Melania Trump has claimed to have secured a ceasefire for the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where up to 2,000 residents are cut off from world and facing starvation.
Russia has agreed to pause all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway, according tot the White House.
The localised ceasefire will begin on October 29.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a frontline war city on the brink of disaster,” the First Lady said. “Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”
This comes as Donald Trump claimed that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's Starlink access, even as Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian sources said there had been no change in satellite internet speeds.
The US President refused to confirm reports that he had called Musk to ask him to restore the service for Ukraine's military, saying: "I don't want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called ... The bottom line - he put it back."
Read MorePutin is killing Ukraine’s children. The White House thinks that makes him ‘a humanitarian’
UK rejects Trump negotiator’s description of Vladimir Putin as ‘humanitarian’
Trump weighs in after his envoy calls Putin a ‘humanitarian’
Key Points
- Donald Trump claims Starlink access to Ukraine 'restored'
- Trump declines to say if he spoke to Musk about Starlink
- Downing Street rejects American description of Vladimir Putin as ‘humanitarian’
- Putin says eastern Ukraine's land is historically Russian
- Zelensky says he will speak to Rubio in coming days
Trump and Burnham hold conversation amid tensions over Ukraine war
18:00 , Gergana.KrastevaDonald Trump and Andy Burnham spoke earlier today as tensions appeared to be rising between the two governments over Russia’s war in Ukraine and the possibility of renewed US escalation against Iran.
The US President told reporters he discussed opening up the North Sea's oil during a conversation with the PM - but remained tightlipped about the conflicts.
'I've heard it was fixed," Trump says about Starlink access
17:00 , Gergana.Krasteva
Donald Trump has said he may have to speak with Elon Musk about Ukraine's Starlink access.
Speaking outside the White House, the US President told reporters: "I have not spoken to him. I might I might have to, but I have not.
“I've heard it was fixed, but if it's not, I'll speak to him.”
'Nothing has changed,' Ukrainian envoy warns about persisting Starling restrictions
16:30 , Gergana.KrastevaUkraine’s envoy in Washington has insisted that the restrictions to the Starlink system, which is controlled by Elon Musk's SpaceX, remain in place.
Denys Sienik said “nothing has changed,” adding: “Every day matters for Ukraine, because every Ukrainian life matters.
“Our people are waiting for positive news, hoping that the restrictions will be lifted and our defenders will have the capabilities they need to protect lives.”
Issues remain with the network used by the Ukrainian military despite repeated assurances by Donald Trump that full access had been restored.
Starshield/Starlink speed restrictions remain in place. Every day matters for Ukraine, because every Ukrainian life matters. Our people are waiting for positive news, hoping that the restrictions will be lifted and our defenders will have the capabilities they need to protect…
— Denys Sienik (@DenysSienik) October 23, 2026
One sailor killed in Russian drone strike on cargo ship near Romania
16:00 , Gergana.Krasteva
At least one sailor has been killed and three others are missing after a Russian drone struck a civilian cargo ship near Romania's Black Sea coast earlier today.
The vessel, Khoryv, was crewed by 13 nationals from Ukraine and Azerbaijan, capsized.
Footage shared by Romanian authorities showed a small part of the hull of the capsized tanker still visible above the waves as it sank.
Emergency vessels were searching the surrounding waters for survivors in choppy seas and high wind.
Romania's naval authority said the Comoros-flagged Khoryv had sent a distress signal 13 nautical miles off Romania's port of Constanta, just beyond Romanian territorial waters.
Nine sailors were rescued from the water.
The attack is the latest in a series of brazen Russian strikes on civilian shipping in the Black Sea.
Trapped civilians in Russian-occupied city in Ukraine face starvation or ‘road of death’
15:30 , Gergana.KrastevaFor months, essential food and medical supplies have been virtually non-existent in Oleshky, which lies on the Dnipro River separating Ukrainian forces from Russian occupiers.
