Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky calls for tough sanctions on Russia ahead of meeting with Trump

Frozen Russian assets could be used to fund billions of pounds worth of Ukraine’s war effort, Rachel Reeves will announce.

The chancellor will say it is the “right to explore all options to support Ukraine”, at a meeting with her European counterparts in Copenhagen on Saturday.

It comes after Russia provoked global outrage when its jets flew into Estonian airspace on Friday.

The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin with the full report:

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and its partners have laid the groundwork for long-term security guarantees and that he hopes to gauge how close they are to finalizing such commitments during next week’s meetings in New York.

He said European nations are prepared to move forward with a framework if the United States remains closely engaged. He noted that discussions have taken place at multiple levels, including among military leadership and general staffs from both Europe and the US.

“I would like to receive signals for myself on how close we are to understanding that the security guarantees from all partners will be the kind we need,” Mr Zelensky said.

He said sanctions against Russia must remain on the table if peace efforts stall, and that he plans to press the issue in talks with Trump.

“If the war continues and there is no movement toward peace, we expect sanctions,” he said, adding that Trump is looking for strong steps from Europe.

Nato’s North Atlantic Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace, two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday, specifying the date that so far has only been described as early next week.

Tallinn said three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission on Friday and stayed for a total of 12 minutes before they were forced to withdraw.

Estonia requested consultations under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty after the incident that it described as an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion.

Article 4 states that Nato members will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.

Russia’s Defence Ministry denied its jets violated Estonian airspace, saying they flew over neutral waters.

With tensions already high because of the war in Ukraine, the incursion came just over a week after more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night of September 9-10.

That prompted Nato jets to down some of them and Western officials to say Russia was testing the alliance’s readiness and resolve.

The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Estonia’s accusation that Russian fighter jets violated its airspace, diplomats said.

Russia’s Defence Ministry has denied its jets violated Estonian airspace, saying they flew over neutral waters

Russian military aircraft violated Estonian airspace on Friday, ignoring signals from Italian jets on NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission, a senior Estonian military official confirmed.

The 12-minute incursion represents the latest test of the alliance’s response to Russian airborne threats, following around 20 Russian drones entering Polish airspace on 10 September.

Russia’s Defence Ministry denied the breach, but Tallinn dismissed this, citing radar and visual confirmation. Officials suggested the incident could be a tactic to divert Western resources from Ukraine.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said NATO’s borders were being tested for a reason.

In a post on X, she said: “Three russian fighter jets over Tallinn is one more hard proof that #EasternSentry is long due.

“PS. Türkiye set an example 10 years ago. Some food for thought.”

In 2015, a Russian aircraft was shot down by the Turkish air force after it was claimed to have violated its airspace.

Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc has been crowned the inaugural winner of Intervision, a new Russian song contest widely perceived as a political counterpoint to Eurovision.

Phuc triumphed at Moscow’s Live Arena on Saturday night, lifting the crystal cup trophy after a show overflowing with “thundering vocals and pyrotechnics.” His winning entry, “Phu Dong Thien Vuong,” a dynamic blend of pop, rap, and dubstep, secured him the grand prize of 30 million rubles, beating second-place Kyrgyzstan.

Two civilians were killed and four injured in Russia’s Belgorod region in Ukrainian attacks, the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on Telegram on Sunday.

We earlier reported Gladkov’s statement that one woman died when a shell hit a private house in the settlement of Shebekino.

In an update, another man was killed in a drone attack on Rakitnoe, he said.

Belgorod region has come under regular attack from Kyiv’s forces since Russia ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

The Kremlin was quoted as saying on Sunday that Britain was one of the leaders of the camp which wants to continue the war in Ukraine, Russian state news agency RIA reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that attempts by Western powers to increase the pressure on Russia would not work and would not help attempts to end the war.