Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskiy hails ‘historic step’ as EU set to open Ukraine accession talks | Ukraine

European Union countries have officially approved the start of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova next week, another step in the two nations’ long journey towards joining the 27-nation bloc. Belgium, which currently holds the EU presidency, said member states had agreed on a framework for negotiations. Vladimir Zelensky called the start of accession talks a “historic step”. “Millions of Ukrainians and indeed generations of our people are realizing their European dream,” wrote the Ukrainian president on X.

A Russian guided bomb killed two people and wounded three in a residential area of ​​an eastern Ukrainian city, Donetsk regional prosecutors said. Five five-story buildings and six houses were damaged by the bomb on Friday in Selidove, about 14 kilometers (nine miles) from the front line, they said on Telegram.

Ukraine’s military says its drones hit four oil refineries, radar stations and other military sites in Russia in an attack in the early hours of Friday. “Unmanned aerial vehicles attacked Afipsky, Ilsky, Krasnodar and Astrakhan oil refineries,” Telegram said. Russian emergency services, writing on Telegram, confirmed that three Krasnodar municipalities were under “massive attack”. The Astra social media channel, run by Russian journalists, reported that Yeisk, home to a military airport, had been hit by drones that had sparked fires. NASA’s fire monitoring satellite indicated fires or hot spots at the air base. The Krasnodar Territory is located across the Kerch Strait from the Crimea.

Ukrainian drone strikes knocked out two electrical substations in Enerhodar, the town serving the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and cut off power to most of its residents, Russian-based officials said Friday. An employee at the Russian-occupied factory said it was not affected.

Ukraine said it was sending reinforcements to Chasov Yara dangerous strategic hilltop city in the Donetsk region and a vital flashpoint whose capture could accelerate Russian advances deeper into industrial territory.

US will send latest Patriot missiles ‘off the production line’ to Ukraine instead of other countries that ordered them, White House says. “We will reorient the supply of these exports,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council. This also applies to Nasams, another type of air defense missile. “Deliveries of these missiles to other countries that are currently in the queue will have to be delayed,” Kirby said, adding that deliveries to Taiwan and Israel would not be affected.

Pentagon gives Ukraine approval to use US-supplied missiles to strike targets in Russia beyond front lines near Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine if acting in self-defense. “It makes sense that they would be able to do that,” said Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.

Volodymyr Zelensky announced measures to protect Ukraine’s energy system, including protecting power plants under Russian fire and the development of alternative and renewable energy sources. According to official figures, drone and missile strikes have shut down half of production facilities since March. The overnight attacks on Thursday hit four regions and knocked out power to more than 218,000 customers, the energy ministry said.

Nigel Farage said the European Union and NATO “provoked” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by expanding east as the Reform UK leader was challenged on his politics and beliefs in a BBC TV interview.

Three men were arrested in Frankfurt, Germany, on suspicion of trying to collect information on a person from Ukraine for a foreign intelligence agency, federal prosecutors said. They were identified as Robert A., a Ukrainian; Vardges I, an Armenian; and Arman S, Russian.

Ukraine believes a second summit to consider its peace proposals with Russia could be hosted by a country from the Global South, a senior official said. More than 90 countries – not including Russia – attended the first summit in Switzerland last week. Ukraine wants the next summit to be convened before the end of the year, presidential aide Igor Zhovkva said, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

Russian law enforcement must do more to protect civilians from ex-prisoners who have returned home from fighting in Ukraine, a member of Russia’s lower house of parliament has said. Nina Ostanina, a Communist Party lawmaker who was sanctioned by Western countries over Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, told gazeta.ru newspaper that violent crimes involving conscripted soldiers “will be even more numerous” if the authorities take no action.