Browsing: Ukraine

At least 5,000 people, mainly teenagers, have been arrested while dozens of people, including students and teachers, have been injured

Friedrich Merz arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv by special train on Sunday morning. The visit had not been publicly announced beforehand. Alongside Economy Minister Katherina Reiche, the delegation includes around ten representatives of German companies from the defence and energy sectors.

Russian strikes killed at least four people in and around Ukraine’s capital on Wednesday, authorities said, in a barrage of attacks which hit the city’s energy infrastructure and cut power.

Ukraine has urged the European Union to tap into the immobilised Russian assets to help plug the country’s financial and military shortfall next year, which could hit a staggering $78 billion (€68.77 billion) if allies fail to step up their contributions.

Ukraine has cut its $27 billion (€23.7 billion) funding shortfall to $20 billion (€17.6 billion) through austerity measures, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said on Sunday, although he warned that it “remains an open question” how to plug the remaining gap.

Hold the fort: European defence ministers are meeting in Brussels this morning to discuss more support for Ukraine as well as fortifying the bloc’s own skies and seas, my colleague Angela Skujins reports from down the road at the European Council. It comes as Russia continues to pound Ukraine, with the impact also bleeding out…

Russia has long regarded Belarus as a convenient reserve for topping up its manpower in the war against Ukraine, especially after suffering heavy losses at the front.