Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says he’s ‘not sure’ about allowing Kyiv to build Patriot missiles

Six family members killed after Putin launches ‘North Korean ballistic missile’ at Ukrainian village, Zelensky saysUS president Donald Trump said he was "not sure" he ⁠would let Ukraine build Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles."It's a very extraordinary weapon, and we have to be a little bit careful ‌of who ​we licence ‌to," the ⁠president said in ⁠his comments to FT yesterday. This comes weeks after offering to share the license of the coveted air defence systems with the war-hit nation.On 10 July at the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said: “We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it,” Trump said. “I think they can produce them pretty quickly.”Ukraine has been requesting the US for Patriot missiles to shoot down incoming Russian missiles, drones and bombs.His remarks come just hours after Russia launched a North Korean ballistic missile at a Ukrainian village killing six members of a single family, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.Ukrainian drones struck two more warehouses belonging to Russian online retailer Wildberries, ​sparking fires at both sites, the company and a regional official said on Thursday.Russia says it hit vessel with military cargo near Ukraine's OdesaRussian forces struck a vessel carrying military cargo near Ukraine's Odesa, the Russian defence ministry said this morning.Both Russia ‌and Ukraine have ⁠stepped up attacks in recent weeks on ships that they ‌say ​are ‌aiding ⁠the other ⁠side's war effort.Arpan Rai31 July 2026 06:31Russia extends diesel and gasoline export bans until end of January 2027The Russian government extended its bans on the export of diesel and gasoline until 31 January, 2027, it said in a statement on Thursday.Russia initially ⁠introduced the ban ​on ⁠diesel from ‌8 July to 31 July as ‌part of a ‌broader package of measures to support ⁠the domestic fuel market after repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries triggered fuel shortages and ‌price spikes.Moscow had already imposed restrictions on exports of gasoline and jet fuel.Arpan Rai31 July 2026 06:15North Korean missile likely used in Russian strike that killed five family membersA Russian overnight assault that tragically claimed the lives of a family near the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih is believed to have involved a North Korean missile, according to two sources. This marks the first suspected use of such a weapon in the conflict for almost a year.While Russia has previously deployed North Korean missiles against Ukrainian targets, their re-emergence after a significant hiatus suggests Moscow has replenished its arsenal. This fresh stock of weapons could enable Russia to escalate its missile campaign against its neighbour, one source indicated.The military source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, said August 8, 2025 was the last time that Ukraine confirmed a Russian strike using a North Korean missile. Russia began firing North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 short-range ballistic missiles at Ukraine towards the end of 2023.Arpan Rai31 July 2026 06:00Watch: Six family members killed after Putin launches ‘North Korean ballistic missile’ at Ukrainian village, Zelensky saysSix family members killed after Putin launches ‘North Korean ballistic missile’ at Ukrainian village, Zelensky saysArpan Rai31 July 2026 05:46Ukraine strikes two more warehouses of Russian online retailer WildberriesUkrainian drones struck two more warehouses belonging to Russian online retailer Wildberries overnight, ​sparking fires at both sites, the company and a regional official said.Ukraine ‌has attacked about a dozen Wildberries sites since 18 July in a bid to disrupt the operations of the company, a linchpin of the consumer economy that is often described as Russia's answer to Amazon.​Oleg Melnichenko, governor of the Penza region in western Russia, said one person was ​injured and around 200 people were evacuated from the Wildberries site there.