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European leaders to focus on future of European economy as Donald Tusk says if words were bullets, Europe would have the world’s strongest powerCharles Michel, the European Council president, opened today’s session.He welcomed Enrico Letta, who prepared a report on the future of Europe’s single market for the leaders’ consideration. Continue reading...

Prosecutors accuse suspects of working with Russian secret service in attempt to undermine support for UkraineEurope live – latest news updatesTwo Russian nationals have been arrested in southern Germany suspected of plotting sabotage attacks on US military facilities, German prosecutors announced on Thursday.The men, named as Dieter S and Alexander J, are suspected of operating as Russian spies on behalf of the Kremlin, according...

Three missile strikes launched on Chernihiv, killing and wounding civilians, says governor Vyacheslav ChausPresumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Polish president Andrzej Duda on Wednesday in New York, reports the Asssociated Press (AP). The planned dinner meeting, confirmed by a person familiar with the matter according to the AP, comes as European leaders prepare for the possibility that Trump...

In today’s newsletter: As the crisis in the Middle East shifts resources away from the Russian invasion, Zelenskiy is calling for more money, weapons and attention• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.As soon as Iran launched its aerial attack on Israel, western allies coordinated a rapid, united military and diplomatic response. The US, Britain, France and others intercepted more than...

Head of IAEA issues warning as Ukraine and Russia trade accusations over Europe’s biggest nuclear plantThousands of people in Ukraine were left without power on Tuesday after strong winds and heavy rain damaged electrical infrastructure, authorities said.“Due to the bad weather, 173 settlements in four regions are without power supply,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said. Continue reading...

Andriy Kobolyev calls for more weapons after Russia destroys one of Ukraine’s largest power plantsA dramatic rise in European energy prices is inevitable if the Russian destruction of Ukrainian energy infrastructure continues unabated, the former chief executive of Ukraine’s state-owned oil company has warned.Andriy Kobolyev, a former head of Naftogaz, said in an interview with the Guardian: “Russia is trying to wage a global...

Kyiv running short of missile defence systems while US military aid dries up Ukraine’s air defences are being overwhelmed by concentrated waves of Russian bombing aimed at its power stations, acknowledged a senior presidential adviser after the destruction of an entire plant on Thursday.Mykhailo Podolyak said Moscow was adopting new tactics of attacking power stations with up to “10 or 12 missiles at a...

Speaker Mike Johnson has delayed aid for Ukraine for months in effort to include Republican demands in packageHere are some of the latest images coming through from photo agencies:Russian forces fired 54 missiles and 126 air strikes, and carried out 95 shellings on Ukrainian troops and settlements yesterday, engaging Ukrainian forces in 78 combat clashes, the general staff of the Ukraine Armed Forces said...

Air force commander says 14 of 17 attack drones and two guided missiles targeting Odesa and Mykolaiv region were destroyedAn EU court has removed war-related sanctions against prominent billionaires Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman, in a surprise victory for the Russian oligarchs in their fight against western sanctions.The European court ruled that the European council did not present enough evidence to establish that the...

The UK foreign secretary’s Trump dinner appeared to fail to bring support for Ukraine, and his Washington meetings don’t look any more promisingWhatever happened at Mar-a-Lago between David Cameron and Donald Trump on Monday night, was clearly going to stay in Mar-a-Lago.Dinner at the Trump Florida residence was always going to be a stiff test of the UK foreign secretary’s influence over the former...

British foreign secretary talked with Republican presidential candidate following Trump’s repeated questioning of US aid to UkraineChina’s foreign minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in China on Tuesday, underlining the ever-friendly relationship between Moscow and Beijing.Wang said that China and Russia would continue to strengthen international cooperation and work together to maintain the stability of supply chains. The two sides agreed...

Watchdog condemns ‘reckless’ attack after inspectors find damage at Russian-controlled power stationRussia and Ukraine have each accused the other of launching kamikaze drones at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in an incident condemned by the International Atomic Energy Agency for recklessly endangering safety.The nuclear watchdog said onsite inspectors had seen the damage caused by drone detonations at three locations, including “superficial scorching” at the...

