NATO forced to scramble warplanes in Poland as Putin pummels Ukraine with bombers

NATO warplanes were dispatched after explosions were heard in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Sumy amid a new air raid by Russia, forcing Ukrainians to take shelter underground

NATO has been forced to scramble its warplanes in Poland after Vladimir Putin used strategic bombers to attack Ukraine.

The strikes came despite Vladimir Putin insisting he wanted peace "as soon as possible" after opening negotiations with Donald Trump's White House. Putin's air forces used Tu-95MS nuclear-capable strategic bombers, causing panic in Kyiv as residents rushed for the metro underground shelters.

Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Sumy, as well as in surrounding regions. Drones were also used in the assault by Russia, leaving several people injured. The attacks on Ukraine were reported to continue into the morning. An alert from Warsaw’s armed forces operation command headquarters said: “Attention, due to the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, striking targets located, in particular, in the west of Ukraine, military aviation has begun to operate in the airspace of Poland.”

At least two Tu-95MS bombers were reported taking off from Russia's Olenya air base in the Arctic, while ground-based air defences and radar reconnaissance systems were also “put on alert”. NATO action responded with defensive action amid fears Russia was unleashing missiles close to the border with Poland, which is a member state.

In the Obukhiv district of Ukraine, a 44-year-old woman was hospitalised after suffering a large cut to her leg when her home was bombed by Russian air forces.

It comes after the United States shocked European allies last night by refusing to hold Russia responsible for its invasion of Ukraine in three UN votes. The growing divide follows Trump's decision to open direct negotiations with Russia on ending the war, dismaying Ukraine and Europe by excluding them from the preliminary talks last week.

In the UN General Assembly, the US joined Russia in voting against a Europe-backed Ukrainian resolution that calls out Moscow's aggression and demands an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops. The US then abstained from voting on its own competing resolution after Europeans. led by France, succeeded in amending it to make clear Russia was the aggressor. The voting was taking place on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion and at the same time as Trump was hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit the White House later this week in a bid to gain the US president's support for European proposals on the future of Ukraine. Mr Macron suggested yesterday that a truce between Russia and Ukraine could be possible within weeks, allowing time for more detailed peace negotiations. He said he had worked with the Prime Minister on plans to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to safeguard a lasting deal - as long as Mr Trump was also prepared to offer security guarantees.

He told Fox News: "We worked very hard together with the UK prime minister to have a French-UK proposal to say we are ready to send troops, not to go to the front line, not to go in confrontation, but to be in some locations, being defined by the treaty, as a presence to maintain this peace and our collective credibility with the US backup and the US backstop." Home Secretary Yvette Cooper suggested Sir Keir's talks with Mr Trump would cover those issues, and told told BBC Radio 4's Today that his visit marked "a very important stage in the discussions".