Ukraine war live: Deal to hand Kiev €140 billion in frozen Russian assets fails

Volodymyr Zelensky and Sir Keir Starmer are expected to join NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schuof at the Foreign Office in London.

About 20 other leaders will join the meeting of the group called Coalition of the Willing via video link.

Details of a potential future “assurance force” for Ukrainian security remain scant, and the London meeting seeks to further develop the idea – even if any peace deal appears only a distant possibility at this time.

According to officials, the force is likely to include air and naval support rather than Western troops deployed to Ukraine. Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey says it will be “the force to help secure the skies, the force to help secure the seas, the force to help train the Ukrainian military to defend our nation.”

Its headquarters are expected to rotate between Paris and London for a period of 12 months.

A nuclear-capable Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber aircraft conducted a routine patrol flight in neutral waters over the Sea of ​​Japan, Russia’s state news agency RIA reported on Friday, citing the Defense Ministry.

The ministry was quoted as saying that fighter planes from foreign countries provided protection to the attackers at various stages of the mission.

As Volodymyr Zelensky met the king in Windsor, preparations were underway to welcome the Ukrainian president to London later.

Downing Street said the leaders meeting this afternoon would be used to “focus the world’s attention on how they can strengthen Ukraine’s hand and cripple Russia’s ability to continue the war”.

King Charles invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Windsor Castle for an audience on Friday morning.

This is the third time this year they have met, but it is the first time Zelensky has been formally welcomed.

Upon arriving at Windsor, Zelensky was given a royal salute and the Ukrainian national anthem was played.

Zelensky is in the UK for a meeting with the Prime Minister and the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ in London.

Sir Keir Starmer is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a group of allies in London today.

The Prime Minister is expected to call for a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia.

He will also urge leaders to take action to remove Russian oil and gas from the global market and to allocate billions of pounds to finance Ukrainian security through frozen Russian assets.

The coalition of about 30 countries has pledged to protect Ukraine’s security and safeguard any potential peace. Members have different views on how to do this.

One of Ukraine’s main concerns about a permanent peace agreement is the nature of its security guarantees against future Russian aggression.

The moderate coalition has also worked to advocate for Kiev in Washington and align actions aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war.

Sir Keir Starmer urged allies to follow up on Donald Trump’s ‘decisive action’ against Russia ahead of today’s coalition of the willing meeting.

The Prime Minister stressed that “the only person involved in this conflict is the one who does not want to stop the war [Russian president] Vladimir Putin”

“We must step up pressure on Russia and push for decisive action by President Trump,” he said after the US imposed sanctions on Russian oil to bring Putin to the negotiating table over a ceasefire in Ukraine.

A key figure in Ukraine’s 3-month-old campaign to attack Russian oil facilities with long-range drones said Moscow is improving its ability to stop them — but his unit is working on technology to stay one step ahead.

Ukraine has attacked Russian energy facilities more than 60 times since the beginning of August, causing significant damage and disrupting the flow of oil and products through Russia’s vast pipeline system.

A senior Ukrainian commander of the 14th Deep Strike Regiment said: “We are dealing with a quite skilled opponent. They have a high level of training and they quickly adapt to our methods, the tactics we use.”

He acknowledged that Russia has made “a huge bet” to develop its electronic counter-drone measures, but said its forces are ready for the challenge.

“We rely on quality. A large number of drones, I’ll tell you honestly… don’t always solve a particular problem. It’s the new approach, the new technologies that are now bringing us the success that you all see.”

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov inspected the “Southern” group of forces fighting in Ukraine, where he was briefed on the situation on the battlefield, his ministry said on Friday.

In recent days, analysts have suggested that the Kremlin is attempting to falsely portray Russian forces as establishing a bridgehead in southern Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry today claimed that Russian forces have taken control of the village of Dronivka in the Bakhmut region of Donetsk oblast.