Rafael Grossi says three direct hits against the main reactor containment structures ‘significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident’See all our Ukraine war coverageThe head of the UN’s atomic watchdog agency has condemned a drone strike on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, saying such attacks “significantly increase the risk of a major...

International Atomic Energy Agency warns about safety after Russia says Ukrainian drone detonated at nuclear power plantSee all our Ukraine war coverageThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed on Sunday by authorities at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that a drone detonated on site today.“IAEA experts have been informed by ZNPP that a drone detonated on site today. Such detonation is consistent with...

‘We are convinced there will be no lasting peace if it is not negotiated with the Ukrainians,’ says France’s foreign minister Stéphane SéjournéUkrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries are pushing up the cost of crude oil, Reuters reports.Brent crude was 25 cents, or 0.3%, higher at $87.25 a barrel this morning, after rising 2.4% last week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $83.44...

Online footage show jet on fire as Ukrainian security expert claims it was shot downNato member Romania said it had found fragments of what appeared to be a drone on a farm near the river Danube and the border with Ukraine late on Thursday.Russia has been striking targets in western and central Ukraine with missile and drone attacks conducted at night. Continue reading...

Ukraine’s foreign minister calls veto ‘guilty plea’ amid claims Pyongyang is aiding Moscow’s war against KyivRussia has blocked the renewal of a UN panel monitoring sanctions against North Korea, weeks after the body said it was investigating reports of arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang.The move was met with a flurry of criticism, including by Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who took to social...

Kyiv’s forces shoot down 26 drones overnight as Russian president says suggestion of attacks on nearby Nato states is ‘drivel’Russian president Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence chief paid a visit to North Korea this week to deepen bilateral cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang and discuss broader regional security, Russia’s spy service said on Thursday according to Reuters.Sergei Naryshkin, the head the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence...

Head of Ukrainian air force says they were able to shoot down 10 out of 13 drones launched overnight by Moscow’s forcesKyrgyzstan’s foreign ministry has urged citizens of the central Asian nation to put off unnecessary travel to Russia following the Crocus City Hall terror attack, Reuters reports.The massacre has increased existing anti-immigrant sentiment in Russia, especially towards migrant labourers from the predominantly Muslim...

Footage of four gunmen appears to support Islamic State’s claim that it masterminded the worst terrorist attack in Russia in two decades. But the Kremlin has put Ukraine in the frame. Andrew Roth reportsThe attack on Crocus concert hall near Moscow was the worst act of terrorism carried out in Russia in more than 20 years. More than 130 people were killed after gunmen...

Islamic State released footage of Friday’s deadly attack, even as Russia sought to blame Ukraine, which Kyiv deniesAFP journalists have reported hearing several explosions in the centre of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as officials urged residents there to take shelter.The explosions sounded at about 10:30am (0830 GMT) after almost a dozen people were injured in a Russian drone strike on southern Ukraine overnight and...

Footage of gunmen reinforces Islamic State’s claim to have masterminded worst terror attack on Russia in two decadesFour suspects have appeared in court in Moscow charged over the terrorist attack on the Crocus City concert hall on Friday that left 137 people dead.The men were officially identified as citizens of Tajikistan, the Tass state news agency said, and were remanded in custody for two...

No risk of dam breach, Ukraine’s state hydropower company says, after Russian on dam in ZaporizhzhiaRussia regards itself to be in a state of war due to the West’s intervention on Ukraine’s side, the TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, Reuters reported.The EU is set to impose a tariff of up to 50% on Russia grain imports amid fears that...

Ukraine could receive the first €1bn of interest on the sequestered assets by early JulyEU leaders have agreed in principle to commandeer a large majority of the profits generated from frozen Russian assets and give them to Ukraine.The proposal could generate €3bn (£2.6bn) this year and the first billion could be released to Ukraine by July, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen,...