Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin bombs own gas pipeline to sabotage Trump ceasefire deal, Kyiv says

Editorial: Convened by the British prime minister, the meeting of military leaders from more than 20 countries to discuss a peacekeeping force for Ukraine may have jumped the gun. If they are to work together, the UK and EU must first negotiate some key differences:

Some £25 billion worth of Russian assets have been frozen by the UK Government since the start of the Ukraine war, newly-released figures have revealed.

A report released by the Treasury on Friday revealed the total, which accounts for all assets that have been sanctioned by the UK since February 2022 when the invasion of Ukraine began.

Some 2,001 individuals and entities have been sanctioned under the regime as of March 2024, according to the Treasury.

Russia accused Ukraine of being behind the attack on the Sudzha gas pumping station, saying it had been under the control of Kyiv's forces "until now" who had used it as a logistics base.

"The blowing up of an important Russian energy facility by Ukrainian army units retreating from the Kursk region is a deliberate provocation by the Kyiv regime," the defence ministry said in a statement.

"(This) should be viewed as part of a series of recent strikes against the energy infrastructure of the Russian Federation aimed at discrediting the peace initiatives of the president of the United States."

The region has been the focus of fierce fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in recent weeks, with Moscow’s troops recapturing much of the region which held by Kyiv since August last year.

A huge fire has broken out at a Russian gas and pumping station after it was rocked by a major explosion.

The facility in Sudzha is in Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine.

It was once used by Gazprom to export gas to Europe from Russia visa Ukraine, until Kyiv decided to end the agreement in January this year.

The station was a critical part of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod gas pipeline, which was the main route for exporting Russian gas to Europe.

Once it passed through the station, it entered Ukraine’s pipeline system into Slovakia, before going onto the Czech Republic and Austria.

In 2023, almost half of all Russian gas exports to Europe were pumped through the station.

Italy’s prime minister is said to be torn between her allegiance to Trump and the EU, as pressure mounts on her to join the EU’s defence drive.

Right-wing politician Giorgia Meloni is balancing her ideological instincts and strategic ties to Europe, analysts have said.

Nathalie Tocci, head of Italy's Institute of International Affairs think tank, said Meloni could not indefinitely sit on the fence between Washington and Brussels.

"Her heart lies with America, but in the end she will follow her head, which is basically telling her that Italy is in Europe. Our economy is entwined with Germany and you can't change that," she told Reuters.

Putin’s order to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy structure is still in place, the Kremlin has said.

Putin agreed to the suspension of such attacks in a phone call with US President Donald Trump. Kyiv, which has said it would be willing to take part in such a partial ceasefire if a document setting out its terms is agreed, has accused Russia of not abiding by Putin's order, something Moscow denies.

Volodymyr Zelensky has called for “tougher sanctions” to be imposed on Russia after “massive strikes” in Odesa.

Ukraine’s president said over 200 drones were launched by Russia overnight, with injuries reported in both Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

He wrote on X: “It is joint pressure on Russia, along with tougher sanctions and stronger defense support for our country, that paves the way to ending this kind of terror and Russia’s prolongation of the war. We expect real pressure on Russia from the United States, Europe, and all our partners. This is what will enable diplomacy to work.”

Russia's Investigative Committee has opened an investigation into the explosion and fire at a gas pumping station in the Kursk region.

The committee, which probes serious crimes, said it had opened a criminal case over the incident near the town of Sudzha.

The station was once used by Gazprom to export gas to Europe from Russia visa Ukraine, and is in a region largely recaptured by Russian forces this week after heavy fighting with Ukrainian troops who had held it since last year.

The Ukrainian military has denied involvement in the attack.