Zelenskyy says latest Russian attacks come ‘in response to signals from US’ – Europe live | Europe

A Ukrainian missile strike destroyed four fighter jets at an airfield in western Russia overnight, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in a social media post.

The Ukraine president said:

Last night, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck an airfield in the Voronezh region. Four Su-34 aircraft were destroyed and two more Su-34s were hit. Our Long Neptune missile was used to strike the target.

The claim has not been independently verified, and there has been no immediate comment from Russia’s defence ministry. The Voronezh region borders Ukraine.

in Brussels

One other thing that is clear from this morning’s doorstep statements: leaders are heading for a mighty clash over the EU’s next long-term budget.

Agreeing the EU seven-year budget is always a fraught negotiating exercise, which pits a group of “frugals”, such as Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, who oppose a bigger budget, against a larger group in southern and eastern Europe, who want to maintain the EU’s traditional spending on agriculture and regional funding.

European Council president António Costa wanted a deal by the end of the year to ensure that the next long-term budget (2028-35) would be ready on time – and avoid getting caught in the crossfire of major elections next year in France, Poland and Italy.

That timing is in doubt, as the EU’s frugals (who prefer to be called “modernisers”) reiterated this morning they are in no hurry.

Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson said he expected tense talks today.

“We are not reaching agreement this month, not next month. I don’t know even if it’s possible to reach an agreement before the end of the year. I think we are not in a hurry, honestly. We need to have a budget that could combine the modernisation, the resources for Ukraine and of course the traditional things as well. But all the titles [areas of spending] need to be decreased to be able to reach an agreement.”

Friedrich Merz said he expected the “very, very difficult” talks to run into December (11:05) but privately Germany has made it clear it is ready to see the talks go into next year unless there are massive cuts to the current proposal.

In the other camp is Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, who described the current proposal as “insufficient” to face the bloc’s challenges, adding that his government would fight to expand it. But with Spain due to hold elections in November, the Socialist leader may not be around to make that argument.

The latest draft summit conclusions call for only a “timely agreement” rather than setting a deadline “by the end of the year”, as in an earlier version.

The European Commission’s €2tn (£1.7tn) budget proposal, which aims to increase spending on defence, border security and research, has already been trimmed by €140bn by Ireland, who as holders of the rotating presidency were tasked with finding a common ground by October.

But almost nobody is happy. The frugal camp thinks the cuts, which target defence and research, are in the wrong places, while the self-styled “friends of cohesion” think there is too much scrimping on the EU’s traditional priorities, such as regional development funds.

France, which does not belong in either camp, but faces acute budget pressures, wants to see the EU agree to new common taxes in order to fund a budget that allows increased spending on new priorities such as defence and maintain the traditional ones, such as farm subsidies.

While the Commission has floated EU taxes on big companies, tobacco and e-waste, member states cannot agree on any of the options.

And the whole budget has to be agreed … by unanimity.

Back to Romania, the country’s president Nicușor Dan confirmed that two aerial drone hit ships which caught fire in Romanian territorial waters overnight (12:03).

Dan also said the Romanian state will offer “a reaction” to the incident, without speculating on what it could be. He also suggested that the issue should be added to tomorrow’s agenda on Ukraine-related issues.

Later today, Dan and Bulgaria’s PM Rumen Radev will meet with Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte to discuss the recent incidents in their respective territorial waters.

A quick update from Sweden, where the country’s parliament rejected Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson’s candidacy to form a single-party minority government.

Only 99 lawmakers voted in favour, with 248 against. Two people were absent.

The vote, forced by the parliament’s speaker Andreas Norlén, was widely expected to fail, but is intended to put more pressure on parties as they continue discussions on who could form the next government.

Four centre-left opposition parties, which have all said they favour ‌Andersson as prime minister, won last month a majority of seats in Sweden’s parliament, ⁠the Riksdag, but ​do not ​agree on ​who should be ​part ‌of ​a ​new government.

Norlén will now have to appoint a new candidate to hold further exploratory talks on the new government.

Oh, and we have just heard from Zelenskyy again, doubling down on his criticism of Russia and attributing its latest attacks to “signals from the US.”

Responding to a “horrific” drone attack on a supermarket in Odesa, he said:

“Russia continues its bloody terror. The store was partially destroyed, and cars were damaged. Three people were injured. All necessary emergency services are working at the scene and providing assistance to those affected. It is important that our partners help us defend against this. Residential buildings, stores, energy and other critical infrastructure are under attack virtually nonstop. Not a single hour of peace.”

Crucially, he continued:

“What is happening is Russia’s pointed response to the signals it is receiving from America. Unfortunately, there are dangerous signals about the possibility of further sanctions relief. These sanctions were imposed by the world, by America, Europe, and our partners in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its war against us. Nothing has changed. The war has not stopped. The sanctions must not be lifted. Russia must end the slaughter it itself started and has continued for 1,695 days now. More money to fund the killing will not help bring this about. Strength is what is needed, and America is stronger than Russian terror.”

US effort to get Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire collapses

Andrew Roth

in Kyiv

The White House’s unilateral effort to negotiate an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has collapsed as Moscow sent a record swarm of drones overnight to attack infrastructure in central Ukraine and Kyiv appeared to resume strikes on Russian oil refineries – despite warnings from Donald Trump.

Moscow accused Ukraine of launching its first strike against a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region since Trump abruptly declared an “energy ceasefire” that neither Russia nor Ukraine said they had agreed to. Trump has demanded that Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop attacking Russian oil refineries, claiming that it was the cause of a global rise in the price of diesel fuel.

Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he would resume strikes on Russian oil refineries after halting those attacks to show that Ukraine was ready for peace talks. “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” he told the Financial Times. He also attacked the gap in US intelligence sharing as “dangerous”.

Images from Ryazan showed flames at the refinery, which regional officials said had been targeted by 69 drones and four Flamingo cruise missiles. Debris from a drone struck by anti-aircraft fire had hit the refinery and sparked the fire, the ministry claimed.

In Ukraine, more than 360 Russian drones targeted Kirovohrad, a central region that has been hit less hard than others closer to Russia, in attacks that killed three and injured six.

“The enemy deliberately hit critical infrastructure, transport enterprises, logistics ⁠facilities and residential homes,” the regional governor, Andriy Raikovych, said in a statement.

Zelenskyy said Russia had attacked Ukraine with more than 850 Shahed drones at a time when the speed of Ukraine’s defensive capabilities was being “artificially restricted”, a reference to the sudden limitations on Ukraine’s use of the Starlink and Starshield mobile internet terminals.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered an update on last night’s Russian attacks on Ukraine.

“Emergency services are still providing assistance in dozens of our cities and communities. Repair crews and rescuers are working to deal with the aftermath of Russian attacks. For practically all of yesterday and throughout last night, a massive shahed attack was under way. The drones kept coming in waves, and there was not a single hour when our skies were clear of them.”

He said “more than 850” drones were sent against Ukraine, “at a time when the speed of our defence capabilities is being artificially restricted.”

He added:

“It is obvious that Russia deliberately chose to escalate its attacks after receiving sanctions relief and seeing attempts to pressure Ukraine. Russia exploits every such opportunity and must be held accountable for what it does. Strong decisions are needed to end this war. Ukraine needs steady support, above all in defending our skies.

We need HONESTY from our partners about this war: It is important that everyone in America stand not with the aggressor, but with our efforts to protect lives, end this war, and guarantee security.”

Just as the leaders sit down at the big table in Brussels, Romania has said that seven people are still missing after a fire on a vessel in Romanian territorial waters of the Black Sea.

Suspected Russian drones have hit several ships off Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria since last week in a spillover from the Ukraine war, AFP reported.

Romanian authorities did not say whether a drone caused the fire on the vessel, named as the Wine Trader, which reported a blaze at around 7am, approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of the Romanian city of Sulina.

“Whether it was struck by a drone or not, an investigation is currently underway,” defence minister Radu Miruță told the Digi24 television channel.

The Romanian Naval Authority said in a statement there were 12 people on board the vessel, AFP reported.

Eight crew were initially reported as missing.

“Five of the sailors on board the Wine Trader have been rescued, a further seven people are still missing,” the Naval Authority said in an update.

EU will voice dismay and ‘regret’ over the US diesel deal with Russia

Jennifer Rankin

in Brussels

EU leaders will voice dismay over Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel.

“The European Council regrets the United States’ decision to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel,” states a draft statement seen by the Guardian to be issued by the 27 leaders when the two-day summit concludes on Friday.

Other leaders, such as Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson, were blunter in their assessment of the deal (9.36).

But EU leaders tread a fine line between their obvious dislike of Trump’s actions towards Russia and dependence on US military support.

That balancing act was epitomised by comments from Estonia’s prime minister, Kristen Michal.

He recalled that the US was one of three Nato nuclear-armed partners supporting his country and described the US as “strong allies” (the others are the UK and France).

He referenced Nato’s help when Estonia faced hybrid attacks and other threats, such as the cutting of cables, Russian fighter jet incursions and drones.

“This kind of help came from Nato and we still have Nato ships on the sea guarding our critical infrastructure. So, [based] on that I must say that Nato is working well and the US is a partner in Nato. And Trump has assured us and everybody else last time in Ankara that he is following Nato and also Article 5 [on collective defence]. So we rely on them – and also sometimes even good friends need a reminder what is right.”

EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas acknowledged that the EU and the US had “definitely different approach to this war,” as she said Europeans believe “we should squeeze Russia, not Ukraine, to surrender and end this war.”

Responding to the US diesel deal with Russia, she said:

“The majority of Russia’s funding for the war comes from oil revenues. Clearly, Ukraine wants this war to stop, and that’s why … cutting off the funding for the war is the way to do it.

We see that we should squeeze … Russia, not Ukraine, to surrender to end this war.”

She added that the EU has adopted a new round of sanction listings earlier this week, as “this is the only way to put pressure on Russia.”

She also said that it’s important to send a clear message to Russia that “all these things they are interested in – [unfreezing] frozen assets, lifting the sanctions – are actually up to Europeans to decide.”

“And these things are not given for free for them,” she said.

Germany’s Friedrich Merz also focused on the budget talks, saying they remain “very, very difficult” and expecting them to run well into December.

On Ukraine, he warned that “we are witnessing an increasingly ruthless wave of attacks by Russia,” and said that “we must do everything possible to support Ukraine not just through the winter, but into next year as well.”

“It remains my firm conviction that we are not merely defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity; we are defending the political order of Europe, which is being subjected to intense pressure by Russia in every respect.”

Ireland’s Micheál Martin urged Europe to “re-engage” with the US and figure out the best way forward, despite tensions over Ukraine.

“We have had moments in the past when there were challenges and difficulties in respect of this, and it was retrieved by good outreach and engagement from Europe with the US, and I have no doubt that will continue.”

But he said the focus should also be on what the EU can do itself, and that’s primarily to do with advancing Ukraine’s accession process to the bloc.

“I would say to my colleagues across Europe that now is the time to be ambitious over the next number of months to open all clusters in respect of Ukraine and Moldova. The people of Ukraine need that as a very strong signal, given the extraordinary pressure they are under from the Russian attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

He said “the most fundamental thing we can do in Europe now is to recommit to opening all clusters in respect of Ukraine’s application.” “That would send a powerful signal to the people of Ukraine that Europe is really progressing its pathway to accession,” he said.

The recent attacks are “appalling and horrific, and it illustrates that Putin is not interested in peace.”

“That’s why we must manifest our support for Ukraine in the practical ways … and certainly the membership agenda is one of those.”

Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson also offered his backing for Ukraine, as he criticised Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia.

“We very much regret this agreement on diesel. It’s obviously not a very big part, but still, it’s in the wrong direction. And every step now to help the Russians to increase their the financing of the war is a bad sign.

So we very much stick to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s view on this.”

EU leaders are now arriving for the European Council summit in Brussels and understandably they get asked about the latest situation in Ukraine.

Dutch PM Rob Jetten offered his strong backing for Ukraine and president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying “there is only one reason why this senseless war of aggression is continuing, and that’s because Putin chooses to do so.”

“He is the one that can end this war by starting negotiations for just and lasting peace. And as long as he doesn’t, the Ukrainians will have to defend themselves and defend European values, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainians.”

He urged other leaders “to do more financially, militarily, and non-militarily, because a lot of European countries are lagging behind in the support for Ukraine.”

“So let’s step up our game and make sure that they can win this senseless war.”

As Ukraine reported problems with Starlink satellite internet terminals and US data that warns of Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv also faced the harsh reality that its European allies cannot offer ⁠any ready-made alternatives, Reuters reported.

European countries have voiced strong support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy. But the problems with vital data highlighted that Ukraine and Europe depend heavily ‌on US systems for both low-orbit satellite communications – provided by SpaceX via Starlink – and space-based infrared sensing that feeds into early-warning systems.

A US satellite constellation called the Space-Based Infrared System provides early missile warnings.

As for Starlink, Europe does not have a ready-made alternative that Ukrainian soldiers could attach to their drones, although European governments and companies are working on long-term options.

Shares in European satellite operator Eutelsat soared on Wednesday following news of Ukraine’s difficulties with Starshield, fuelled by ‌investor bets that European providers could benefit from growing strains between Washington and Kyiv.

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk has suggested that the US government could be behind the decision to restrict the speed of SpaceX’s satellite-technology used by Ukraine’s military.

In a post of X, he appeared to suggest the Trump administration was behind the move, which Ukraine says restricts its ability to use key defensive weapons.

Musk said:

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.

Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”

In further posts overnight, reacting to Zelenskyy’s comments on his relationship with Donald Trump, Musk went further and appeared to suggest Zelenskyy should leave the post, saying it’s “time to go.”

In a TV interview with Piers Morgan, Zelenskyy said he felt “betrayed” by Trump’s decisions and worried about “losing a strong partner,” playing a critical role across Ukraine’s defence.

For what it’s worth, Trump denied that his administration had cut intelligence sharing on Tuesday, but Zelenskyy said in an interview with US broadcaster NPR, aired on Wednesday, that military advisers had received threats from the US that intelligence sharing could be limited in the future.

The issue is likely to come up again today and tomorrow as EU leaders meet in Brussels for key political talks on the future.

With today’s discussions focused on the bloc’s internal matters, including the EU’s next budget, Ukraine is expected to come up on Friday when Zelenskyy joins other leaders in Brussels. But the ongoing crisis in Ukraine’s relations with the US risks overshadowing the entire meeting.

I will bring you all the updates throughout the day.

It’s Thursday, 15 October 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.