Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says ‘Putin is afraid of the US but not Europe’ in latest attack on allies

Is the UK really ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine? Britain’s dwindling military might in numbers

Russia frees French political scholar in a prisoner swap for a basketball player

Why the UK and Nato’s nuclear threat ‘isn’t enough to deter Putin’

Putin branded the ‘Anti-Christ’ by church leaders after claiming Ukraine war is ‘holy mission’

Key Points

• Russia says it attacked Ukraine with Oreshnik hypersonic missile
• What is the Oreshnik missile?
• Death toll rises to four in Ukraine as Russia pounds Kyiv with drones and missiles
• Russia hits Ukraine with 278 missiles and drones in overnight attack
• Zelensky warns Russia is 'betting on winter warfare' as new attack looms - watch

Russia claims control over village in Zaporizhzhia region

Russian troops have taken control of the village of Zelenyi in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Moscow’s Defence Ministry said on Friday.

The ministry also said that between January 3 and 9, it had carried out four massive group strikes on Ukraine's military and energy facilities, drone launch sites and ammunition depots.

The Independent could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

Trump says Putin 'fears the US but not Europe'

Donald Trump has said that Vladimir Putin “fears the US” but not Europe in his latest attack on Washington’s closest allies.

In comments likely to cause concern in Europe, Trump said that a mission to capture the Russian President mirroring the operation to seize Nicolas Maduro would “not be necessary”.

Trump told reporters: “Putin is not afraid of Europe. He's afraid of the United States of America as led by me. There's no fear of Europe.”

Europe must take immediate action, says Ukrainian foreign minister

We can bring you more from Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, who earlier warned Russia’s use of an Oreshnik missile marked a “grave threat” to Europeean security.

He has also called on international partners to take immediate action increasing pressure on Moscow following the latest attack.

"New rounds of tough sanctions to deprive Russia of resources for terror and war,” Mr Sybiha wrote in a post on X. “New packages of defence assistance for Ukraine to better protect our people and push back the invaders. New steps to ensure accountability for Russian crimes."

He also called for “strong” public condemndation of the attack, “especially from those who recently responded with concerns to the fake 'Putin residence attack'."

What is the Oreshnik missile?

The Oreshnik, whose name means Hazel Tree, is an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile that Russia has fired only once before against Ukraine, in November 2024.

On that occasion it was equipped only with dummy warheads and therefore caused limited damage, Ukrainian sources said, in what was effectively a test.

If the overnight attack carried explosive warheads, it would mark the first time that Russia has used the Oreshnik with full destructive intent. The strike targeted what Russia called critical infrastructure in Ukraine, though the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Experts say the novel feature of the Oreshnik is that it can carry multiple warheads capable of simultaneously striking different targets - usually associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The missile is based on the RS-26 Rubezh, which Russia had originally developed as an intercontinental missile.

Like many Russian weapons systems, it is capable of carrying nuclear as well as conventional warheads, but there was no suggestion of any nuclear component to the overnight attack.

Watch: Kyiv and Lviv struck by drones and missiles after Zelensky warns of ‘massive’ attack

Russian drone strikes hit foreign-flagged vessels in Odesa, says Kyiv

Russia attacked two foreign-flagged civilian vessels with drones in the southern Odesa region, killing a Syrian national and injuring others, Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Friday.

He added in a statement that one ship heading to the port of Chornomorsk was under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the other, near the Odesa port, was under the flag of the Comoros Islands.

Spanish foreign minister discusses Ukraine and Venezuela with Rubio

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday to discuss Venezuela, including the situation of Spanish companies including Repsol REP.MC.

The half-hour conversation also covered Ukraine, the foreign ministry said, adding the conversation was pleasant.

"I have held a conversation with Secretary Rubio on the situation in Venezuela. Spain is committed to the Venezuelan people at this new stage," Albares wrote in a tweet.

IAEA calls for ceasefire zone around Zaporizhzhia

The International Atomic Energy Agency has begun consultations to establish a temporary ceasefire zone near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after military activity damaged one of two high-voltage power lines, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement on Friday.

Grossi said the IAEA remains in contact with both Russian and Ukrainian authorities to enable safe repairs and reduce the risk of a nuclear accident amid increased military activity around the site.

The Zaporizhzhia plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, and has been occupied by Russia for nearly four years.

Photos show the aftermath of Russia's latest attack on Ukraine

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday its military used the new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile in its latest strike on Ukraine.

