A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg says officials are working to secure peace and create “security guarantees” to prevent a future invasion of Ukraine. This comes as doubts grow about a potential peace settlement, with Russia showing little interest in direct talks despite recent visits to Kyiv from other high-ranking officials.
European countries have continued to debate whether and how to provide security assurances for Kyiv in wake of a hypothetical peace agreement with Moscow. One option under consideration would be to deploy troops to Ukraine, but several prominent European militaries have already ruled out participation in such a force.
Washington, similarly, has signaled it will not participate in a ground deployment to Ukraine. But U.S. officials have conveyed to European leaders that the U.S. could join in a support role, providing intelligence and reconnaissance help for a European mission, the Financial Times reported this week.
The U.S. has begun taking a tougher stance on buyers of Russian oil, rolling out new tariffs on the Indian economy that bring the country’s duty rate to 50 percent. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Bloomberg TV in an interview, “It’s real easy. India can get 25% off tomorrow if it stops buying Russian oil.”
Friction has deepened between Hungary and Ukraine in wake of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, which impacts the flow of energy to Hungary. On Thursday, Budapest announced that it will impose sanctions on Robert Brovdi, who heads the Ukrainian military’s Unmanned Systems Forces.
NATO’s military chief, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, urged defense contractors to test their technology in real-world conditions in Ukraine, stating that doing so provides invaluable lessons for future conflicts. He emphasized that companies that have tested their equipment in Ukraine have either learned a great deal or realized they cannot compete in that environment. Grynkewich also highlighted the importance of partnerships with Ukrainian forces and pointed to the upcoming Defense Tech Valley conference in Ukraine as a key opportunity for companies to engage.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
On Thursday, the U.S. announced the possible sale of up to 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAMs) to Ukraine, which carry an estimated price tag of $825 million. In a statement, the DSCA said that Kyiv intends to lean on funding from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, as well as U.S.-provided Foreign Military Financing, to support the acquisition.
Norway will also contribute almost $700 million to a German-led effort to fund the purchase of a pair of Patriot systems for the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Romania will soon provide a 23rd military aid package to Ukraine. The two nations also agreed to strengthen coordination between their air defense forces and work together on drone production and technology transfer.
Separately this week, Kyiv reached an agreement with Stockholm on the joint production of defense equipment. Defense Minister Shmyhal thanked Sweden for its delivery of ASC 890 airborne early warning aircraft, confirming that the aircraft has now been transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Belgium will soon deliver a batch of F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said this week.
Ukraine’s access to Starlink has been thrown into doubt amid a political battle in Poland over a refugee aid bill. President Karol Nawrocki this week vetoed the bill, which officials said also enshrined funding for Kyiv’s access to Starlink. Kyiv has nevertheless signaled that it is confident a solution will be reached to enable the funding to continue.
The United Kingdom has extended its training program for Ukrainian forces, known as Operation Interflex, until at least the end of 2026. The program, which has already trained over 50,000 recruits, will now feature a seven-week course with a greater focus on leadership and instructor training. Thirteen other nations are participating in this multinational effort to bolster Ukraine’s military capabilities. Interflex is a successor to Operation Orbital, a training effort led by the U.K. between 2015-2022.
Battlefield Updates
Following a major drone and missile attack on Kyiv that killed at least 18 people and damaged diplomatic buildings, the United Kingdom and the European Union each summoned Russia’s ambassador. The strikes, which were the largest on the capital since the recent Trump-Putin summit, destroyed a five-story building and killed at least three children.
Russia launched another large-scale overnight missile attack on Kyiv one of many recent daily air strikes despite ongoing peace talks. The most recent country-wide attack consisted of 31 missiles, 26 of which Ukraine claims to have shot down.
According to Ukrainian forces, Russian troops have breached the border into the Dnipropetrovsk region, marking the first large-scale attack in the area. While a Ukrainian official stated their advance had been halted, a Ukrainian mapping project claims two villages are now occupied, a claim the military general staff denies.
Russian military expenditures continue to balloon to support Moscow’s slow-burning offensive. The Germany-based Institute for International and Security Affairs published a report this week estimating that Russia spends on average around $520 million per day to support its war effort. Total security-related spending could be as high as 40 percent of the federal budget, according to the report. Russia has already posted a budget deficit of 3.4 percent of GDP in 2025, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated this week.
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