**Russia** launched a devastating attack on **Ukraine** on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more, hours after **Donald Trump** defended **Vladimir Putin** and said the **Kremlin** leader was “doing what anybody would do”.

Two ballistic missiles hit the centre of **Dobropillia** in the eastern **Donetsk region**. Fire engulfed a five-storey apartment building. As emergency services arrived,  launched another strike on the same area. Eleven civilians were killed, with five children among the 30 injured.

Writing on social media, **Volodymyr Zelenskyy** condemned the “vile and inhuman intimidation tactic often used by the Russians”. Three people also died and seven others injured in a drone attack in the city of **Bohodukhiv**, in the **Kharkiv region**.

Russia’s relentless bombardment of Ukrainian cities has intensified after a torrid week in which Trump has pulled the plug on intelligence sharing with **Ukraine** and halted the supply of **US** weapons.

These hostile moves mean the alarm system that warns Ukrainian civilians of incoming enemy missiles is less effective. Asked if Putin was taking advantage of US aid pauses, Trump on Friday acknowledged  was experiencing a “tremendous pounding”.

He suggested, however, that “anyone in Putin’s position” would do the same. Before a meeting on Tuesday between US and Ukrainian representatives in **Saudi Arabia**, Trump said he was “finding it easier” to deal with **Russia** than Ukraine.

European leaders suggested the US president was complicit in the latest devastation.

The **Polish** prime minister, **Donald Tusk**, says there was “another tragic night in Ukraine” and “this is what happens when someone appeases barbarians” in a post on X.

Higher **European** defence budgets and a ramp-up of production by military equipment industries are necessary to secure , **Nato** secretary-general **Mark Rutte** said in a **German** newspaper interview, reports Reuters.

“We will need to spend more to keep ourselves safe,” Rutte told German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag (WamS). “But we also need to quickly ramp up our defence production on both sides of the Atlantic …for far too long, we have produced far too little.”

The **North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato)** includes much of Europe and also the **United States** and **Canada**.

Ammunition, ships, tanks, jets, but also satellites and drones were needed, Rutte said.

European countries are hastening to boost defence spending and maintain support for **Ukraine** after US president **Donald Trump** froze US military aid to **Kyiv** and raised doubts about **Washington**’s commitment to European allies.

German lawmakers will debate sweeping changes to state borrowing rules to fund defence, alongside a €500bn ($541.60bn) infrastructure fund, from 13 March to get those measures passed in the outgoing parliament ahead of the formation of a new one on 25 March, sources have said, according to Reuters.

EU leaders on Thursday held meetings to back joint defence loans to member states and to allow defence spending beyond tight budgetary rules for other sectors. Rutte said he had met with many heads of defence manufacturing companies and urged them to respond to higher demand.

European countries are hastening to boost defence spending and maintain support for **Ukraine** after US president **Donald Trump** freezes US military aid to **Kyiv** and raised doubts about **Washington**’s commitment to European allies.

The meeting is a day before Ukrainian officials are expected to hold fresh talks with their US counterparts on Tuesday there.

**Ben Wallace**, the former **UK** defence secretary, has said **Donald Trump**’s decision to suspend **US** intelligence sharing with **Kyiv** is “suffocating” **Ukrainian** hope of holding out against **Russian** aggression.

Last Friday, the US president, along with the vice-president, **JD Vance**, berated **Volodymyr Zelenskyy** in the **Oval Office** in full view of the media,  that he was “gambling with world war three” and to come back to the **White House** “when he is ready for peace”.

In the week since, the US stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv that had previously given advance warnings of attacks and **Brussels** agreed to a  in defence spending.

On Friday, the day after intelligence sharing ceased, Russia carried out massive ballistic missile and drone strikes across Ukraine. Soon after the aerial attacks,  **Vladimir Putin** was “doing what anybody would do”.

Overnight strikes in eastern  on Saturday killed at least 11 people and wounded 30 others, including five children.

Wallace, who was the defence secretary when Putin launched his full-scale invasion of  in 2022, said on Saturday that Trump was diminishing the hope of Ukraine with his actions.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said:

> Hope is the most important thing in this type of conflict and, at the moment, Donald Trump is suffocating the hope that Putin can be either fought to a standstill or indeed brought to the table.”

He added:

> Hope is always the key for both morale and a military campaign. When this started three years ago, I remember gathering the military officials in my then department, and saying on day one, we have to give the Ukrainians hope.
>
> If a Russian truck has a puncture, we need to let people know. If the Russians have a small defeat, we need to let the Ukrainian people know.”

**Sammy Gecsoyler**, a prominent Ukrainian activist, wrote on Thursday:

> Hope is the most important thing in this type of conflict and, at the moment, Donald Trump is suffocating the hope that Putin can be either fought to a standstill or indeed brought to the table.”
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