Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv strikes Russian tanker in Mediterranean in ‘unprecedented’ attack

The Ukrainian and Polish presidents met in Warsaw on Friday to underline their countries’ unity in the face of Russia. They also signaled progress on historical reconciliation, which had caused tension in bilateral relations in the past.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was welcomed by his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, at the Presidential Palace for a visit intended to ensure that relations with key ally Poland remain stable, regardless of any change in power in Warsaw.

Poland’s liberal government is a solid backer of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk acting as one of the most visceral advocates of Kyiv in international fora. But presidential election results this year indicate that the previous, nationalist Law and Justice party might return to power in 2027.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that talks to end the war in Ukraine are not about imposing a deal on anybody, adding that progress has been made but there is a ways to go.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Rubio added that the last issues are always the hardest.

Russian frustrations cut through a meticulously controlled marathon press conference delivered by President Vladimir Putin on Friday, revealing the hardships facing ordinary people:

Ukraine’s Finance Minister said on Friday that the EU’s 90 billion euro loan was insufficient to fully cover the country’s financial needs, urging partners to continue work on a reparations loan.

“The reparations loan is a systemic, long-term solution. It will ensure sustainable defense capabilities and protect Europe from future conflicts,” Serhiy Marchenko told finance ministers from the G7 countries.

“The risks to Europe from a potential defeat of Ukraine far exceed the risks of introducing the reparations mechanism.”

President Zelensky wrote on social media today to urge allies to take seriously the threat posed by Russia’s Oreshnik missile.

He said that the missile’s relocation to Belarus was “nearing completion”, and that Ukraine is sharing its intelligence with its partners.

“This poses a threat to many European countries, including Poland, Germany, and others,” he said, noting Oreshnik cannot be intercepted by drones and calling for sanctions on countries supplying components.

“If our partners – the United States and others – are making significant diplomatic efforts to end the war, can they also apply pressure on Russia to prevent it from deploying Oreshnik closer to Europe, closer to the borders with Poland? I believe this is something that must be addressed.”

Ukrainian negotiators will start a new round of talks with the US today.

Rustem Umerov, leading Kyiv’s delegation, said European allies would be involved in the talks.

We learned earlier that national security advisors for Britain, France and Germany would be at the White House for talks with their Ukrainian counterpart and the US envoy.

Turkey’s interior ministry said authorities found a Russian reconnaissance drone in a northwestern city on Friday.

The drone was found in Çubuklubala Neighbourhood in the İzmit district of Kocaeli, they said on social media.

The UAV was initially identified as a Russian Orlan-10 drone used for recon missions and surveillance. The investigation is still ongoing.

Ukraine’s security service has shared footage of the moment it says drones blew up an empty Russian tanker in neutral waters off the coast of Libya:

Russia’s central bank says it is not going to withdraw its lawsuit against Euroclear, the Belgium-based company at the centre of the EU’s row on frozen Russian assets.

The bank said on Friday they were considering ‘defending our interests’ in international courts.

As a reminder, Europe today agreed to give Ukraine a loan worth £79bn after failing to agree on using frozen assets worth €210bn.

Vladimir Putin was in Moscow today to speak with the public about the things that matter to them.

Traditionally, these talks last several hours and focus on domestic issues. This year, it was the war in Ukraine that dominated.

Since the event is highly choreographed, that may be an effort to win over and reassure the public before heading to the US to discuss their latest draft of peace proposals.

Asked by a soldier’s widow about the slowness in paying out a pension, Putin apologised and vowed the issue would be quickly solved – an exchange typical of the event, which he often uses to show his ability to solve a wide array of problems.

Putin stressed the strength of Russia’s position on the battlefield and reiterated his maximalist demands of Ukraine. He spoke again of the “root causes” of the war and threatened to achieve Russia’s goals by force if not diplomacy.