As the 79-year-old POTUS continues on his mission of bringing the war in Eastern Europe to an end, his 72-year-old Russian counterpart has shown a complete disregard to the Republican’s hopes for peace.

With Putin aware of the White House summit that 47-year-old Zelenskyy had attended alongside major European leaders yesterday (August 18), Russian forces are believed to have fired 270 drones, five cruise missiles and five Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

That is according to the Ukrainian air force who highlighted that the majority of them were intercepted.

“According to preliminary data, as of 09.00 [local time], 236 air targets were shot down/crushed by the air defense: 230 Shahed type BPLA enemies and drones-imitators of different types; 2 Iskander-M ballistic missiles; 4 winged X-101 missiles,” the force posted on Facebook.

President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House ahead of meeting with European leaders (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Now, a NATO nation has confirmed fighter jets from two member-countries were scrambled following the attacks – which Ukraine understands came from the Russian occupied Crimea, as well as neighboring regions in Russia itself – Voronezh, Rostov, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Millerovo and Kursk.

Taking to social media, the Polish military alerted its residents that Polish Armed Forces were deployed as a precaution to protect the country from any attack.

“On the night of August 18 to 19, 2025, the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation once again launched missile attacks on Ukrainian territory,” it wrote.

“To ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces has activated all necessary procedures. Polish and allied aircraft have begun operations, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness.”

A burned-out building of Sumy University remains after a Russian airstrike, in Sumy, Ukraine, yesterday (Francisco Richart Barbeira/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

It went on to note that jets from Sweden’s air force ‘helped ensure safety in Polish skies tonight’, with some being stationed in Poland.

During yesterday’s meeting, Trump is understood to have paused the meeting for as much as 40 minutes as he phoned Putin to try and arrange a face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and himself.

It was the main takeaway from the meeting as the Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov noted it would be ‘worthwhile’ for the pair to sit down, and it’s thought Trump will be involved in the meeting.

In hot mic audio shared by CBS News, Trump says: “I think he wants to make a deal for me, as crazy as it sounds.”

‘He’ is thought to be Putin.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/NurPhoto

Anyone who has been following Donald Trump and his announcements will know that many of them will come from Truth Social in posts seemingly written by the president.

And it’s safe to say that Trump has a certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to his posts.

For example, one of his recent messages about Washington DC’s crime rates read: “I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.

“The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”

You may have spotted some random capitalization of words there, which is a common theme for the president’s posts.

The president is very active on Truth Social (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Pointing this out, acclaimed author Stephen King has raised questions about Trump’s literacy skills.

Taking to Twitter on August 17, the It writer said: “Can you possibly trust a President who can’t spell, has serious problems with grammar, and capitalizes at random? I think not. A President who can’t write can’t think. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

King’s comments have left people divided – and it’s not the first time. One person pointed out: “You’re a writer. He’s a businessman, and leader. You ever looked at your doctor’s writing. Do you trust your doctor, given the fact that he can barely scribble?”

Another insisted: “Just because you can write doesn’t say much for a person.”

Stephen King took a swipe at Donald Trump (@StephenKing/Twitter)

A third commented: “Grammar is not a measure of intelligence. Stay in your lane.”

Someone else said: “With all due respect, Stephen, that feels a bit unfair. Plenty of people struggle with spelling or grammar who’d still do a far better job than Trump.

“The issue isn’t typos – it’s the incoherent, erratic way he communicates. That reflects thinking, not just writing.”

But others were more in agreement with King’s sentiments.

“One of the best takes I’ve seen all day,” one person agreed. They added: “His lack of coherent writing ability signals so much more than people are recognizing.”

“A president who confuses Alaska with Russia should not be president,” noted another in the wake of Trump incorrectly telling reporters that he was meeting Vladimir Putin in his home country.

“Stephen, you’re spot on,” added someone else. “A president who can’t spell, who butchers grammar, and sprays random capital letters is not a leader – he’s a global embarrassment.”

What do you think?

Squirrels are often considered cute little woodland creatures, with their furry tails and scampering movements, but some internet users in the US have been left concerned by sightings of the animals in recent weeks after seeing them with unusual growths.

In a post on Reddit on July 31, one user shared a picture of a squirrel and explained they thought it had been ‘eating something’, but then realized the mass was ‘on its face’.

“Any ideas what is going on with this little fella?,” they asked.

