President Emmanuel Macron will on Monday host Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks in Paris, with France raising the prospect of imposing new sanctions on Russia to “exhaust its economy”. The two leaders will discuss “the conditions for a just and lasting peace”, the French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said on Saturday. “We will welcome President Zelensky to Paris on Monday to move the negotiations forward,” Barrot said in comments to the La Tribune Dimanche newspaper to be published on Sunday. “Peace is within reach, if (Russian President) Vladimir Putin abandons his delusional hope of reconstituting the Soviet empire by first subjugating Ukraine,” he added. In a warning to Moscow, Barrot added: “Vladimir Putin must accept the ceasefire or accept exposing Russia to new sanctions that will exhaust its economy, as well as intensified European support for Ukraine.”
Ukrainian naval drones hit two tankers operating under sanctions in the Black Sea as they headed to a Russian port to load up with oil destined for foreign markets, an official said on Saturday. The two oil tankers, identified as the Kairos and Virat, were empty and sailing to Novorossiysk, a major Russian Black Sea oil terminal, the official said. The strikes on the tankers represent a different kind of attack. Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries for months, but using long-range aerial drones to strike far behind the frontlines. Kyiv has repeatedly called on the west to take action against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, which the Ukrainian government says is helping Moscow export large quantities of oil to fund its war.
Six people were killed and dozens were wounded by a Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine. Nearly 600 drones and 36 rockets were fired into the country, Dan Sabbagh and Jane Clinton report. The attack cut power to the western half of the city, leaving at least 500,000 residents without electricity. Emergency crews have restored power to more than 400,000 households. Two waves of attacks could be heard across the capital, the first starting at about 1am and the second at about 7am before an all-clear was given just before 9.30am.
Moldova closed its airspace for about an hour overnight after a drone incursion that its president denounced on Saturday, accusing Russia of flying across the country to attack Ukraine. Earlier this week, Moldova said a drone had crashed on its soil, with six drones in total overflying its territory. The defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday airspace had been “closed for approximately one hour and 10 minutes” just before 11:00pm local time on Friday (2100 GMT). The ministry said the “emergency measure” came after two unidentified drones illegally flew over Moldovan territory, “creating a direct threat to aviation safety”.