You can take a look at the latest photos of the incident here:

Photos show the aftermath of Russia's latest attack on Ukraine

Tusk 'very concerned' Trump's Greenland remarks

Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk is very worried about United States president Donald Trump's statements about Greenland, he said on Friday, adding that as a loyal American ally, Warsaw should be honest with Washington about its concerns.

"I'm very concerned about the Greenland issue, and I'm also very concerned about events in the United States, and everything that's building such ideological and political tension within NATO and the United States itself," Mr Tusk told a news conference.

"But because we're allies, friends, and Poland is an exceptionally loyal ally of the United States, I also believe that when you're in such a position, you don't do anything on your knees; you just say what you think. Among friends, you should speak honestly about what's right and what's wrong."

Qatar foreign ministry responds to Kyiv embassy strike

As we earlier reported, Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian drone damaged the Qatar embassy building in the capital Kyiv during overnight attacks on Ukraine.

Zelensky noted.that Qatar was helping to mediate talks with Russia on exchanging prisoners of war.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has now expressed regret over the damage done to its embassy building.

It said that no injuries were recorded.

Oreshnik missile use is 'clear escalation' says EU's top diplomat

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is the latest to respond to Russia’s use of an Oreshnik missile on Friday.

“Putin doesn’t want peace, Russia’s reply to diplomacy is more missiles and destruction,” she said in a post on X.

“This deadly pattern of recurring major Russian strikes will repeat itself until we help Ukraine break it. Russia’s reported use of an Oreshnik missile is a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and to the US.

“EU countries must dig deeper into their air-defence stocks and deliver now. We must also further raise the cost of this war for Moscow, including through tougher sanctions.”

In pictures: UK defence secretary John Healey visits Kyiv

European leaders denounce use of Oreshnik missile as 'escalatory and unacceptable'

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany described Russia's use of an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile in western Ukraine as "escalatory and unacceptable", according to a readout of their call released by prime minister Keir Starmer's office on Friday.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron were involved in the call.

Moscow claims it was a response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on one of Vladimir Putin’s residences, a strike which Kyiv denies was carried out.

Russia says it fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile. Here’s what that means

The Russian military said it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine in response to what it described as an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences, something Kyiv has called a lie.

It is the second time that Russia has used the intermediate-range Oreshnik, a missile which President Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound.

The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads as well as conventional ones, but there was no suggestion that the one used in the overnight attack had been fitted with anything other than a conventional warhead.

What is an Oreshnik missile? Read here:

Russia says it fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile. Here’s what that means

Zelensky warns Russia is 'betting on winter warfare' as new attack looms

Russia struck a state enterprise workshop in Lviv, says senior Ukrainian official

Russia struck the workshop of a state enterprise in the western city of Lviv overnight using an Oreshnik ballistic missile that was likely carrying inert or "dummy" warheads, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday.

The workshop sustained multiple impacts from small submunitions, causing "minor penetrations of concrete structures" and leaving craters in the enterprise's forest area, the official told Reuters.

Background radiation levels remained normal, the official added.

Ukraine’s security service (SSU) has located fragments of a Russian ballistic missile used to strike the Lviv region overnight.

Early reports are suggesting it belongs to the Oreshnik missile system.

The SSU has released a picture of the fragments:

Ukraine treating Oreshnik strike as a war crime, says security service

Ukraine's domestic security service said on Friday it was treating Russia's overnght strike with an Oreshnik missile on the western Lviv region as a war crime.

In a statement, the SBU said Russia had attempted to destroy critical infrastructure near Ukraine's border with the European Union amid a sharp deterioration in the weather conditions.

Meloni says it is 'premature' to consider allowing Russia into G8

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday it was "absolutely premature" to talk about the possibility of Russia being allowed back into the G8 group of leading nations.

Ms Meloni added, however, that she agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron on the need for Europe to reopen a dialogue with Russia.

Kyiv mayor calls on residents to leave as homes left without power

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has advised residents to “temporarily leave” the city while they do not have heating and electricity, with temperatures set to drop well below zero.

Half of Kyiv’s apartment buildings, around 6,000, do not have heating following a large-scale Russian attack on energy infrastructure. There are also disruptions to the water supply.

"City services are operating under emergency conditions. And unfortunately weather conditions are forecast to be difficult in the coming days,” Mr Klitschko said.

“I also appeal to residents of the capital who have the opportunity to temporarily leave the city and go where there are alternative sources of power and heat, to do so.”

He said last nights attack was the most painful one Kyiv has see on its critical infrastructure facilities.