The city has been left entirely without electricity, heating or running water. Exhaust routes are laden with landmines and destroyed vehicles, while hostile drones hover overhead.
With the stranded population shrinking to under 2,000, one resident witnessed the front-line settlement plunge deeper into a severe humanitarian catastrophe.
Realising the danger, she determined to flee using a route locally known as "the road of death."
Read more about the life under Russia’s blockade in Oleshky
Civilians in Russian-occupied city face starvation or ‘road of death’
In pictures: Russian-occupied Oleshky where people face starvation
15:00 , Gergana.Krasteva
Melania Trump claims to have secured ceasefire for single Ukrainian town
14:47 , Gergana.Krasteva
Melania Trump has claimed to have secured a ceasefire for the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, where up to 2,000 residents are cut off from world and facing starvation.
Russia has agreed to pause all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway.
“The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a frontline war city on the brink of disaster,” the First Lady said. “Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
“The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible.”
Melania and her representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localised ceasefire.
“Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require,” she said.
“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine,” she added.
Russia and Ukraine swap 270 prisoners of war each
14:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeeRussia and Ukraine have exchanged 270 prisoners of war each, Russian state news agencies reported on Friday, citing the Defence Ministry.
The ministry was cited as saying that the freed Russian servicemen were in Belarus and would be transported to Russia once they had received psychological and medical assistance.
Thousands of prisoners have been exchanged since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, one of the few areas where Moscow and Kyiv have maintained on-off contacts despite the conflict.
Ukrainian held in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia as Merz warns of more cases
13:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeA German court on Friday ordered a Ukrainian citizen held on suspicion of spying for Russia, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that Germany is likely to see more such cases.
The Ukrainian, identified only as Vadym Y under German privacy rules, is accused of gathering military information for Russia, including details about arms production and personnel and military facilities involved in securing NATO’s eastern flank, federal prosecutors said.
The man is believed to have been in contact with a Russian intelligence service through an intermediary since at least July 2025.
Some of the information he collected was from public sources, prosecutors said, but other data was solicited from representatives of the European arms industry.
He was arrested in Brandenburg state in northeast Germany by the federal criminal police, prosecutors said.
“It is a success today that this case was uncovered,” Merz said on Thursday during a visit to Montenegro.
“But let’s not fool ourselves. The activities of the Russian intelligence service in Germany remain as intense as ever.”
Merz said Germany was likely to see more such cases “in the coming months and years.”
Several people have been arrested in Germany this year for allegedly spying on behalf of Russia. In January, a German-Ukrainian woman was arrested on suspicion of gathering intelligence for a contact at the Russian Embassy.
A Romanian woman was arrested in March for allegedly spying on a person who supplied drones and components to Ukraine from Germany.
Ukraine seeks to move customs checks inside EU to avoid Russian drones, FT reports
13:00 , Namita SinghUkraine is seeking to move customs checks inside the EU to avoid Russian drones, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
Kyiv is in discussions with Poland and Slovakia about moving customs checks into their territories to make trucks safer, the FT reported.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Kremlin says Russia did not free US citizen in exchange for Russian war blogger
12:45 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe Kremlin denied on Friday that Russia had released American national Stephen Hubbard from prison in exchange for the recent release of a Russian war blogger detained in Montenegro.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Hubbard, a 74-year-old US citizen held in Russian custody since 2022, had been freed in what the Kremlin called a humanitarian goodwill gesture.
US President Donald Trump said he had asked Putin to free Hubbard and that Russia had not asked for anything or anyone in return for letting the retired US school `teacher return home.
But some of Trump's domestic opponents have suggested that Hubbard may have been freed in connection with the case of Mikhail Zvinchuk, a high-profile Russian war blogger who was briefly detained in Montenegro earlier this month before being let go.
Asked to comment on that allegation, `Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters it was false. "That's not right," said Peskov.
