationship ever known,” Charles said.

“In two world wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny. Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”

Donald Trump has made a unique and sudden intellectual contribution to the future of Ukraine and European defence, shifting the debate away from an assumption that Kyiv must negotiate or die, to a belief that it could destroy the Kremlin’s army.

This remarkable volte-face is being seized upon in Europe with as much vigour as was evident in the effort to look away when Trump backed Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, or when he threatened to invade Denmark and Canada.

External power to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been cut for over three days, a record outage that has prompted major safety fears.

The plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, is running on emergency generators to power critical cooling systems after its last power line was severed on Tuesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called the situation “deeply concerning,” with experts warning of increased risks of a nuclear accident.

While Russian operators claim they have enough diesel to power backup generators for 20 days, the IAEA has warned that the loss of external power heightens the risk of a nuclear accident.

Volodymyr Zelensky warned that if Russia won’t end the war, Kremlin officials “have to know where the bomb shelters are”.

Zelensky told Axios that Ukraine “would not bomb civilians” but insisted Moscow’s centers of power could be targeted if attacks continue.

“They have to know where the bomb shelters are. They need it. If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case,” he said.

“They have to know that we in Ukraine, each day, we will answer. If they attack us, we will answer them.”

Speaking after a meeting with Donald Trump, Zelensky said he requested a new weapons system, later confirmed by sources as the Tomahawk long‑range missile, that would push Vladimir Putin toward talks.

Donald Trump has claimed that Ukraine could win back all of the land captured by Russia since the beginning of its invasion in February 2022, in a major shift in his position on the war.

The US president said in a Truth Social post that Kyiv’s military could win “all of Ukraine back in its original form”, adding that Putin and Russia are in “BIG economic trouble”.

Military experts say Ukraine could push Russia back towards the border as it stood in 2022, and force Vladimir Putin to seek a peace deal – but only in the presence of a strict, and unlikely, set of conditions.

The Independent asked three experts with knowledge of Russia’s military, its economy, and the front line in Ukraine whether Trump’s claim could be realised.

A Ukrainian drone attack in southern Russia sparked a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar region on Friday, igniting a primary refining unit.

The blaze has since been extinguished, and authorities have begun assessing the damage, reported Reuters.

The Afipsky refinery, which processes millions of tons of crude oil annually, was also hit by a drone at the end of August, causing further damage to its operations.

This is the latest in a series of drone strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, which has targeted refineries and key pipelines. These attacks have disrupted fuel supplies, prompting Russia to consider limiting gasoline and diesel exports.

The European Union is pushing forward with plans to build a “drone wall” to protect its eastern borders after several drone incidents in Poland, Romania, and Estonia.

EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius stressed on the urgency of implementing better detection systems and tools to destroy incoming drones, including radars and acoustic sensors.

“The repeated violations of our airspace are unacceptable. The message is clear: Russia is testing the EU and NATO. And our response must be firm, united and immediate,” he said.

This comes as EU leaders also consider a €140bn interest-free loan for Ukraine, backed by Russia’s frozen assets in European banks. The loan would help Ukraine continue its fight without immediately seizing Russian funds. EU officials are working on a legal framework that could be approved by the end of October, with Germany and France now backing the proposal.

Russian pilots who entered Estonian airspace waved at Italian pilots flying Nato’s most advanced jets during a tense 12-minute standoff, according to reports.

During this time, the three Russian nuclear-capable MiG-31 jets and two Italian F-35 pilots had no radio contact with each other.

It is the latest in a series of provocations by the Russian military, which has repeatedly sent drones into Poland and Romania as Moscow argues that Nato is already “fighting against Russia”.

As the war in Ukraine intensifies, The Independent looks at the ways Russia is expanding the conflict to involve more countries.