Putin launches new submarine equipped with ‘unstoppable’ Zircon nuclear missiles

Vladimir Putin has launched a new nuclear-powered submarine equipped with hypersonic Zircon missiles capable of travelling at several times the speed of sound.

Russian state TV footage from the Arctic port of Murmansk shows the tyrant greenlighting the launch of the vessel, named Perm after a city in the Urals, with the order: ‘I hereby authorise!’

Perm is the first nuclear-powered submarine to be equipped with Zircon missiles as a standard feature, according to Russian agencies quoting documents associated with the launch.

The Zircon has a range of 625 miles and travels at nine times the speed of sound, according to Russia.

Military analysts have said its hypersonic speed could mean greatly reduced reaction time for air defences and a capability to attack large, deep and hardened targets.

Putin has previously boasted the weapons have ‘no analogues in any country in the world’.

The Perm is the sixth submarine in Russia’s Yasen and Yasen-M classes built by the Sevmash shipyard near Murmansk.

The Russian agency reports said the vessel’s construction specifications differed slightly from earlier models in the same class.

Putin was said to have also visited a submarine named Arkhangelsk, in the same class, and toured the Atomflot enterprise, which oversees Russia’s icebreaker projects while in Murmansk.

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The EU wants us to prepare ‘survival kits’ – but there’s a catch

People in the EU are being advised to stockpile enough food, water, and essentials for 72 hours in a continent-wide strategy to make everyone more prepared for catastrophes such as floods, fires, pandemics, and military attacks.

And it makes me feel more than a little jittery.

The suggested emergency kit should include ID documents in waterproof casing, a Swiss army knife, and playing cards, according to Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management.

It worries me when the authorities start doling out advice like this because some of my darkest childhood memories are of ‘survival manuals’ that really didn’t make me feel safe at all – and I don’t think these ones will either.

This latest advice comes just days after the French government announced that it will produce survival manuals to prepare citizens for any ‘imminent threat’ to the country. It’s a scary list of circumstances, with examples like invasions, natural disasters, industrial accidents, or a nuclear leak. 

It will suggest a ‘survival kit’ including plenty of water and food, plus basic medical supplies including paracetamol, compresses, and saline solution.

But France is not alone. Last year, Sweden told people to gather blankets and battery-powered radios, Norway suggested iodine tablets in case things go nuclear, and Germany told people to transform their cellars or garages into bunkers.

It is a cause for concern in an increasingly unstable world, and all of this brings back memories of a survival manual that absolutely petrified me when I was a kid.

The Protect and Survive pamphlet was released by the British government in the 1970s and 80s, advising us how to protect ourselves during a nuclear attack.

It was a terrifying read right from the menacing first page: ‘Read this booklet with care. Your life and the lives of your family may depend upon it.’

Things got no happier over the next 30 pages, which suggested how to build a fallout room and an inner refuge that we could stay in for two weeks and what food to stock.

The details got steadily grimmer, including special ‘sanitation arrangements’ and what to do if someone dies. Envy them, I suppose.

And I don’t think that’s changed much in the intervening decades.

If you found yourself outdoors as the mushroom cloud went up, you were advised to ‘lie flat (in a ditch) and cover the exposed skin of the head and hands’. 

People who lived in bungalows were warned that their homes would ‘not give much protection’, while those who dwelt in caravans were told, with weapons-grade dismissiveness, that ‘your local authority will be able to advise you on what to do’.

I read the booklet in 1984 as an 11-year-old, shortly after I watched Threads, the terrifyingly brilliant BBC film about nuclear war. That film traumatised me and made me determined that the horrific scenes would never come true.

So I joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) to try and stop a nuclear war and I read Protect and Survive to try and work out what to do if there was one.

My parents were a bit surprised when I suddenly covered my clothes in CND badges, spiked my hair up and began to spend my Saturday afternoons at peace demos rather than football matches. They were absolutely horrified when I started unscrewing the living room door.

It would be easy to say that Protect and Survive did nothing positive for me but it did. Its laughably futile advice taught me at an early age that, when push comes to shove, our rulers won’t be able to save us and we’ll have to look after ourselves. 

