The US has urged Nato to boost its firepower amid a growing Russian threat to the military alliance.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that Washington expects its allies to have “strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect”.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of Nato defence ministers held in Brussels, he urged members of the alliance to invest more into the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) arms initiative for Ukraine, which allows Nato to buy US weapons and supply them to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is said to be “optimistic” about ending Putin’s war in Ukraine after his successful ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, according to the White House.
The US president, who has made concerted efforts to bring Putin to the negotiating table over the last three months, warned Russia that the war must end because it is not making the country look good earlier this week.
Trump said the Russian “economy is going to collapse” and claimed there were “long lines waiting for gasoline” – but Moscow has hit back, saying it has a “stable supply”.
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Key Points
- UK jets to keep flying over Poland until year end
- Poland warns of Russia's deep strike into Europe
- Trump again says he is disappointed in Putin and asks him to 'settle the war'
- UK sends more than 85,000 drones to Kyiv in six months
- Zelensky strips Odesa mayor of Ukrainian citizenship
- Sam Kiley: Zelensky is buying into Trump’s Gaza delusion – so he can repeat the trick with Ukraine
Ukraine needs up to $20bn in US weapons through Nato programme, defence minister says
20:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukraine will need between $12 billion and $20 billion worth of military aid next year as part of a new NATO initiative to purchase US weapons, defence minister Denys Shmyhal said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a defence summit in Brussels, he added that Ukraine is capable of producing 10 million drones in 2026 with sufficient financing from allies, but that it also needs more long-range artillery shells as it fights Russian forces.
Ukraine introduces power cuts in all regions, energy ministry says
19:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukrainian authorities are introducing emergency power cuts in all but two regions following earlier Russian attacks on the country's energy system, the energy ministry said on Wednesday.
Officials had earlier implemented planned power cuts in the Donetsk and Chernihiv regions.
Sharp drop in military spending in Ukraine, thinktank says
19:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
There has been a steep drop in military aid spending in Ukraine over the the last three months, according to a report from a thinktank.
The analysis by the Kiel Institute in Germany shows military aid to Ukraine saw a sharp decline in July and August 2025, despite the introduction of NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
“As military support for Ukraine increasingly depends on new weapons procurement—which often takes months or even years to implement—the NATO PURL initiative is an important vehicle to provide Ukraine with ready-to-use weapons from US stockpiles,” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the Ukraine Support Tracker and Research Director at the Kiel Institute.
“At the same time, the decline in military aid in July and August is surprising. Despite the NATO PURL initiative, Europe is scaling back its overall military support. What will be crucial now is how the figures evolve in the autumn.”
US can 'impose costs' on Russia if war doesn't end, Hesgeth says
18:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth warned Moscow on Wednesday that the United States and its allies would "impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression" if the war in Ukraine does not come to an end.
"If we must take this step, the U.S. War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do," Hegseth said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of Kyiv's allies at NATO headquarters.
Hegseth did not elaborate. His comments came as US president Donald Trump's administration is considering a request by Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Recap: Former Russian president responds to Trump’s Tomahawk threat
18:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Zelensky urges leaders to 'build on momentum' after Gaza peace plan
17:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Zelensky has urged leaders to “build on the momentum” of the Gaza peace plan following a successful ceasefire in the Middle East.
Following a call with the Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Ukrainian president wrote on X: “PM Mitsotakis has just returned from the summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, which marked an important peace achievement for the Middle East. And it would be right to maintain and build on this momentum.
“Global unity succeeded in that region, and now everything must be done to end Russia’s war against Ukraine – this war remains the greatest source of global instability and danger today.
“But just as everywhere else, peace is possible through strength, and in the case of Russia’s aggression, it must be forced to stop the war.
“I informed the Prime Minister about the situation in Ukraine and about Russia’s strikes against our energy system.
“We are working to strengthen our air defense as much as possible before winter begins. Greece can truly help save lives, and I am grateful for that.”
