Ukraine: Russia targets energy grid, thousands without power

Ukrainian authorities were working to restore power to Donetsk after Russian attacks on infrastructure caused outages, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said on Sunday. The claim could not be independently verified, as most of the eastern region of Donetsk is controlled by Russian troops.

Russian forces have stepped up attacks on Ukraine's power grid in recent weeks as winter draws near.

Another regional governor, Ivan Fedorov, earlier reported that nearly 60,000 people in the southeastern Zaporizhizhia region were left without power after Russian airstrikes.

Russian drone bombing has killed at least two in Ukraine's Odesa region, Ukrainian authorities said Sunday.

According to the State Emergency Service, the two people died after Russian drones hit in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said that three others were injured.

A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire on an oil tanker stationed in the Black Sea port of Tuapse, Russian civil protection authorities reported on Sunday.

The attack also damaged the oil transfer terminal, and two civilian ships flying foreign flags, Russian officials said. The tanker's crew was evacuated.

Images published on Telegram showed three fires in the Tuapse port, which lies south-east of the Crimean Peninsula.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is not considering allowing Ukraine to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles for use against Russia.

"No, not really," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night when asked whether he was considering a deal to sell Kyiv the missiles. 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed the importance of Tomahawk  missiles to reach targets inside of Russia that are currently out of reach. 

The missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), long enough to strike deep inside Russia, including Moscow.

During Zelenskyy's most recent visit to the White House last month, the Ukrainian leader was unable to convince Trump to deliver the US-made Tomahawk missiles. 

Russia has launched its latest nuclear submarine, the Khabarovsk, as part of an expanding weapons programme.

Katarzyna Zysk, a defense analyst in Oslo, tells DW that the launch signals a strategic shift in Russia's military posture — and comes amid two recent nuclear weapons tests.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday on social media that Ukraine had strengthened its air defense network with Germany's support.

"We have strengthened the 'Patriot' component of our Ukrainian air defense," Zelenskyy wrote on social media, referring to the US-made advanced air-defense systems long coveted by Kyiv. 

Although he did not offer further details, the Ukrainian leader singled out German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for thanks.

"I thank Germany and personally Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz for this joint step to protect human lives from Russian terror," Zelenskyy added in a post in German, English and Ukrainian. 

"For some time, we have been preparing this reinforcement of our air defense, and now the agreements reached have been implemented. I thank everyone who contributed to this effort!"

With talks of a ceasefire with Russia having stalled, Zelenskyy has continued to call for Ukraine's allies to help provide more air defenses to hold off Moscow's attacks.

"Together with our partners, we continue to work on building a reliable air defense system," Zelenskyy continued. "Our capabilities will be able to guarantee security not only for Ukraine, but also for our partners when needed. Our security is indivisible — which means our air defense must protect all of us."

The Kremlin has publicly backed away from plans for face-to-face talks between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was "no need" for a hastily arranged meeting at this time, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

"What is needed now is very careful work on the details of a settlement," he said.

Peskov reiterated Moscow's rejection of calls for a ceasefire ahead of peace negotiations for Ukraine, saying a political agreement must come first.

After an October 16 phone call with Putin, Trump said he hoped to hold talks within two weeks in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, aimed at ending the war.

But Trump has since postponed the summit indefinitely, saying it would be a "wasted meeting."

US officials believe that Russia is unwilling to soften its demands on Ukraine.

Since Ukraine eased travel restrictions to allow men aged between 18 and 22 to go abroad, more and more young Ukrainians are applying for temporary protection in Germany. What are their reasons for coming? Read our full story here.

A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is not going to help resolve the Ukraine conflict, Russian news agency TASS cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Peskov said that "very painstaking work on the details of the settlement" is what is needed instead, according to the Sunday report.

Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in the Russian war on Ukraine.

According to authorities, a Ukrainian drone attack has caused a fire on an oil tanker which was stationed in the Black Sea port of Tuapse.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are reported to be without power after Russian airstrikes.

The Kremlin reportedly does not see a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as necessary to resolve the conflict.

Stay with us for this and all the latest news and analysis from the ongoing war in Ukraine.