Ukraine-Russia war live: Zelensky meets Vance for first time since White House row – The Telegraph

Russia intends to launch a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on Sunday to intimidate Ukraine and the West, Ukrainian military intelligence warned.
An RS-24 intercontinental rocket will be launched from Russia’s central Sverdlovsk region for “training and combat” purposes, the GUR agency said.
The missile has a flight range of more than 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles), nearly double the distance from Russia to the UK, and was wheeled through Moscow on the Victory Day parade on May 9.
Ukraine said the test launch was designed to “demonstratively pressure and intimidate Ukraine, and also EU and NATO member states”. 
Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine for the first time early in November last year, hitting Dnipro.
A meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and JD Vance went “better” than the disastrous shouting match in the White House in February, an official said. 
The pair spoke about Donald Trump’s upcoming phone call with Vladimir Putin, and his intention of ending the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, a day after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in more than three years failed to bring results, the unnamed official confirmed. 
Trump on Saturday said that he would speak by phone with Putin to end the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, a day after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in more than three years did not yield a ceasefire.
“The message is the same as before: we want to end the war, and they don’t,” said the source, referring to what Zelensky told Vance during the encounter.
Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the upcoming phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin during a brief meeting with JD Vance on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official said.
The Ukrainian president and the US vice-president spoke about “the situation on the front, preparations for the [US president and his Russian counterpart’s] conversation on Monday, the possibility of sanctions against Russia if there are no results, a ceasefire,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The German chancellor has mediated relations between Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron amid a row over the Italian prime minister’s exclusion from discussions between European leaders and the White House on Ukraine.
Friedrich Merz has sought to temper the dispute between Rome and Paris after the French president accused Ms Meloni of spreading “false information” about the talks in Albania, which she was noticeably absent from.
The meeting between Mr Merz, Mr Macron, the UK’s Sir Keir Starmer and Poland’s Donald Tusk was held in the wake of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey, which ended in acrimony.
It took place while all the leaders, including Ms Meloni, were in Tirana for a European Political Community summit.
The discussion resulted in the four leaders issuing a statement branding Putin’s demands as “unacceptable” and instigating a call between Donald Trump, the US president, and Volodymyr Zelensky, his Ukrainian counterpart.
In response, Ms Meloni said she had not been included in the negotiations as she was unwilling to send troops to Ukraine as part of the proposed “coalition of the willing”. 
“Italy has long stated that it is not willing to send troops to Ukraine, and it would not make sense for us to participate in formats that have objectives we have not agreed to/ in which we are not willing to participate.”
Mr Macron hit back by saying: “The discussion is about a ceasefire – let’s avoid spreading false information. There is already enough of that coming from Russia.”
Much-anticipated peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Turkey did not bring about the resolution many had hoped.
The negotiations, the first direct discussions between the two sides since the early weeks of the invasion, ended with the Ukrainian delegation condemning their counterparts’ demands as “unacceptable”.
Vladimir Putin snubbed the talks entirely, instead choosing to meet with a banker in the Kremlin, leaving Volodymyr Zelensky to accuse the Russian leader of being “too afraid” to show his face.
Just hours after the talks ended, a Russian drone struck a Ukrainian minibus in the region of Sumy, leading the Ukrainian president to claim it was a “deliberate killing of civilians” and leaving the peace talks further in tatters.
The Oval Office meeting between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and JD Vance in February descended into an extraordinary shouting match, and it was all caught on camera.
“I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media … You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” the US vice-president told the Ukrainian leader during the heated exchange.
Mr Zelensky then asked Mr Vance if he had ever been to Ukraine, to which the vice-president angrily responded, speaking of “propaganda tours”.
“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” a furious Mr Trump told Mr Zelensky, as his Ukrainian counterpart did his best to advocate for his country’s fight for survival.
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now,” the US president added.
Mr Vance doubled down, asking Mr Zelensky: “Have you said ‘thank you’ once this entire meeting? No.”
The acrimonious meeting ended suddenly, with Mr Trump declaring it would make “great television” and no deal agreed.
Hello and welcome to this liveblog ahead of the first official meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and JD Vance since their clash in the Oval Office. 
A spokesman for Mr Vance said the pair would meet in Villa Taverna, the US ambassador’s residence. 
We will continue to bring you the latest updates once we know more. 
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