Volodymyr Zelensky described Iran and Russia as “brothers in hatred” in an address to MPs in parliament, following talks with Nato chief Mark Rutte and PM Sir Keir Starmer.
The Ukrainian president arrived in London for the signing of a new defence deal between Britain and Ukraine. In his address to MPs he highlighted Ukraine’s capabilities in new defence technology, and warned that security remains the “foundation of society”.
Downing Street said the partnership with Kyiv would bring together "Ukrainian expertise and the UK's industrial base" to manufacture and supply drones and other capabilities. Zelensky met with Rutte and Starmer after an audience with King Charles. He later joked that he had given the King an iPad to share with Sir Keir, after speaking about the vital use of technology on the battlefield.
The meeting in London came amid heightened global instability in light of the Middle East conflict, during which US President Donald Trump has vented frustrations with the UK and other countries over the extent of their involvement, and the Ukraine war.
Zelensky told MPs: “We must act now, so that future generations can say 'these leaders acted when it mattered'.
"Work with us as closely as possible so that neither Kyiv, nor London, will have to hide under drone nets or live under concrete without a safe sky."
Key Points
- Zelensky to meet Starmer in London today. Here's what's on the agenda
- Putin's forces offensive disrupted by Ukraine, says Zelensky
- Pictured: Sean Penn seen in Kyiv after skipping Oscar ceremony
- Russia claims capturing 12 settlements in Ukraine as part of general advances
- Putin to stop enlisting Kenyans to fight for Russia in Ukraine, minister says
- The Iranian regime and Putin's Russia are 'brothers in hatred'
Nato secretary‑general Mark Rutte, Zelensky and Starmer meet soldiers who will be using Ukrainian defence systems
20:06 , Harry CockburnNato secretary‑general Mark Rutte also joined Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street.
The three men met soldiers from The Rifles who will soon operate Ukrainian‑made Nemesis heavy drones — systems credited with destroying 158 Russian tanks in Ukraine.
Zelensky met King Charles at Buckingham Palace
19:02 , Harry CockburnUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met the King at Buckingham Palace, and the men shook hands warmly and stood side by side for a photograph.
The King welcomed Mr Zelensky in the first-floor drawing room, and the president was invited to take tea with him in his private study during the 25-minute meeting.
Charles and Mr Zelensky greeted one another with mutual warmth and respect, building on their many previous encounters, according to PA.
The King, who in January paid tribute to the Ukrainian people's resilience and the country's "valiant strength", and expressed his hopes for a "just and lasting peace", is said to have rearticulated these sentiments in person to Mr Zelensky.
Zelensky says Europe must work together to ensure the safety of its citizens
17:43 , Harry CockburnZelensky told MPs: "Together Europe is a global force – one that the world cannot do without and that no-one can stand against. We must grow this strength, and we must direct it, and we can. We must act now, so that future generations can say 'these leaders acted when it mattered'.
"Work with us as closely as possible so that neither Kyiv, nor London, will have to hide under drone nets or live under concrete without a safe sky."
The Iranian regime and Putin's Russia are 'brothers in hatred'
17:37 , Harry CockburnThe Iranian regime and Vladimir Putin's Russia are "brothers in hatred", Volodymyr Zelensky told MPs and peers.
The Ukrainian president highlighted co-operation between Tehran and Moscow on Shahed kamikaze drones which had targeted Ukraine and countries across the Gulf.
Zelensky said: "The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred and that is why they are brothers in weapons.
"And we want regimes built on hatred, to never, never win in anything. And we want no such regime to threaten Europe or our partners."
AI will run the weapons of the future, Zelensky warns
17:28 , Harry Cockburn"I am glad we have a joint project with the United Kingdom," he tells MPs.
"There is not enough security, why? Because the Iranian regime's weapons have evolved faster than defence in [affected] countries. This is a problem that must be solved and can be solved. As soon as possible.
"We all understand what comes next. AI is already in many devices we use everyday. Soon almost everything will run on it. And weapons will too, becoming ever more deadly.
"By building protection against today's weapons and investing in the evolution of security, we're also preparing for the weapons of tomorrow."
Zelensky notes that vital drone deal with US ‘still on the table’
17:17 , Harry CockburnPresident Zelensky has just told MPs and peers at an address in parliament that “Ukraine stands ready” to help allies “fight the terrorist regime” in Iran.
He notes that his country has the skill and equipment to take down the drones used by Iran in the current war and its retaliation against other Gulf states.But pointedly he notes that at a time when Donald Trump is asking for help a drone deal he has been trying to land with the White House remains unsigned but “is still on the table”.