I spoke with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis @kmitsotakis.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 15, 2025
PM Mitsotakis has just returned from the summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, which marked an important peace achievement for the Middle East. And it would be right to maintain and build on this momentum. Global… pic.twitter.com/nRuZIHzNzc
Germany to spend $500m on US weapons package for Kyiv, says minister
17:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Germany will finance a US weapons package for Ukraine amounting to $500 million, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at a meeting of the so-called Ramstein group of Kyiv's allies in Brussels on Wednesday.
The package will include air defence systems, Patriot missiles, radar systems, precision-guided artillery rockets and ammunition, he said, adding that additional German military aid in total comprised over two billion euros.
Pistorius also announced the delivery of another two IRIS-T air defence systems include a large number of missiles and shoulder-fired air defence missiles.
Ukraine's PM meets with IMF bosses
16:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko has met with IMF bosses Kristalina Georgieva and Dan Katz to discuss support programmes for the country.
In a post on X, Ms Svyrydenko wrote: “Under the current Extended Fund Facility program, Ukraine has successfully passed a record eight reviews and received $10.6 billion in financing.
“This program helped us maintain macro-financial stability even amid the uncertainty and challenges of the largest war in Europe in 80 years. It is important for us that the next program seamlessly continue the previous one.
“We were glad to hear the IMF leadership’s positive assessment of Ukraine’s progress — particularly on economic, fiscal, monetary, anti-corruption policies within our joint program.”
The team and I held meetings with the leadership of the International Monetary Fund — Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and newly appointed First Deputy Managing Director Dan Katz.
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) October 15, 2025
We continued the practical implementation of the agreements initiated last week by the… pic.twitter.com/06AUIKjelv
US ready to tariff China over Russian oil buys, but Europe must follow, Bessent says
16:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
The US is ready to slap China with tariffs over its purchasing of Russian oil - but has warned European allies must be ready to do the same.
"It is the purchase of Russian oil by China that fuels the Russian war machines. China buys 60%, six zero percent, of Russian energy. They buy 90% of Iranian energy," treasury chief Scott Bessent said.
It comes after President Donald Trump told European leaders that countries in the continent must stop buying Russian oil in September, claiming that it is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine.
The European Commission has proposed legislation to phase out EU imports of Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028, as Brussels seeks to sever its decades-old energy relations with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Watch: Zelensky is buying into Trump’s Gaza delusion – so he can repeat the trick with Ukraine
15:31
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
UK sanctions Russias largest oil companies
15:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
The Government has sanctioned Russia's biggest oil producer Rosneft as part of its latest set of measures targeting Russia's economy amid the war in Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced Rosneft, along with Lukoil - two of the world's largest energy companies - would face restrictions from the UK.
The Foreign Office said the two firms export 3.1 million barrels of oil a day. Rosneft, Russia's largest firm, is responsible for 6% of global oil production, and makes up nearly half of Russian oil produced.
Other action was taken against the so-called "shadow fleet", which allows Russia to export oil.
The new sanctions came as the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament visited the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Speaking in the Commons, Ms Cooper said: "We will ramp up the pressure on Russia to ensure that their escalation comes at a clear cost.
"So I am today setting out a further new set of sanctions, among our strongest so far, to tighten the pressure on Russia's economy."
Donors have given $4.5 billion to Czech ammunition scheme for Ukraine
14:30
,
Daniel Keane
Foreign donors have provided £3.3 billion to a Czech-led initiative to find and deliver large-calibre ammunition to Ukraine, the Czech defence minister has said.
The programme matches Czech arms producers and traders with potential sellers who often prefer to remain unnamed, and foreign donors.
Jana Cernochova said the Czech Republic has arranged supplies of 3.7 million artillery rounds to Ukraine, including 1.3 million so far this year.
Nato chief says he is 'very happy' about Trump-Zelensky meeting
13:56
,
Daniel Keane
Nato chief Mark Rutte says that he is “very happy” that Zelensky and Trump will meet in Washington on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, he says Nato “is ready and willing to do what it takes to keep our 1 billion people safe and our territory secure”.
Asked whether he believes Trump will provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles that could significantly tip the war in Kyiv’s favour, he responds: “I will not get into that, it's up to individual allies."