The sighting isn’t entirely unique, and similar concerns about squirrels have actually been popping up for the last couple of years.

Squirrels can be very cute when they’re not covered in warts and sores (Getty Stock Photo)

In 2023, residents in Maine could see squirrels with oozing sores and scaly growths, prompting the Bangor Daily News to report that the growths were symptoms of squirrel pox.

Shevenell Webb, wildlife biologist and furbearer specialist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, assured that the disease would ‘run its course’, and issued a warning to anyone who might spot a squirrel with such symptoms.

Webb said: “I would not recommend trying to capture a squirrel that has the virus. It is naturally occurring and will run its course in time.”

The disease can spread between squirrels then they gather in groups, for example around a bird feeder while trying to score an easy meal.

“It’s like when you get a large concentration of people,” Webb said. “If someone is sick and it’s something that spreads easily, others are going to catch it.”

Squirrels have been spotted with unusual wart-like growths (Facebook/Evelyn’s Wildlife Refuge)

“You have one squirrel eating at the feeder that has the virus and its saliva gets on the feeder of the other seeds. Then another squirrel comes along and comes in contact with that saliva — it’s the perfect place to spread squirrel pox.”

Squirrels infected with squirrel pox have a good chance of recovering by themselves, though in extreme cases the lumps can spread to the internal organs, which may be fatal for the animal.

While unfortunate for the squirrels, thankfully, the disease cannot be contracted by humans – though it’s still best to leave the squirrel alone.

“It’s nothing to really worry about,” Webb said. “For the most part, squirrels with squirrel pox are just really ugly to look at.”

The Reddit user who shared their concern recently said that a quick Google search suggested squirrel fibromatosis, another name for squirrel pox, though a fellow Redditor responded to say they didn’t ‘see anything really wrong’.

Squirrel pox can spread at feeders (Getty Stock Photo)

Though Webb identified the issue as chicken pox, experts at Evelyn’s Wildlife Refuge in Virginia have also pointed to another issue that can cause ‘unusual looking skin lumps’ in squirrels – a parasite known as a botfly.

According to the rescue center, this parasite ‘tunnels through the flesh’, causing swollen protrusions.

In a warning of its own, the center added: “Only skilled rehabbers or vets should attempt to extract bots.”

The sighting comes as other US residents were left horrified by the sight of rabbits with what appeared to be ‘tentacles’ growing out of their faces, as a result of a disease called cottontail papilloma virus.

As concerning sightings of animals continue, one Twitter user shared their exasperation, writing: “Zombie Squirrels?! Seriously?! FFS!!”

On July 5, the 30-year-old was traveling between Rzhev in western Russia – roughly a three-hour drive west of Moscow, when a large elk jumped onto the road.

Tragically, the animal came through the windshield of their Porsche Panamera striking the model in the head. The airbags did not inflate as the impact struck the elk’s legs.

Speaking with local news outlet RIA Novosti, her husband Ilya – who she only wed in March this year – said: “An elk jumped out from somewhere, jumped out in front of the car.

“From the moment it jumped out until the impact, a split second passed. I did not have time to do anything.

Kseniya Alexandrova and her husband Ilya pictured on vacation together back in June (Instagram/kseniyaalexandrova)

“The elk flew into the car. The blow hit Ksyusha in the head. She was unconscious, her head was broken, everything was covered in blood.

“The worst thing is that the frontal bones of the skull were broken. It was clear that there was an open craniocerebral injury.”

He explained that his wife went into a deep coma before regaining consciousness.

Ilya went on to provide heartbreaking details of Kseniya’s condition, noting that after she regained consciousness she was still unable to speak as she was placed on life-support.

“One day she suddenly went back into a coma. They diagnosed meningitis, which turned into more severe inflammatory diseases of the brain,” he continued.

“The tests began to deteriorate, and it got to blood sepsis. They were able to restart the heart once… but the next day Kseniya died – they were unable to restart the heart.”

Her death was confirmed on Wednesday (August 13) by her modelling agency, Modus Vivendis, on Instagram – dubbing her ‘extraordinarily bright’ and talented.

The post read: “It is with deep sorrow that we announce that our colleague and friend, model Kseniya Alexandrova, passed away last night.

“Kseniya was bright, talented and extraordinarily bright. She knew how to inspire, support and give warmth to everyone around her. For us she will forever remain a symbol of beauty, kindness and inner strength.

“We sincerely mourn and express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing Kseniya. A bright memory…”