The White House has said president Donald Trump “believes” Vladimir Putin is winning the war with Ukraine.The statement follows a Wall Street Journal that Mr Trump told European leaders after a phone call with Mr Putin that the Russian president is not ready to end the war.

Why the world can’t afford to blink The report recalls that during his presidential campaign, Trump made stopping the war a central rallying cry, invoking his relationships with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin — ties he claimed were established during his first

Ukrainian forces are bracing for another major frontline assault from Russia after learning of a large build-up of pre-battle troops in the north east.