Ukrainian approach to defence "far more cost effective", Zelensky tells MPs
17:15 , Harry Cockburn"There has been no real peace while this regime has been in Iran," Zelensky says. "We are entering a time when such regimes are gaining new ways to kill, cheaply, over long distances, using AI, and simply because they want to destroy you and can force their own people to work for war.
“One Iranian Shahed missile costs $150,000. To shoot it down pilots sometimes use missiles some costing up to $4m.”
But he says the Ukrainian approach is "far most cost effective". With smaller missiles costing less than $10,000 dollars.
Zelensky thanks Keir for signing partnership on drones
17:09 , Harry CockburnThe UK sees opportunities to work with Ukraine clearly, Zelensky says, suggesting other countries are missing such opportunities. "So thanks Keir," he says as MPs applaud the prime minister following the signing of the new defence deal.
Zelensky: Hundreds of Ukrainian drone experts already in Middle East
17:06 , Harry CockburnZelensky says that there are already hundreds of Ukrainian drone experts working in the Middle East. "Right now there are 201 Ukrainians in the Middle Eastern region and another 44 are ready to deploy. These are military experts who know how to help how to defend against ... drones. Our teams are already in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and on the way to Kuwait.
"We do not want the terror of the Iranian regime against its neighbours to succeed."
Security is the foundation of society, Zelensky tells MPs
17:02 , Harry CockburnAddressing MPs, Zelensky says: "When they don't see a future, people begin to support those who reject everything – offering something entirely different – something that can break the very foundations of society. So we must have an answer that tomorrow must be at least, safe."
He added: "With no security there is no strong economy, there are no social services, work or hope for a normal life."
Ukraine must not be driven out of our minds by other wars, says Lindsay Hoyle
16:57 , Harry Cockburn"We should be celebrating the courage of people in Ukraine against Russian aggression… But we cannot celebrate because there is no lasting peace," says Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle in his introduction.
"It is imperative Russia does not profit from the world's need for energy, and the sanctions on Russian oil, must remain in place. We are committed to exerting economic pressure on Russia."
He added: "It is important that we do not lose focus on what is happening in Ukraine. It must not be driven out of our minds by other wars. And Ukraine must continue to get the support it needs to defend itself."
Zelensky thanks UK for support following 'difficult winter'
16:14 , Harry CockburnVolodymyr Zelensky thanked the UK for its support over the winter as he met Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street.
He said: "Thanks to the UK, you have stood with us all through this difficult winter."
The Ukrainian president said he would update Sir Keir on battlefield developments and energy security, saying: "Of course, we can't sleep, we must move quickly."
He added: "Also not to forget about our diplomatic efforts and negotiations and where we are with the Americans and with the Russians."
Mr Zelensky also acknowledged the impact of the Iran war on Ukraine and Europe.
UK focus must remain on Ukraine, despite war in Iran, Starmer says
15:43 , Harry CockburnSir Keir Starmer told Volodymyr Zelensky the UK's focus must "remain on Ukraine" despite the war in Iran.
Welcoming the Ukrainian president to Downing Street, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK's support for Kyiv, saying: "Our resolve is unbreakable."
He said: "I think it's really important that we are clear that the focus must remain on Ukraine.
"There's obviously a conflict in Iran going on, in the Middle East, but we can't lose focus on what's going on in Ukraine and the need for our support."
He added: "Putin can't be the one who benefits from a conflict in Iran, whether that's oil prices or the dropping of sanctions."
UK and Ukraine to work towards drone-production partnership
14:50 , Harry CockburnUK and Ukraine could be moving toward a new drone‑production partnership after Kyiv’s offer to help the United States and its Gulf allies counter Iranian drones was rejected by Donald Trump. Ukraine has become a major producer of advanced, battle‑tested drone‑interceptor technology, and British officials have said Russia and Iran are now sharing drone tactics in the Middle East.
Experts from the UK and Ukraine have already been deployed to the region to help neighbouring states defend against Iranian drone attacks. In London, Starmer’s office said the two countries will sign an agreement combining “Ukraine’s expertise and the U.K.’s industrial base to manufacture and supply drones and innovative capabilities.” Britain is also funding an “AI Center of Excellence” with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, AP reported.
Announcing his arrival in London, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his priorities were “more security and opportunities for Ukraine.” Starmer said “drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has only been further magnified by the conflict in the Middle East.”
Iran conflict draining U.S. air-defence missiles Kyiv relies on
14:24 , Harry CockburnUkraine stands to be “the ultimate loser” from the war with Iran, according to Ed Arnold, Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. He told AP the conflict is draining U.S. air‑defence missile stockpiles that Kyiv relies on to intercept Russian attacks, while also pulling Washington’s attention away from negotiations on ending the Russia‑Ukraine war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian teams recently travelled to Gulf states to discuss shared security interests. Securing advanced air‑defence systems from those countries will be crucial, said François Heisbourg, special adviser at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, who argued that Ukraine could offer its anti‑drone expertise and technology in return.
