Ukraine updates: Kyiv hails new EU, US sanctions on Russia

We've moved to a new blog on the latest news to do with Russia's war in Ukraine here.

After hours ofdeliberations in Brussels, all EU leaders except Hungary have approved a statement committing to "addressing Ukraine's pressing financial needs" for the next two years and asking the bloc's executive to draw up "options for financial support."

If you read between the lines, that's a cautious reference to the longstanding debate over whether and how to leverage hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of Central Bank of Russia assets frozen in Europe to support Ukraine.

The fact that key holdout Belgium signed the text means there may be some momentum to move forward.

But that wording is also much vaguer than expected — so we'll likely see months of legal and political wrangling ahead over who takes on the financial and legal risks of the plan.

Five civilians were shot by Russian troops in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk this week, according to local authorities.

Ukrainian public prosecutors said the incident occurred in the village of Zvanivka, about 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of Bakhmut and 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of Kramatorsk in the north of the Donetsk region.

According to prosecutors, a woman who survived the incident said that Russian soldiers had demanded information from her family about the positions of Ukrainian units.

When the family were unable to provide such information, the soldiers allegedly shot her husband, two sons and two neighbors, who were all unarmed.

Meanwhile in Kramatorsk, a key logistical hub close to the front line, two journalists from the Ukrainian state broadcaster "Freedom" were killed by a Russian drone, according to Ukrainian media and authorities.

Olena Gramova, 43, and Yevgen Karmazin, 33, were killed by a Lancet drone while they were seated in their car at a garage in the industrial city.

Karmazin was reportedly a native of Kramatorsk, which had a pre-war population of about 150,000 and is one of the few remaining major urban centers in the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control.

After failing to secure a promise from US President Donald Trump to provide powerful Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine last week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to European Union leaders to supply long-range missiles.

"When we talk about long-range weapons for Ukraine, we mean that the Putin regime should feel real consequences from this war," he told the EU leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday.

"Just look at how nervous [Russian President Vladimir] Putin became when this topic came up. He understands that long-range weapons can truly change the course of the war," he continued. "I urge you to support everything that helps Ukraine get such capabilities — because it really makes a difference to Russia."

Trump had initially signaled a willingness to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine as he grew frustrated at Putin's apparent unwillingness to discuss a ceasefire, but appeared cooler on the idea when he met Zelenskyy in Washington last week.

"These long-range weapons are not only in the US; some European countries also have them, including Tomahawks," said Zelenskyy on Thursday. "We are already talking to the countries that can help."

Off-site power has been restored to Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after a month-long outage. 

The outage is the longest since the start of Russia's invasion, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says.

The facility, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, lost grid connection on September 23 for the 10th time and had relied on backup diesel generators to keep critical cooling systems running.

The IAEA said the resumption of off-site power after repairs during a local ceasefire is "a crucial step for nuclear safety and security." The agency continues to work with both Russia and Ukraine to restore another damaged power line.

The plant’s six reactors — once supplying about one-fifth of Ukraine’s electricity — are located near the city of Enerhodar along the Dnieper River. They remain shut down but still require power for cooling and safety.

Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly blamed each other for shelling near the site, raising fears of a nuclear accident. Earlier this month, Russia said the situation was "under control" following warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Two Ukrainian journalists have been killed by a Russian drone strike in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, an attack condemned by Ukraine's human rights ombudsman as a war crime.

Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin identified the victims as Olena Hubanova and Yevhen Karmazin, both from the state-funded Freedom television channel, which broadcasts in Russian. The station confirmed their deaths, saying they were inside a car at a petrol station when the strike hit.

Filashkin said the vehicle was targeted by a Lancet drone, a type typically used against tanks and armored vehicles. 

"This tragedy is further evidence of Russia's systemic war crimes against civilians," Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine’s general prosecutor’s office said a third journalist was wounded and that a war crimes investigation has been opened. It released images showing a destroyed red car and two press-marked flak jackets in the trunk.

At least 20 journalists have been killed in the combat zone since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.

In early October, a French photojournalist was killed and his Ukrainian colleague seriously injured by a drone near Druzhkivka, also in Donetsk. Last week, a Russian war correspondent was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in occupied Zaporizhzhia, according to Russia’s RIA news agency.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed recent sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union against Russia, calling them an important step in pressuring Moscow.

"We waited for this. God bless, it will work. This is very important," Zelenskyy said as he arrived at an EU summit in Brussels.

Speaking alongside European Council President António Costa, Zelenskyy said Russia's continued attacks on civilian infrastructure, including kindergartens and schools, show it has no interest in peace. He stressed the need to maintain pressure on President Vladimir Putin.

"Pressure means sanctions packages, long-range air defense, and of course, financial support," the Ukrainian president said.

Zelenskyy is attending the EU summit, where further financial assistance for Kyiv is among the main topics.

On Wednesday, the US government announced new sanctions targeting Russia's two largest oil companies — the first such measures since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. The EU also adopted its 19th package of economic sanctions, which includes a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas.

Russia has warned that any move by the European Union to confiscate Russian assets held in Euroclear accounts would trigger a "painful response."

