Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s forces rain 660 drones and missiles on Kyiv in deadly attack – UK Times

Germany has poured cold water on Ukraine’s hopes of fast-tracking EU membership, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying there is no prospect of “immediate accession”.

He suggested Kyiv could instead be brought into EU meetings without voting rights – a sign that integration may come in stages rather than swiftly.

The comments come as Ukraine pushes to accelerate its bid while fighting Russia’s invasion, with recent political shifts in Hungary raising cautious optimism about progress.

Meanwhile, German prosecutors have opened a spying investigation into phishing attacks targeting lawmakers on the Signal app.

Officials warn of a growing wave of cyber threats, espionage and sabotage attempts since the start of the war – allegations Moscow continues to deny.

The loan is set to cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s needs for the next two years. Economists had warned Ukraine would run out of money by June without the EU loan, necessitating deep cuts to public services.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen stated: “While Russia doubles down on its aggression, we are doubling down on our support to the brave Ukrainian nation enabling Ukraine to defend itself and putting pressure on Russia’s war economy.” The move underscores the EU’s continued commitment to Kyiv.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday visited Saudi Arabia for the second time in a month, as Kyiv seeks to bolster security ⁠co-operation and advertise its battle-tested technology in the Middle East amid the Iran war.

Zelensky said he discussed defence, energy and food security co-operation during a “very productive” meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed ⁠bin Salman, as the ​sides seek ⁠to develop a security agreement signed earlier.

“There is a strategic security arrangement that we are actively ⁠developing across three key areas,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian ​leader ⁠said this included exports ‌of Ukrainian military expertise and air defence capabilities, energy co-operation to help Ukraine, and food security.

“Yesterday, at a meeting with European leaders, ⁠we secured financial guarantees for our resilience. Today, we are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy, and infrastructure,” Zelensky said on X upon arrival.

Zelensky did not mention the city, but Saudi state TV said he arrived in Jeddah. During his visit to ‌Saudi Arabia in late March, Kyiv and ​Riyadh reached an agreement on defence co-operation that ‌Zelensky described as laying a ⁠vast foundation for future contracts.

Zelensky has said ⁠Ukraine’s assistance is delivering results in the Middle East, and also offered ‌Kyiv’s expertise ​to help restore free navigation in ‌the Strait of Hormuz.

Two Royal Air Force jets on a Nato patrol shot down Russian drones for the first time, DailyMail reported.

Two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets – part of a British air-policing mission in Romania – were scrambled to monitor from the air, the Romanian defence ministry said.

Military radars detected drones near Romanian airspace in Tulcea County, prompting the scramble of RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets from a base in Fetești.

The aircraft tracked targets near Reni in Ukraine and were authorised to engage.

“On the morning of Saturday, April 25, Russian forces resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania, in Tulcea County,” it said in a statement.

‘Two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the British Air Force from the Reinforced Air Police combat service took off at 02:00 from the 86th Air Base in Fetești.

“The National Military Command Centre notified IGSU [General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations] regarding the establishment of measures to alert the population in the localities of Grindu and Isaccea, in Tulcea County, and at 02:14, a RO-ALERT message was transmitted,” it added.

“The Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft had radar contact with a target located 1.5 km [1 mile] from Reni, above Ukrainian territory.

“The pilots had authorisation to engage the drones.”

It came as Romania recovered drone fragments in the southeastern city of Galati after an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, with an electricity ​pole and a household annex damaged, its defence ministry said in a ‌statement.

There were no casualties, the ministry said.

At least four people have been killed and more than 30 wounded in overnight Russian attacks across Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

In Dnipro, 11 people are in hospital after a strike on a residential building, with rescue operations ongoing amid fears more civilians remain trapped under the rubble.

“A rescue operation continues at the site of the strike on a residential building. People may still be trapped under the rubble. Throughout nearly the entire night, the Russians struck Dnipro and our other cities and communities,” he said.

He said there are also casualties in the Chernihiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv regions

“Most targets are civilian infrastructure in cities. Residential buildings, energy facilities, and businesses have been damaged. Each such strike must remind our partners that the situation requires immediate and decisive action,” he said, calling for rapid strengthening of air defence

Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner of war swap on Friday, sending back 193 captured ⁠personnel each in an exchange both sides said was facilitated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

“It is important ⁠that there are ​exchanges ⁠and that our people are returning home,” said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in ⁠a post on Telegram.

His chief of ​staff, ⁠Kyrylo Budanov, and ‌Russia’s defence ministry said the US and the UAE had assisted with the exchange. Russia and ‌Ukraine have conducted many ‌prisoner swaps over four years of war, exchanging thousands of captives in total.

Zelensky said some ⁠of the returned captives, who included soldiers, border guards and police, had injuries, while others had faced criminal charges in Russia.

In Ukraine, returning captives streamed off buses, many draped in their country’s flag and overwhelmed ‌with emotion.

“It still hasn’t sunk ​in that I’m home, I ‌was in captivity for ⁠three years … our Ukrainian sky, our ⁠trees — this is happiness,” said Serhiy, a soldier, who ‌gave only ​his first name.

Ukraine has sacked a military commander after images of emaciated soldiers left at the front for months sparked nationwide outrage.

The photos, shared by the wife of one of the servicemen, showed troops with visible rib cages and extreme weight loss after months on the front in the Kharkiv region with little access to food or water.

Ukraine’s military said the commander responsible for the unit’s supplies had been dismissed, acknowledging serious logistical failures. The brigade said deliveries were sporadic and often dependent on risky air drops due to the unit’s proximity to enemy lines.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about conditions for troops on the frontline, even as fighting intensifies.

Drone fragments were recovered in the southeastern Romanian ⁠city of Galati after a Russian attack on ⁠neighbouring ​Ukraine overnight, ⁠with an electricity pole and ⁠a household ​annex ⁠damaged, Romania’s defence ‌ministry said in a statement.

There were ‌no casualties, ‌the ministry said.

Drone fragments have ⁠repeatedly fallen on Romanian territory since Russia began attacking Ukrainian infrastructure across the Danube river ‌from the country, ​but this ‌marks ⁠the first incident when ⁠property has been ‌damaged.

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with ⁠619 drones and 47 missiles, ⁠Ukraine’s ​air ⁠force said on Saturday.

It said ​that several ⁠regions ‌were hit, with the southeastern ‌city of ‌Dnipro being the ⁠main target.

The air force said in a statement on Telegram ‌that ​it downed 580 ‌drones ⁠and 30 ⁠missiles.

Europe’s “biggest, most important question” is whether the United States is ready to come to its aid in case of a Russian attack, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the Financial Times.

Warning a potential Russian attack could come in months, rather than years, Mr Tusk said it was important to know that all allies will treat their NATO obligations “as seriously as Poland”.

He also called for the European Union to become a “real alliance” in protecting the continent, reflecting growing worries about Trump’s unpredictable policies and threats towards his European partners.

“For the whole eastern flank, my neighbours… the question is if NATO is still an organisation ready, politically and also logistically, to react, for example against Russia if they try to attack,” he said in an interview published in the newspaper on Friday.