EU offers to fund Ukraine pipeline repairs to break Hungary deadlock
13:44 , Harry CockburnEU leaders have offered to fund repairs to a damaged pipeline carrying Russian crude to Hungary, hoping to persuade Budapest to drop its veto on a major aid package for Ukraine, AP reports.
Oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia stopped in January after the Druzhba pipeline was damaged on Ukrainian territory, which Kyiv said was caused by Russian drone strikes.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused President Zelenskyy of deliberately blocking supplies — which Zelenskyy denies — and has responded by vetoing a €90bn EU loan for Ukraine and holding up new sanctions on Russia.
The EU said it “has offered Ukraine technical support and funding” to fix the pipeline. “The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer. European experts are available immediately,” European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Zelenskyy opposes allowing Russian energy to transit through Ukraine but said the country is “undertaking all possible efforts to repair the damage and restore operations.”
Trump's attacks on Starmer "unseemly" amid wars in Iran and Ukraine, says Badenoch
13:02 , Harry CockburnDonald Trump's attack on the Prime Minister after asking the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz was "childish", Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said.
She told PA: "I'm Keir Starmer's biggest critic. He's done a lot of things wrong, but I think the words that were coming out of the White House were wrong.
"It's very childish, this war of words and these spats. They might think that they're entertaining, but I think the western alliance being involved in a public spat at a time when there's war in Ukraine, (Volodymyr) Zelensky in the country, there's a war in Iran.
"It's just unseemly. I think people need to grow up."
Zelensky arrives in UK for talks with Rutte and Starmer
12:11 , Daniel KeaneVolodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the UK for talks with Nato chief Mark Rutte and PM Sir Keir Starmer.
The Ukrainian leader wrote: “In London today. The agenda includes an audience with His Majesty King Charles III, meetings with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as an address to the British Parliament.
“Our priorities are clear – more security and opportunities for Ukraine. I thank the United Kingdom for its support and partnership in protecting lives.”
Adrift Russian tanker is 'imminent and serious' threat, say Mediterranean states
12:00 , Arpan RaiItaly, France and seven other nations told the European Commission that a Russian liquefied natural gas tanker currently adrift in the Mediterranean represents an ecological threat, and they urged swift action on the issue, a letter showed on Monday.
"The precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialised cargo, gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the Union's maritime space," the letter seen by Reuters said.
Russia's transport ministry said the Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, was attacked earlier this month by Ukrainian naval drones launched from the Libyan coast. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any such attack.
Pollution from Russian strike on Ukraine hydro plant cuts water to Moldovan city
11:30 , Arpan RaiA Russian attack on a hydroelectric plant in southern Ukraine triggered an oil spill and polluted water systems in neighbouring Moldova yesterday, with supplies cut completely in the country's second-largest city, officials said.
President Maia Sandu, who wants to bring Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, into the European Union by the end of the decade, said she held Russia responsible for the pollution in the Dniestr River.
Moldova's environment ministry said the spill prompted the cutoff in Balti, a city of 90,000, and in three other towns and would remain in effect for at least a further 12 hours into Tuesday.
Schools were ordered closed and students told to work online.
Moldova declared a 15-day environmental alert on Sunday as the extent of the pollution became apparent.
"We declared environmental alert and are acting to protect our people," Sandu said in a statement on social media, referring to the 7 March attack on the Novodnistrovsk hydro station. "Russia bears full responsibility."
Sean Penn skips Oscar ceremony and takes train to Ukraine
11:00 , Arpan RaiAt the 2026 Oscars ceremony, actor Sean Penn joined a small coterie of male performers who have three Academy Awards to their name.
But the 65-year-old, who was named Best Supporting Actor for his brilliant portrayal of a racist military officer in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, wasn’t among the stars gathered at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre on Sunday night.
“Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf,” Succession star – and last year’s Best Supporting Actor winner – Kieran Culkin quipped after opening the golden envelope.
So where was Penn on one of the biggest nights of his acting career? According to a report from the New York Times, the actor, who previously earned Oscars for Mystic River in 2004 and for Milk in 2009, chose to skip the ceremony in order to head to Europe.
His plan “as of late last week”, anonymous sources told the paper, was to visit Ukraine, although they “did not specify what he would be doing there or where precisely within the country he would be going”. On Monday, an AFP reporter spotted Penn leaving a car in Kyiv, and he has since been photographed in a meeting with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Swapping a glitzy Hollywood party to spend time in a country torn apart by war – it’s not exactly your usual A-list behaviour, but it is certainly quite typical of the unusual turn that Penn’s life and work has taken in recent years.
