L to R: Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, and Vladimir Putin
EA-Ukraine VideoCasts: Donald Trump’s Betrayal and Alliance with Putin
Tuesday’s Coverage: Woman Killed, 12 Injured by Russian Missile Strikes on Kyiv
UPDATE 1445 GMT:
The UK will provide more than £10 billion ($13.3 billion) in support for Ukraine in 2027, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey announced.
“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine poses a serious threat to UK prosperity and security,” the Exchequer said in a statement.
Of the total, £5.5 billion ($7.3 billion) will support “World Bank guarantees”, with £500 million pounds ($660 million) given to the World Bank’s crisis facility.
Another £3 billion ($4 billion) will go into UK export finance for military support for Ukraine, and £500 million is committed to “military support to defend Ukraine from attacks this winter”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, “It was the biggest financial package ever committed to Ukraine by the UK and was a symbol of this government’s commitment to ensuring Ukraine had the means to continue its courageous fight against Russia’s illegal invasion.”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the announcement as “a truly strong and very timely step — coming right as Russia needs to see and feel that Ukraine will not be left alone”.
UPDATE 0722 GMT:
As Russia is seeking more US political and economic support for its invasion of Ukraine (see 0722 GMT), it is discussing a potential return by American companies to the Russian oil market with Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The White House and the Kremlin are considering a joint venture off the coast of Sakhalin, an island in the Far East, according to “people familiar with the matter”. They are also considering involvment of major US companies in a plan to resume sales of Russian oil to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline.
Witkoff discussed the deals with Putin during a meeting in St Petersburg in early September. At a subsequent visit to Moscow last week, Witkoff wrote “Business Deals” on his notepad.
The real estate developer, Kushner, and the Kremlin are also discussing a $22 billion sale of the overseas assets of leading Russian company Lukoil to a consortium linked to the envoys and to the Trump family. They have considered a $25 billion gas distribution project in Alaska secretly controlled by Russia’s Novatek.
The two sides are discussing resumption of access for US airlines to Russian airspace for transit and overflights, and co-operation between US companies and Russia on producing and supplying titanium, a crucial component in civilian aircraft.
Witkoff and Kushner began discussion of the projects with Putin’s chief financial advisor Kirill Dmitriev last autumn as they devised a 28-point ultimatum for surrender of Ukrainian territory and the weakness of the rest of the country. Dmitriev estimated the value of the plans at $14 trillion.
The ultimatum was pushed back by Ukraine and Europe, who took the initiative with their 20-point proposal.
“Dmitriev’s plan was waiting until the war froze, but the clock is ticking and war is not stopping, so they have made a decision to move forward now,” said “one person briefed on the business deals”.
UPDATE 0815 GMT:
Ukraine’s air defenses downed 71 of 88 drones, 38 of them jet-powered, launched by Russia overnight. Strikes were recorded at eight locations.
UPDATE 0722 GMT:
A US official says Donald Trump, continuing his tilt towards the Kremlin, is considering the lifting of sanctions on Russia’s government investment fund.
Capitalizing on Trump’s agreement to purchase Russian diesel fuel, Moscow is telling the White House that the removal of sanctions are necessary to ensure the transactions.
The fund is headed by Kirill Dmitriev, who has led the Kremlin’s manipulation of Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff since early 2025. He has been instrumental in the Kremlin’s offering of tens of billions of dollars of deals — benefitting Trump associates and friends including Witkoff — in return for American support.
The US official, who may or may not be Witkoff, said the lifting of sanctions was part of an effort to “improve US-Russia relations and help end the war”. He praised Dmitriev as “a helpful envoy”.
“It’s been really, really good dealing with Kirill,” Witkoff told Putin last week in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists that Russia is offering the Trump camp an “economic marriage” that may not be in the best interests of the US in the long run.
“I believe the ‘diesel deal’ opens the door for Russia to take similar steps in the future. These could involve fertilizers, gas, frozen assets, and other individuals and entities that could have sanctions lifted against them,” he said.
He cautioned the Americans that, while there may appear to be short-term benefits, “every deal with Russia has some unpleasant element that is not immediately apparent”.
UPDATE 0719 GMT:
Ukraine struck several facilities inside Russia overnight, including the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant.
The complex in Lipetsk in western Russia was set afire. It supplies Russian companies producing air defense systems, drones, missiles, and other weapons.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin for 90 minutes on Tuesday.
Throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has rejected a European role in talks. However, earlier this week Putin’s foreign policy Yuri Ushakov called for the involvement of “all of Europe”.
Støre said the conversation, extended beyond its scheduled 20 minutes, was “substantive, focused on the issues at hand, and professional”. However, he indicated there was no progress towards an end of Russia’s 56-month full scale invasion.
Much of what [Putin] said was already known – he recalled his views on how the conflict evolved since 2014 – and we stated our positions. These are well-known views, which we were able to acknowledge and respond to.
Instead of discussing a ceasefire, Putin delivered a lengthy lecture on medieval Slavic history, said “three sources familiar with the call”. One said Støre and Stubb did not interrupt the rant, gauging his seriousness on future dialogue with Europe.
Putin gave a similar lecture to Donald Trump during their August 2025 summit in Alaska. He spoke at length about medieval Rus princes, such as Rurik or Yaroslav the Wise, and the 17th-century Cossack leader Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. The lecture reportedly damaged the Kremlin’s attempts to manipulate Trump, and toughened US sanctions on Russia followed in October.
The conversation included steps to deal with attacks on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea. Støre said he and Stubb spoke on behalf of their two countries only, “and no one else”. He added, “There remain significant differences in our respective positions.”
We stand with Ukraine, defend its right to self-defence, and emphasise the need for a diplomatic path to end this war in a lasting and just manner.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov snapped after the call, “It seems nothing new was discussed. This just shows the Europeans’ desire to insert themselves into the negotiating process.” Russia’s invasion “will continue and, even I will say, is likely to escalate”.
Ukraine Supported Engagement
European leaders such as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson were cautious about the engagement. However, Støre emphasized, “All our partners and allies were informed in advance and received a detailed account afterwards.”
Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed:
We welcome such active support for our diplomatic efforts and peace process. This call was, as it was mentioned, coordinated with us, and this is the right approach….
I will say this once again, Ukraine wants to end this war. We have doable proposals and solutions. We are ready for partial ceasefires and a full end to hostilities. Of course, everything needs to be fair. We will not take any one-sided steps.
Sybiha said Ukraine is looking for “a new momentum” and wants to “define new role for Europe in our peace efforts”. He explained, “Probably the only way to get…new quality in our talks is a meeting at the level of President Zelensky and Putin”: negotiators can discuss matters to a certain level but key decisions can only be made by the heads of states.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also expressed support, citing consultations “that it would be good for European politicians to have a working contact given the planned ceasefire talks that may take place in Abu Dhabi”.
He said the Ukraine-Russia encounter, with the US present, is planned for 4 November.
