Donald Trump says the US will respond if he finds out Vladimir Putin is “tapping us along”. Meanwhile, Russia has proposed a second round of talks with Ukraine on 2 June in Istanbul. And Germany says it will help fund long-range missiles for Ukraine. Follow the latest.
Wednesday 28 May 2025 18:20, UK
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Three people have been charged in Germany on suspicion of spying on a Ukrainian man with the possible aim of killing him.
According to the German federal prosecutor, the target of the operation was a man who had taken part in combat operations for Ukraine.
That plot involved a meeting with the target at a cafe in central Frankfurt in June last year, but he didn’t show up after a tip-off from German authorities, the prosecutor added.
“The spying operation presumably served to prepare further intelligence operations in Germany, possibly including the killing of the target person,” they said.
The three suspects were said to be brought together by Armenian man Vardges I, who recruited Russian Arman S and Ukrainian Robert A – with all names withheld as per German privacy rules.
They have all been in custody since their arrest on 19 June, the day of the attempted meeting.
By Siobhan Robbins, Europe correspondent in Berlin
When Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to Berlin today, the big question was whether he would be leaving with a promise from Germany to supply Taurus long-range missiles.
On this, the German chancellor remained tight-lipped, in public at least.
But the Ukrainian leader left far from empty-handed.
Germany has pledged another military support package, which it says is worth around €5bn (£4.2bn).
It includes a promise to help Ukraine produce its own long-range weapons, a significant amount of which the German government says could be produced before the end of the year.
The fact some of these weapons are already used by the Ukrainian military means no extra training is needed.
This also means, in theory, they could be used much more quickly than the Taurus system, which would involve extra instruction.
The chancellor wouldn’t give a run-down of the weapons included to avoid giving Moscow a heads-up, but he did reiterate that range restrictions on weapons would be lifted to allow Kyiv to hit military targets in Russia.
This is a big step for Germany, which has been cautious about doing anything to provoke nuclear-armed Moscow.
The Kremlin was quick to respond, calling Germany’s announcement a further provocation.
While the €5bn support package isn’t entirely new and has already been signed off by the German parliament, the details of what it includes are.
New help
In addition to helping with weapons production, there will be cash for continued Starlink connection and the delivery of air defence systems and ammunition.
This is the fourth time Zelenskyy has visited Berlin but his first meeting with the new chancellor in the city.
The direct tone of Friedrich Merz felt like a huge departure from his more cautious predecessor, Olaf Scholz.
Merz was quick in his criticism of Russia and what he said was Moscow’s lack of commitment to peace talks.
Ukraine has always been grateful for the huge amount of aid Germany has provided but, in the past, appeared frustrated by the time it took for some decisions to be made.
Friedrich Merz is known for shooting from the hip, a style that so far appears to be well received in Kyiv.
We’re now hearing from Donald Trump, who’s just said he “can’t tell you” if Vladimir Putin wants to end the war – but will find out in about two weeks.
He added his words on Russia “speak loudly”, and that he will respond “differently” if he finds Putin is “tapping” the US along.
“We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little differently,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He’s also “disappointed” in what happened in Ukraine, echoing his recent criticism following Russia’s widespread attacks over the weekend.
Asked why he hasn’t imposed sanctions on Russia, he said he doesn’t want to “screw up” the chances of a peace deal – adding he will sit down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin, if needed.
Russia’s foreign minister has given a full statement, in which he’s said Moscow has “developed a corresponding memorandum”.
The two sides agreed in the first round of talks earlier this month to form memorandums on a possible peace agreement, with Ukraine giving their terms to the US.
Sergei Lavrov has said Russia will give their document to Ukraine directly and “provide the necessary explanations”.
He has seemingly echoed the foreign ministry spokesperson’s remarks that the two countries did not agree to US mediation in exchanging the documents – as we reported at 17.06.
The next talks are proposed for 2 June in Istanbul.
“We hope that all those who are sincerely, and not just in words, interested in the success of the peace process will support holding a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul,” Lavrov added.
Sergei Lavrov has said Russia has proposed the next round of talks with Ukraine to take place on 2 June.
Istanbul is the host of choice, he added, according to Russian news agencies.
The Turkish city held the last round of talks between the two delegations.
Ukraine has not yet given a public response.
A bit more now to bring you on Russia-Ukraine talks.
Moscow’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has just been quoted by TASS state news agency.
She’s reported to have said the two countries did not agree to US mediation in exchanging draft memorandums on a possible peace agreement.
That was in response to Donald Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg, who said yesterday he has received a list of terms of the agreement from Kyiv and is waiting for Moscow’s.
We’ve now had more reaction from Russia, after Germany announced it will back the production of long-range missiles in Ukraine (see 12.56).
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Berlin’s move shows it is already a participant in the war.
Lavrov told a Russian state TV reporter that Berlin’s decisions were “building tension”, adding he hopes “responsible politicians” in Germany “will make the right conclusion” and “stop the madness”.
Russia started this war in February 2022 when it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, despite repeatedly insisting it has no plans to do so.
Russia has offered Ukraine a date and place for negotiations in the coming days to exchange memoranda on the settlement, Vladimir Putin’s negotiator Vladimir Medinsky has said. 
Russia is waiting for an answer as soon as possible, he said, confirming a telephone conversation with Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s defence minister.
Medinsky added on the Telegram messaging app that Russia’s delegation is ready to meet the Ukrainian side in person in the coming days.
It’s not clear yet where those proposed talks would take place, but earlier today Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Istanbul could be a venue for the next round of negotiations.
Moscow has also already ruled out the Vatican, after the Pope suggested talks could take place there.
Almost 175,000 servicemen have joined Russia’s army since the turn of the year, according to a top security official in Moscow.
Dmitry Medvedev made the claim at a meeting with officials, TASS state news agency reports.
Medvedev, who is also Russia’s former president, added more than 14,000 people have joined the army as volunteers.
These claims have not been independently verified.
Russia is likely leveraging the fact that there are no concrete deadlines in the peace process in order to delay the process and prolong the war, a US-based military thinktank says.
Yesterday, US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that the Washington had received Ukraine’s list of conditions and timelines for a potential peace treaty and was now waiting for Russia to submit its conditions.
The Kremlin said it had agreed to work with Ukraine on a memorandum that would establish the finer details of a peace plan, but said it could not estimate how long that would take.
Kyiv and European governments have since accused Moscow of stalling while its troops advance in eastern Ukraine.

And this observation has been made by the Institute for the Study of War too, with the thinktank noting: “The Kremlin is likely leveraging the lack of a deadline to prolong negotiations in an attempt to extract more concessions and improve Russia’s negotiating position by making battlefield advances.”
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