Ukraine-Russia warfare newest: Putin blames Kyiv for attacking gasoline tanker that exploded off Libya

Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned he has ordered Ukraine’s authorities to develop choices to assist Gulf international locations dealing with Iranian drone and missile assaults.

“Our army has the mandatory capabilities,” Zelensky mentioned. “Ukrainian consultants will work on website, and groups are already negotiating this. We’re prepared to assist shield lives, shield civilians,” he mentioned.

Zelensky added that he spoke with leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, and Bahrain, and is getting ready talks with Kuwait’s management.

“All of them face a critical risk, and so they talk about it brazenly: Iranian assault drones. The identical ‘Shaheds’ that strike our cities and villages, our Ukrainian infrastructure,” he mentioned.

“I’ve tasked our groups to current methods to assist these international locations and supply help in a fashion that doesn’t compromise our personal protection right here in Ukraine,” Zelensky added.

President ​Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Ukraine’s companions, together with america, ⁠had sought Kyiv’s assist in defending in opposition to Iranian drones.

“Companions are ⁠turning to ​us, ⁠to Ukraine, asking for assist ⁠in defending in opposition to (Iranian-designed) Shahed ​drones, ⁠with experience and actual ‌operational expertise,” the Ukrainian chief mentioned.

“There have additionally been requests from the American facet.”

Zelensky and different Ukrainian officers had beforehand steered that Kyiv might share experience with Center East international locations if they might assist persuade Russia to look at a ceasefire within the four-year-old warfare pitting Kyiv in opposition to Moscow.

The Russian military has skilled its slowest advance on the warfare frontline in nearly two years, based on evaluation from the US-based Institute for the Research of Battle (ISW).

Ukrainian forces achieved a number of localised breakthroughs, significantly alongside the southern frontline and by pushing again Russian troops within the Dnipropetrovsk area.

Regardless of the slowdown, Moscow continues to advance within the east, shifting nearer to the important thing hubs of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Ukraine’s japanese Donetsk area, and at present occupies over 19 per cent of Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian troops made vital territorial features throughout February, together with 61 sq. kilometres on 15 February and greater than 50 sq. kilometres on each 21 February and 23 February.

These Ukrainian advances coincided with a slowdown in Russian troop actions on the frontline, which occurred after Elon Musk reportedly reduce Starlink entry for Moscow’s forces.

The escalating battle in Iran is inadvertently bolstering Russia‘s monetary capability, strengthening its capacity to fund its ongoing warfare in Ukraine by means of elevated vitality earnings.

Costs for Russian oil exports have surged from beneath $40 per barrel as just lately as December to roughly $62 per barrel.

While Russian crude continues to trade at a notable low cost in comparison with worldwide benchmark Brent crude, which has climbed above $82 from its pre-attack value of $72.87, its present value now surpasses the $59 per barrel benchmark assumed within the Russian Finance Ministry’s 2026 price range plan.

The continuing army battle between the US and Iran has paused the trilateral peace talks to finish the warfare in Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned.

“We proceed to interact with america virtually each day. For now, due to the scenario with Iran, the mandatory alerts for a trilateral assembly have not come but,” he mentioned in a night tackle.

“As quickly because the safety scenario and the broader political context permit us to renew the trilateral diplomatic work, it is going to be carried out. Ukraine is prepared for it,” Zelensky mentioned.

Ukraine might face a crucial scarcity of US air defence missiles with the US specializing in its army assault on Iran, consultants have mentioned.

Iran has retaliated to the US killing of its supreme chief with a serious offensive by firing lots of of ballistic missiles and drones at Gulf nations.

The joint forces within the Gulf nations have intercepted these incoming projectiles with US’s Patriot missile interceptors. The anti-missile defence techniques have confirmed crucial for Ukraine as effectively to struggle off Russian missiles focusing on its vitality and army infrastructure.

Serhii Kuzan, head of the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Safety and Cooperation Heart suppose tank, says that the roughly 600 PAC-3s produced yearly by Lockheed Martin are already inadequate to cowl US wants and people of its allies within the Gulf, not to mention Ukraine’s.

“It is the quite simple arithmetic of warfare,” Kuzan informed the Japan Instances.

The stockpiling of Patriots by Gulf states meant they had been unlikely to expire utterly, mentioned Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral analysis fellow at Oslo Universtiy.

That is significantly the case at a time the depth of Iranian missile bombardments seemed to be lowering, however they could must turn into extra selective of their use as time goes on, he mentioned.

A Russian-flagged tanker carrying liquefied pure gasoline exploded and erupted in flames earlier than sinking within the Mediterranean Sea off Libya, authorities within the North African nation mentioned Wednesday. Russia claimed that an assault by Ukrainian sea drones was in charge.

The Libyan Maritime Authority reported “sudden explosions, adopted by a large fireplace” on the Arctic Metagaz on Tuesday, when it was about 240km (150 miles) off the to