LIVE – War in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelensky presents his “victory plan” in London

Volodymyr Zelensky presented his plan for victory in London this Thursday morning. “We agreed to work on it with our allies. The victory plan aims to create conditions conducive to a just end to the war,” wrote the Ukrainian president in a message posted on X, who also took the opportunity to thank the United Kingdom for its support “on defense matters”, “including with regard to long-range weapons”.

The Russian army claimed Thursday to have struck two launchers of American Patriot anti-aircraft systems, expensive and valuable weapons delivered to Ukraine by its Western allies to face the daily bombings of the Kremlin forces.

Russian troops “hit (…) two American-made Patriot launchers”, the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily report, without however specifying when this took place.

The day before, the Russian army had broadcast on Telegram a video filmed from the sky purporting to show an Iskander missile strike on a Patriot battery in the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk (center-east).

He presented it a few weeks ago to Joe Biden, for the first time. Today in London, Ukrainian President Zelensky, in the presence of Keir Starmer and Mark Rutte, presents his Ukrainian “victory plan” in London.

A Ukrainian drone attack targeted a military airfield in southern Russia during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the local governor announced, reporting a fire, a new strike on Russian soil claimed by kyiv.

The important Feodosia oil terminal in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow, is still engulfed in flames for the fourth consecutive day, following a strike carried out on Monday by Ukraine, according to kyiv.

“Last night, the suburb of Maykop (where a military airfield is located, editor’s note) was attacked by enemy drones,” Mourat Koumpilov, the local official in the republic of Adygea (south), said in a statement on Telegram. .

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London on Thursday morning, where he was welcomed to Downing Street by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the first stop on an express tour of his main European allies to collect signs of support for the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian leader will also meet the new head of NATO, Mark Rutte, in London, according to Mr. Zelensky’s entourage. He must then go to Paris, Rome and Berlin, while an important meeting of kyiv’s military partners scheduled for Saturday in Germany has been postponed and the Russian army continues its advance in eastern Ukraine.

Seven people were killed and ten others injured, according to the new toll Thursday from Russian strikes the day before in the coastal region of Odessa, in southern Ukraine, authorities said.

“Unfortunately, the death toll from yesterday’s Russian missile attack rose to seven dead,” Oleg Kiper, the governor of the Odessa region, said on Telegram on Thursday, explaining that a “port worker of 46 years old died in hospital” from his injuries.

The attack hit a civilian container ship flying the flag of Panama, Governor Oleg Kiper explained on Telegram on Wednesday.

Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in London this Thursday to speak with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to Downing Street. The Ukrainian president will then fly to Paris to meet in the afternoon with French head of state Emmanuel Macron, according to the Élysée.

The Russian army announced Thursday that it had shot down 92 Ukrainian drones overnight, which mainly targeted the southwest of the country. “Air defense systems destroyed and intercepted 92 Ukrainian aerial drones,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. According to this source, 47 drones were neutralized over the Krasnodar region, in the southwest of the country.

The German research institute Kiel Institute warned on Thursday of a possible drop in Western aid to Ukraine, in the event that Donald Trump returns to the White House and Germany scales back.

“From next year, Ukraine could face a significant aid deficit,” writes the institute in a press release, which lists the military, financial and humanitarian aid promised and delivered to Ukraine since the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022.

The possible return of Donald Trump to the White House “could block future aid plans in Congress”, warns the Kiel Institute, which further notes that “Germany recently announced that it would reduce its budget allocation by 50%” and that “other European donors could follow”.

Volodymyr Zelensky gave an interview to Greenhouse Courier during a trip to Rome, where he affirmed that “the war in Ukraine can end in 2025”. Under certain conditions, however: a ceasefire along the current front line, and in exchange for the promise of Western protection on several levels.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky begins an express European tour of his main allies on Thursday, starting with the United Kingdom, France and Italy, in search of signs of support, while an important meeting of kyiv’s military partners is planned. Saturday in Germany has been postponed.

These brief consecutive trips come at a time when the Russian army continues its advance in eastern Ukraine and less than a month before the presidential election in the United States, the uncertain outcome of which raises fears in kyiv for the sustainability of the vital American support.

“I will meet separately in each country the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany,” Volodymyr Zelensky announced Wednesday evening during a press conference in Dubrovnik in Croatia, at resulting from a summit with representatives of the Balkan countries.

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the war in Ukraine. A conflict which began two and a half years ago, with the invasion of Vladimir Putin’s Russian troops. Follow the latest information on the conflict here throughout the day.