Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin makes demands for Black Sea ceasefire despite launching huge drone assault

UN Security Council members met in New York today to hear updates on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine as Russia continues to bombard the country.

Hungary’s foreign minister belives Russia is committed to peace, according to Russian state media.

Peter Szijjarto made the remarks in a recent trip to Moscow, saying Hungary also supported an end to the conflict with Ukraine.

“Today, I observed that Russia is also committed to the success of these talks, which gives us great hope for reaching a sustainable and lasting ceasefire, ultimately leading to a peace agreement,” he said in remarks reported in Tass.

World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Odesa:

Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned Russia against any attacks on Nato member countries.

Speaking in the Polish capital of Warsaw akongside the country’s prime mninister Donald Tusk, he said the Russian President shouldn’t assume he could get away with expanding his war beyond Ukraine.

“If anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an attack on Poland or on any other ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce alliance. Our reaction will be devastating. This has to be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and anyone else who wants to attack us,” Rutte said.

Mark Almond has picked apart the ceasefire deal, writing that so far, Volodymyr Zelensky has made all the running, while Vladimir Putin reaps all the benefits:

Many observers are dismissing the Black Sea ceasefire mediated by the Americans as an insignificant step that shows how far from peace Russia and Ukraine still are.

But from the Kremlin’s point of view, what seems technical actually has strategic advantages.

Russia and Ukraine agreed yesterday to halt attacks in the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister said the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has agreed to give the country €270 million (£226 million) for gas supplies to “help Ukraine remain resilient”.

Denys Shmyhal wrote on X: “The Board of Directors of @EBRD has agreed to provide Ukraine with 270 million euros for the purchase of gas for the next two heating seasons.

“In addition, the Government of Norway will provide 140 million euros via the EBRD. We expect to sign the relevant agreements soon.

“We are grateful to our partners for quickly developing a solution that will help Ukraine to remain resilient.”

The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff has accused Russia of ‘just playing games’ after the Kremlin said a Black Sea ceasefire would only begin if its conditions were met.

“We demonstrated we are very serious; the Americans understood,” he told Reuters.

While Mr Zelensky said the agreement to halt attacks on the Black Sea would take effect immediately, a Kremlin spokesperson said they would begin once conditions it agreed to with the US were met, including the lifting of some sanctions.

Mr Yermak said this was indicative of Russia’s approach to peace talks.

“Russia is just playing games,” he said.

“President Trump wants to end this war, this is great. Russia does not want to end this war.”

Russia has convicted 23 Ukrainians on terror charges, including former fighters as well as cooks and support personnel in a trial Kyiv denounced as a sham.

A Russian court announced the verdict for 24 Ukrainian prisoners of war from the ‘Azov’ battalion, who were all charged with staging a coup and organising terrorist organisation activities.

The defendants were sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony for a term of 13 to 23 years.

In-person verdicts were issued to 12 defendants, and 11 defendants were sentenced in absentia – they had been returned to Ukraine in organised prisoner swaps.

Eight of the convicted were women. The criminal case against one defendant was closed due to his death.