Poland’s Europe minister has described Donald Trump’s wide-ranging call with Vladimir Putin as “hair-raising” at a time when Ukraine is fighting for its sovereignty.

Adam Szłapka told Polish broadcaster TVN24 this morning: “The statement we got from president Trump that they spoke not only about the war, but also other things… it is somewhat strange.

“[The idea of them] talking about artificial intelligence and so on, while [we are] thinking about the images of the Bucha massacre is somewhat hair-raising.”

Bucha is a suburb to the north of Kyiv where Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians during the initial months of the full-scale invasion.

Russian drone attacks damaged port infrastructure in southern Ukraine, officials said on Thursday, while neighbouring Moldova said two drones had blown up on its soil and NATO member Romania said its airspace had likely been breached.

Kyiv said Moscow attacked Ukraine with 140 drones overnight, injuring one person in the Izmail district of Ukraine’s Odesa region that lies on the Danube River and borders Romania and Moldova.

Photos shared by the emergency services showed rescuers putting out a fire at the site of an attack, without specifying exactly where. Authorities often withhold precise information for what they say are wartime security reasons.

The southern region is a central hub for Ukraine’s Black Sea exports and its port facilities have been regularly attacked by long-range strikes throughout the war launched by Russia in February 2022.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said two Russian drones had h violated Moldova’s airspace and exploded in its territory, “putting Moldovan lives at risk”.

“Russia respects no borders, attacks civilians, spreads terror…Leave us, peaceful nations, alone,” she wrote on X.

Mihail Popsoi, Moldova’s foreign minister said the ministry would summon the Russian ambassador over the incidents.

Russia returned eight children to Ukraine following mediation efforts by Qatar, the Tass state news agency reported on Thursday.

Qatar has acted as a mediator several times between Russia and Ukraine to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia and separated from their families since the start of the war.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump was “deep and meaningful”, Moscow’s foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin was quoted by the RIA state news agency as saying on Thursday.

Trump and Putin spoke by phone for over an hour on Wednesday, and Trump said the Russian leader expressed a desire to end the war in Ukraine.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has denied suggestions this morning that Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin yesterday, which sparked concern among European officials that a deal was being done over their heads, was an act of betrayal.

The phone call has kicked off a wave of comments from European leaders that a deal to end the war in Ukraine must involve Ukraine after Mr Trump said he would meet with Mr Putin in Saudi Arabia.

Asked by reporters in Brussels if Mr Trump had betrayed his European partners, Mr Hegseth said: “There is no betrayal; there is a recognition that the whole world and the US is invested in peace, in a negotiated peace.”

There must be no imposed peace in Ukraine and any solution to the conflict must involve the United States, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with Politico released on Thursday.

“It is very clear to me that there must be no solution that does not also involve the US,” Scholz said.

“The next task is to ensure that there is no imposed peace,” he added.

US president Donald Trump discussed the war in Ukraine on Wednesday in phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

It was not immediately clear whether the interview with Scholz was conducted before or after the calls.

British officials are said to be furious at Donald Trump’s attempt to negotiate peace in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin over fears Kyiv could be sidelined.

Defence secretary John Healey robustly pushed back against the possibility of doing a peace deal without the inclusion of Kyiv, warning that “Ukraine’s voice must be at the heart of any talks”.

Meanwhile, insiders at the Ministry of Defence are said to be furious at the prospect, with a source at the department telling the BBC: “They are going above Zelensky’s head – the bastards are going to do this.”

It is Europe’s responsibility to stop the Russian “war machine”, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters before a meeting with Nato ministers in Brussels today.

Mr Hegseth repeated his call for increased defence spending by Nato countries, which he said should ultimately reach 5 per cent of gross domestic product.

Yesterday, he claimed that US troops would not be part of any security presence in Ukraine.

The US defence secretary also told Ukraine’s military allies in Brussels that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders – before Russia annexed Crimea – was “unrealistic” and that the US does not see Nato membership for Kyiv as part of a solution.

The Ukrainian military said that Russia launched 140 drones to attack the country overnight.

Out of 140 drones, the air force said it shot down 85 and 52 did not reach their targets – likely due to electronic countermeasures.

British defence secretary John Healey has ruled out peace talks on Ukraine without Ukrainian participation.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Nato defence ministers’ meet in Brussels, Mr Healey said: “There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine”.

He also responded to US president Donald Trump’s comments on the Ukraine war and said says Nato’s job is to “put Ukraine in strongest possible position for any talks”.

The defence secretary said new announcements are expected on supporting Ukraine through Nato, with billions in new firepower for Ukrainian fighters on the front line.

“We want to see durable peace and no return to conflict and aggression,” Mr Healey said. “Let’s not forget Russia remains a threat well beyond Ukraine.”