Russian air defences down 206 Ukrainian drones overnight
10:45 , Arpan RaiRussian air defence units have downed 206 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 43 over Moscow region, the Interfax news agency reported this morning.
Putin's forces offensive disrupted by Ukraine, says Zelensky
10:30 , Arpan RaiRussian assaults on the war battlefield have had become less intense, Volodymyr Zelensky said after his meeting with Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"Ukraine's defence forces have disrupted Russia's strategic offensive operation that the enemy had planned for March," he said.
"Although attacks are constant and assaults continue, their intensity and the scale of the confrontation are not what Russia had planned and what its command promised to Russia's political leadership," he said.
Zelensky and Syrskyi have pointed in recent weeks to successes in Zaporizhzhia region, recapturing about 400sq km (154 sq miles) of territory and retaking eight settlements.
Russia's top military offices have repeatedly said their forces have been making constant gains all along the front line.
The Ukrainian DeepState military blog, which relies on open sources to determine the position of both sides, said Russian forces were attempting a breakthrough in Kostiantynivka and had made some gains around Sloviansk.
Russia claims capturing 12 settlements in Ukraine as part of general advances
10:00 , Arpan RaiRussia has taken control of a dozen settlements in Ukraine in the first two weeks of March as part of advances along the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian state-run news agencies reported quoting top general Valery Gerasimov.
The claims have not been confirmed by Ukraine and come at a time Kyiv is making rapid adavances on the battlefield. President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country's armed forces had disrupted Russian plans for an offensive, with Moscow failing to reinforce its troops.
Gerasimov, the chief of Russia's General Staff, was speaking during a visit to the southern grouping of forces and pointed to gains around major Ukrainian cities in the more than four-year-old conflict, known in Russia as a special military operation.
"The offensive is being conducted in all directions," the Russian defence ministry quoted him as saying on its Telegram channel.
“In two weeks in March, 12 settlements have been liberated by units and military formations of the United Group of troops,” it said.
Gerasimov said Russian forces were "actively moving towards Sloviansk," a heavily defended town in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region long seen as one of Moscow's major targets.
Putin to stop enlisting Kenyans to fight for Russia in Ukraine, minister says
09:30 , Arpan RaiKenya said it had agreed with Russia that Kenyans would no longer be eligible for signing up to fight in the war with Ukraine after the scale of Russian recruitment triggered anger in some African countries.
Kenyan foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi who met his Russian counterpart Segrei Lavrov said an agreement had been reached with Russia to no longer allow Kenyans to sign up to fight.
Kenya says that more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight, attracted by monthly salaries of several thousand dollars and bonuses of more than $6,000 for contract soldiers.
"His excellency has conversed with us on the issue of the welfare of Kenyans who are in Russia and more specifically those who are involved in the special operation," Mudavadi said at a joint news briefing with Lavrov.
"And I want to make it clear that we have now agreed that Kenyans shall not be enlisted through the (Russian) Ministry of Defence - they will no longer be eligible to be enlisted," he said.
"There will no further enlisting."
He added that consular services would be organised through proper diplomatic channels for those Kenyans who had already signed up and required assistance.
Lavrov said that Kenyan citizens had voluntarily signed contracts to fight alongside the Russian army.
Zelensky to meet Starmer in London today. Here's what's on agenda:
09:00 , Arpan RaiPrime minister Keir Starmer is set to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky today in London as the UK government pledges renewed defence and industrial support to the war-hit nation.
- The two leaders are expected to agree on an expanded declaration aimed at a joint production and supply of drones and other military technologies, Downing Street said in a statement.
- Britain and Ukraine will also look at opportunities for increased defence industrial and technological cooperation with other countries, the statement added.
- Nato secretary general Mark Rutte is also expected to visit London for talks with Starmer and Zelensky on Euro-Atlantic security and efforts to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine, the British government said.
- "Drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has only been further magnified by the conflict in the Middle East," Starmer said in the statement.
Russian attack damages energy and port infrastructure in Ukraine's south
08:36 , Arpan RaiA Russian attack damaged industrial, port and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine's Odesa region on the Black Sea overnight, causing disruption to power supplies in separate settlements in the southern part of the region, a local official said this morning.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper said the fires had been quickly extinguished. He added that no one was hurt in the attack.
Critical infrastructure has been switched to backup power, he said.
The mayor of the town of Izmail, Ukraine's biggest port on the Danube which lies across the river from Nato member Romania, said the town came under a "massive" Russian drone attack overnight.
Infrastructure facilities and residential buildings were damaged in the attack, the mayor said on social media. Romania's defence ministry said on Tuesday it was looking for drone fragments reported to have fallen near the village of Plauru across the Danube river from Ukraine, after a Russian overnight attack.