I’ll always be grateful for that wake-up call.

But I can trace back a disaster document scaring me even further.

I was six years old when I went on my first flight and it was quite a debut: a 24-hour flight to Australia. 

There was little inflight entertainment in those days – just a couple of films broadcast at a set time on a screen far away.

I got so bored and the only thing handy to distract me was an illustrated booklet explaining what to do if the plane crashed. 

The more I looked at the cold illustrations of oxygen masks, life rafts, people whizzing down chutes from a mangled jet, or bobbing around in the sea with only a whistle to protect them, the more my boredom turned into terror.

At six years of age, I was old enough to understand the horror of what the illustrations were depicting but not old enough to grasp that, even though we were being warned what to do if the plane crashed, that didn’t mean the plane would crash, nor that it was even likely to.

Even when I read Protect and Survive five years later I wasn’t sassy or resigned enough to understand the obvious truth that, if you find yourself under nuclear attack or in a serious plane crash, the best thing to do in either scenario might be just to simply die.

I felt more scared than informed, but maybe that’s part of the point of this sudden rush of survival manuals in Europe. 

A population that’s unsettled and on a war footing against an unspecified and unexplained threat might be more malleable and forgiving of their rulers’ performance. So maybe they’re trying to protect us, but maybe they’re trying to scare us, too.

That said, many people’s lives have been saved by following the advice in air safety briefings, and while the tips in the European manuals may seem obvious to you and me, there’s nothing wrong with being prepared, and they could save people’s lives in these precarious times we live in.

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UK’s new ‘death ray’ weapon that can accurately destroy targets nearly a mile away

The Royal Navy will install four new cutting-edge weapons systems on its warships to help defend against air attacks from Russia and the Houthis.

Yesterday Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in the Spring Statement that defence spending will increase to 2.5% of GDP – and some of that extra cash will go towards four DragonFire direct energy weapons.

The weapons shoot a laser of pure heat at its targets, either destroying them or seriously damaging missile guidance systems.

And they’re so accurate they could hit a target the size of a £1 coin from 0.6miles (1km) away.

It’s hoped the weapons will improve the defence capabilities of the UK Navy – boosting our capabilities both against potential threats from Russia and ongoing attacks from Houthis in the Red Sea.

Dr Sidharth Kahsual, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Metro: ‘What DragonFire provides is a low cost per shot capability that fills an intermediate space between surface to air missiles, which cover many tens of kilometres, and close range weapons on a ship, which are often a last resort.

‘It’s quite power consuming, which is something the Navy will have to work around, but vessels have huge power plants anyway and their power generators have enormous output.’

The DragonFire ‘death laser’ comes to life after the ship’s radar detects an incoming threat such as a missile or drone. DragonFire will then target and track its path, before shooting it down with a 55kilowatt laser which burns a hole through it.

It hasn’t yet been confirmed which Navy ships will be fitted with the new weapon, but it’s thought four of our six Type 45 destroyers will receive them, with the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales potentially receiving them at a later date, MailOnline reports.

The direct energy weapons are ‘certainly’ an area of interest for navies around the world, Dr Kashual said, adding that the US Navy has recently trialed similar weapons.

He explained that these types of weapon have a ‘high performance for its output’ and are ‘pretty cleverly engineered’.

One major bonus of the DragonFire system is that it is powered using existing power systems already located on board.

This means it doesn’t need expensive ammo, costing only about £10 to fire, and reduces how often a ship needs to dock to receive more ammo for conventional weapons.

Dr David Blagden is associate professor in international security and strategy at the University of Exeter. He told Metro that DragonFire does have its limits.

‘Lasers rely on direct line-of-sight, can be impeded by things like smoke or vapour, might be countered by incoming weapons’ own heat shielding, and will need to be aimed quickly and accurately enough by a sufficiently advanced targeting radar,’ he explained.

‘But DragonFire can be a valuable complement to such air defence missiles and guns, unencumbered by the same scarcity constraints, particularly for defending against things like drone swarms, where each incoming munition is not especially fast or capable by itself, but where adversaries may try to swamp traditional air defence missiles and guns with the sheer number of attack drones.’

