Overview
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the 19th EU package under discussion abandons incremental steps for tougher measures targeting energy, financial services and trade.
- Air-raid alerts and explosions were reported across Ukraine, including Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro and Nizhyn, with evening warnings later expanded to five oblasts, according to local officials and the national alert map.
- Orenburg region authorities reported an attempted hostile drone attack on an industrial site with no casualties and a temporary airport closure, while independent outlets pointed to footage indicating the Orsknefteorgsintez refinery as the likely target.
- The Wall Street Journal reported years of covert U.S. backing for Ukrainian UAV programs worth about $1.5 billion, as The Telegraph said Washington froze support talks during the U.S. shutdown, a claim Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry publicly rejected.
- At the Valdai forum, Vladimir Putin denied Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and highlighted new high‑tech weapons, mentioning the ‘Oreshnik’ system.