A day after the three-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, the country woke up to a massive alert due to cruise missiles launched by Russia towards Kiev, authorities reported.
"The air alert continues. Stay in shelters until the danger passes," warns the military administration of the Kiev region.
Meanwhile, peace talks on Ukraine continue. Putin states that he first wants to build trust with Washington before involving Europe in the discussions. Both Ukraine and Kiev's European allies have objected to not being invited to the initial round of talks on Ukraine held last week in Saudi Arabia by the United States and Russia.
The estimated cost of rebuilding the Ukrainian economy after the Russian invasion has increased to $524 billion, nearly triple its projected economic output for 2024, as revealed by the World Bank, the United Nations, the European Commission, and the Ukrainian government. A new study by the institutions included data from the Russian invasion three years ago until December 31, showing a 70% increase in damages to Ukraine's energy infrastructure due to Russian attacks. It showed an increase of over 7% from the last estimate of $486 billion a year ago, with housing, transportation, energy, trade, and education being the most affected sectors.
If Russia and Ukraine sign peace, France and the United Kingdom are willing to send troops to ensure the security of their ally in the future. And if that were to happen, Vladimir Putin would be fine with it. Both ideas, unimaginable until recently, difficult to digest, summarize the meeting held on Monday at the White House between the American Donald Trump and the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Beijing criticizes the inclusion of Chinese companies on blacklists for military support to Russia in the war against Ukraine
China criticized on Tuesday the inclusion by the European Council of Chinese entities on the list of companies considered to support the Russian military-industrial complex in its war against Ukraine.
"The cooperation between China and Russia, based on equality and mutual benefit, should not be disrupted by any third party. We demand that China stop being attacked without factual basis," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian at a press conference.
The spokesperson reiterated that China has never provided weapons to Russia and maintains "strict control" over dual-use civilian-military items, including drones.
Lavrov visits Iran on Tuesday
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Iran on Tuesday to meet with his Iranian counterpart, Reuters reports.
Russia shoots down 20 Ukrainian drones over three of its regions
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 20 Ukrainian drones over three of its regions last night, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on its Telegram channel on Tuesday.
According to the military report, 16 of the unmanned aircraft shot down last night were destroyed over the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine.
Another three unmanned aircraft were downed over the Kursk region, also bordering Ukraine and part of which is occupied by Ukrainian troops since August last year.
Man sentenced in Russia to 16 years in prison for cooperating with Ukraine
A resident of the Moscow region was sentenced to 16 years in prison for providing Ukraine with information on the location of a Russian military site and preparing attacks, the Russian Investigative Committee reported on Tuesday.
The man was accused of photographing a surface-to-air defense system site in Podolsk, about 40 km south of Moscow, in April 2024, and sending the images and geographic data "to his Ukrainian mentors to guide a drone attack against the military site," according to a statement from the Committee.
Russia arrests a teenager suspected of helping Ukraine target the Ryazan oil refinery with drones
Russian authorities have arrested a 17-year-old suspected of gathering intelligence to help Ukraine target the Russian Ryazan oil refinery with drones, the state news agency RIA reported on Tuesday. RIA reported that law enforcement officers in the Bashkortostan region had detained the boy who was being investigated under laws related to "terrorism and treason" carrying a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Russia will not return to the G7, according to the German Finance Minister
Russia will not be readmitted to the Group of Seven countries, as requested by US President Donald Trump, according to German Finance Minister Joerg Kukies in an interview with Reuters. "The G7's condemnation of Russia's aggression is very clear, especially on the third anniversary of the brutal Russian attack," said Kukies, adding that Trump's proposal would not receive the required unanimity. Kukies will travel to Cape Town on Tuesday for the G20 Finance Ministers meeting, which will not be attended by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent due to a scheduling conflict. The current state of the global economy will be a central topic of the meetings," he added.
Russia and Indonesia hold talks to strengthen defense and security ties
Russia and Indonesia took steps on Tuesday to strengthen their Defense ties with a meeting between a senior Russian security official and the Indonesian Defense Minister in Jakarta, as Moscow's war against Ukraine entered its fourth year.
Prior to the visit of Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti said they would discuss ways to deepen a defense partnership with Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Shoigu's visit, the first stage of a five-day tour of Asia that also includes Malaysia, comes after Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim-majority country and the largest economy in Southeast Asia - was admitted as a full member of the BRICS group of developing economies, an alliance in which Russia is one of the founding members.
The peace proposal that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin want to impose on Ukraine, and whose key points favor the Russian autocrat, was not even mentioned yesterday by the presidents and prime ministers attending the events of the third anniversary of the invasion in Kiev. Rather, the message was the opposite: that a process in which Ukraine is not included will not be accepted and the war will continue until that goal is achieved.
Sánchez stated that "Ukraine must achieve a just and lasting peace. The freedom, security, and future of all Europeans depend on it." And announced that Spain will send "a new package of military aid worth 1 billion euros to the Ukrainian people." In this, Spain also coordinated with its allies: both Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland made announcements of sending military equipment that clearly shows that, for now, the peace of Putin and Trump does not convince beyond the Kremlin and the White House.