Ukrainian soldier ‘cut off his own leg’ before miracle battlefield evacuation by drone after 70 weeks stranded
12:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe injured soldier airlifted from Ukraine’s frontline by drone cut off his own frostbitten leg in a desperate bid to survive, having spent more than a year alone in the kill zone before his dramatic rescue, according to reports.
Kostiantyn Vlasenko, 49, made history as the first person to be evacuated from a war-zone with a flying drone, as Russian UAVs and landmines made a conventional rescue impossible.
Germany executes arrest warrant against suspected spy for Russia
12:15 , Rituparna ChatterjeeGermany's federal prosecutors said on Friday a judge at the Federal Court of Justice had executed an arrest warrant against Ukrainian national Vadym Y, apprehended on Thursday on suspicion of spying for Russia
RAF holds first ever joint nuclear drill with France in warning shot to Putin
12:10 , Rituparna ChatterjeeBritain and France carried out their first joint exercise involving France's airborne nuclear deterrent, France's armed forces ministry said in a statement on Friday.
British Typhoon jets joined in a nuclear exercise alongside French Rafale warplanes on Tuesday evening, French armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin said.
“Having independent nuclear forces does not preclude coordination,” she said, adding: “Our nuclear cooperation with the United Kingdom continues to deepen.”
Zelensky snaps at US presidential envoy for hailing Putin
12:00 , Namita SinghOn Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky snapped at US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff for saluting Putin as a "humanitarian" during his visit to Russia, when the US envoy thanked Vladimir Putin for releasing a 74-year-old American captured by Russian forces in Ukraine.
"Three waves of ballistic missiles have been launched at Kyiv by Russian 'humanitarians' since yesterday evening," Zelensky posted on X.
"They used 21 missiles. Unfortunately, numerous sites across the city have been hit and damaged."
A Ukrainian soldier blinded in war hopes to see his children again, in photos
11:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeUkrainian soldier Mykola Kasiuk hopes to regain some vision after a battlefield land mine explosion left him nearly blind two years ago. After numerous operations, he is turning to visiting US surgeons in Kyiv, hoping to see his children again.
Sister of American held in Russia says he didn't know he was being released until he saw US flag
11:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe younger sister of Stephen Hubbard, the US citizen freed Wednesday after spending more than four years in a Russian prison, said her brother didn't realise he was being released until he was put aboard a plane and saw the American flag.
“He didn’t know why he was being taken from the prison to Moscow, and he may have thought he was going to his death," Patricia Hubbard Fox said during an interview Thursday in San Antonio, where her brother was taken for evaluation.
“He’s been kind of laughing a lot,” she added. “Like relief laughing. ‘Oh my God, you know, I’m free. This is really happening.’”
President Donald Trump said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call earlier this month to free Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan.
Hubbard was accused of fighting alongside Kyiv’s forces after Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.
Kremlin continues to demand Ukraine cede more land
10:30 , Namita SinghAfter meeting Volodymyr Zelensky and European and Nato officials in Oslo this week, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff spoke of "some degree of momentum", but the Kremlin expressed doubts.
"The Americans sensed some new nuances (in Oslo) and told us about this. But these nuances, so to speak, do not entirely satisfy us," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday.
A senior Russian official, briefed on the Putin-Witkoff talks, said they were relatively short and not substantive. The American brought proposals drafted in Oslo and handed them to Putin for review, the person said.
Another source close to the Kremlin said the US proposals included a scenario where Ukraine would cede its Donbas region to Russia in return for receiving a guarantee of its future security from Nato.
Moscow has repeatedly said it would not end fighting unless Ukraine cedes more land, limits the size of its forces and is permanently barred from forming alliances.
Ukraine dismisses Russia's conditions as a demand for capitulation that would leave it defenceless.
Russian strikes cut power to over 500,000 in Ukraine
10:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeeRussia attacked energy facilities in six Ukrainian regions overnight on Friday, knocking out power for more than 500,000 people, Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said.