Before the Spring Statement, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had only committed to installing one prototype DragonFire on a single ship.

It’s hoped the new weapons will be able to cheaply and efficiently destroy cheap drones or missiles, such as those used by the Houthis, at a much lower cost – saving resources in case of escalation of the war in Ukraine.

‘Russia relies quite heavily on missile attacks to hold stronger navies at arm’s length, so this improvement of air missile defence represents something of a challenge for them,’ Dr Kahsual explained.

‘Some of the weapons used by Russia tend to be designed to overwhelm defence by brute force, their speed leaves little time to react, so DragonFire doesn’t fundamentally change that.

‘Where it becomes more useful is second tier situations like the Houthis in the Red Sea where everybody is relatively constrained.

‘The most important impact of DragonFire will be in places like the Red Sea that doesn’t draw down resources in the EU.’

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EU warns millions to stockpile supplies in case of war – should the UK do the same?

The European Union has told its almost 450million citizens to prepare for war or natural disaster by assembling ’72 hour survival kits’.

But as the UK ramps up defence spending and assembles a ‘coalition of the willing’ to protect Ukraine, British preparedness for conflict is now under the microscope.

The British government has not yet asked Britons to compile their own war survival kits, but they have a been preparing pages of advice on what we should do if other disasters takes hold.

Experts have also weighed in and told Metro that crisis packs could be crucial far earlier than a future military conflict might have you think.

Why did the European Union choose 72 hour stockpiles?

The stockpile order is driven by cyber conflict and not by a fear of military conflict, says Professor Peter Jackson, the University of Glasgow’s Chair in Global Security.

This is because while it might take seven years for Russia to be ready for another ground invasion of a Western country, they have the power to launch other kinds of attacks.

He told Metro: ‘Russia is very capable and much inclined to mount very sophisticated attacks on national infrastructure.

‘So much of our critical infrastructure happens online.

‘If a cyber attack was able to hit at power stations, for example, and deprive citizens of access to electricity.

‘Those are the kind of scenarios a 72 hour pack would be intended to combat. I do not think it is about the Russians invading.

‘If traffic alarms go out, or the banking system goes down. A cyber attack could throw British and European society into quite considerable chaos.

‘Starter packs make more sense in those scenarios.’

One little known weak spot are the ‘vital undersea cables which converge in Irish waters’ and which Ireland is underprepared to protect.

The Professor added: ‘There are lots of vulnerabilities that would be targeted long before the British public would be threatened with another land war.’

Russia needs to rely on cyber conflict because a military one would be entirely different to anything going on in Ukraine.

One example is Finland, a top Putin target, says Peter.

The country has 180,000 ‘very well trained and highly motivated troops’, making invasion a very tough obstacle for Russia.

Should the UK issue a similar stockpile warning to the European Union?

So should the UK do the same? Professor Jackson thinks Starmer should focus on other things first.

‘We should be increasing the security of Britain’s critical infrastructure and our ability to thwart cyber attacks,’ he added.

‘I think it is already a priority for the UK government, but it will only become more acute, especially as the UK industry becomes more oriented toward defence production.’

Army veteran and survival guru Leigh Price, however, believes we should all have a survival kit, even if the likelihood of an invasion ‘is small’.

Leigh, who runs survival courses and sells survival equipment from the Bug Out Shop, told Metro: ‘An emergency kit is still a good idea.

‘We cannot totally prepare for conflict. If you had to vacate your home, you need a survival kit in your bag to grab at a moment’s notice.

‘If you are at home and a missile strikes, you have got to make sure you have stuff at home to make your life comfortable.’

What should we pack in a survival kit?

Veteran Leigh says there are four priorities for what we need to include in our emergency pack: food, water, shelter and medical first aid.

His range of freeze-dried tinned food – his most popular item – can last until 2050. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he says prices of food tins skyrocketed by 56%.

The survival pro added: ‘There is only so much perishable food you can cover, so that is why you need ‘freeze-dried food.

‘But you also need some way of heating it your food, so your kit needs to have a little stove.’

