EU defence ministers meet for talks on Ukraine – Europe live

Today’s talks in Brussels come as the three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine announced by president Donald Trump last week ended with a fresh wave of Russian strikes.

AFP reported that Moscow launched a wave of more than 200 attack drones that damaged energy facilities and apartment buildings, killing at least one person.

In a post on X, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “Russia chose to end the partial silence that had lasted for several days.”

“Attack drones were shot down in the Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions, as well as in Kyiv and the region. Energy facilities, apartment buildings, and a kindergarten were damaged, and there was also a strike on an ordinary civilian locomotive on the railway... People have been reported injured as a result of these strikes. And, unfortunately, there are fatalities.”

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine “will respond in kind” to Russian attacks, before saying:

“Russia must end this war, and it is Russia that must take the step toward a real, lasting ceasefire. Until that happens, sanctions against Moscow are necessary and must remain in place and be strengthened. It is important that there be no easing of pressure and that partners do not stand aside, but continue working together for security, justice, and a reliable peace.”