In depth: Trump says Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than Ukraine's. Is he right - and what does this mean?
As mentioned a little earlier, among the comments made by Donald Trump during his appearance alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday was one referencing the relative number of deaths in the Ukraine war.
While conceding that Vladimir Putin "has let me down", the US president said: "He's killing many people, and he's losing more people than he's killing.
"Frankly, the Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers."
The remarks represent a significant shift in tone from Trump towards Putin, who many observers accuse the US leader of appeasing - while simultaneously being manipulated by his Russian counterpart.
However, what was unclear was whether the comments also offered us valuable insight into more recent US intelligence assessments of the relative rate of casualties among Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Are more Russian than Ukrainian soldiers being killed?
While it is notoriously difficult to establish casualty numbers with absolute confidence, something that all estimates appear to confirm is that Russia has lost many more service members since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion in 2022.
A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies released in June indicated that nearly one million Russian casualties had been recorded - a grisly milestone that Ukrainian officials subsequently said had been passed later that month.
Perhaps predictably, this figure was denied by the Kremlin.
In January, US Intelligence officials estimated that 700,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.
This compares to the figure of around 400,000 Ukrainian casualties estimated by CSIS, the UK's Ministry of Defence and US officials.
Why are casualty numbers so difficult to determine?
The number of people killed on each side is a closely guarded state secret, subject to manipulation for strategic and propaganda purposes.
As is the case in all conflicts, the two nations have motivations to inflate enemy casualties while minimising their own.
The situation is further confused by the different methodologies employed by organisations and analysts to make the estimates - with some producing inconsistent results with varying degrees of reliability.
There is also the problem of incomplete data. Many injured and killed soldiers are left on the battlefield, and it is widely suggested that Ukraine's large number of missing-in-action personnel further complicates accurate accounting.
Why are so many more Russian soldiers being killed?
Given Russia's advantage in terms of military might and resources in general, Ukraine might be expected to have suffered more casualties than its invaders.
However, a number of factors have led to the wide disparity in the number of service members killed.
Firstly and arguably most importantly, forces that are on the offensive - as is the case for Russia's invading troops - generally tend to lose more troops.
Analysts have also suggested that Moscow is more prone to deploying large numbers of soldiers to the frontline in an effort to gain an advantage - but in a way that leaves those soldiers more vulnerable.
Other significant reasons include the apparent lack of effective preparation and planning from Russia before launching its invasion, which had a number of knock-on effects.
Most commentators say Putin and his senior military officials drastically underestimated Ukraine - both in practical terms and regarding morale and the level of motivation to defend their homeland - resulting in a shambolic start to the conflict for Russia's army.
This also allowed Kyiv plenty of time to mobilise and prepare.
While the US has withdrawn much of its support for Ukraine since Trump returned to power following his election win almost a year ago, the country has benefited from Western support and intelligence information.
Does this mean Ukraine is winning the war?
In short, no.
Russia's population (around 143 million) is four times bigger than Ukraine's (38 million), allowing Moscow to increase the size of its invading forces despite the high rate of casualties.
It has also conducted its first draft since the Second World War, with prisoners among those enlisted in the army - while people accused of crimes have had charges dismissed in exchange for them agreeing to sign up.
There are also the estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers sent to fight alongside Moscow's forces in Ukraine.
In January, a military analyst familiar with Western assessments told the New York Times there were more than 400,000 Russians facing about 250,000 Ukrainians across the front - and that the gap between the armies was growing.
Putin said yesterday that 700,000 Russian service members were currently on the frontlines - although that claim should be viewed with some suspicion, for reasons outlined above.
So is it just a matter of time until Russia triumphs?
The consensus among experts is that Russia has held the initiative in the war for the better part of the last 12 months, despite its high number of casualties.
Having said this, leading thinktank the Institute for the Study of War says a Russian victory "is not inevitable".
"Ukraine and the West can leverage several key Russian weaknesses to force Putin to change his calculus and engage in good-faith negotiations," the analysts said in their latest update on the conflict.
"Russian gains on the battlefield have come at a high cost... Russian forces have been advancing at a creeping pace throughout 2025, and Russia's casualty rates have been disproportionately high compared to the amount of territory seized."
