2 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Second night of Moscow drone raids, Kursk substation hit

Ukrainian forces reportedly smash back across border into Kursk, where Syrski says offensive has achieved most of its goals. What we know on day 1,168Ukraine has launched drones at Moscow for the second night in a row, forcing closure of the capital’s three major airports, Russian officials said early on Wednesday. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said six Ukrainian drones approached Moscow and what he claimed was debris from an intercepted drone fell over one of the key highways leading into the city. Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said it halted flights at airports serving Moscow including Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky.Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation at the town of Rylsk in Russia’s western Kursk region, the regional governor said early on Tuesday, after Russian war bloggers reported Ukrainian forces firing missiles had smashed through the border in Kursk, crossing minefields with armoured vehicles. The Kursk governor, Alexander Khinshtein, said two people w...

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25 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Three million shells coming from our allies, says Zelenskyy

Ukrainian attack over border largely destroys Russian electrical equipment plant; mayor reports drones headed for Moscow. What we know on day 1,167See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine hopes to receive 3m artillery shells from allies and partners in 2025 including 1.8m under a Czech-led programme, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Prague on Sunday. “The Czech artillery initiative is working brilliantly,” the Ukrainian president said. Prague steers a European drive to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine, financed largely by Nato allies. “Not only North Korea is capable of helping [Russia] in the war – we have allies who are helping Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in comments reported by the Kyiv Independent.Zelenskyy added there would be a meeting on Monday with “Czech defence companies”, with details to be announced later. Discussions were under way for a Ukrainian-Czech pilot training school for F16 fighter jets, which could not be established in Ukraine “due to current security concerns”....

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48 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Maritime drone shoots down Russian fighter jet for first time, says Kyiv

Ukrainian military intelligence claims Su-30 destroyed over waters near Russian port city of Novorossiisk, drawing no comment from Moscow. What we know on day 1,166See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine has destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet using a missile fired from a seaborne drone, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, in what it said was the world’s first downing of a combat plane by a maritime drone. The GUR’s statement on social media on Saturday said the fighter had been shot down by a military intelligence unit called Group 13 on Friday over waters near Novorossiisk, a major Russian port city on the Black Sea. The Russian defence ministry did not comment on the Ukrainian claim, but an authoritative Russian blogger believed to be close to the ministry said the jet had been shot down. “The pilots ejected and were picked up by civilian sailors,” the blogger, who goes by the name Rybar, said on Telegram. Meanwhile, the mayor of Novorossiisk declared a state o...

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3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia attacks Kharkiv with drone barrage, injuring 46

Nighttime strikes in four districts prompt fresh appeal from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to boost air defences. What we know on day 1,165See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

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4 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy hails ‘historic’ minerals deal as an equal partnership with US

Ukrainian president says the deal was the result of Vatican meeting with Donald Trump. What we know on day 1,164See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

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5 d. ago US and Ukraine sign deal to set up reconstruction investment fund – Europe live

US treasury department announces deal after reports of last-minute obstacles apparently overcome Ukraine war briefing: US and Kyiv ‘ready to sign’ minerals deal amid uncertainty over last-minute hurdlesIn Spain, harrowing stories have continued to emerge after much of the Iberian Peninsula was plunged into an hours-long blackout earlier this week.Jonathan Bernal, a window washer in Madrid, has detailed how he and a co-worker were cleaning the outside windows of a skyscraper when the power went out. For four hours they ended up stranded on hanging scaffolding, some 240 metres above the city. Continue reading...

Economics

5 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: US and Kyiv ‘ready to sign’ minerals deal amid uncertainty over last

Ukraine’s first deputy PM travels to Washington to sign deal as later reports claim US pushing Ukraine to sign extra documents Kyiv felt were not ready Ukraine and the US said they were ready to sign a minerals deal, amid reports that a last-minute obstacle injected uncertainty into the timing. “Our side is ready to sign. The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes,” US treasury secretary Scott Bessent told reporters. “We’re sure that they will reconsider that and we are ready, if they are.”Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, is on her way to the US to sign the minerals deal, according to a senior source in the Ukrainian presidency. Ukraine’s prime minister, Denis Shmyhal, said on Wednesday that the reworked deal would be signed within the next 24 hours and would have to be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament.But later reports claimed the US was pushing Ukraine to sign additional documents, but that Kyiv felt they were not ready yet. The ...

Economics

6 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: UN slashes humanitarian aid after ‘sharp’ fall in funding

Official says UN and its partners have ‘reprioritised’ operations in Ukraine, amid wider drop in aid funding from the US. What we know on day 1,162Faced with a drastic drop in funding, the United Nations will scale back its humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine, an official from its humanitarian affairs office said on Tuesday. In January, the UN appealed for $2.63bn in funding to assist 6 million people who need aid in Ukraine. But due to a “sharp contraction” in humanitarian funding, “the UN and its partners have further reprioritised” operations in Ukraine to reach 4.8 million people with $1.75bn, Joyce Msuya of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the UN security council.“The objective is to reach those most at risk and most in need, centring on four core response priorities: people near the frontline, evacuations, emergency response after strikes, and aid to the most vulnerable among the internally displaced people,” she said. “Without increased supp...

