Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says Putin is ‘afraid’ of Trump supplying Kyiv with Tomahawks

David Lammy has claimed that Vladimir Putin wants Nigel Farage and his “rightwing populist” allies to succeed in the hope they divide Europe.

His attack comes after a leading ally of Mr Farage’s – former Reform UK leader in Wales Nathan Gill – was found guilty of taking money from the Kremlin.

The deputy prime minister used a major speech in Amsterdam on Saturday to claim that Labour and its centre left allies “are winning” in holding back rightwing populism around the world.

He said: “Nigel Farage says he’s stunned by the fact his former party leader in Wales took Russian bribes. But we’re not stunned

“Because the Kremlin has a proven track record of supporting the networks that want European unity to fail.”

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The Tomahawk missile is a US-made long-range cruise missile typically launched from sea to attack targets in deep-strike missions.

First used in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War, the missiles have evolved considerably over the last 30 years. According to manufacturer Raytheon, the most recent version, called the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk, or TACTOM, can switch targets while in flight, loiter for hours and change course instantly on command.

Its most recent use came in 2024, when the US and UK Navies launched Tomahawk missiles at Houthi rebel sites in Yemen.

Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, in the first weeks of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

It is not currently generating electricity but relies on external power to keep the nuclear material cool and prevent a serious accident.

However, repair works have now begun on damaged off-site power lines after a four-week outage.

Ukraine cannot win its war with Russia and should negotiate peace terms with the Kremlin, according to Britain’s most senior army officer.

Field Marshal Lord Richards said Kyiv will not be able to drive Vladimir Putin’s soldiers out of Ukraine without the help of Nato forces – who won’t get involved on the ground.

Lord Richards, who was promoted to UK military’s most senior “five star” rank earlier this year and led Nato forces in during its troops surge in Afghanistan, said Ukraine’s allies have failed Kyiv.

“What we have done in the case of Ukraine is encourage Ukraine to fight, but not given them the means to win,’ the former chief of the defence staff told The Independent’s podcast World of Trouble.

Reflecting on the Ukraine’s chances of success against Russia, he said: “My view is that they would not win.”

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The Russian Defence Ministry claims that its forces had taken control of three more villages in eastern Ukraine.

According to the Russian ministry, Moscow’s troops took control of Pryvillia in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Moscow’s forces have established a foothold in recent weeks.

Also captured were the villages of Pishchane, near the virtually destroyed town of Kupiansk that Russia sees as a target in its drive westward, and Tykhe, just inside the border with Russia.

The Ukrainian military noted fighting around at least two of the settlements, but made no acknowledgement that any of them had changed hands.

In an interview with NBC News’s Meet the Press, Zelensky said he believed that Putin was fearful of the consequences of Ukraine having Tomahawks.

“It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no’, but for today, didn’t say ‘yes’,” he said about the supply of the missiles. “I think that Putin [is] afraid that United States will deliver us Tomahawks. And I think that he [is] really afraid that we will use them.”

Putin sneaked in a call to the White House before Zelensky arrived in the US, turning Trump back to his side after the president drifted towards democracy. Our world affairs editor Sam Kiley in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, explains how.

Russia’s Defence Ministry has claimed that its forces have captured the village of Pleshchiivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

The Independent could not independently confirm the battlefield report.