Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump envoy ‘heading for meeting with Putin’ in Russia as US steps up ceasefire push

During the EU-Ukraine Association Council meeting in Brussels, discussions centered on financing two million artillery shells for Ukraine’s defense.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Ukrainian television that all parties agreed to start implementing the project immediately.

“Europe has awakened and is actively advancing defense industry and security innovation programs. Ukraine holds a significant role in this cooperation, participating in major initiatives such as the European Defense Strategy and the European Defense Program,” he said.

“We are already participants in these processes and will continue to play an active role.”

The Prime Minister revealed that the European Commission plans to allocate approximately €800 billion for defense industry development and innovation in the coming years.

The Russian Defence Ministry has accused Ukraine of attacking Russian energy infrastructure five times in the last 24 hours.

The ministry said in a statement that Ukrainian strikes had hit power facilities in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk regions, as well as energy targets in Russian-controlled parts of the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, which Moscow has claimed as its own.

The Independent was unable to verify the reports of the strikes.

Ukraine has made similar accusations against Russia since the US-brokered moratorium on strikes on each other’s energy facilities.

Germany will provide €11billion of military support for Ukraine until 2029, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Friday.

In his post on X, Umerov said that the deliveries planned for this year would help strengthen Ukrainian air defences and support Kyiv troops on the battlefield.

Another key meeting taking place today is a technical consultation over the US-Ukraine minerals deal.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna confirmed on Thursday that negotiations over the deal will occur in Washington on Friday.

The minerals deal is part of Donald Trump’s push to end the war and recoup the billions America has spent on military assistance to Ukraine, which was not initially provided as a loan.

Ms Stefanishyna said any deal could not clash with Ukraine’s obligations to the European Union or the International Monetary Fund.

“Nothing…can be negotiated with Ukraine in a way that will undermine the existing commitments and obligations Ukraine has, including financial ones,” she said. “This is something that is not subjected to any negotiation format.”

Earlier this week it was revealed that Kyiv had set aside $2.7m (£2.1m) for consulting on how to “protect the national interests of Ukraine and to formulate the position of Ukraine”

Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed today’s meeting of defence ministers in Brussels and reiterated that Ukraine’s priority is air defence.

“It is very important that our partners hear us,” he said.

“Ukrainians know how to be precise. We have already learned to shoot down a significant amount of Russia’s weapons of terror. We just need to address the shortage of air defense systems to make our sky protection stronger.”

He continued: “Our partners can help with this and also speed up the implementation of all agreements reached earlier.”

The Ukrainian president said the country needs more Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.

“Patriots that remain unused in storage with our partners should be protecting lives.”

In the 27th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the Nato headquarters today, the group has committed an additional £450m to Ukraine’s military aid.

The new package includes funding for hundreds of thousands of drones, as well as radar systems and anti-tank mines, and repair and maintenance support for armoured vehicles.

Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius declined to comment on the US decision to step back from its leadership role in Ukraine, saying that “it’s a decision of the new administration in Washington.”

“We are here to take over the lead,” he told reporters in Brussels, “and we are willing and determined to do that with full responsibility and together with our allies.”

Germany and the UK are co-chairing the 27th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the Nato headquarters today, and the group has committed an additional £450m to Ukraine’s military aid – £350m of which is from the UK.

Mr Pistorius said it was vital for other countries to step up in support of Ukraine, as the conflict was much broader than just two countries.

“Ukraine has become the epicentre of a broader conflict: a conflict between freedom and opporession, between the recog of global standards and aggressive imperialism, between democracy and authoritarianism,” he said.

“All this is about whether the strength of law, or the law of the strongest will prevail in international relations”

He said Russia will only negotiate if Europe shows Ukraine can continue fighting if necessary, and that it would be able to defend itself even after a possible peace accord.

“Russia should be under no illusion: Ukraine is becoming stronger. We must, and we will make sure of that,” he said.

John Healey was careful to praise Pete Hegseth for taking the time to virtually check in at a crunch summit of countries backing Ukraine’s ongoing war effort against Vladimir Putin.

The defence secretary thanked his US counterpart for being “determined to join us” despite being busy “travelling” – even before giving a shout out to Volodymyr Zelensky, who is also dialing in.

Mr Hegseth’s decision to snub the meeting and attend virtually is the clearest sign yet of America’s waning interest in the war under Donald Trump. The US president’s administration is bogged down in its damaging global trade war, and peace talks brokered by the Americans have stalled after Russia rejected a 30-day ceasefire proposal.

Mr Trump once promised to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if he was re-elected. Having failed, it seems the issue is now on the backburner for the US president.

Addressing defence minister in Brussels, John Healey said: “2025 is the critical year for the war in Ukraine”.

“This is the critical moment, a moment for our defense industries to step up, and they are a moment for our militaries to step up, and they are a moment for our governments to step up, and we are together.

“We are sending a signal to Russia, and we are saying to Ukraine that we stand with you in the fight and we will stand with you in the peace.”

John Healey has warned countries not to jeopardise the peace process by “forgetting about the war”.

The defence secretary wants world leaders to ensure Ukraine remains in the strongest position possible as negotiations about a peace deal with Russia have stalled.

The fighting is ongoing and the UK fears Volodymyr Zelensky losing further ground and finding himself in a weaker position in future talks.

He said: “Today at this Ukraine contact group, we step up our support for Ukraine in the fight, and our job as defense ministers is to get urgent military aid into the hands of Ukrainian war fighters.

“And to those nations not making fresh commitments today, I urge you to look again, to look hard at what more you can do.”

John Healey has urged allies to “look again” at what else they can do to provide military aid to Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary has been opening the meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Nato headquarters in Brussels this morning.

He said: “Today, at this Ukraine Contact Group, we step up our support for Ukraine in the fight.

“Our job as defence ministers is to get urgent military aid into the hands of Ukrainian warfighters.

“And to those nations not making fresh commitments today, I urge you to look again, to look hard at what more you can do.”

The group is committing £450 million in military aid to Ukraine today, and Mr Healey said: “All military aid now will help Ukraine in the fight today and help secure a durable peace tomorrow, because the Ukrainian armed forces must be their own strongest deterrent against further Russian attacks.”