Germany condemns Russian use of Oreshnik

Germany has condemned Russia's firing of a powerful hypersonic missile at Ukraine and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Kyiv, a government spokesperson said.

"Russia is continuing to escalate the situation without provocation," said the spokesperson, adding that Russia's justification for using the missile has already been refuted.

Moscow said it had fired the Oreshnik missile in response to what it has described as an attempted drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences last month, which Ukraine has denied and the United States has said did not happen.

Meanwhile, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul will travel to the United States next week for talks with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Russia claims control over village in Zaporizhzhia region

Russian troops have taken control of the village of Zelenyi in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Moscow’s Defence Ministry said on Friday.

The ministry also said that between January 3 and 9, it had carried out four massive group strikes on Ukraine's military and energy facilities, drone launch sites and ammunition depots.

The Independent could not independently verify the battlefield reports.

Watch: Military troops return to RAF base as MoD admits involvement in Russian tanker raid

Europe within its rights to push back against US, says France

Europe is perfectly within its rights to push back against the United States at a time when it is making unacceptable proposals, France's foreign minister said on Friday.

Jean-Noel Barrot's comments come amid increasing frustration among some of Washington's allies over how President Donald Trump's "America First" foreign and trade policies have upended traditional relationships and alliances.

"In just a few months, the new U.S administration has decided to rethink the ties that bind us. That is its right. And it is also our right to say no to an historic ally, however historic it may be, when its proposal is unacceptable," Jean-Noel Barrot said in an annual speech to French ambassadors.

Trump's coveting of Greenland, the autonomous, mineral-rich Danish territory that he says the U.S. needs for its national security, is the latest policy stance to alarm Europeans, who are scrambling to assess how to respond to the threat.

Barrot appeared to cast the U.S. as a threat on a par with President Vladimir Putin's Russia, whose forces have invaded Ukraine, saying Europe was being assailed from the outside by "adversaries" trying to unravel historic bonds.

Work underway to restore electricity to 500,000 in Kyiv after Russian attacks

Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s prime minister, has said that work is under way to restore electricity supplies to more than 500,000 consumers in Kyiv after Russian drone and missile attacks that damaged energy infrastructure.

Russian troops deliberately hit district energy facilities required for heating, Ms Svyrydenko said on Telegram, adding that it was "energy terrorism and an attempt to turn winter into a weapon".

Temperatures in the capital Kyiv plunged to about -10 degrees Celsius on Friday.

Qatar's embassy in Kyiv damaged during attacks on Ukraine, says Zelensky

A Russian drone damaged the Qatar embassy building in the capital Kyiv during overnight attacks on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday.

Zelensky said on the Telegram app that Qatar was helping to mediate talks with Russia on exchanging prisoners of war.

Europe must take immediate action, says Ukrainian foreign minister

We can bring you more from Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, who earlier warned Russia’s use of an Oreshnik missile marked a “grave threat” to Europeean security.

He has also called on international partners to take immediate action increasing pressure on Moscow following the latest attack.

"New rounds of tough sanctions to deprive Russia of resources for terror and war,” Mr Sybiha wrote in a post on X. “New packages of defence assistance for Ukraine to better protect our people and push back the invaders. New steps to ensure accountability for Russian crimes."

He also called for “strong” public condemndation of the attack, “especially from those who recently responded with concerns to the fake 'Putin residence attack'."

Zelensky warns Russia is 'betting on winter warfare' as new attack looms

What is the Oreshnik missile?

The Oreshnik, whose name means Hazel Tree, is an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile that Russia has fired only once before against Ukraine, in November 2024.

On that occasion it was equipped only with dummy warheads and therefore caused limited damage, Ukrainian sources said, in what was effectively a test.

If the overnight attack carried explosive warheads, it would mark the first time that Russia has used the Oreshnik with full destructive intent. The strike targeted what Russia called critical infrastructure in Ukraine, though the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Experts say the novel feature of the Oreshnik is that it can carry multiple warheads capable of simultaneously striking different targets - usually associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The missile is based on the RS-26 Rubezh, which Russia had originally developed as an intercontinental missile.

Like many Russian weapons systems, it is capable of carrying nuclear as well as conventional warheads, but there was no suggestion of any nuclear component to the overnight attack.

In pictures: Kyiv apartment building suffers damage in Russian attack

Russia claims it was targeting facilities which supported alleged strike on Putin residence

The Russian Defence Ministry said the strike had targeted critical infrastucture in Ukraine which had supported an alleged strike on Vladimir Putin’s residence.