Austria expels four Russian diplomats on security grounds
09:52 , Rituparna ChatterjeeAustria's foreign ministry said on Friday it was expelling four Vienna-based Russian diplomats over "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status", a term usually used for spying.
"Based on findings by the Austrian security authorities, the Austrian foreign ministry has taken measures against four Russian diplomats in Vienna," it said in a statement, adding that they had been declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country.
Three of them worked at Russia's embassy to Austria and one at the Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on military security and arms control, the ministry said.
The move brings to 18 the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since 2020. While Austria is a neutral country, politically its governments have sided with Ukraine since Russia launched its all-out invasion in 2022. The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia will respond to Austria's decision, Russian news agencies cited a foreign ministry official as saying on Friday.
Ukrainian energy company says Russian attack hit one of its power stations
09:45 , Rituparna ChatterjeeUkraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, said on Friday a Russian attack has hit one of its thermal power plants, which has halted operations due to significant damage. It did not say where the plant is located.
Russian tanker heads for New York with 40,000 tons of diesel after Trump-Putin deal
09:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeA Malta-flagged tanker transporting 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel is en route to New York following a deal reached with US President Donald Trump, LSEG shipping data showed on Friday.
Trump has taken several measures to lower domestic fuel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, including waiving parts of a recent Russian sanctions law and threatening Europe with a US diesel export ban unless countries release emergency reserves.
Russia bombs Kyiv despite renewing negotiations
09:00 , Namita SinghRussia pounded Kyiv with ballistic missiles and Ukraine sent hundreds of drones towards Moscow on Thursday, as the warring sides kept up a barrage of attacks despite the latest US push to end the conflict.
Ukraine said Russia fired at least 21 ballistic missiles in three waves. President Volodymyr Zelensky said three carried cluster munitions – "bomblets" that disperse over a wide area and are banned by many countries because of the danger to civilians.
Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Russia said Ukraine launched 630 drones towards Moscow during the night.
Ukraine seeks to move customs checks inside EU to avoid Russian drones – report
08:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeUkraine is in talks with EU member states Poland and Slovakia about moving customs checks on lorries carrying grain exports from the border to inside those countries, to halt Russian drone attacks on the trucks, the Financial Times reported.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said Kyiv had set up joint border control points with Moldova and wanted to "scale up" the initiative with other neighbours, including Poland, the FT reported.
Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told the paper the move was driven by a "new security environment where Russia is deliberately trying to strike our borders" and that Kyiv wanted to finalise an agreement with Poland as soon as possible.
Russia hits Ukraine's port of Vilkovo
08:15 , Rituparna ChatterjeeThe Russian military has hit the port of Vilkovo in the Odesa region in Ukraine, a railcar depot in the Poltava region and a cargo vessel in the Black Sea, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.
It added that all were used for military purposes.
Germany steps up efforts to counter escalating hybrid attacks from Moscow
08:00 , Rituparna ChatterjeeGermany has stepped up efforts to counter what it sees as escalating hybrid attacks from Moscow, deemed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz the biggest threat to his country's security.
A Ukrainian national has been arrested in the German state Brandenburg on suspicion of spying for Russia, a statement by federal public prosecutors said on Thursday.
The suspect, identified by prosecutors as Vadym Y under German privacy rules, had been in contact with a Russian secret service via an intermediary since at least July 2025, prosecutors said.
While some of the information was publicly available, other details were solicited from individuals in the European defence industry, they said.
The Russian embassy in Berlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Merz said the arrest did not surprise him and warned that there would be more such cases in the future.
Russia ready to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine, says Putin
07:00 , Namita SinghRussian president Vladimir Putin, interviewed on Russian television a day after meeting US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, confirmed that Russia was ready to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine next month.
Putin said the aim of the talks was to ensure the security of Ukraine and Russia after the conflict was resolved. Witkoff, he said, had stressed that discussions had to extend to "the architecture of European security".
"And I agree with that too. Well, let's see how things develop in the coming days."Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped negotiations, which would be the first since February, would take place early in November.
