50 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Peace push fizzles as Witkoff leaves Moscow with no sign of deal

Zelenskyy says ready to meet Trump and that Russia is hoping US loses interest; Briton held in Ukraine on Russian spy allegations. What we know on day 1,379See all our Ukraine war coverageSteve Witkoff was reported to have flown out of Moscow on Tuesday night after Kremlin aides said no progress was made towards ending the Ukraine war. It came after two weeks of diplomatic chaos and haggling beginning with the Russian leaking of a 28-point wishlist that Moscow had discussed with the US, followed by frenzied efforts involving Ukraine and Europe to produce a counter-proposal more acceptable to Kyiv.Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that after their five-hour meeting the two sides were “neither further nor closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine. There is a lot of work to be done.” On Tuesday, a video feed showed Vladimir Putin asking Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy, about a short tour of Moscow he had taken before the meeting, with Witkoff calling it a “magnificent city”. The feed then c...

Economics

1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: defeating Russia an ‘illusion’, says Putin, as he welcomes Trump deal

Russia’s president says US-led plan ‘could form the basis of a final peace settlement’, bolstering concerns in Europe about one-sided nature of US-brokered deal. What we know on day 1,368See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageVladimir Putin says Ukraine is being unrealistic if it does not accept the US plan to end the war, declaring: “Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still under illusions and dream of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield”. The positive response from the Russian president adds weight to the views of European and Ukrainian officials that the deal amounts to a “capitulation”. Addressing Russia’s national security council, Putin called the 28-point plan “a new version” and “a modernised plan” of what was discussed with the US ahead of his Alaska summit with Donald Trump in August, and said Moscow has received it. Putin said the plan “could form the basis of a final peace settlement”.Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reac...

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv seeks $44bn from Russia for climate

The move marks the first time a country is claiming damages for such an increase in emissions. What we know on day 1,365See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageUkraine plans to seek nearly $44bn from Russia for the damage linked to an increase in climate-warming emissions from the ongoing war, a government minister told Reuters. The move marks the first time a country is claiming damages for such an increase in emissions, including from the fossil fuels, cement and steel used in fighting the war, and from the destruction of trees through resultant fires. “A lot of damage was caused to water, to land, to forests,” said Pavlo Kartashov, the country’s deputy minister for economy, environment, and agriculture. “We have huge amounts of additional CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases,” Kartashov said in an interview on the sidelines of the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil.Russian drones struck an apartment building in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, triggering a fire, injuring five peo...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv to buy 100 Rafale warplanes, drones and air defence systems from France

Zelenskyy hails ‘a historic deal’; families of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia on Monday sounded the alarm about their fate. What we know on day 1,364See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageUkraine on Monday signed a letter of intent to buy up to 100 Rafale warplanes, drones, air defence systems and other key equipment from France over the next 10 years, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s long-term security. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who signed the document with French president Emmanuel Macron, called it “a historic deal” at a joint news conference at the Elysée presidential palace. The letter is a preliminary commitment of Ukraine stating its interest in buying a series of French defence equipment.Several families of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia on Monday sounded the alarm about their fate, saying all contact had been cut off, as they called for international support. During a rare news conference in Paris, Darina Repina, ...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Greece signs deal to supply gas to Kyiv over ‘difficult’ winter

Agreement comes as Volodymyr Zelenskyy starts European tour aimed at shoring up Ukrainian energy supply and defences. What we know on day 1,363See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageGreece has signed a deal with Ukraine to supply US-origin liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the country amid the crippling of its energy infrastructure from Russian strikes. Sunday’s agreement came as Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Athens at the start of a European tour aimed at shoring up Ukraine’s defences and energy supply ahead of winter. The deal – to run from December until March 2026 – “marks an essential step in strengthening regional energy cooperation and European energy security”, said a joint statement from the Ukrainian president and the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after they met. The deal would make it possible to “support Ukraine in the midst of a difficult winter”, they said. The deal came as Ukrainian energy infrastructure was damaged by Russian drone strikes overnight into Sund...

Economics

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Drones hit Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery

Russian attacks kill four on Saturday; Serbian government faces deadline to oust Russian owners from state oil company. What we know on day 1,362 Ukraine’s army said on Saturday it struck a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region near Moscow, as “part of efforts to reduce the enemy’s ability to launch missile and bomb strikes”. Explosions and a large fire were observed at the site, said the military. Ryazan is located about 200km (125 miles) south-east of Moscow.Russian officials often do not admit such attacks have succeeded, and the Ryazan governor, Pavel Malkov, adopted the standard line that Ukrainian drones were shot down but debris happened to hit the target. “Falling debris caused a fire on the premises of one enterprise,” Malkov said. A wave of 25 Ukrainian drones attacked the region, Malkov said.Officials in southern Ukraine said four people were killed by Russian attacks on Saturday. Prosecutors in the Kherson region said “three civilians are known to have been killed” i...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: mass production of Ukrainian ‘Octopus’ interceptor drones begins