It said Russia had also used attack drones and high-precision long-range land and sea-based weapons.

"The strike's targets were hit. The targets included facilities producing unmanned aerial vehicles used in the terrorist attack [allegedly against the Putin residence], as well as energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine's military-industrial complex," the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine has called the Russian allegation that its drones tried to attack one of Putin's residences in the Novogorod region at the end of December "an absurd lie" designed to sabotage already troubled peace talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he doesn't believe the strike on the residence happened, but that "something" unrelated happened fairly nearby.

Oreshnik strike a grave threat to European security, says Ukrainian foreign minister

Russia's overnight Oreshnik missile strike close to the European Union and Nato border is a 'grave threat' to European security, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Friday, calling on partners to increase pressure on Moscow.

Mr Sybiha said that Kyiv was informing the United States, European partners, and other countries about the details of the strike through diplomatic channels.

"[Vladimir] Putin uses an IRBM (intermediate-range ballistic missile) near EU and NATO border in response to his own hallucinations — this is truly a global threat. And it demands global responses," he said.

UK and Nato’s nuclear threat not enough to deter Putin, ex-military chief warns

The UK and its Nato allies must upgrade their military capabilities if the coalition of the willing in Ukraine is to be a successful deterrence against Vladimir Putin, a former military chief has warned.

In a damning report for the Policy Exchange think tank, Sir Jock Stirrup, a former Royal Air Force commander and chief of defence staff, said the UK has been hamstrung by an “outdated nuclear doctrine” and needs to recognise that deterrence relies “on a spectrum of capabilities, not just nuclear weapons themselves”.

It recommends that the UK and its allies restart large-scale military exercises with a nuclear element to demonstrate that there could be a “slide” into full nuclear war as a “cognitive deterrence” to Russia, China and others.

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

UK’s nuclear threat not enough to deter Putin, ex-military chief warns

Watch: Kyiv and Lviv struck by drones and missiles after Zelensky warns of ‘massive’ attack

Russia hits Ukraine with 278 missiles and drones in overnight attack

The Russian military fired at least 36 missiles and 242 drones targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure during an overnight attack, Ukraine’s air force said in an update.

The missiles included one hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile, the air force added.

Ukrainian air defences were able to down 226 drones and 18 missiles, the air force said.

It said on the Telegram app that 18 missiles and 16 attack drones hit their targets at 19 sites.

Russia says it attacked Ukraine with Oreshnik hypersonic missile

The Russian military says it has fired a hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine, as part of what it said was a massive overnight strike on energy facilities and drone manufacturing sites there.

Russian officials claimed that the strikes targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine's military-industrial complex and drone manufacturing facilities.

Earlier, local officials in Lviv in western Ukraine said they suspected an Oreshnik missile strike, though the exact model of ballistic weapon used was under investigation.

Russia said in a statement that the strike was a response to an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of president Vladimir Putin's residences in late-December.

Kyiv has called the Russian assertion that it tried to attack the state residence in Russia's Novgorod's region "a lie”.

Is the UK really ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine?

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signed a historic deal to deploy British troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

But his pledge has drawn scepticism amid growing concern about the UK’s military capabilities and dwindling troop numbers during an increasingly precarious global climate.

Reform leader Nigel Farage derided the commitment, saying the UK is in “no position” to put boots on the ground in Ukraine during a press conference on Wednesday. “With what boots? he asked. “What kit? We might be able to go for six to eight weeks but … We’re in no position to do it.”

Below, we look at how the country’s military equipment stacks up at present.

Is UK ready to put boots on ground in Ukraine? Britain’s military might in numbers

Kremlin rejects European troops in Ukraine, calling it dangerous

Moscow has repeated its rejection of any troops from European nations in Ukraine after a ceasefire, warning that it would not accept any Nato members sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

"All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate military targets for the Russian Armed Forces," Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said yesterday.

Calling the plan "dangerous" and "destructive", the Kremlin spokesperson accused Kyiv's allies of forming an "axis of war".

Earlier this week, European leaders and US envoys announced that post-war guarantees for Ukraine would include a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force to be deployed once the fighting stops.

Zelensky and US issue warnings for major Russian strike

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and the US embassy in Kyiv have both said a significant Russian attack could be imminent.

It was a rare instance of simultaneous warnings from both Kyiv and the US government.

Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said: "There is information there could be a new, massive Russian strike this evening" and warned residents to take shelter when air raid sirens are sounded.

