Overview
- German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is convening counterparts from France, the UK, Italy and Poland in Berlin with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in attendance and Ukraine’s defense minister Denys Schmyhal joining remotely.
- The session is the sixth meeting of the Pistorius-initiated Group of Five, with a joint press conference scheduled after deliberations at the defense ministry.
- Regional authorities reported a Ukrainian drone strike on Novorossiysk that damaged three residential buildings, an oil depot and coastal facilities, with no injuries announced.
- Kyiv’s mayor said a “massive” attack injured at least eleven people, activated air defenses and damaged parts of the heating network, with officials warning of possible power and water disruptions.
- EU finance ministers agreed to pursue a loan mechanism backed by frozen Russian assets that could raise up to €140 billion, which Denmark’s Stephanie Lose called the Commission’s best and most realistic option.