⁠Wildberries said a fire had also broken out at its logistics facility in Sarapul in ​Russia's Udmurtia region after a Ukrainian drone attack.The company said staff had been evacuated ​in advance, that there were no preliminary reports of casualties, and that deliveries were being rerouted through other facilities.Several Russian news outlets reported a third attack on a Wildberries site in the Urals region ​of Perm, but the company said its sorting centre there was operating normally.Arpan Rai31 July 2026 05:07Moscow adds Telegram founder to list of extremists and terroristsRussia's financial monitoring agency, Rosfinmonitoring, added Telegram founder Pavel Durov to its list of extremists and terrorists, according to a designation on the agency's website posted on Thursday.Moscow charged Durov on Wednesday with facilitating terrorist activity, alleging that Ukrainian spies were using his popular messaging app to organise attacks inside Russia.Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Durov, who lives in Dubai, is being placed on an international wanted list, but it did not specify what mechanism Russia would use to do this.The action against Durov is part of a broader crackdown on Telegram by the Russian government, which has effectively throttled the app as it seeks to promote state-backed services and tighten control over what Russians can see and do online.Arpan Rai31 July 2026 05:02Trump says he is 'not sure' on Ukraine building Patriot missiles - reportUS president Donald Trump said he was "not sure" he ⁠would let Ukraine build Patriot missiles, The Financial Times ⁠reported ​on Thursday, ⁠citing a phone call ⁠with him.Trump also said ​his ⁠envoys Jared ‌Kushner and Steve Witkoff would visit Ukraine ‌for the first ‌time in the coming days, the ⁠Financial Times said."It's a very extraordinary weapon, and we have to be a little bit careful ‌of who ​we licence ‌to," the ⁠president said in ⁠his comments to FT.(AP)Arpan Rai31 July 2026 04:29Ukraine's envoy tells Washington 'we need the missiles'Ukraine hopes a new push for ceasefire talks with Russia could halt the war before a potentially brutal winter, but ⁠needs new anti-ballistic missiles now to defend against strikes by Moscow, the country's envoy to Washington said.Olha Stefanishyna told reporters that Ukraine was in discussions with the Pentagon about a license to produce Patriot PAC-3 missiles itself, but that process could take 12 months to five years.“The devastating effect of every overnight attack right now is unbelievable,” Stefanishyna said.“Last night and the night before, it was 30 to 40 ballistic missiles.” While Ukraine was able to defend ‌against Iranian and Russian-built drones, it had not yet developed an ‌effective way to defend against ballistic missiles, whose production is being rapidly increased by Russian president Vladimir Putin.“He has an intention to destroy Ukraine, and that's why, you know, we're looking for different capabilities. We have been successful in everything, but so far, for this winter, we need the missiles.”Discussions were also underway about Ukraine agreeing to a long-term purchase of PAC-3 missiles, and then swapping positions in the production line with another buyer.Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC (Getty)Arpan Rai31 July 2026 04:18Romania scrambles jets as aerial targets detected near Ukraine borderRomania, a member of European Union and Nato, ⁠briefly scrambled two fighter jets as a group ⁠of ​aerial targets was ⁠detected near its ⁠river border with ​Ukraine, ⁠the Romanian defence ‌ministry said on social media website ‌X.The targets ‌later disappeared from the radar ⁠monitoring systems without entering the national airspace, it said in a follow up post, adding that ‌the air ​alert was ‌lifted and explosions ⁠were reported ⁠on the Ukrainian territory.Arpan Rai31 July 2026 04:06Drone attack sparks fire at energy plant in Russia's VolgogradA ​drone attack touched off a fire at an energy facility and warehouses in Russia's Volgograd region this morning, injuring five, ⁠the regional governor, Andrei Bocharov, said, but stopped short of giving details of the facility.The region is home to a Lukoil-owned oil refinery. At least five people are seeking medical help after the attacks, Bocharov added on Telegram.In the neighbouring southern ⁠region of Rostov, a woman was injured ​after ⁠a drone attack ‌in the town of Gukovo, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on the messaging app.Ukraine has recently stepped up attacks on Russian logistics hubs, such as those of top online retailer Wildberries, as it keeps up strikes on energy facilities that have triggered a supply crisis across most of Russia. Wildberries, with a few of its warehouses hit as recently as Thursday, said on Telegram it had paid a second tranche of financial ‌support to nearly 100,000 sellers whose ​goods were damaged.Arpan Rai31 July 2026 03:56