Russian air defences down 206 Ukrainian drones overnight
08:15 , Arpan RaiRussian air defence units have downed 206 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 43 over Moscow region, the Interfax news agency reported this morning.
How replicating Ukraine's Black Sea deal can save Iran and Strait of Hormuz crisis
07:45 , Arpan RaiEU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she had discussed with the United Nations the idea of freeing up transport of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz by replicating a deal that gets grain out of Ukraine during wartime.
Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, now in its third week. Iranian forces have attacked ships in the narrow channel between Iran and Oman, choking off a fifth of global oil supply in the biggest disruption ever.
Kallas said the closure of the strait was "really dangerous" for energy supplies to Asia but was also a problem for the production of fertilisers, which could lead to shortages of food.
Under the deal, Ukraine can export grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers through the Black Sea, and merchant vessels and other civilian vessels are not attacked by Russia.
Kallas said she had spoken to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres about the idea to unblock the strait, currently choked off due to the Iran war.
"I had talks with Antonio Guterres about whether it was possible to also have the same kind of initiative like we had (with) the Black Sea Initiative," Kallas said.
A UN spokesperson acknowledged speculation about a possible UN-led initiative around the strait, but cautioned that the "stakes are too high" and that the world body will continue to work "discreetly”.
Putin's forces offensive disrupted by Ukraine, says Zelensky
07:15 , Arpan RaiRussian assaults on the war battlefield have had become less intense, Volodymyr Zelensky said after his meeting with Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"Ukraine's defence forces have disrupted Russia's strategic offensive operation that the enemy had planned for March," he said.
"Although attacks are constant and assaults continue, their intensity and the scale of the confrontation are not what Russia had planned and what its command promised to Russia's political leadership," he said.
Zelensky and Syrskyi have pointed in recent weeks to successes in Zaporizhzhia region, recapturing about 400sq km (154 sq miles) of territory and retaking eight settlements.
Russia's top military offices have repeatedly said their forces have been making constant gains all along the front line.
The Ukrainian DeepState military blog, which relies on open sources to determine the position of both sides, said Russian forces were attempting a breakthrough in Kostiantynivka and had made some gains around Sloviansk.
Romanian defence ministry hunts drone fragments near Ukraine border
07:07 , Arpan RaiRomania's defence ministry said on Tuesday it was looking for drone fragments reported to have fallen near the village of Plauru across the Danube river from Ukraine, after a Russian overnight attack on its infrastructure.
Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to monitor the attack and alerted residents of its southeastern county of Tulcea to take cover.
IMF raises concern over Ukraine's access to $8.1 billion aid – report
07:00 , Arpan RaiThe International Monetary Fund has raised concerns that Ukraine may be unable to tap its $8.1bn aid as the country's lawmakers stall on measures needed to release the financing, Bloomberg News reported today citing an IMF representative.
The move could halt as Ukraine waits on lawmakers to release the financing, the official said.
The Ukrainian parliament has until the end of March to pass a series of legislative amendments that would raise taxes on businesses and households under the latest four-year loan program approved last month, reported Bloomberg.
Ukraine had brutal plan to bankrupt Putin with his own war dead – until Trump’s oil U-turn wrecked it
06:45 , Arpan RaiUkraine’s war effort is being undermined by sales of air-defence munitions to the Gulf and continued aggression from Washington, while an oil-price bonanza means that Moscow can now, literally, fund its own war dead.
In the grim calculus of the “meat grinder” conflict on Europe’s eastern flank, Kyiv’s defence ministry has a target of killing 50,000 Russian soldiers a month.
This is because Ukraine estimates that Vladimir Putin can only recruit somewhere between 35,000 and 37,000 troops a month, despite staggering sign-up bonuses, extravagant salaries, and a $165,000 (£124,000) compensation package provided to the families of Russian soldiers killed in action.
According to Ukrainian and Western sources, if Putin’s ministry paid for all the Russian dead the war is generating every month – also estimated at around 35,000 – the cost would be $5.775bn (£4.35bn).
Ukraine had a plan to bankrupt Putin with his own war dead – until Trump wrecked it
UK confirms Zelensky's visit as government pledges support to Ukraine
06:25 , Arpan RaiDefence secretary John Healey confirmed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit would take place on Tuesday.
Mr Healey told MPs yesterday: “Over the last month, we have delivered to Ukraine 3,500 drones, 18,000 artillery rounds and three million rounds of small ammunition.
“We face two conflicts on two continents, supported by an axis of aggression with similar tactics and similar technologies.
“I say this to the Ukrainian people on behalf of the UK: we will not forget the war in Europe and our total determination to stand with Ukraine remains steadfast, and we will welcome President Zelensky to this country tomorrow,” he said.
