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Ukraine ‘launches drone attack on southern Russia’

Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia’s southern Krasnodar region last night, leaving one person injured, the governor of the region reports this morning.

In a post on Telegram, governor Veniamin Kondratyev called the attack “massive”, but did not provide further detail.

He also reported that at least 12 houses had been damaged.

Russia’s SHOT Telegram news channel reported that Ukraine tried to attack the Ilsky oil refinery and that drone wreckage sparked a fire there.

Sky News has not been able to independently verify this report.

The attack came as Ukraine’s air defence units tried to repel an overnight Russian drone attack on Kyiv, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said.

Starmer ‘prepared to send troops to Ukraine’ if peace deal reached

Talks are taking place in Europe and Saudi Arabia in an effort to establish a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer said he was prepared to put “our own troops on the ground if necessary” in Ukraine if there was a deal to end the war with Russia.

Ahead of an “emergency meeting” of European leaders, the prime minister said he was “ready and willing” to put British troops into a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the prime minister also said the UK was “ready to play a leading role” in Ukraine’s defence and security, by committing £3bn a year until 2030.

The pledge came as he travels to Paris today for talks with European leaders to discuss Ukraine’s next steps.

Talks between US and Russia ‘only a prequel’ if Ukraine not there, official says

Ukraine must be at the negotiating table, a Ukrainian MP has told Sky’s Wilfred Frost this morning ahead of talks between the US and Russia.

Lesia Vasylenko said unless Ukraine was included in the talks that were set to take place the discussions could “only be considered a prequel to the peace process” that Donald Trump hoped to deliver.

On Keir Starmer’s proposal to put British boots on the ground in Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia, she said this was “great news but also a little too late”.

“It would have helped to have British, French and German boots on the ground much earlier on,” she said.

Vasylenko said when it came to a peacekeeping force from the UK, there were many questions that hadn’t been answered, such as what borders would be patrolled and what territories.

She said this was not a criticism of the UK but she wanted to know what the circumstances would be around Starmer’s pledge.

“The UK has proven it is Ukraine’s most reliable friend,” she added.

More drones enter Moldovan airspace

Two drones violated Moldovan airspace last night near the border with Ukraine, the government has said.

Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and EU member Romania, has seen repeated intrusions by Russian drones deployed in the war.

The incidents have prompted an angry response from Moldovan authorities.

Government spokesperson Daniel Voda did not identify the origin of the two latest drones, but said the intrusion occurred just before 11pm local time as Ukraine reported that its southern Odesa region over the border was under Russian attack.

In incidents last week, two drones had fallen in the same area near the Ukrainian border and one exploded.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who accuses Russia of trying to destabilise her government, said Moscow was endangering Moldovan lives.

Russian ambassador Oleg Ozerov, summoned to the Moldovan foreign ministry last week, was shown fragments of the drones, including one piece bearing the name Geran-2, the Russian designation of the Iranian-designed Shahed drone.

‘Great deal of flexibility’ with Trump, says his former national security adviser

Donald Trump’s former national security adviser has told Sky News he believes there is potential for the US president to shift his stance over how to end the war in Ukraine.

HR McMaster, who held the post between 2017 and 2018, said his former boss had a “drive” towards reaching a deal but would likely be open to suggestions over the details.

He told Sky’s Wilfred Frost: “There’s a great deal of flexibility there with Donald Trump. What you get with Donald Trump is complete transparency. 

“Oftentimes, as you’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, you hear him think out loud about a lot of the situations he’s confronting internationally.

“He learns conversationally and will revise his assessment… The more conversations he has with European leaders, with Prime Minister [Sir Keir] Starmer, the better.”

Trump has appeared to have already ruled out several proposals, such as allowing Ukraine to join NATO, that could form part of a potential peace deal with Russia.

McMaster said he thought it was “unwise to take anything off the table” but suggested Trump could change his mind.