Defence ministry says locally developed technology tested in combat and shown to work against Russia’s deadly Shaheds. What we know on day 1,361See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageUkraine says it has started mass production of its new domestically developed interceptor drones to strengthen air defences. The first three manufacturers had begun production and 11 more were preparing to set up production lines, the defence ministry said on Friday. The drones would be based on a domestically developed technology called “Octopus” to intercept Shahed drones. It had been tested in combat and proved to be working “at night, under jamming and at low altitudes”, the ministry said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the goal is to manufacture up to 1,000 of the interceptors a day. Russia has been steadily increasing the number of drones it uses in a single strike on Ukraine.Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described Russia’s latest attack against Ukraine as “deliberate, calculated and wicked” aft...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Flamingo flies into battle, Zelenskyy defers to commanders over Pokrovsk

President suggests leaders on the ground will decide whether holding city is costing too many lives; Kyiv apartments hit in ‘massive’ attack. What we know on day 1,360 Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Fire sale of Lukoil assets before start of US sanctions on Russia

Foreign properties may be nationalised if Lukoil doesn’t sell, or the proceeds frozen if it does; Zelenskyy grapples with corruption scandal fallout. What we know on day 1,359The foreign oil refineries and other assets of Russian company Lukoil are attracting potential buyers as time runs out to strike cheap deals before US sanctions come into force on 21 November. The sanctions, put in place in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, have already disrupted Lukoil’s operations in Iraq, at pump stations in Finland and a refinery in Bulgaria. Kazakhstan’s state firm KazMunayGas is studying a bid for Lukoil’s assets in the country, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Shell is interested in Lukoil deepwater assets in Ghana and Nigeria, two other sources said. Shell declined to comment to Reuters.The government of Moldova has started talks to nationalise Lukoil’s infrastructure at Chisinau airport, said the airport’s director, Serdgiu Spoiala. Bulgaria is working towards seiz...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Top banker’s straight talk to Putin over troubled economy

Sberbank head German Gref gives unusually frank assessment; Zaporizhzhia situation has ‘significantly worsened’, says Syrskyi. What we know on day 1,358 Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: battle for Pokrovsk ‘raging on’ as Russia claims advance on town to east

Kyiv says Moscow’s forces carrying out ‘fast manoeuvres’ in push for key city, while sides give conflicting reports of combat around Myrnohrad. What we know on day 1,357See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Lavrov reappears, ready to offer Marco Rubio same demands

Ukraine answers Russia’s strikes on energy grid; Zelenskyy tells the Guardian that King Charles eased Trump tensions. What we know on day 1,356 Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia unleashes attack on energy infrastructure, triggering power cuts

Ukrainian minister says Moscow is ‘massively attacking’ grid; Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian troops gathering near north-eastern city. What we know on day 1,354See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Ukrainian court jails Russian soldier for killing PoW in landmark sentence

The soldier is the first to be jailed for such a crime after being found guilty of shooting dead a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered in Zaporizhzhia region. What we know on day 1,353See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageA Ukrainian court has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison after finding him guilty of killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war – the first time Ukraine has jailed a suspect on such charges. The court in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia found Dmitry Kurashov, 27, guilty of shooting dead Vitalii Hodniuk, a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered in January 2024 when his dugout was captured by Russian forces. Kurashov, who was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces along with other Russian troops soon after and pleaded guilty in court, although he later told reporters he was innocent and wanted to be exchanged in a prisoner swap. He told Reuters after the ruling on Thursday that he did not plan to appeal. The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said criminal...

Events

4 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Bulgaria moves to seize Russian refinery while Poland seeks to be US gas conduit

Lukoil’s Burgas plant is Bulgaria’s only refinery; Slovakia running out of reasons to buy Russian gas as US import deal takes shape. What we know on day 1,352Bulgaria is preparing to seize control of Lukoil’s Burgas oil refinery and sell it to a new owner after the Russian oil company came under US sanctions, according to Bulgarian media reports. Burgas is Bulgaria’s only oil refinery and as part of Lukoil is at risk of having to shut down because of the sanctions. The US joined Britain last month in imposing sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, over Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Legislation was being drafted to allow the seizure, Bulgarian outlet Mediapool reported on Wednesday. Lukoil said last week that it was moving to sell foreign assets because of the sanctions.With international action progressively choking off Russia’s petroleum exports, Poland said on Wednesday that it was working on a deal to import liquefied natural gas from the US to su...

Events

last month Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy visits troops near embattled Pokrovsk

Deep Ukrainian drone strikes hit petrochemical plant 1,300km inside Russia and Lukoil refinery east of Moscow. What we know on day 1,351 Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops in the Pokrovsk area of Donetsk oblast on Tuesday. “I met with our warriors at the command post of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine Azov, which is conducting a defensive operation in the Dobropillya sector,” said the Ukrainian president, referring to a town about 20km (12 miles) from Pokrovsk.Russian forces had pushed further into Pokrovsk and its environs, though much of it remained beyond firm control of either side, mapping by the Ukrainian project DeepState indicated on Tuesday. “The situation remains critical,” said Deepstate, adding that in some districts Russian forces were digging in and building up positions.The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its most recent assessment at time of writing, posted on 3 November: “Russian forces continue to advance in the Pokrovsk direction and ap...

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