Russian air defences down 206 Ukrainian drones overnight
05:51 , Arpan RaiRussian air defence units have downed 206 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 43 over Moscow region, the Interfax news agency reported this morning.
Zelensky to visit UK on Tuesday as Starmer warns of oil ‘windfall’ for Russia
05:45 , Arpan RaiUkraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the UK on Tuesday as Sir Keir Starmer warned the oil price rises caused by the Middle East crisis could result in a “windfall” for Russia’s economy.
The Prime Minister said he would meet the Ukrainian president to maintain focus on the war despite international attention being diverted by the Iran conflict.
The rise in energy prices caused by the Middle East turmoil has benefited Vladimir Putin’s Russia despite the sanctions imposed to stifle the flow of funds to his forces.
The US temporarily loosened sanctions preventing other countries buying Russian oil and petroleum which was already loaded on vessels at sea to try to ease the pressure on global supplies triggered by the US-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation against Gulf states.
The conflict could also constrain supplies of air defence missiles for Ukraine because of the surge in demand in the Middle East.
At a Downing Street press conference, Sir Keir said he would meet Mr Zelensky “soon” because “it’s vital that we continue to focus on supporting Ukraine”.
Zelensky to visit UK on Tuesday as Starmer warns of oil ‘windfall’ for Russia
Pictured: Sean Penn seen in Kyiv after skipping Oscar ceremony
05:40 , Arpan Rai
Putin to stop enlisting Kenyans to fight for Russia in Ukraine, minister says
05:15 , Arpan RaiKenya said it had agreed with Russia that Kenyans would no longer be eligible for signing up to fight in the war with Ukraine after the scale of Russian recruitment triggered anger in some African countries.
Kenyan foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi who met his Russian counterpart Segrei Lavrov said an agreement had been reached with Russia to no longer allow Kenyans to sign up to fight.
Kenya says that more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight, attracted by monthly salaries of several thousand dollars and bonuses of more than $6,000 for contract soldiers.
"His excellency has conversed with us on the issue of the welfare of Kenyans who are in Russia and more specifically those who are involved in the special operation," Mudavadi said at a joint news briefing with Lavrov.
"And I want to make it clear that we have now agreed that Kenyans shall not be enlisted through the (Russian) Ministry of Defence - they will no longer be eligible to be enlisted," he said.
"There will no further enlisting."
He added that consular services would be organised through proper diplomatic channels for those Kenyans who had already signed up and required assistance.
Lavrov said that Kenyan citizens had voluntarily signed contracts to fight alongside the Russian army.
Adrift Russian tanker is 'imminent and serious' threat, say Mediterranean states
04:45 , Arpan RaiItaly, France and seven other nations told the European Commission that a Russian liquefied natural gas tanker currently adrift in the Mediterranean represents an ecological threat, and they urged swift action on the issue, a letter showed on Monday.
"The precarious condition of the vessel, combined with the nature of its specialised cargo, gives rise to an imminent and serious risk of a major ecological disaster in the heart of the Union's maritime space," the letter seen by Reuters said.
Russia's transport ministry said the Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, was attacked earlier this month by Ukrainian naval drones launched from the Libyan coast. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any such attack.
Russia claims capturing 12 settlements in Ukraine as part of general advances
04:15 , Arpan RaiRussia has taken control of a dozen settlements in Ukraine in the first two weeks of March as part of advances along the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian state-run news agencies reported quoting top general Valery Gerasimov.
The claims have not been confirmed by Ukraine and come at a time Kyiv is making rapid adavances on the battlefield. President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country's armed forces had disrupted Russian plans for an offensive, with Moscow failing to reinforce its troops.
Gerasimov, the chief of Russia's General Staff, was speaking during a visit to the southern grouping of forces and pointed to gains around major Ukrainian cities in the more than four-year-old conflict, known in Russia as a special military operation.
"The offensive is being conducted in all directions," the Russian defence ministry quoted him as saying on its Telegram channel.
“In two weeks in March, 12 settlements have been liberated by units and military formations of the United Group of troops,” it said.
Gerasimov said Russian forces were "actively moving towards Sloviansk," a heavily defended town in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region long seen as one of Moscow's major targets.
Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address after meeting Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Russian assaults had become less intense.
“Ukraine's defence forces have disrupted Russia's strategic offensive operation that the enemy had planned for March," he said.
Oscar-winner Sean Penn skips ceremony, takes train to Ukraine
03:45 , Arpan RaiHollywood actor Sean Penn stepped out of a train carriage in central Kyiv yesterday, thousands of miles away from the glitz of Hollywood's Dolby Theatre where he had failed to turn up to receive his third acting Oscar hours earlier.
Penn, 65, won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in the political thriller "One Battle After Another", but skipped Sunday's ceremony to travel to meet Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky in the war-battered capital.
Ukraine's state railway operator posted a short video clip of Penn getting out of the train in the morning, saying it had kept his trip a secret until the very last moment.
"Now we can say it officially: Sean Penn chose Ukraine over the Oscars!" it said on its Facebook page.
Zelensky posted a picture of him meeting the actor in the presidential office in Kyiv's barricaded government quarters.
The photo showed the black-clad president talking to Penn who was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. There were no immediate details on their conversation.
"Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is," Zelensky wrote on the Telegram app.
"You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. This is still true today," Zelensky added.
Penn, a long-time advocate for Ukraine, has visited the country several times during the four-year war with Russia. He filmed a documentary about Russia's invasion that premiered in February 2023.
Penn also lent Zelensky, a former comedian and actor, one of his other Oscars in 2022.
Russia downs 67 Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow, mayor says
03:15 , Arpan RaiRussian air defence units downed at least 67 Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow yesterday, according to data published by the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
On Monday morning, Sobyanin had listed 38 drones intercepted. In a long series of posts later, the mayor said a further 29 drones had been downed during the day, starting at about 8am (0500 GMT).
Sobyanin also said that air defence units had shot down around 250 Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow over the previous two days.
In its latest tally, the Russian defence ministry said air defence units had downed 59 Ukrainian drones from 4pm to 8pm over different parts of the country, including 13 targeting Moscow.
Pollution from Russian strike on Ukraine hydro plant cuts water to Moldovan city
02:45 , Arpan RaiA Russian attack on a hydroelectric plant in southern Ukraine triggered an oil spill and polluted water systems in neighbouring Moldova yesterday, with supplies cut completely in the country's second-largest city, officials said.
President Maia Sandu, who wants to bring Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, into the European Union by the end of the decade, said she held Russia responsible for the pollution in the Dniestr River.
Moldova's environment ministry said the spill prompted the cutoff in Balti, a city of 90,000, and in three other towns and would remain in effect for at least a further 12 hours into Tuesday.
Schools were ordered closed and students told to work online.
Moldova declared a 15-day environmental alert on Sunday as the extent of the pollution became apparent.
"We declared environmental alert and are acting to protect our people," Sandu said in a statement on social media, referring to the 7 March attack on the Novodnistrovsk hydro station. "Russia bears full responsibility."
EU to impose sanctions on nine people for alleged war crimes in Ukraine
02:15 , Alex CroftThe European Union is set to impose sanctions on nine people accused of war crimes related to the Bucha killings in Ukraine, French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said on Monday.
Mr Barrot announced the decision as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Kyiv has said over 1,400 people were killed in Bucha, a suburb near the Ukrainian capital, during a 33-day occupation by Russian forces at the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The EU would also impose sanctions on Monday on several alleged Kremlin propagandists, including: the Franco-Russian Adrien Bocquet, whom Barrot described as "a key recruiter of foreign fighters in Ukraine, responsible for glorifying war crimes, and also responsible for disinformation campaigns in Europe and Africa."
Belgian PM calls for EU to normalise ties with Russia
01:28 , Alex CroftBelgian prime minster Bart De Wever says Europe must negotiate with Russia to end the war with Ukraine and restore cheap energy access.
In an interview with local Belgian newspaper, L’Echo, Mr Wever said: "In private, European leaders agree with me, but no one dares to say it out loud. We must end the conflict in the interest of Europe, without being naïve towards Putin.”
He added: "At the same time, we must normalise relations with Russia and regain access to cheap energy. That is common sense."
The European Union remains divided on the issue. French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have urged for direct talks with Moscow, while Poland and the three Baltic states are firmly opposed to the idea.
Kremlin dismisses reports of Ukraine peace process 'fizzling out'
00:29 , Alex CroftThe Kremlin has dismissed a report by the Financial Times that suggested the peace negotiations with Ukraine were “fizzling out”, because US president Donald Trump has diverted his attention to Iran and was losing interest in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "President Trump's frequent references to Ukraine in his recent statements suggest the opposite.”
"Judging by his statements, President Trump has lost no interest whatsoever. Furthermore, he is strongly urging (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky to strike a deal."
Mr Peskov added that Russia was still interested in continuing discussions to bring the war to an end, but that a venue and date for the next round of negotiations remained unclear.
Mr Trump expressed frustration with Zelensky in an interview with Politico earlier this month, saying the Ukrainian president "has to get on the ball, and he has to get a deal done."
Trump also rejected Zelensky's offer to help the US with downing drones over the Gulf states, telling NBC's Meet the Press that the "last person we need help from is Zelensky."