Germany and France sign agreement for early warning system for missile launches
13:45
,
Daniel Keane
Germany and France have signed an implementation agreement for a satellite-based early warning system called "Odin's eye".
The system will significantly improve capabilities to detect missile launches, as Europe seeks to spend more on defence to deter Russia.
Zelensky appoints new mayor of Odesa after citizenship row
13:15
,
Daniel Keane
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed a former regional governor to lead the port city of Odesa after revoking the citizenship of the former Mayor.
The appointment of Serhiy Lysak, who had led the Dnipropetrovsk region, came a day after the removal of mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov over his alleged possession of a Russian passport.
Mr Trukhanov, 60, who has governed the Black Sea port city for over a decade, rejected the accusation.
“I will appeal the decision to strip me of my Ukrainian citizenship in the Supreme Court. And, if that is not enough, I will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights,” he said in a video statement.
Putin to discuss fate of Russian military bases
12:45
,
Daniel Keane
President Vladimir Putin will hold talks in Moscow with Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa over the fate of Russia's military bases in Syria, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin said that Sharaa, who once headed the Syrian branch of al Qaeda and who toppled close Russian ally Bashar al-Assad late last year, was in Russia on a working visit.
The fate of Russia's two main bases in Syria - the Hmeimim airbase in Syria's Latakia province, and its naval facility at Tartous on the coast - will be discussed, the Kremlin said.
Russia could strike ‘deep into Europe’, Poland’s foreign minister warns
12:15
,
Daniel Keane
Moscow has the ability to strike “deep into Europe”, Poland’s foreign minister has warned, as he told European leaders it would be “irresponsible” not to build a drone wall on the eastern flank of the continent.
Speaking in London on Tuesday, Radosław Sikorski unveiled a Russian-flown Shahed-136 drone downed in Ukraine and urged leaders to pledge support to Ukraine for at least the next three years.
He said Ukraine was planning resources to fight for the next three years and that Western leaders “need to convince Putin that we are ready to stay the course for at least those three years”.
He added he hoped US President Donald Trump would make long-range Tomahawk missiles available to the country to bolster strikes against Russian infrastructure.
Read our full story below.
Zelensky revokes citizenship of Odesa mayor accused of holding Russian passport
11:45
,
Maira Butt
Hegseth urges Nato to have 'strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect'
11:23
,
Maira Butt
“You get peace when you are strong. Not when you use strong words or wag your fingers, you get it when you have strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect,” Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of War, told reporters ahead of a meeting at Nato headquarters on Wednesday.
“Our expectation today is that more countries donate even more, that they purchase even more to provide for Ukraine, to bring that conflict to a peaceful conclusion.”
Putin official pushes back at Trump warning of Russian economic collapse
10:57
,
Maira Butt
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees energy and the economy for the government, denied the claims of US President Donald Trump that the Russian economy would collapse due to “long lines waiting for gasoline”.
Mr Novak said Russia had a stable supply of gasoline.
"We have a stable domestic market supply, we see no problems in this regard," he said on Wednesday.
“The balance is maintained between production and consumption, and we, on the part of the government and the relevant ministries, are doing everything to ensure that this remains the case.”
Russian military says it has pushed Ukraine out of two settlements
10:40
,
Maira Butt
Ukrainian forces have been pushed out of two settlements by Russian forces, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
Russian forces took control of the village of Oleksiivka in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region as well as the settlement of Novopavlivka in the Donetsk region, it said.
Analysis: Zelensky is buying into Trump’s Gaza delusion – so he can repeat the trick with Ukraine
10:15
,
Maira Butt
Hungary reluctant to cut off Russian energy
09:47
,
Maira Butt
Hungary’s foreign minister has warned that the country would suffer if they phased out Russian gas.
The foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, said the country would not give in to external pressure dictating how it manages its own energy supplies.
Mr Szijjarto is in Moscow to attend the Russian Energy Week forum.
UK sends 85,000 drones to Ukraine
08:57
,
Maira Butt
The UK has delivered more than 85,000 military drones to Ukraine over the last six months, defence secretary John Healey is expected to announced on Wednesday.