The US embassy said it had also received information "concerning a potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next several days".

Putin fires intercontinental ballistic missiles at Lviv, claims Ukrainian MP

Russia likely used an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its strikes on Lviv overnight, a Ukrainian MP has claimed.

“According to preliminary information, #russia has used an intercontinental missile(ICBM) against the Lviv region — just dozens of kilometers from the #NATO border. This is only the second use of such a missile in world history,” Inna Sovsun said on X.

“The war is close. Stop pretending nothing is happening. russia must be fallen for the world to be safe,” she said.

According to preliminary information, #russia has used an intercontinental missile(ICBM) against the Lviv region — just dozens of kilometers from the #NATO border.

This is only the second use of such a missile in world history.

The war is close. Stop pretending nothing is… pic.twitter.com/nSIbDz4EFu

— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) January 8, 2026

German president accuses Trump of destroying world order

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier has strongly criticised US foreign policy under president Donald Trump and urged countries not to let the world order disintegrate into a "den of robbers" where the unscrupulous take what they want.

In unusually strong remarks, which appeared to refer to actions such as the ousting of Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro at the weekend, the former foreign minister said global democracy was being attacked as never before.

Describing Russia's annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a watershed, Steinmeier said the US behaviour represented a second historic rupture.

“Then there is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order," Steinmeier said in remarks at a symposium late on Wednesday.

“It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers," he said.

In photos: Putin's forces batter Ukraine with overnight drones and missiles attack

Death toll rises to four in Ukraine as Russia pounds Kyiv with drones and missiles

The death toll in Kyiv is up to four after Russian drones attacked targets in the early hours today, officials said.

At least 19 were injured and considerable damage has been reported on dwellings and infrastructure.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration and mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that four people had been killed in the strikes, which began just before midnight (2200 GMT).

Klitschko said 19 people were injured, with 14 of them being treated in hospital.

One of the dead, Klitschko said, was an emergency medic who had arrived at a suburban apartment hit by two drones in succession. Four members of the same crew were injured in that incident.

Watch: Zelensky warns Russia is 'betting on winter warfare' as new attack looms

Three killed in Kyiv as Russia attacks Ukraine with drones and missiles

At least three people were killed after Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles overnight into Friday, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia also struck critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv using an unidentified ballistic missile, said mayor Andriy Sadoviy.

The Western Command of Ukraine's Air Force later said the missile traveled at a speed of 13,000km (more than 8,000 miles) per hour, and that the specific type of rocket was being investigated.

The attack took place just hours after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky alerted the nation about Russia's intentions for a large-scale offensive.

He said that Russia aimed to take advantage of the frigid weather in the capital, making roads and streets perilously icy.

Several districts in Kyiv were hit in the attack, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In the Desnyanskyi district a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-story building.

At another address in the same district the first two floors of a residential building were damaged as a result of the attack.

In Dnipro district, parts of a drone damaged a multi-story building and a fire broke out.

Running water and electricity were disrupted in parts of the capital as a result of the attack, Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Zelensky condemns Russian strikes on Ukraine's electricity

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's latest strikes on electricity, heating and water infrastructure in Ukraine, which left hundreds of thousands in southeastern Ukraine without power and heat.

"There is absolutely no military rationale in such strikes on the energy sector and infrastructure that leave people without electricity and heating in wintertime," he wrote in a post on X.

Mr Zelensky added that the ongoing diplomatic process to end the war should not affect the supply of air defence systems and equipment to Ukraine.

Zelensky and US issue warnings for major Russian strike

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and the US embassy in Kyiv have both said a significant Russian attack could be imminent.

It was a rare instance of simultaneous warnings from both Kyiv and the US government.

Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said: "There is information there could be a new, massive Russian strike this evening" and warned residents to take shelter when air raid sirens are sounded.

The US embassy said it had also received information "concerning a potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next several days".

North Korea's Kim pledges permanent support for Russia's Putin in a letter

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian president Vladimir Putin in a letter that he will support Putin's policies unconditionally and permanently, North Korean state media KCNA said in a report today.

"I will unconditionally respect and unconditionally support all your policies and decisions and I have a willingness to be always with you for the sake of you and your Russia," Kim said in a letter to Putin, KCNA reported.

"This choice will be constant and permanent,” he said. Kim's letter was a reply to a letter Putin sent earlier, KCNA said.

Kremlin rejects European troops in Ukraine, calling it dangerous

Moscow has repeated its rejection of any troops from European nations in Ukraine after a ceasefire, warning that it would not accept any Nato members sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

"All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate military targets for the Russian Armed Forces," Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said yesterday.