People often pack in three-day emergency kits with bottled water, but Leigh says that does not go far enough.

‘Water bottles are also only going to go so far. If you want to up your game you can get a water filter, so you can filter anything you find,’ he added.

Swiss Army knives also commonly feature in survival kit guides, but there may be more important blades and basics we should prioritise.

‘You do not want everyone running round with a knife like John Rambo. You might needs tins of food, you have just got to cover the basics like a tin opener.

‘You need personal documents to identify yourself. There might be an injury, what is your blood type? What allergies do you have?

‘You also will need warm clothing.’What happens in the first 72 hours of a natural disaster or war?

What does the government tell us to do in case of an emergency?

The EU’s announcement comes just a week after France decided to issue 20-page survival manuals.

In it are 63 measures on how the French can protect themselves from armed conflict, natural disasters, industrial accidents and nuclear leaks.

Keir Starmer has not done the same in the UK.

In fact, Metro could not find a single government web page dedicated to advice to Brits in case of a military conflict hitting the UK.

There are other government pages with information on more general ‘natural hazards’, infrastructure failure’ or ‘severe weather’.

‘Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world,’ the government’s ‘Prepare’ campaign website says.

Officials advice for us to be informed about the risks in our local area, and to accordingly sign up for alerts and warnings.

We should also learn basic first aid skills.

There is also a downloadable and printable household emergency plan, which includes emergency contact details and a three-step plan of action in cases disaster strikes outside your house.

The government tells us to ‘go in’, ‘stay in’ and ‘tune in’.

This means close all windows and doors, stay inside, and tune in to national and local news and follow official advice for what to do next.

If war does come to Europe, Professor Jackson is concerned the UK and Europe need to prepare for the U.S. to remain on the sidelines.

He said: ‘The EU and UK need to invest heavily in the intelligence assets the US military enjoys. Such as imaging, geo-spacing, and very powerful listening capabilities.

‘They also need a replacement for Starlink.’

Starlink is the constellation of satellites owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and has been used by Ukraine to carry out military operations against Russia.

Peter warned Europe and the UK they need to be ready for a world in which they cannot access Musk’s space network.

‘If it gets shut down, they are in real real trouble’.

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Britain and France sending military teams to Ukraine to ‘deter’ Putin

British and French military teams will be deployed to Ukraine in ‘coming days’, Emmanuel Macron has confirmed.

The delegation from the UK and France will be sent to work with Ukrainian armed forces as part of a ‘reassurance force’, even if the idea is not backed by all European allies.

This was revealed after a summit in Paris aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s hand and its military, attended by Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky and other Western leaders.

‘In very specific terms, we agreed that the prime minister of Great Britain and I will instruct our chiefs of defence to ensure that a Franco-British team is sent to Ukraine within a few days for very close cooperation with our Ukrainian partners,’ Macron told reporters earlier this afternoon.

He made the announcement about the military delegation to Ukraine – but said the decision is ‘not unanimous’.

Such a force would also not be a substitute for any peacekeeping soldiers on the ground maintaining any ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

‘Nothing has been ruled out, we will look at sea forces, ground forces and air forces,’ the French leader warned.

‘This reassurance force should not substitute the peacekeeping forces on the contact line or the strong and robust Ukrainian army.’

He acknowledged that Vladimir Putin has not agreed to such a plan but ‘it is not up to Russia what happens on Ukrainian soil’.

‘So there will be a reassurance force bringing together several European forces and it will be deployed,’ Macron added.

Sir Keir later described it as a ‘deterrence force’, saying: ‘This is a force designed to deter, in order to send that message to Putin that this is a deal that is going to be defended – that’s the best description of it.’

It remains unclear which European countries have agreed to sending a team to Ukraine.

But the British PM stressed that US involvement is needed to proceed with the plan.

Leaders in Paris also agreed that sanctions against Russia should not be lifted, and instead ramped up, until the war is halted.

Sir Keir said there was ‘complete clarity’ that now is not the time for the lifting of sanctions.