Russia and Ukraine exchange war dead
06:00 , Namita SinghRussian and Ukraine held an exchange of war dead, with Moscow handing over 252 bodies and Ukraine handing over 25, according to the Belta state news agency in neighbouring Belarus. Such exchanges have accompanied moves towards talks in the past.
Breaking: Russian strike hits Ukrainian power station
05:47 , Namita SinghUkraine’s energy company DTEK says that a Russian attack has hit one of its power stations. We'll bring you more information on this as we have it.
Starlink access to Ukraine 'restored', claims Trump
05:00 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had restored Ukraine's Starlink access, one of the issues linked to a rift between Washington and Kyiv that has cast doubt on US support for Ukraine.
Trump, in comments on Starlink, declined to say whether he had spoken to Musk about restoring the service for Ukraine.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use.
"I don't want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called ... The bottom line - he put it back," Trump told reporters.
Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations. Restricting the service hampered the country's attack and air defence drone missions against Russia.
Speaking earlier alongside Finland's prime minister, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said speed on Starlink systems had not been restored for Ukraine.
"We are tackling that," Zelensky said, adding he hoped to discuss the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A person familiar with the Starlink issue said the problem was continuing, with the same curbs largely remaining in place.
Some drone units report reaching speeds of 200kmph (125mph) with drones but otherwise the picture was unchanged, he said. “The main problem is that we have no official explanation what's going on," he said.
Prepare for ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ and cyber attacks to cause food shortages, Streeting warns
04:00 , Maira ButtBritons should prepare for food shortages if “state-sponsored terrorism” disrupts everyday life, the defence secretary has said in a stark new warning on the “real” threats facing the UK.
People need to start to stockpile food, water, medicine and wind-up radios, Wes Streeting said, raising the spectre of hostile powers launching cyber attacks on key infrastructure.
Such attacks could wreck supply chains or make businesses’ payment systems fail, he said, while natural risks such as flooding and wildfires also pose a threat.
‘State-sponsored terrorism’ and cyber attacks to cause food shortages, Streeting says
Zelensky says he will speak to Rubio in coming days
03:00 , Maira ButtVolodymyr Zelensky has said that he will speak to secretary of state Marco Rubio in the coming days.
Tensions have escalated between Ukraine and the US after a series of public comments.
Ukraine had reported having its US-assisted military intelligence restricted, claims that Rubio had called “scandalous”.
US-brokered trilateral agreements are reportedly set to take place in order to rekindle negotiations, which have stalled since the war in Iran.
Trump declines to say if he spoke to Musk about Starlink
02:00 , Maira ButtDonald Trump has said that Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's Starlink access but declined to comment when asked whether he had spoken to the billionaire about the matter.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Thursday that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink.
“I don't want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn't make any difference, I guess. The bottom line - he put it back,” Trump told reporters when asked if he spoke to Musk.
Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on Thursday that fully function of SpaceX’s military-grade system had not been restored.
Finnish PM says no gas deals should be made with Russia during war
01:00 , Maira ButtFinland's prime minister Petteri Orpo has said that no deals should be made to buy gas from Russia during the country’s war with Ukraine, in comments made on Thursday.
The leader was visiting Kyiv for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky. They told a joint press conference that they had discussed opportunities to cooperate on satellite communication, energy and logistics.
Finland stopped receiving Russian pipeline gas in May 2022 after refusing Russia's demand to pay in roubles, and completely ended Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports in July 2024 under EU sanctions.
Watch: Russian attack damages shopping center and residential buildings in Ukraine’s Rivne region
Friday 23 October 2026 00:01 , Maira ButtTrump says Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access, declines to say if they spoke
Thursday 22 October 2026 23:00 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters that Elon Musk had restored Ukraine's Starlink access but declined to comment when asked whether he had spoken to Musk about the matter.
However, Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that full functionality of SpaceX’s Starshield programme had not yet been restored in an interview with CNN.