Calling the plan "dangerous" and "destructive", the Kremlin spokesperson accused Kyiv's allies of forming an "axis of war".

Earlier this week, European leaders and US envoys announced that post-war guarantees for Ukraine would include a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force to be deployed once the fighting stops.

Merz says Europe must raise price of war in Ukraine

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Europe must raise the price of the war in Ukraine to force Russia into accepting a ceasefire.

"A ceasefire is still not on the agenda, quite obviously because Russia does not want it," Mr Merz said on Thursday after talks at the party conference of his conservatives' Bavarian sister party, the CSU.

"We will therefore have to continue to raise the price of this war - Russia must realise that there is no point in continuing it," he said.

Russian attack hits infrastructure target in western Lviv region

A Russian attack struck an infrastructure target in western Ukraine's Lviv region, officials said early on Friday, although providing no details on the weapon used.

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi and regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi, writing on Telegram, said little about the strike and made no comment on suggestions that a Russian hypersonic Oreshnik missile might have been fired.

Sadovyi said it was for Ukraine's military to determine if the weapon deployed by Russian forces was an Oreshnik missile.

Kozytskyi said experts were examining the area where the strike occurred.

Ukrainian media quoted the West command of the Ukrainian Air Force as saying a ballistic missile had been used and had been travelling at a speed of nearly 13,000 km per hour (8,000 mph).

The report said the type of missile still needed to be determined.

Putin envoy spotted in Paris - reports

Reports have emerged in France that Vladimir Putin’s envoy who has been engaged in peace negotiations, Kirill Dmitriev, was spotted in Paris on Wednesday.

Sources told Le Monde that Dmitriev was spotted on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

French president Emmanuel Macron’s office has denied suggestions that Dmitriev visited the Élysée Palace, one day after a meeting of Coalition of the Willing leaders saw France and the UK commit to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.

The meeting was attended by Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have both met Dmitriev several times as they look to push Moscow towards accepting a peace deal.

Le Monde reported that Dmitriev was received at the US embassy in Paris, which is near the Élysée Palace.

Zelensky says security guarantees deal 'ready' to be finalised with Trump

We can bring you an update from Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken about the US-Ukrainian negotiations on security guarantees with the Trump administration.

The Ukrainian president said a bilateral security guarantees document between Kyiv and Washington was "essentially ready" to be finalised between himself and Donald Trump.

Mr Zelensky said Wednesday’s meetings of both countries' representatives in Paris discussed "complex issues" from the framework under discussion to end the nearly four-year war.

"We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war," he added in a post on X.

Zelensky condemns Russian strikes on Ukraine's electricity

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's latest strikes on electricity, heating and water infrastructure in Ukraine, which left hundreds of thousands in southeastern Ukraine without power and heat.

"There is absolutely no military rationale in such strikes on the energy sector and infrastructure that leave people without electricity and heating in wintertime," he wrote in a post on X.

Mr Zelensky added that the ongoing diplomatic process to end the war should not affect the supply of air defence systems and equipment to Ukraine.

MPs to get vote on deploying UK peace-keeping troops to Ukraine

EU still pouring billions into Russian gas economy despite war in Ukraine, analysis shows

The EU remains heavily reliant on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), analysis has shown, with no signs that imports are set to slow down in 2026.

EU purchases from a single oil project in northwest Siberia, a strategically important development known as the Yamal project, netted €7.2 billion ($8.4 billion) of revenue for the Kremlin in 2025 alone.

Around 15 million of the 19.7 million tons (76.1 per cent) of LNG exported from Yamal was shipped to the EU, according to analysis of data published by trading intelligence website Kpler, carried out by environmental NGO Urgewald.

Full report below:

EU pouring billions into Russian gas economy despite war in Ukraine, analysis shows

Russian strikes cause blackouts, 'using winter as weapon'

Ukrainian officials raced to restore power on Thursday after Russian drone attacks plunged two southeastern regions into near-total blackout, strikes that President Volodymyr Zelensky said were aimed at breaking his country.

Mr Zelensky said Russia was intent on using wintry weather as a weapon rather than allowing US-led diplomacy to work towards a resolution of nearly four years of conflict.

Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy system as Ukrainian forces fend off Russian advances on the battlefield and Kyiv faces US pressure to quickly secure a peace deal.