‘Quite the contrary – what we discussed is how we can increase sanctions to support the US initiative to bring Russia to the table from further pressure,’ he added.

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Meet Britain’s Doomsday preppers stockpiling for World War Three

Your phone is out of action, the electricity has cut out and there’s no way to reach food. What’s your game plan?

These are questions people have been urged to explore as the risk of ‘World War Three’ seemingly grows.

With the EU announcement warning people to pack a kit that will help them survive for three days in case of war or natural disaster, nearly half a billion people across 27 countries have been advised to buy bottled water, energy bars, a torch, and waterproof pouches for IDs.

‘Today’s threats facing Europe are more complex than ever, and they are all interconnected,’ The European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said.

‘Knowing what to do in case of danger, gaming out different scenarios, that’s also a way to prevent people from panicking.’

But for a growing number of ‘preppers,’ – sometimes known as survivalists – they don’t need any warning. Whether it’s cupboards overflowing with tinned food, a car stocked with blankets or an emergency bag stocked with flares – they’re ready. They have been for years.

‘There’s a lot of people in high positions saying we’re on the brink of World War Three’, Tom Blakey tells Metro.

He served in the Pathfinders, an elite unit which acts as the ‘eyes and ears’ for the British Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade.Tom, who has served in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, would operate behind enemy lines to relay back information as quickly as possible. 

If anyone knows how quick reactions can be the difference between life and death, it’s him.

‘The first 36 hours of any disaster are crucial, but surviving that first night is just the start,’ explains Tom, 53.

‘An attack may not come in the traditional way we view war, with a physical invasion or bombs dropping. It could be a cyber attack which could wipe out our phones, energy supplies and water infrastructure in one big hit.

‘Whatever the threat is – whether it’s the weather, other human beings, a natural disaster – the first step is getting away from it and having a plan B. What if your car breaks down? What if the bridge you wanted to cross has collapsed? What if you don’t have a water supply? You need to be prepared for the “what-ifs…”’

Tom was brought up with a will to survive. His father, a Vietnam veteran, would conduct dramatic fire drills at their home. With his brother and sister, Tom would climb out windows as the pretend ‘fire’ raged.

They weren’t allowed to wear hoods or headphones, their father wanted them to be aware of anything and everything.

Tom spent the final three years of his Army career as a reservist with the Red Devils parachute display team based in Wiltshire. But an injury cut the experience short which meant, by Covid, he had ample time to explore the Internet. There, Tom stumbled upon prepping videos on YouTube and realised he had skills he could lend to the community. 

The prepping movement took root in the US where it is typically associated with dramatic Doomsday-like events – anything from an alien invasion to a zombie outbreak. But for British preppers, it’s risks such as climate change or conflict they’re bracing for.

Tom adds: ‘I think there’s a bit of a stigma around the word “prepper”. People think we’re conspiracy theorists who hide away in the woods. That might be down to the Americans stereotype, especially as preppers over there can really focus on guns and weapons over basic skills.

‘For a lot of us in the UK, it’s a lot more practical. I do think it’s important to have an inquiring mind and to question things, but I’m no conspiracy theorist.’

Over in Wales, Leigh Price describes prepping as an ‘insurance policy’. He served in the Army in the 1990s and spent 20 years in the building trade after leaving service. 

Today, he combines both those skills as owner of the Bug Out shop. Leigh sells everything from army rations to water filters, camping equipment to first-aid kits.

His range of freeze-dried tinned food – his most popular item – can last until 2047. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he says prices of food tins skyrocketed by 56%.

Leigh, who also helps run survival courses from the Bug Out shop, tells Metro: ‘People are now realising the importance of survival. You insure your house, you insure your car, why wouldn’t you insure your way of living?

‘But most people are used to things being easy. They can get food delivered, parcels ordered, they’ve never experienced a power cut. We might have zombies after a disaster, but those zombies would be people trying to survive without a phone. 

‘Everyone expects that the government will provide for them if things go wrong, but that might not be the case. It will be communities supporting each other. That’s how it used to be, but it’s something we’ve lost now – especially in big cities. You do see it more in rural areas like here in Wales, as people know each other’s skills and look out for each other during flooding or snow.’

