Like hooded wraiths, two Ukrainian soldiers in white camouflage overalls have just stepped from among the trees to greet us, assault rifles slung over their shoulders.

During the White House daily briefing on Thursday, Communications Coordinator John Kirby told reporters that Americans shouldn’t believe anything Putin say during the interview.

Vladimir Putin’s cheerleaders on state media have claimed Tucker Carlson’s interview with the Russian leader will ‘blow up’ the US’s ‘informational blockade from within.’

European Council President Charles Michel said the 27 EU countries sealed the deal just over an hour into a summit of the bloc’s leaders, despite threats from Hungary to veto the deal.

It’s an unprecedented time for the Nordic nation which is not only now a Nato member, but also has its eastern border to Russia closed – two things almost unthinkable a few years ago.

General Richard Shirreff, a former Nato commander, warned that the UK might need to introduce a system akin to that used in Finland in the event of a European land war.

Turkey’s general assembly, where President Tayyip Erdogan ‘s ruling alliance holds a majority, voted 287-55 to approve the application that Sweden first made in 2022.