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7 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy calls Putin’s offer of brief ceasefire ‘manipulation’

Ukraine president urges month-long truce after Russia suggests three-day one to mark a world war two victory. What we know on day 1,161Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for an immediate month-long ceasefire after Vladimir Putin unilaterally announced a three-day truce for next month during a second world war anniversary. The Ukrainian president said: “Now there’s a new attempt at manipulation. For some reason, everyone is supposed to wait for May 8 and only then have a ceasefire to ensure calm for Putin during the parade.” He added: “We value people’s lives and not parades. We believe that the world believes that there is no reason to wait for May 8. And the ceasefire should be not for a few days only to resume the killing afterward.” Ukrainian officials also pointed out that Russia announced a similar truce over the Easter period only to violate it. The Russian president suggested the ceasefire in May to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union in the second world ...

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7 d. ago Spain and Portugal power cut live: Spanish PM hopes power will return soon and tells public to minimise travel and not speculate

Electricity consumption in Spain gradually going back up as grid operator restores energy in more parts of the countryExplainer: what happened and what caused it?Have you been affected by the power outages?We are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Spain and Portugal power outage live: Spanish electricity supply slowly returning as officials rule out cyber

Electricity consumption in Spain gradually going back up as grid operator restores energy in more parts of the countryHave you been affected by the power outages?We are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Spain and Portugal power outage live: warnings of six to 10 hours to restore supplies across Spain

Official from Spanish grid operator says outage is an unprecedented incident and declines to comment on causesHave you been affected by the power outages?We are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Spain and Portugal power outage live: warnings of six to ten hours to restore supplies across Spain

Official from Spanish grid operator says outage is an unprecedented incident and declines to comment on causesWe are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Major power outages across Spain and Portugal hit transport systems, mobile networks, traffic lights and more – Europe live

Cities across Spain and Portugal experience blackouts and transport chaos after power outageWe are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Conclave to choose new Pope to start on 7 May, Vatican confirms – Europe live

Process to decide on successor to Pope Francis will begin next weekWe are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

Economics

7 d. ago Russia claims it is ‘ready’ for Ukraine talks but demands recognition of occupied territories – Europe live

Comments from foreign minister Sergei Lavrov about ‘ownership’ follow suggestions from Trump that Ukraine could cede CrimeaAt the European Commission’s midday press briefing, the chief spokesperson Paula Pinho has just been asked about the EU’s reaction to Donald Trump’s comments over the weekend after he met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral.She said:President Zelensky has been very much aligned with the EU position, and vice versa, we’ve been very much aligned with President Zelensky on the position with regard to peace and negotiations regarding a ceasefire agreement, where absolutely the position of Ukraine is the determining position.We’ve also heard, indeed, the comments by President Trump after these talks, and we welcome those comments that go in the sense of also acknowledging that the attacks of Russia on Ukraine, which, by the way, continued over the weekend, cannot be accepted. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Europe live: Russia claims it is ‘ready’ for Ukraine talks but demands recognition of occupied territories

Comments from foreign minister Sergei Lavrov about ‘ownership’ follow suggestions from Trump that Ukraine could cede CrimeaIn other European developments over the weekend, the National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said he would be ready to step in as the French far-right’s presidential candidate in 2027 if Marine Le Pen is ultimately barred from running.Le Pen was handed a five-year public office ban after a court found her and some members of her party guilty in March of misappropriation of funds. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Trump says he thinks Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea despite previous comments

US president says face-to-face meeting at Vatican improved relations with Ukrainian president and demurs on trust in Vladimir PutinUS President Donald Trump has said he thinks Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea, despite his Ukrainian counterpart’s previous assertions on the Black Sea peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014.Speaking to reporters at an airport in New Jersey on Sunday a day after meeting with Zelenskyy at the Vatican, Trump said “Oh, I think so,” in response to a question on whether he thought Zelenskyy was ready to “give up” the territory. Continue reading...

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8 d. ago Trump news at a glance: President says he wants Putin ‘to stop shooting’ after talks with Zelenskyy

Trump expresses newfound sympathy for his Ukrainian counterpart, saying he ‘wants to do something good for his country’ – key US politics stories from Sunday 27 April at a glanceDonald Trump appears to have warmed to Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the two presidents met at the Vatican, with the US leader emerging from talks with a plea for Vladimir Putin: “stop shooting”.Trump on Sunday said Zelenskyy “wants to do something good” for Ukraine and is “working hard”, adding he was also “surprised and disappointed” that Russia continued to strike Ukraine after discussions between his peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin. Continue reading...

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8 d. ago Trump warms to Zelenskyy after Vatican meeting but is ‘disappointed’ by Russia

US president says face-to-face improved relations with Ukrainian leader and demurs on trust in Vladimir PutinAsked to comment on his meeting at the Vatican with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump on Sunday expressed newfound sympathy for his Ukrainian counterpart, saying he “wants to do something good for his country” and “is working hard”.Reflecting on his conversation with the Ukrainian president in a “beautiful” setting, the US president also said that he was “surprised and disappointed, very disappointed” that Russia had bombed Ukraine after discussions between Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and Trump’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff. “I was very disappointed that missiles were flying, by Russia,” the US president said. Continue reading...

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