Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin threatens ‘retaliation’ after claiming Kyiv struck student dormitory

Falling debris from drones triggered a fire ⁠at an oil terminal in ⁠Russia’s ​Black ⁠Sea port of Novorossiysk ⁠and one ​person ⁠was injured, ‌officials said this morning.

The ‌General Headquarters ‌of southern Krasnodar ⁠Region, posting on Telegram, said several technical and administrative buildings had caught fire. ‌Debris had ​also ‌fallen ⁠on the facility’s ⁠oil storage terminal.

A bipartisan group of senators is pushing back on delays by the Department of Defense in sending $600 million in security aid to Ukraine and other allies in eastern Europe, dispatching a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday that calls for the funding to be disbursed.

Friction has grown between Congress and the Trump administration in recent weeks as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle push for updates on what has happened with $400 million in Ukraine and $200 million more for defense programs in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The money was allocated by Congress last year.

Even Republican lawmakers have aired their frustration as President Donald Trump’s administration disengages with Ukraine and other European allies.

“Ukraine has persistently and bravely repelled a four-year Russian onslaught, but its military needs and deserves continued American support,” said Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in the joint letter.

A weaker performance on the battlefield is making Russia “more reckless and dangerous”, the UK foreign secretary has warned.

Yvette Cooper said the peace dividend which began when the Cold War ended is “gone”, following a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Sweden.

She said: “We discussed in the Nato foreign ministers’ meeting how Russia’s weakening on the battlefield against Ukraine is also making them more reckless and dangerous.

“In the face of that threat and the ongoing global instability, the Nato alliance is vital and enduring, but within it Europe and the UK must do more.

“We have already been stepping up with significantly increased defence investment but we have to face up to the need to do much more so we properly protect our citizens.

“Russia is now under huge pressure from Ukraine’s military response and from economic challenges but that is making them more unpredictable with escalating attacks on Ukrainian civilians, increasing hybrid threats across the continent, and reports of drone incursions.

“The threat from Russia is increasing on air, land, sea, space, cyber and information warfare.”

Sir Keir Starmer and leaders from France and Germany have vowed to “double down on their support” for Ukraine, No 10 said on Friday.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister held a virtual meeting with the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of France Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this afternoon.

“President Zelensky updated on the progress made by Ukraine’s military in recent weeks, as it continues to ramp up its defence in the face of (Russian president Vladimir) Putin’s continued attacks.

“The leaders paid tribute to the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people and confirmed they would double down on their support in the coming months.

“They agreed that standing up to Russian aggression remains vital for European and global security, and reaffirmed their commitment to securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

“They agreed to speak again soon.”

German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said on Friday his government will spend more than 4% of the country’s gross domestic product on defence this year and is on its way to 5%.

Germany will suggest intensifying defence cooperation with Ukraine with the goal to speed up production, Wadephul also said prior to a meeting of NATO held in Helsingborg, Sweden.

France is reportedly looking to join a British-German plan to make new long-range missiles as Europe weans itself off military reliance on the United States.

Sources familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times that Paris has formally expressed interest in joining the deep precision strike programme.

The three nations are hoping to hold trilateral talks early next month, the newspaper reports.

The programme aims to build a series of ground-launched missiles with a range of more than 2,000km, capable of hitting military targets deep inside Russia.

Russia has begun nuclear war games and moved Iskander-M missiles into Belarus, on the doorstep of the European Union. Ukraine has rushed troops to its northern border, and Nato has condemned the threatening moves.

Ria Novosti, a Kremlin-aligned news site, said: “Since May 18, Belarus has begun training in the combat use of nuclear weapons and their provision by military units. It involves the Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific Fleets, the Long-Range Aviation Command, as well as part of the forces of the Leningrad and Central Military Districts.”