That’s all our coverage on the war in Ukraine for now.

Here’s a round-up of today’s headlines before we go: 

German chancellor calls Russian president

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for an hour, the first time they have had direct contact since December 2022. 

The German government said Olaf Scholz condemned “Russia’s war of aggression” during the call, calling on Putin to end it by withdrawing troops.

While the Kremlin said despite differences of the two leaders, the dialogue was “extremely positive”. 

Putin phone call has opened ‘Pandora’s box’

Reacting to the phone call between Russia and Germany, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Putin has got exactly what he wanted. 

He said the conversation between the two leaders undermined efforts to isolate the Russian leader.

“Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words,” Zelenskyy said.

“And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted: It is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation.”

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said “strong actions, not phone calls” are needed to push the Russian president “towards peace”.

One dead and 10 injured in Ukrainian port city

One person has died and at least 10 others have been injured in an overnight Russian airstrike in Odesa, officials said.

Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of the southern port city, said a multistorey residential building was destroyed in the centre of the city and that high-rise flats and cars were damaged.

While the region’s mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov said the attack temporarily left more than 40,000 people without heating.

Also tonight, the Russian defence ministry said it intercepted a series of Ukrainian drones – 15 of which were in the Kursk region where Ukrainian troops launched a surprise incursion back in August.

Russia to cut off natural gas to Austria

The chancellor of Austria has said “no home will go cold” as Russia’s Gazprom is expected to cut off its natural gas supply to the country from tomorrow.

In a notice published on the central European gas hub platform, Austrian oil and gas company OMV said it had been informed by Gazprom that the Russian gas producer would reduce its deliveries of natural gas to zero from 5am tomorrow morning.

The country is one of the few European states still dependent on Russian gas, as others reduced imports following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.