US senator says Russia sanctions bill well-timed as Putin 'continuing to kill innocent'

Republican senator Lindsey Graham has hailed the new proposed legislation to sanction Russian oil buyers, saying that Vladimir Putin is “all talk” when it comes to peace efforts.

“This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent," Graham said in a statement.

Senator Graham said he met with Trump at the White House earlier yesterday, during which the president "green-lit" the Russia sanctions bill that has been in the works for months.

Graham had signaled previously that Trump has blessed the bill, only for it to encounter additional obstacles. But a White House official confirmed to The Associated Press that the president supports the sanctions legislation.

The bill, chiefly written by Graham and Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal, allows the administration to impose tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Russia's oil, gas, uranium and other exports. Doing so is meant to cut off the source of financing for much of Russia's military actions.

Healey refuses to clarify how many British troops could be sent to Ukraine

UK defence secretary John Healey has refused to clarify how many British troops could be sent to Ukraine to support peacekeeping operations.

The UK and France committed to deploy forces in the war-town country in the event of a peace deal with Russia, in a joint declaration signed on 6 January.

Mr Healey was asked by shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge to confirm the number of troops pledged by the UK, but said he was “simply not” going to get into the details of the deployment, which he said would only “make Putin wiser”.

Ukrainian authorities race to restore power ahead of severe temperature drop

A race to restore power is ongoing in Ukraine in Ukraine on Thursday after Russian strikes plunged two southeastern regions into near-total blackout overnight, forcing critical infrastructure to rely on reserves.

Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said repairs were still ongoing to return heat and water supplies to more than 1 million consumers in the industrialised region of Dnipropetrovsk.

The region is set to see temperatures plummet below freezing in the coming days, with a cold snap set to bring harsh conditions for residents, including thousands of vulnerable and elderly.

The energy ministry said nearly 800,000 consumers in the region remained without electricity early on Thursday but that power had been restored to the other affected region, Zaporizhzhia.

Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov said it was the first time in "recent years" that his region had faced a total blackout, but that officials had been quick to respond.

"A difficult night for the region. But 'light' always wins," he wrote on Telegram on Thursday.

At least three killed and two injured in attack on Ukraine's southern regions

At least three people have been killed in Russian attacks on the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Ukrainian authorities have said.

Seven were also injured in the attacks, which came during a large overnight air attack. The Zaporizhzhia military administration said Russia had conducted 698 attacks against 30 settlements over the past day, including 11 air strikes and 412 drone attacks of various types.

Russian forces targeted critical and social infrastructure alongside residential areas, they said according to Ukrainska Pravda.

800,000 without power in Dnipropetrovsk after Russian attack

We’ve just received an update from Ukraine’s energy ministry, following a huge overnight attack which has cut off electricity to huge swathes of eastern Ukraine.

The ministry has said that nearly 800,000 consumers were without power in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

In a statement, it added that eight mines in the region had faced blackouts but that workers had been evacuated.

Dnipro mayor Boris Filatov said: "Technically speaking, the situation in Dnipro is one of the most difficult. This is actually a national emergency. Since last night, the city has been working through all the necessary procedures. We are in constant contact with the oblast [regional] military administration and all relevant ministries and services.”

Which issues remain as US and Ukraine get closer to a deal?

Volodymyr Zelensky says he is close to agreeing a deal on security guarantees with Donald Trump.

But while Mr Zelensky has said that the framework of a peace deal is 90 per cent agreed with the US, he said thorny issues remain.

This includes around control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as well as Russian demands on Kyiv to cede a strategically significant slice of territory in eastern Ukraine that Moscow has been unable to capture in almost four years of war.

"We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war," Zelenskiy wrote on X.

He said the teams also discussed documents dealing with Ukraine's post-war recovery and economic development.

UK and Nato’s nuclear threat not enough to deter Putin, ex-military chief warns

The UK and its Nato allies must upgrade their military capabilities if the coalition of the willing in Ukraine is to be a successful deterrence against Vladimir Putin, a former military chief has warned.

In a damning report for the Policy Exchange think tank, Sir Jock Stirrup, a former Royal Air Force commander and chief of defence staff, said the UK has been hamstrung by an “outdated nuclear doctrine” and needs to recognise that deterrence relies “on a spectrum of capabilities, not just nuclear weapons themselves”.

It recommends that the UK and its allies restart large-scale military exercises with a nuclear element to demonstrate that there could be a “slide” into full nuclear war as a “cognitive deterrence” to Russia, China and others.