Like Tom, Leigh suspects that the biggest threat the UK faces isn’t a nuclear attack, but a tech-based one that could limit our access to power.

‘If something does happen, people need to keep calm,’ he warns. ‘The reality is we’re on the knife-edge. We are close to war and people are only now realising that. I don’t think nuclear war will happen, they don’t want that. 

‘But a cyber attack or energy black-out can still lead to mass panic. Desperate people will do desperate things to survive.’

Both Tom and Leigh run YouTube channels, Prepared Pathfinder and TheBugOutShop, respectively. If the world does unravel into chaos, they believe we’ll be learning from each other rather than relying on those in power. The hope the information they teach can make that possible.

‘The government doesn’t want hysteria, but there are a lot of things happening which we don’t know about,’ says Tom, who also runs adventure courses with First In Events.

He adds: ‘In the case of cyber attacks hitting the UK, they’re relentless. We can no longer sit here and think everything will be alright. 

‘Taking small, basic steps can be the difference between life and death in the future. The risks are out there, online and in real life, and they’re unpredictable. We need to be ready to face them head-on.’

This story was first published on January 23, 2024.

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Zelensky eerily predicts ‘Putin will die soon’ fuelling more rumours about his health

Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a chilling prediction that Vladimir Putin ‘will die soon’ as the Russian leader faces renewed speculation about his health.

Ukraine’s President begged for the US to ‘stay strong’ as a tentative ceasefire on energy infrastructure attacks appears on the brink of collapse.

Zelensky made the claim during a sit-down interview with journalists in Paris after he met French leader Emmanuel Macron in Paris yesterday.

Speaking in Ukrainian, he said: ‘Putin fears losing his power.

‘He will die soon, and that’s fact, and it will come to an end.’

The comment has added fuel to rumours the 72-year-old Russian leader is battling ill-health.

Putin allegedly has four doctors permanently on duty at his man official residence, according leaked documents.

Last October, the Kremlin had to deny he had serious health issues after he was admitted to a Moscow hospital undergoing regular examinations.

A famous incident in June 2022 saw the Russian president grip a table so hard his veins started to bulge during a meeting with then-Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

He also appeared slouched and was slurring his words.

Putin also seemed frail and off-colour while meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko last May to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

During the wide-ranging interview, Zelenksy also discussed European support for Ukraine and the shaky Black Sea ceasefire brokered by the US on Tuesday.

Zelensky said that Putin is trying to ‘hit the European Union from within’, referencing Hungary, whose leader Victor Orban has cozied up to Russia.

This dig at a European power comes as Starmer and Macron prepare to host another summit of the ‘coalition of the willing’ today in Paris.

All eyes are currently on the success of a tenuous ceasefires agreed between Russia and Ukraine this month.

Both sides agreed to a 30-day pause on attacks on energy infrastructure last week.

However both countries have now accused the other of breaking the terms of the tentative U.S-brokered deal and disagreed about when the energy ceasefire was meant to have begun.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian drone attacks hit an electric facility in the Bryansk region early Wednesday and a power grid facility in the Kursk region the day before.

Zelensky’s communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said there had been ‘eight confirmed hits on energy facilities’ from Russia.

Despite this Ukraine and Russia agreed to an naval ceasefire to the Black Sea this week.

Zelensky said of these fragile negotiations: ‘A ceasefire in the Black Sea is first of all important today and for the Russians.

‘They have not controlled the corridor in the Black Sea for a long time.’

On the energy side of the deal, he added: ‘I don’t want to lie.

‘There were no Russian attacks on energy infrastructure tonight. But there were Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.

‘Ukraine did not respond with energy sector [strikes] either.’

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Macron warns proposed peacekeeping force could ‘respond’ if attacked by Russia

President Emmanuel Macron has said European armed forces could ‘respond’ if Russia attacks Ukraine again.

The French leader said the proposed European armed forces, which could be deployed to Ukraine under an eventual peace deal, would lead the response.

His remarks came after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and before a summit in Paris which will discuss the proposed ‘European’ peacekeeping force.

