Ukraine, US agree to hold separate talks to strengthen air defence after Trump call, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with US president Donald Trump about the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence amid escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
In a brief note about their call, published on Telegram, he said the US president was “very well informed” about the situation in Ukraine, as the pair discussed “the possibilities of air defence and agreed that we will work on increasing the protection in the sky.”
He said they agreed to hold a separate meeting between their teams on this issue.
Zelenskyy added that they also talked about the opportunities for joint arms production, saying “we are ready for direct projects with America,” as well as potential other joint purchases and investments.
The Ukrainian president also passed his best wishes on the US Independence Day, thanking for the US support so far.
“We have done a lot together with America and support all efforts to stop the killings and restore a normal, stable, dignified peace. A decent agreement is needed for peace, and Ukraine supports American proposals,” he said.
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Updated at 15.30 BST
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Lorenzo Tondo
in Palermo
The number of people injured in a massive gas explosion at a petrol station in Rome on Friday has risen to 45, with two in a critical condition. Among the wounded are police officers, firefighters and emergency workers who had responded to an earlier, smaller blast triggered when a truck struck a gas pipe.
Smoke envelops the area near the site of an explosion at a petrol station in via dei Gordiani, in Rome, Italy. Photograph: Angelo Carconi/EPA
The second explosion, which occurred in the northeast of the capital, was powerful enough to be heard across the city, sending a wave of panic through neighbourhoods. A thick column of smoke was visible from many areas of Rome.
Smoke rises from the site of the explosion at a petrol station in Via dei Gordiani, Rome, Italy. Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
The injured were taken to nine hospitals across the city. They include local residents hurt by flying shards from shattered windows. Medical officials said six people were in a “code red” condition, with two on life support. The critically injured pair suffered burns over 55% and 25% of their bodies, along with inhalation trauma and barotrauma – injuries caused by the force of the air displacement from the blast.
Of the 45 injured, 24 are civilians, 12 are police officers, six are firefighters and three are emergency services personnel.
Explosion of a petrol and LPG distributor in Via dei Gordiani, Rome, Italy. Photograph: Francesco Fotia/Shutterstock
Fabio Balzani, who manages a nearby summer camp, told state agency Ansa it was fortunate the explosion happened early in the day. “It would have been a massacre if the usual 60 children and 120 pool guests had been there,” he said. Early-morning staff and the first children to arrive were evacuated after the initial gas smell was detected.
Environmental campaign group Legambiente called for fewer petrol and gas stations in urban areas, warning that extreme summer heat raises the risk of such incidents. Taxpayers’ association Federcontribuenti added that “the facility should not have been placed in that location”.
Health authorities issued warnings about the dangers of exposure to Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). “LPG, a mixture of propane and butane, if inhaled in high concentrations can cause nausea, dizziness, neurological issues, loss of consciousness and, in the most severe cases, asphyxiation,” said the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA). “Direct contact with the cryogenic liquid can also result in cold burns and serious skin damage.”
Local residents were advised to keep windows shut as fumes and ash from the blaze continued to spread through the area.
ShareJakub Krupa
As we wait to hear from Trump on his call with Zelenskyy, let me bring you updates on that gas explosion in Rome earlier today and on the European heatwave.
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Ukraine, US agree to hold separate talks to strengthen air defence after Trump call, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with US president Donald Trump about the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence amid escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
In a brief note about their call, published on Telegram, he said the US president was “very well informed” about the situation in Ukraine, as the pair discussed “the possibilities of air defence and agreed that we will work on increasing the protection in the sky.”
He said they agreed to hold a separate meeting between their teams on this issue.
Zelenskyy added that they also talked about the opportunities for joint arms production, saying “we are ready for direct projects with America,” as well as potential other joint purchases and investments.
The Ukrainian president also passed his best wishes on the US Independence Day, thanking for the US support so far.
“We have done a lot together with America and support all efforts to stop the killings and restore a normal, stable, dignified peace. A decent agreement is needed for peace, and Ukraine supports American proposals,” he said.
Share
Updated at 15.30 BST
Jakub Krupa
If and when we hear from Trump or Zelenskyy, I will bring you their comments here immediately.
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Zelenskyy’s top aide praises ‘very important, meaningful conversation’ with Trump
Andriy Yermak, the most senior aide to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in a brief social media update that the call with Trump was “a very important and meaningful conversation between the presidents.”
“All details will be available very soon,” he added.
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Trump spoke with Germany’s Merz on Ukraine, EU-US trade
Meanwhile, German magazine Spiegel reports that German chancellor Friedrich Merz also spoke with US president Donald Trump, discussing the situation in Ukraine and EU-US trade.
Spiegel reported that Trump made no commitments during the call, with Germany reportedly calling for more support for Ukraine on air defence.
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Updated at 14.46 BST
One person killed in overnight strikes on Kyiv
Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war, killing one person, injuring at least 23 and damaging buildings across the capital hours after US president Donald Trump spoke to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, officials said on Friday.
Air raid sirens, the whine of kamikaze drones and booming detonations reverberated from early evening until dawn as Russia launched what Ukraine’s Air Force said was a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles.
Families huddled in underground metro stations for shelter. Acrid smoke hung over the city centre. Kyiv’s military administration chief said on Friday afternoon a body had been found in the wreckage of one of the strike sites.
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Updated at 14.06 BST
Jakub Krupa
That brings you up to date on most important things happening in Europe today.
Let’s go back to Ukraine, as we wait more details on that much anticipated Trump-Zelenskyy call.
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Updated at 13.24 BST
French air traffic controllers continue strike for second day
A strike by French air traffic controllers entered its second day, leaving many passengers stranded at the start of Europe’s peak travel season, Reuters reported.
Passengers look a departures information board at Saint-Exupery airport, near Lyon, as French air traffic controllers launched a two-day strike to demand better working conditions. Photograph: Laurent Cipriani/AP
Civil aviation agency DGAC told airlines to cancel 40% of flights at the three main Paris airports because of the strike, which the air traffic controllers say is over staff shortages and ageing equipment.
Up to half of flights at France’s other airports, mostly in the south, were also affected, DGAC added.
The Airlines for Europe (A4E) lobby group said late on Thursday that 1,500 flights had been cancelled over the two-day strike, affecting 300,000 passengers and causing cascading delays.
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Finnish president finalises anti-mine treaty withdrawal amid Russia threat
Finland’s president Alexander Stubb approved the country’s withdrawal from a treaty banning anti-personnel mines, citing a “deteriorated security situation” and longer-term threat from Russia, AFP reported.
President of Finland Alexander Stubb speaks to the media upon arriving for the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State and Government during the Nato summit in The Hague, the Netherlands last month. Photograph: Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva/Shutterstock
Finnish lawmakers voted to leave the anti-landmine Ottawa Convention in June but the decision needed to be signed by the president.
“Finland is not facing an immediate military threat, but the changes in the operating environment require that we strengthen our defence,” Stubb said in a statement.
“We have a long border with Russia, which is not a party to the Ottawa Agreement. We have seen how Russia wages war today.”
AFP noted that Finland’s decision will come into effect six months after the country formally notifies the United Nations.
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, as well as Poland, also plan to exit the treaty.
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