Downing Street rejects American description of Vladimir Putin as ‘humanitarian’
Thursday 22 October 2026 22:00 , Daniel KeaneDowning Street has rejected the characterisation of Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” made by Donald Trump’s chief negotiator on the Ukraine war.
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, made the remark as he met with the Russian leader this week.
It comes as the US president has made a new push to end the Ukraine war, and is putting pressure on Kyiv to agree to a settlement.
No 10 suggested the Government was wholly at odds with the description of Mr Putin.
Asked about it by reporters, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “We certainly do not recognise that characterisation, and president Putin has killed thousands of people, both innocent Ukrainians and his own Russian people, who he has sent to their deaths on the frontline.”
Read the full story here.
Downing Street rejects American description of Vladimir Putin as ‘humanitarian’
Putin says eastern Ukraine's land is historically Russian
Thursday 22 October 2026 21:44 , Maira ButtVladimir Putin has said that the territories in eastern Ukraine claimed by Moscow were “historically Russian land” in comments made on Thursday.
He said any future trilateral talks involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine should focus on security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine, adding broader European security issues should also be discussed.
Poland detains second suspect in murder of Russian artist who criticised Putin
Thursday 22 October 2026 21:00 , Daniel KeanePolish authorities have detained a second suspect in the June murder of a Russian artist who had criticized President Vladimir Putin, secret service chief Tomasz Siemoniak said on Thursday.
Robert Kuzovkov, also known as Semyon Skrepetsky, died after he was hit by five bullets in the eastern Polish city of Biala Podlaska in June.
Kuzovkov was known for his work criticizing Russian authorities and had staged a protest in Berlin shortly before the shooting.
At the time, Polish authorities detained a 36-year-old man, who they said was using a Georgian passport.
The second man, a 22-year-old Georgian national suspected of complicity in the murder, had been placed in pre-trial detention for three months by a court, Siemoniak wrote on X on Thursday.
Video: Russian attack damages shopping centre
Thursday 22 October 2026 20:00 , Daniel KeaneTrump asks Musk to lift Ukraine Starlink restrictions, WSJ reports
Thursday 22 October 2026 19:33 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump has called SpaceX owner Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing US officials.
The Starlink system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the Trump-Musk conversation, according to US and Ukrainian officials cited by the publication.
Russia hit Kyiv with missiles carrying cluster warheads, Zelensky says
Thursday 22 October 2026 19:00 , Daniel KeaneUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia hit Kyiv overnight with three ballistic missiles carrying cluster munition warheads.
Zelensky said such missiles were designed to detonate in the air as they approach their targets, spreading damage across an area 400 meters in diameter.
He added that one of them struck Kyiv's historic district, hitting the area near the monastic buildings of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
He also said that Russia had kept targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure with more than 170 strikes on critical energy facilities since October 11.
Zelensky says Starshield access is still restricted
Thursday 22 October 2026 18:29 , Maira ButtPresident Volodymyr Zelensky has said that access to SpaceX’s military-grade Starshield remains restricted in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
The US and Elon Musk have blamed each other for the limitation.
He added: “My attitude to Putin is very clear. I think that if we lift sanctions, we will make him stronger. It’s not something personal between me and President Trump, and of course I’m against of any lifting of sanctions.”
Danish military orders long-range missiles
Thursday 22 October 2026 18:00 , Daniel KeaneDenmark said on Thursday it has agreed to buy its first long-range precision missiles as the Nordic country seeks to bolster its security to deter Russian aggression in Europe, drawing condemnation from Moscow.
Danish Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus said the new missile systems would boost Denmark's capabilities and enable strikes "behind enemy lines" if attacked.
"We're in a serious and deteriorating security situation and that is why we are building up the defence and strengthening our combat power," Bruus told reporters.
The Russian embassy in Copenhagen, in a written statement, said Denmark's missile policy aims at confrontation with Moscow and warned of "inevitable disastrous consequences".