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

UK’s nuclear threat not enough to deter Putin, ex-military chief warns

Moscow to free French citizen Laurent Vinatier

Russia is freeing French citizen Laurent Vinatier, according to reports from Moscow.

Mr Vinatier is a French researcher serving a three-year prison sentence for violating Moscow's foreign agent laws.

He is being released in exchange for France's release of a jailed Russian, state news agency TASS quoted the FSB security service as saying on Thursday.

Oil tanker attacked by drone was headed to Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk

Earlier, we brought you the news that a Russian oil tanker had been struck in the Black Sea.

Maritime data specialist Lloyd's List Intelligence has said the Palau-flagged Elbus vessel "experienced an unmanned marine-vehicle and drone attack" on Wednesday targeting its engine room, and that no injuries were reported among the 25 crew, nor any pollution.

A security source said a drone attack had been carried out, based on an assessment. It was unclear who or what was behind the incident.

The vessel was headed on Wednesday to the Russian port of Novorossiysk from Singapore, the Lloyd's notice said.

Marinetraffic data showed the Elbus had settled a few kilometres off the northern Turkish port of Inebolu on Thursday, after having diverted from its earlier eastward course across the Black Sea.

It is the latest in a series of attacks by Ukrainian naval and air drones on Russia-bound tankers in the Black Sea, as Kyiv looks to damage Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers transporting the oil which is so critical to Moscow’s wartime economy.

Merz says Europe must raise price of war in Ukraine

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Europe must raise the price of the war in Ukraine to force Russia into accepting a ceasefire.

"A ceasefire is still not on the agenda, quite obviously because Russia does not want it," Mr Merz said on Thursday after talks at the party conference of his conservatives' Bavarian sister party, the CSU.

"We will therefore have to continue to raise the price of this war - Russia must realise that there is no point in continuing it," he said.

Putin envoy spotted in Paris - reports

Reports have emerged in France that Vladimir Putin’s envoy who has been engaged in peace negotiations, Kirill Dmitriev, was spotted in Paris on Wednesday.

Sources told Le Monde that Dmitriev was spotted on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

French president Emmanuel Macron’s office has denied suggestions that Dmitriev visited the Élysée Palace, one day after a meeting of Coalition of the Willing leaders saw France and the UK commit to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.

The meeting was attended by Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have both met Dmitriev several times as they look to push Moscow towards accepting a peace deal.

Le Monde reported that Dmitriev was received at the US embassy in Paris, which is near the Élysée Palace.

Russia-bound oil tanker struck in Black Sea - Reuters

Reuters is reporting that a Russia-bound oil tanker has suffered a drone attack in the Black Sea on Wednesday.

The tanker was forced to request Turkish coastguard assistance and divert from its course, according to a notice by Lloyd's List Intelligence and a separate maritime security source.

Maritime data specialist Lloyd's List Intelligence said the Palau-flagged Elbus vessel "experienced an unmanned marine-vehicle and drone attack" targeting its engine room, and that no injuries were reported among the 25 crew, nor any pollution.

The security source described it as a drone attack.

Zelensky says security guarantees deal 'ready' to be finalised with Trump

We can bring you an update from Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken about the US-Ukrainian negotiations on security guarantees with the Trump administration.

The Ukrainian president said a bilateral security guarantees document between Kyiv and Washington was "essentially ready" to be finalised between himself and Donald Trump.

Mr Zelensky said yesterday's meetings of both countries' representatives in Paris discussed "complex issues" from the framework under discussion to end the nearly four-year war.

"We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war," he added in a post on X.

Zelensky condemns Russian strikes on Ukraine's electricity

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's latest strikes on electricity, heating and water infrastructure in Ukraine, which left hundreds of thousands in southeastern Ukraine without power and heat.

"There is absolutely no military rationale in such strikes on the energy sector and infrastructure that leave people without electricity and heating in wintertime," he wrote in a post on X.

Mr Zelensky added that the ongoing diplomatic process to end the war should not affect the supply of air defence systems and equipment to Ukraine.

Russia warns UK troops in Ukraine would be 'legitimate targets'

Russia said on Thursday that any troops sent to Ukraine by Western governments would be "legitimate combat targets", after Britain and France announced plans to deploy a multinational force there in the event of a ceasefire.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said "militaristic declarations" by a coalition of pro-Ukraine European governments were becoming increasingly dangerous.

Russia "warns that the deployment of Western military units, military facilities, depots and other infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be classified as foreign intervention, posing a direct threat to the security of not only Russia but also other European countries," the statement from Moscow said.

"All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate combat targets of the Russian Armed Forces."