Trump: Personal factors hinder settlement of war between Russia, Ukraine

US President Donald Trump has stated that a personal clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is hindering a settlement to the war in Ukraine, with Trump suggesting that the two leaders "truly hate each other".

According to Interfax-Ukraine, Trump made these comments as he prepares to send envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv with a plan to end the conflict. The envoys are set to meet with Putin in Moscow and Zelensky in Kyiv, with Trump expressing optimism that a deal may be possible.

The conflict has continued to escalate, with Russia launching a series of attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a drone strike on the Kyiv headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, which injured 12 people. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia had launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine, using ballistic missiles and drones.

Brief written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine, New Voice of Ukraine, Egypt Independent, Gulf News, Kyiv Independent — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.