"The EU has no legal means to seize Russian assets, so their confiscation would be theft," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. 

"Any actions with Russian assets without Russia's consent are null and void from the standpoint of international and contract law. There is no legal way to take someone else's funds without hurting the pockets and prestige of those who expropriate them," Zakharova told reporters.

"Any confiscatory initiatives from Brussels will inevitably result in a painful response. We will act in full compliance with the principle of reciprocity in international relations, based on our own interests and the need to compensate for the damage caused to Russia."

Russia has warned that new US sanctions targeting its oil industry could undermine diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine but insisted the measures would have little impact.

"Our country has developed a strong immunity to Western restrictions and will continue to confidently develop its economic potential, including its energy potential," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a weekly briefing.

EU countries are set to agree to cover Ukraine's financial needs for 2026 and 2027, European Council President Antonio Costa said ahead of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

"Today we will take the political decision to ensure the financial needs from Ukraine to 2026 and 2027," Costa told reporters. "The technicality of the solutions, we continue to work on with the European Commission, but the most important is the political decision."

"[Russia] cannot believe that we are tired. We are not tired. And we are here to continue to support Ukraine, diplomatically, politically, military, and financially. And this is the most important message for Russia." 

Read more about the EU summit here in our live blog on the event.

European leaders are to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels in a show of support after a turbulent week that saw US President Donald Trump announce and then pause plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At Thursday's European Council summit, the bloc’s 27 leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and agree to move forward on a proposal to use frozen Russian central bank assets for a major loan to Kyiv.

The proposed €140 billion ($163 billion) "reparations loan" would be backed by profits from Russian assets frozen in the EU, most of which are held in Belgium by the clearing house Euroclear. Brussels has demanded assurances that other EU members will share any legal risk if Russia challenges the measure.

Early on Thursday, the bloc approved a new package of sanctions against Moscow.

Zelenskyy will attend the Brussels meeting before traveling to London on Friday as Europe seeks to maintain unity amid uncertainty over Washington's next steps.

EU officials are also encouraged by signals from Washington, after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the United States would unveil "a substantial pickup" in sanctions against Russia. He accused Moscow of failing to act in an "honest and forthright" way in negotiations toward a potential peace deal.

The Brussels talks will focus on sustaining funding for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Moscow, while discussions in London are expected to center on keeping Trump engaged in Western efforts to end the war.

EU member states has formally adopted a 19th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, introducing a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and new restrictions targeting banks, diplomats, and trade.

The 27 countries finalized the deal on Thursday after Slovakia lifted its hold on Wednesday evening. "It's a significant package that targets main Russian revenue streams through new energy, financial, and trade measures," the Danish EU presidency said in a statement.

The LNG ban will take effect in two phases: short-term contracts will expire after six months, and long-term agreements will end on January 1, 2027 — one year earlier than the European Commission's original timeline to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

The package also introduces limits on the movement of Russian diplomats within the bloc and expands sanctions to include Russian banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and entities in India and China.

"The EU is curbing Russian diplomats' movements to counter the attempts of destabilisation. It is increasingly harder for Putin to fund this war," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the LNG ban marks a major step toward completely phasing out Russian energy in Europe.

A new investigation has found that Russia spent more than a decade acquiring advanced Western technology to build a secret underwater surveillance system in the Arctic, designed to protect its nuclear arsenal.

According to the international research project "Russian Secrets" — involving Germany broadcasters NDR, WDR, and the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung — Russian firms obtained survey ships, underwater robots, sonar systems, and special cables from at least ten European countries as well as the US, Japan, and Canada.

One example cited in the report is the purchase of the former survey vessel MV Aquarius Dignitus in 2020 by companies linked to Russian businessman Alexey S. Through his Cyprus-based firm Mostrello, Alexey S. allegedly used a network of companies to buy sensitive marine technology for a classified military project known as "Harmony."

The system reportedly involves a network of underwater sensors capable of tracking Western submarines and securing Russia's nuclear submarine bases in the Arctic. Western intelligence agencies consider the project highly sensitive given rising tensions in the region and Moscow's military buildup on the Kola Peninsula near Murmansk.

Analysts say the network's strategic location could allow Russia to quickly target both the US and Europe with missiles.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said it was "good to be in DC today to talk about NATO support to bring the war against Ukraine to a just and lasting end," thanking US President Donald Trump for his role in ceasefire efforts.

"I’m grateful to President Trump for his crucial work to stop the killing. A ceasefire is the first step — they should stop where they are," Rutte wrote on X. "Ukraine is ready and it’s important that all continue to apply pressure — through support to Ukraine, sanctions, shadow fleet, and more — to bring Russia to the table."

Rutte was making his comments after a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Ahead of a meeting next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, Trump said he would like Beijing to help put pressure on Moscow to halt the fighting.

"I think he [Xi] can have a big influence on Putin. I think he can have a big influence ... he's a respected man. He's a very strong leader of a very big country. And we will certainly be talking about Russia-Ukraine," he said.

Xi and Putin have formed a strategic alliance between their countries.