Analysis | Ukraine had brutal plan to bankrupt Putin with his own war dead – until Trump’s oil U-turn wrecked it
Monday 16 March 2026 23:32 , Alex CroftUkraine’s war effort is being undermined by sales of air-defence munitions to the Gulf and continued aggression from Washington, while an oil-price bonanza means that Moscow can now, literally, fund its own war dead.
In the grim calculus of the “meat grinder” conflict on Europe’s eastern flank, Kyiv’s defence ministry has a target of killing 50,000 Russian soldiers a month.
This is because Ukraine estimates that Vladimir Putin can only recruit somewhere between 35,000 and 37,000 troops a month, despite staggering sign-up bonuses, extravagant salaries, and a $165,000 (£124,000) compensation package provided to the families of Russian soldiers killed in action.
According to Ukrainian and Western sources, if Putin’s ministry paid for all the Russian dead the war is generating every month – also estimated at around 35,000 – the cost would be $5.775bn (£4.35bn).
Our world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Ukraine had a plan to bankrupt Putin with his own war dead – until Trump wrecked it
What we know about Oscar-winning 'Mr. Nobody against Putin'
Monday 16 March 2026 22:30 , Alex CroftMr Nobody Against Putin, distributed by Apple TV, premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival and has now won an Oscar.
“In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now,” the film's protagonist and co-director Pavel Talankin said in Russian from the stage through a translator.
Its tone is light and almost mischievously comical at times, with Talankin at moments resembling his fellow Oscar winner Michael Moore.
Talankin was a teacher and activities director in a small-town school in Russia who captured his students' lessons, chants and songs promoting the war in Ukraine on video.
He smuggled his hard drives out of the country to collaborate with American director David Borenstein, who lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.
It is the first Oscar for both Borenstein and Talankin.
The film won the British Academy Film Award during the Oscar run-up. But the win was still something of an upset over The Perfect Neighbor — director Geeta Gandbhir’s Netflix film built almost entirely from police body camera footage — which most media prognosticators picked as the winner.
Zelensky says he wants new system to control Ukraine drone sales
Monday 16 March 2026 21:30 , Alex CroftVolodymyr Zelensky has said foreign countries and firms willing to buy Ukrainian drones should not be able to bypass the Ukrainian government by talking directly to manufacturers.
The Ukrainian war-time president said a new system was needed to prevent this from happening and that his administration has already reprimanded one manufacturer for selling interceptors without considering the implications for Ukraine’s defences.
His remarks come at a time the war in the Middle East has put a spotlight on Ukraine’s defence capabilities, honed in the continuing war against Russia, especially against the Iranian Shahed drones.
Zelensky has warned private drone makers in Ukraine should not pursue direct export deals outside of government oversight.
“I have never heard that the United States isn’t interested. I have heard the opposite – that the United States is very interested,” Zelensky said, speaking to reporters in Kyiv over the weekend.
Watch: Is the Netanyahu café video an AI deepfake after claims he died?
Monday 16 March 2026 20:31 , Alex CroftOil depot in southern Russia on fire after drone attack, authorities say
Monday 16 March 2026 19:28 , Alex CroftAn oil depot in Russia's southern Krasnodar region caught fire after a drone attack, local authorities reported this morning.
There were no injuries at the depot in the town of Labinsk, the authorities said. The region is regularly the target for Ukrainian drone attacks.
African nations tiptoe around Russian networks recruiting citizens
Monday 16 March 2026 18:30 , Alex CroftKenya’s foreign minister is visiting Russia this week under pressure back home to convince Moscow to stop recruiting Kenyans into its military, but Nairobi “ like other governments in Africa“ is unlikely to take too confrontational an approach.
Reports in recent weeks revealed the scope and scale of the recruitment of Africans into Russia's depleted forces, often via third parties offering lucrative civilian jobs, triggering anger in countries like Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.
Families want more action to bring the recruits home but African governments, wary about overtly taking sides during Russia’s war in Ukraine, have avoided angering Moscow, mindful that the recruitment scandal has not yet triggered widespread public outcry or political heat.
"We want Kenyans stopped – they should not be enlisted at all," Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters ahead of his trip. “We are getting a lot of pressure from some of the affected families who are now gathering more courage to come forward and speak to the issue,” he said.
However, Mudavadi said he was pragmatic and realistic over the issue, describing Russia as a superpower with which Nairobi has had a long relationship.
“It's not a confrontation," he said. “This is about speaking to issues as they are and the distress that they're causing to the Kenyan people, and we need a joint effort to be able to resolve it,” he said.
Polish jets intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft
Monday 16 March 2026 17:29 , Alex CroftPolish jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea on Friday, the Polish army's operational command said on X.
"Polish fighter jets intercepted the Russian Il-20 aircraft conducting its ninth reconnaissance mission of the year in international airspace, without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off,” it added.
“The aircraft did not violate Polish airspace.”
