Russia-Ukraine war latest: Russia to test 10,000km-range ballistic missile to intimidate Nato, Kyiv warns

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and US vice president JD Vance were seen shaking hands at the inauguration of new Pope Leo XIV on Sunday.

It was the first meeting of the pair following the infamous White House clash earlier this year, which saw President Zelensky leaving after a shouting match with Donald Trump and Mr Vance.

The pair smiled as they shook hands in the brief exchange. Mr Zelensky later met with Mr Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the mass, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters.

Our correspondent Rebecca Thomas has the full report:

Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “good” meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and vice president JD Vance, in their first encounter since the infamous Oval Office clash earlier this year.

The Ukrainian president released pictures of Kyiv and Washington officials sitting outside at a round table and smiling. Ukrainian media said the meeting lasted 40 minutes.

“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible,” Mr Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said yesterday that Russia planned to conduct a “training and combat” launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile to intimidate Ukraine and the West.

The overnight launch was ordered to be implemented from Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, the GUR agency said, adding the missile’s flight range was more than 10,000km (6,200 miles).

“In order to demonstratively pressure and intimidate Ukraine, and also EU and Nato member states, the aggressor state of Russia intends to make a ‘training and combat’ launch of the RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yars complex,” GUR said in the statement.

There was no immediate comment from Russia on the Ukrainian military intelligence statement. Russia does not answer questions about its plans to test launch nuclear missiles, the details of which it classifies as a military secret, although it issues statements after such launches.

Sir Keir Starmer has held a phone call with Donald Trump and other European leaders ahead of the US president’s call with Vladimir Putin tomorrow about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Downing Street said Sir Keir and Mr Trump – along with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Germany’s Friedrich Merz – discussed “the situation in Ukraine, and the catastrophic cost of the war to both sides”.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “Looking ahead to President Trump’s call with President Putin tomorrow, the leaders discussed the need for an unconditional ceasefire and for President Putin to take peace talks seriously.

“They also discussed the use of sanctions if Russia failed to engage seriously in a ceasefire and peace talks. The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.”

Mr Trump had initially announced that he would speak to Mr Putin on Monday and follow that discussion up with calls to Volodymyr Zelensky and Nato allies, but Western leaders said on Sunday they were pushing to speak to the US president prior to his call to Moscow.