Ukraine-Russia war live: Trump ‘not happy’ after Moscow’s attack on Kyiv leaves at least 21 dead – UK Times

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “sabotaging” hopes of peace following the “senseless” strikes early on Thursday.

Russia launched a major air attack on Kyiv that included a rare strike on the city centre, killing at least 19 people, wounding 48 and damaging European Union diplomatic offices, authorities said.

At least 18 people have been killed in another Russian drone and missile swarm attack on Ukraine. The offices of the European Union and the British Council were struck, along with a five-storey block of flats destroyed in Kyiv. Lots and lots of outrage. So what?

That’s a statement of the obvious – but not the statement of a statesman.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:

Italy’s foreign minister has said he does not anticipate the war in Ukraine ending this year.

Speaking following a cabinet meeting in Rome Antonio Tajani added it was “clear” there would have to be new sanctions if Russia continued “like this”.

“The war isn’t going to end as soon as some people said and believed … I don’t want to be a pessimist but I don’t think there can be solutions before the end of the year,” he said.

Pictures from a clip published in The Guardian show the moments a drone strike hit a neighbourhood in Kyiv on Wednesday night.

• Parts of Russia are experiencing severe petrol shortages, leading to dry pumps, long queues, and rationing in some regions.
• The shortages are primarily due to recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, compounded by soaring wholesale prices and high demand for harvest and summer holidays.
• Regions most affected include the Far East and the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula, with reports of exorbitant prices and sales restrictions.
• Ukrainian drone strikes have successfully targeted an arc of Russian refineries, causing significant drops in petrol and diesel production.
• Russia has responded by pausing petrol exports, and while experts suggest the shortage is not ‘system critical’ and diesel supplies are abundant, it highlights a domestic vulnerability.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that it seems clear there will be no meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a statement alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron welcomed Merz for a working dinner at Bregancon Fort in southern France, where the leaders gave a statement to the press before their meeting.

Merz said he and Macron will hold bilateral discussions on several topics, including economic collaboration between the two countries, the situation between Ukraine and Russia, and the de-bureaucratisation of Europe.

The US state department has approved a potential sale of air delivered munitions and related equipment to Ukraine for an estimated cost of $825 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The principal contractors for the sale are Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire.