Ukraine war briefing: Weapons will be Europe's support to Ukraine – not Trump's, Kallas suggests

The Guardian

5 days ago

Donald Trump's move to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine at Europe's expense has created some mild friction in EU-US relations. 'If we pay for these weapons, it's our support,' said Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, on Wednesday. 'So it's European support, and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine … If you promise to give the weapons but say that somebody else is going to pay for it, it's not really given by you, is it? … We welcome President Trump's announcement to send more weapons to Ukraine, although we would like to see the US share the burden.'
A meeting of Patriot owner nations and Ukraine donors – aiming to find additional Patriot air defence systems for Kyiv and chaired by Nato's top military commander – could take place on Wednesday of next week, Reuters reported. A Nato official said the alliance would coordinate weapons deliveries through a mechanism known as Nato Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine based in Germany.
Kurt Volker, a former US ambassador to Nato, predicted Ukraine could ultimately receive 12 to 13 Patriot batteries but it could take a year for them all to be delivered. Trump caused confusion by saying one country had 17 Patriots, some of which would go directly to Ukraine. No Nato member except the US is believed to have that number of Patriot systems.
Ukraine must boost the proportion of weapons made at home to 50% within six months, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared. The president said he was counting on his new incoming government under prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko to deliver on the goal. Zelenskyy said that he, the outgoing PM and new defence minister Denys Shmyhal and the outgoing defence minister Rustem Umerov had met and decided that the defence ministry would have 'greater influence in the domain of arms production'.
'Ukrainian-made weapons now make up about 40% of those used at the front and in our operations,' Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. 'This is already significantly more than at any time in our country's independence … Our goal is to reach 50% Ukrainian-made weaponry within the first six months of the new government, by expanding our domestic production. I am confident this is achievable, though not easy.' Ukraine's arms production ramp-up so far has emphasised drones and air defences. Zelenskyy has in recent weeks stressed the importance of developing drone interceptors to tackle swarms of attacking drones.
A Russian bomb hit a shopping centre and market in Dobropillia near the frontline, killing two people and injuring up to 27 on Wednesday. Vadym Filashkin, governor of the Donetsk region, said a 500kg (1,100lb) bomb was dropped at 5.20pm when shoppers were out. 'The occupier specifically targeted the shopping centre. All nearby shopping centres have been either destroyed or damaged.' Zelenskyy described the attack as 'simply horrific, stupid Russian terror. There is no military logic to their strikes, only an effort to take as many lives as possible.'
Russia earlier bombed four Ukrainian cities overnight into Wednesday, injuring at least 15 people as it mostly targeted energy infrastructure, officials said. Russia launched 400 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as one ballistic missile, during the night, the Ukrainian air force said. The strikes targeted Kharkiv in Ukraine's north-east, Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, Vinnytsia in the west and Odesa in the south.
The Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, urged the EU to adopt further sanctions against Moscow as he rejected as 'lies, manipulation and distortion' Russian accusations that Kyiv didn't want to progress peace talks. Sybiha reiterated that Kyiv was ready to hold them anytime. EU ambassadors were again unable to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia today as Slovakia maintained its opposition.
Bot networks have targeted Ukrainians in Russian-controlled regions, posting thousands of comments on social media aimed at 'manufacturing an artificial consensus in favour of Russia', according to a report released by the Atlantic Council thinktank and a 'cognitive defence' company called OpenMinds that works with governments including Ukraine. The report said short-lived 'disposable' bots commented on posts – often leaving nonsensical remarks under meaningless names, suggesting the use of generative AI. One post said: 'Lord, how wonderful that Putin advocates for the use of peaceful weapons.'