‘If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement,’ Macron said.

‘Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it.’

Macron has been driving coalition-building efforts for a Ukraine force with UK Prime Sir Minister Keir Starmer, but it’s still unclear what aid they are preparing that could contribute towards their goal of a lasting ceasefire.

Macron said the proposed European forces would not be stationed on the front lines in Ukraine, or be ‘engaged on the first day opposite Russian forces’.

‘It’s a pacifist approach,’ he said. ‘The only ones who would, at that moment, trigger a conflict, a bellicose situation, would be the Russians if they decided again to launch an aggression.’

Macron is expecting 31 delegations around the table on Thursday morning at the presidential Elysee Palace – of a coalition to help Ukraine, with one notable exception – the US.

Donald Trump has shown no public enthusiasm for the coalition’s discussions about potentially sending troops into Ukraine after an eventual ceasefire to help make peace stick.

The US president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has dismissed the idea of a European deployment or even the need for it.

‘It’s a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic,’ he previously said.

‘Primarily, any contingent consists of combat units, but they are above all intended to control the situation, monitor it, carry out joint training, and also to prevent any desire by Russia to return with renewed waves of aggression,’ Zelensky said.

European officials say that under any peace deal, Ukraine’s first line of defence against any future Russian aggression would be Ukraine’s own army.

But a European coalition dedicated to Ukrainian aid appears to be gaining strength.

Earlier this month, Macron called for a ‘united Europe’ to stand up to Russian aggression by spending billions more on defence.

In a television address, he said the world was entering a ‘new era’ and a ‘global conflict’ was already underway.

He said: ‘Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it’s complete, sovereign, French through and through.

‘But, responding to the historic call of the future German Chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our (nuclear) deterrence.’

He said the use of France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.

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Putin flexes muscles in missile test hours after Black Sea ceasefire agreement

Vladimir Putin is flexing his muscles in the Sea of Japan just hours after setting conditions for a Black Sea ceasefire with Ukraine.

The drill came only a few hours after Russia set a number of conditions before going ahead with a ceasefire in the Black Sea, amid ongoing tumultuous talks involving the US to try and bring about a longer-term ceasefire.

But in case the world forgot about Russia’s military might, its Ministry of Defence said missiles fired from the Ufa diesel-electric submarine hit its target in the Khabarovsk region, as well as a surface target in the Sea of Japan.

Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, praised the submarine’s crew for the success of the missile launch.

Yesterday’s peace talks in Saudi Arabia, brokered by the White House, concluded when Russia agreed to ‘ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.’

Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine has also agreed to the ceasefire.

However, among other demands Putin ordered for sanctions to be lifted on Rosselkhozbank and other banks involved in food trade, trade finance operations, and food and fertiliser exporters.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the White House for its help in brokering the deal, but said Russia must now ‘prove’ it is ready to end the war.

He added: ‘How Russia behaves in the coming days will show a lot, if not everything.

‘If there are air alerts again, if there is military activity in the Black Sea again, if there are Russian manipulations and threats again, then new measures will have to be taken – specifically against Moscow.

‘Diplomacy must work. We, on the Ukrainian side, are doing everything we can to achieve this.

‘I want to thank everyone who is helping us. Thank you to America for the fact that our teams are working constructively and effectively.

‘We need results from Russia. We don’t believe them.

‘The world really doesn’t believe Russia. And they must prove that they are ready to end the war and are ready not to lie to the world, not to lie to Trump, not to lie to America.’

Meanwhile US president Donald Trump, who had previously claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day, admitted that Putin could be trying to delay a ceasefire.

He told Newsmax: ‘I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet. I’ve done it over the years.

‘I think Russia would like to see it end and I think Zelensky would like to see it end, at this point.’

The agreement is a sharp turn from earlier this week when Vladimir Putin tried to sink a container ship reportedly carrying a cargo of weapons destined for Ukraine.

Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles were unleashed on a Black Sea port in the southern city of Odesa where the vessel had arrived after making a stop in Turkey. 

Facilities at the three Black Sea ports around the city have been frequent Russian targets in the three-year-long war.

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