While talks of a ceasefire in the Ukraine war among top leaders continue, attacks on the ground persist. An airfield near a Russian strategic bomber base in the Saratov region was burning on Thursday after a significant Ukrainian drone attack in the south of Russia, according to Russian authorities and state media.
Russia has declared a state of emergency in the Engels district, where the base, about 700 km from the front lines in Ukraine, houses heavy Russian strategic bombers Tupolev Tu-160 with nuclear capability.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday morning 132 Ukrainian drones shot down over the regions of Saratov, about 700 km southeast of Moscow, and the neighboring Voronezh.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed willingness to suspend attacks on Russian civilian and energy infrastructure, after the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, committed to temporarily preserving the energy sector in a phone call with the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
These negotiations will continue in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
Draft of Today's Brussels Summit
A draft of the conclusions of Thursday's summit, obtained by Afp, mentions that leaders are calling for "an acceleration of work (...) to decisively strengthen Europe's defense capabilities."
The dialogue between the United States and Russia has reinforced the argument for European countries to take on their own defense.
The document states that "a stronger and more capable EU in the field of security and defense will positively contribute to global and transatlantic security and is complementary to NATO."
This military alliance, the text adds -- which could be modified before adoption -- "remains, for those states that are members, the basis of their collective defense."
The European Commission (the EU's executive branch) presented a massive plan on Wednesday to boost investments in defense, aiming to mobilize up to 800 billion euros.
The plan includes the possibility of relaxing EU rules for four years so that countries can spend more than allowed. The Commission estimated that this mechanism could raise around 650 billion euros.
As part of this program, the EU urged bloc countries to start the process in April.
However, the proposal did not recommend a broader joint loan program, despite several countries claiming that the bloc needs the same massive injection of capital as to face the coronavirus pandemic.
"At the moment," the idea is not in the proposal, said EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. "However, is it a completely discarded idea? I don't think so," she added.
EU Addresses its Security and Defense following Trump's Geopolitical Shift
The European Union leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday to address the defense and security of the bloc in light of the new geopolitical reality and doubts about the continuity of US protection in case of conflict, reports Afp.
Just a month ago, a phone call between the US President, Donald Trump, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, suggested that Europe could not indefinitely rely on Washington's protection.
Trump and Putin spoke again this week to discuss a possible end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, a dialogue that currently excludes Europeans.
The gravity and urgency of the situation are such that the summit starting on Thursday to discuss the issue is the third in just six weeks.
The EU has held meetings in various formats, including with the UK, Canada, or NATO. The head of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, sought to position himself as a bridge with the United States.
The EU's decision to provide weapons to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia quickly exposed the limits of the European defense industry, emphasizing the need for more investments.
Guterres Applauds Partial Ceasefire in Ukraine, Hopes It Paves the Way for a Just Peace
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, praised on Wednesday the partial ceasefire accepted by Russia and Ukraine mediated by the United States, hoping it "paves the way for a just peace that respects the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine," reports Efe.
The partial ceasefire on energy facilities was announced on Tuesday by Russia after a long conversation between the US President, Donald Trump, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and was ratified today by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in another conversation with Trump.
For Guterres, who is in Brussels, "these steps represent confidence-building measures that can facilitate further discussions among all actors towards de-escalation in the war," reports Efe.
Neither Guterres nor the UN have been associated with these peace talks, which respond to a unilateral initiative by President Donald Trump, who has not invited his European colleagues to participate; moreover, he has made it clear that Europe will have no role other than financing the future reconstruction of Ukraine and its security.
Russian Authorities Send More Firefighters to Extinguish Fire at Oil Depot
Russian authorities have sent more firefighters to extinguish a fire that broke out at an oil depot in the south of the Krasnodar region, according to official sources, after a drone attack on the facilities.
The regional authorities reported that a total of 406 firefighters and 157 teams had been dispatched to the site near the town of Kavkazskaya: "Specialists continue to fight the fire on an area of 4,250 square meters," according to a statement released late Wednesday on the Telegram messaging app, as reported by Reuters.
The region's administration said on Tuesday that 30 employees had been evacuated from the depot and operations had been suspended.
Russia Protests to Moldova over Bomb Threat at Embassy
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Moldovan police had violated diplomatic protocol by blocking the entrances to its embassy in the Moldovan capital.
Relations between Russia and the pro-European government of the former Soviet Moldova have deteriorated sharply, with Moldovan President Maia Sandu repeatedly denouncing Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and accusing the Kremlin of trying to oust her.
A statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website said that security forces in Chisinau prevented people from entering or leaving the embassy, citing a bomb threat, as reported by Reuters.
"Moldovan security forces prevented the Russian Federation's ambassador from entering the embassy, and embassy staff, including family members, women, and children, were not allowed to leave," the statement said, adding that a protest was lodged with the Moldovan ambassador in Moscow and access to the building was restored.
"It is revealing that the embassy received no notification from the authorities about the alleged bomb threat," it added. Chisinau police said they had received a bomb threat at the embassy but made no further comments.
EU Disburses Second Tranche of 1 Billion to Ukraine under G-7 Loan
The European Commission disbursed on Thursday a second tranche of 1 billion euros out of the total of 18.1 billion that the EU will contribute to the $50 billion loan ($48.533 billion euros) for Ukraine agreed at the G-7 summit, reports Europa Press.