At least £600m has been invested to accelerate drone delivery for Kyiv, Mr Healey will tell the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels.
US expects Nato to invest more into arms initiative for Ukraine
08:51
,
Maira Butt
The United States expects Nato countries to invest more into the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), an arms initiative for Ukraine, American Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday.
He told reporters that the US expects its partners to increase military capabilities and firepower.
Russia launches major attacks on Ukraine gas facilities overnight, says Naftogaz
08:21
,
Maira Butt
Ukraine’s largest national oil and gas company has accused Russia of targeting its production facilities overnight.
Naftogaz said Russia had struck its thermal power plant and production facilities overnight.
The company said Russia has launched three major attacks on its gas infrastructure over the last seven days, including in its eastern Kharkiv region and gas infrastructure in Sumy and Chernihiv.
Nato pushes for more weapons for Ukraine amid fading support and rising airspace tensions
08:00
,
Arpan Rai
Nato defense ministers will meet on Wednesday to try to drum up more military support for Ukraine amid a sharp drop in deliveries of weapons and ammunition to the war-ravaged country in recent months.
The ministers will also debate a call from Nato’s commander to lift restrictions on the use of their aircraft and other equipment so they can be used to defend the alliance’s eastern border with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine more effectively.
A series of mysterious drone incidents and airspace violations by Russian war planes has fueled concerns that President Vladimir Putin might be testing Nato’s defensive reflexes. Some leaders have accused him of waging a hybrid war in Europe. Moscow denies probing Nato’s defenses.
Putin’s top ally warns if Trump gives missiles to Ukraine it could lead to ‘nuclear war’
07:45
,
Arpan Rai
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a loyal ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, has warned President Donald Trump that the U.S. handing subsonic Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would mean “nuclear war.”
Trump is reportedly considering a request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the Tomahawks, which have a 1,500-mile range that would enable Kyiv to strike much deeper into Russian territory, hitting strategic targets such as the invader’s enemy infrastructure, military bases, and munitions factories.
Zelensky has argued that ramping up the arms available to his country would increase the pressure on the Kremlin to agree to a peace deal.
Ukrainian PM discusses attacks on energy in US talks
07:30
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine's prime minister said she was focusing on Russian attacks on her country's energy grid in talks in Washington ahead of a visit later this week by president Volodymyr Zelensky.
"At every meeting in Washington we raise the topic of defending Ukrainian energy and supporting our resilience over the winter and ways to defend it," prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
She described the priorities of her visit as "energy, sanctions and the development of cooperation with the USA in new ways that can strengthen both our countries".
Zelensky meets US president Donald Trump on Friday to discuss Ukraine's air defence and long-range strike capabilities. The leaders spoke twice last weekend amid intensifying discussions about the potential provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.
I'd like to thank U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for his continued support and constructive discussions.
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) October 14, 2025
Our dialogue with American partners is advancing dynamically. The U.S.–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund has begun its operations — an important milestone in… pic.twitter.com/dU12lF4Wvn
Network overload triggers blackouts in Kyiv, other Ukrainian regions
07:15
,
Arpan Rai
A network overload and the residual effects of previous Russian attacks triggered blackouts in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions late last night, officials said.
Water pressure was also affected in parts of the capital.
The Kyiv City State Administration said the overload had caused a problem in one of the capital's energy sites.
Power was cut in three central Kyiv districts on the west bank of the Dnipro River running through the city. The Kyiv metro was temporarily forced to rely on reserve power to keep operating. The administration later said emergency crews had restored power to affected areas, though outages were still being reported. It said water pressure would be restored to normal levels within two to three hours.
Ukrenergo, which operates Ukraine's high-voltage lines, said lingering problems from Russian attacks on the energy system had triggered outages in regions across northern, central and southeastern Ukraine.