Zelensky says 'Trump should talk about Putin the way he talks about me'
Thursday 22 October 2026 17:00 , Daniel KeaneVolodymyr Zelensky has said that Donald Trump should talk about Vladimir Putin in the same critical way that he talks about him.
The US President has recently turned on Zelensky over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying he was “more difficult to deal with than Putin” in comments that have enraged Kyiv and Europe.
Trump also claimed that Russia “hasn’t been doing much” in Ukraine, despite thousands of civilian deaths the unprecedented destruction of infrastructure.
Speaking to Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast, the Ukrainian president said: “The way Trump talks about me, he needs to adopt that kind of rhetoric about Putin.”
Zelensky said he did not understand why Trump was unhappy with him: “Congress voted for strong sanctions. He can do it – I don’t know why he is not doing it.
South Korea repatriates aid worker from Ukraine over safety, Yonhap says
Thursday 22 October 2026 15:53 , Daniel KeaneSouth Korea's international aid agency has decided to bring back one of its two staff members from its office in Ukraine's capital on safety grounds, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.
Kyiv has come under increasingly heavy Russian drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, more than 4-1/2 years after Moscow's invasion of its neighbour.
South Korea has also been caught up in a diplomatic dispute with Ukraine and withdrew its ambassador this month after accusing Kyiv of breaching a confidentiality agreement over the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to the South.
The decision by the Korea International Cooperation Agency to repatriate the aid agency staff member was made after a safety meeting, Yonhap said in its report.
Suspected spy for Russia arrested in Germany
Thursday 22 October 2026 14:52 , Daniel KeaneA Ukrainian national has been arrested in the German state Brandenburg on suspicion of spying for Russia, a statement by federal public prosecutors said on Thursday.
Germany has stepped up efforts to counter what it sees as escalating hybrid attacks from Moscow, deemed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz the biggest threat to his country's security.
The suspect, identified by prosecutors as Vadym Y. under German privacy rules, had been in contact with a Russian secret service via an intermediary since at least July 2025, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said he gathered military-related intelligence, including information on the production of armoured vehicles, ammunition and explosives, as well as personnel and installations involved in securing Nato’s eastern flank.
Ukraine to be able to buy military supplies via Nato agency - report
Thursday 22 October 2026 13:15 , Maroosha MuzaffarNato will allow Ukraine to buy weapons, ammunition and military equipment via its centralised procurement agency, potentially allowing Kyiv to obtain defence supplies faster and more cheaply, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
“It provides Ukraine with the ability to have a more structured framework to leverage a broad range of capabilities that we offer: procurement expertise, support services and access to established industrial base,” the Nato Support and Procurement Agency director of support to operations, Jacqueline Borsboom, told the FT.
The deal comes amid worsening US-Ukraine relations since US president Donald Trump announced a diesel export deal with Russia this month to lower US fuel prices.
Ukraine has complained of disruption to some intelligence sharing and its use of the Starshield satellite system, though Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said a meeting in Oslo on Tuesday had agreed to resolve those issues.
Kremlin claims US companies better off in Russia thanks to Trump
Thursday 22 October 2026 12:45 , Adam WithnallThe Kremlin has said US companies still operating in Russia are being better treated than their European rivals because of president Donald Trump's efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine.
Reuters reported earlier that Russia had deepened a crackdown on European companies in response to Europe's support for Ukraine, while largely sparing US firms.
"The American administration is doing a lot to help bring about a peaceful settlement (in Ukraine); the European capitals are doing nothing to help while doing a lot to prolong the military action," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov did concede that European countries were becoming more actively engaged in the peace process, following talks involving Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo. He described that as a positive development.
Russia continued to launch heavy aerial strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight into Thursday despite Vladimir Putin meeting with Witkoff just hours earlier and claiming to want a peaceful end to the war, which was started by Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Asked about possible trilateral peace talks next month with the US and Kyiv, Peskov said no decision had yet been made on who would represent Russia.