Analysis: Trump does not have leverage with Russia that he had with Israel-Hamas
07:00
,
Arpan Rai
Hot on the heels of a major diplomatic victory in Gaza that saw the remaining Israeli hostages released by Hamas, president Donald Trump is looking to repeat his success in a far more challenging arena: The nearly four-year-old Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Trump, who has said he thought this conflict would be the “easiest” to settle, is set to host Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday in what could be a pivotal visit for Zelensky, who is openly seeking access to more advanced American weaponry that would let his armed forces strike targets deep inside Russia.
While Trump was able to leverage America’s relationship with Netanyahu’s government to force the Israeli leader to accept a settlement over the objections of several members of his right-wing coalition, the president doesn’t have the same pressure points to work with Putin.
UK jets to keep flying over Poland until year end
06:59
,
Shweta Sharma
Britain's defence secretary John Healy said on Wednesday his country's jets will keep flying over Poland until the end of this year as the British commitment to the Eastern sentry mission is extended.
"We are also ramping up our drone production for Ukraine," he told reporters before attending a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels.
In photos: Poland's deputy PM observes downed Shahed drone in London
06:45
,
Arpan Rai
UK sends more than 85,000 drones to Kyiv in six months
06:30
,
Arpan Rai
The UK has delivered more than 85,000 military drones to Ukraine over the past six months, the defence secretary is to announce, amid a surge in Russian attack drone strikes.
John Healey will say that £600m has been put towards drones for Kyiv's armed forces.
The drones - including tens of thousands of short-range first-person-view models - are being used for reconnaissance, precision strikes and to disrupt Russian operations behind the front lines.
He will tell the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels tomorrow that Western countries need to "ramp up drone production to outmatch (Vladimir) Putin's escalation".
Western officials said that in September, Russia launched around 5,500 one-way attack drones into Ukraine - a significant increase from 4,100 in August.
In October so far, more than 2,400 have already been launched, with attacks focused on Ukrainian gas storage and production facilities.
Nato chief mocks ‘broken’ Russian submarine as it resurfaces off English Channel
06:28
,
Arpan Rai
Nato chief Mark Rutte has mocked one of Russia’s submarines for “limping home from patrol”, claiming the vessel had been forced to surface because of technical problems.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet denied its diesel-powered submarine Novorossiysk had suffered a serious malfunction, after it surfaced in French waters on the weekend and was escorted by Dutch authorities through the English Channel.
Mr Rutte’s public ridicule of Moscow’s military capability signals tensions between Europe and Russia continue to escalate in the midst of the war in Ukraine.
In a speech in Slovenia, Mr Rutte dismissed Moscow’s argument that the vessel surfaced because it was complying with navigation rules in the English Channel, as he argued it was broken.
WHO chief says staff came under attack in Ukraine
06:11
,
Arpan Rai
A World Health Organization team came under attack while accompanying a United Nations convoy in Ukraine, but managed to deliver medical supplies to the city of Bilozerka, director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.
Two World Food Programme trucks were damaged in the incident, Tedros said. He reiterated calls for attacks on humanitarian workers to end.
The @WHOUkraine team came under attack yesterday while on a mission with a @UN convoy. Our staff are safe and still managed to deliver medical supplies to city of Bilozerka. Two @WFP trucks were damaged.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 15, 2025
We cannot repeat loudly and often enough that humanitarians are… https://t.co/886uqliWzU
Ukraine order mass evacuations from around devastated Kupiansk
05:59
,
Arpan Rai
Local authorities in Ukraine ordered the evacuation of families from dozens of villages near the all-but-destroyed northeastern city of Kupiansk, citing the "worsening security situation", in a region that has faced heavy Russian attacks.
Oleh Syniehubov, governor of northeastern Kharkiv region, wrote on Telegram that a total of 409 families with 601 children were told to leave 27 localities.
Another official in the affected area later told public broadcaster Suspilne that the list of localities to be evacuated by families had been expanded to 40.
For months, Russian forces have been attacking and advancing on the city of Kupiansk, seen as a key target in their push westward through central and eastern Ukraine in the more than three-and-a-half-year-old war.
The town was initially seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but Kyiv's forces recaptured it later that year.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week said Ukrainian forces were defending key frontline areas, including Kupiansk. He has also in recent days spoken of a Ukrainian counter offensive near the town of Dobropillia further south.
