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Ukraine-Russia War, Live Breaking News | Trump announces meeting of "senior advisors" after a "productive" call

Thursday, October 16


Alternative Takes

The World's Current Take

Ukraine Military Aid and Tomahawk Missiles

Ukraine Economic and Support Proposals


He President of the United States, Donald Trump , and the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin , will meet soon in Budapest (Hungary). The intention of the meeting arose from a phone call they had this Thursday, on the eve of the visit of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky , to the White House.

They have addressed"the Patriot question", US air defense batteries, as well as the possible delivery of US long-range missiles Tomahawk to Ukraine.

The Kremlin has insisted that the supply of these Tomahawk missiles would represent a"new level of escalation," ensuring that the Ukrainian military would need Western assistance to employ this type of weapon.

20.10

Trump and Putin will meet in Budapest to try to end"this ignominious war."

The President of the United States, Donald Trump , spoke by phone this Thursday with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin , in a new attempt by the American to push Moscow toward a peace agreement with Ukraine. The conversation, the first between the two since their August meeting in Alaska, comes on the eve of a new trip Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington. And although the White House hasn't mentioned any specific progress, it has served as a platform for both leaders to meet shortly in Hungary.

19.45

The President of the United States, Donald Trump , confirmed after a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin , that senior advisors from both countries will meet next week in Hungary. The two leaders will meet in Budapest, Hungary, Reuters reports.

He says he will talk about his conversation with Putin when he meets with the Ukrainian president tomorrow. Volodymyr Zelensky, in the Oval Office."I think a lot of progress has been made with today's phone call," he concludes.

19.25

Trump will meet with Putin in Hungary to try to resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump , has assured that he will meet with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin , in Hungary to try to resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine, but the date has yet to be determined, Reuters reports.

19.22

Pope Leo XIV asks leaders"not to look the other way."

He Pope Leo XIV condemned this Thursday the use of hunger as weapon of war, urging leaders around the world to act responsibly and focus on the multitudes suffering from hunger, war, and misery around the world.

During his speech at the global event for World Food Day at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Pope urged the international community not to look the other way, at a time when foreign aid budgets are declining. AP reports.

The Pope directly mentioned the conflicts in Ukraine and Loop, in addition to Haiti, Afghanistan, Mali, Central African Republic, Yemen and South Sudan.

19.00

kyiv forces repel a major Russian assault near Dobropillia, according to the Ukrainian brigade.

Russia launched a major armored assault with more than 20 vehicles on Thursday near Dobropillia, an eastern Ukrainian city, the Azov Brigade confirmed, stating that its forces repelled the attack. The Ukrainian General Staff did not mention the Russian attack in a statement released Thursday afternoon, but did state that they are conducting stabilization operations in the area.

"On October 16, the enemy again attempted a massive mechanized attack," the Azov Brigade reported on Facebook. Nine Russian armored vehicles were reportedly destroyed in repelling the attack, which was primarily aimed at capturing the village of Shakhove, east of Dobropillia, Reuters reports.

18.45

Putin and Trump speak by phone, two months after the summit in Alaska.

The presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin , and the USA, Donald Trump , are currently holding a telephone conversation, two months after their summit in Alaska, according to the Kremlin today and Efe.

"Right now, a conversation is taking place between the presidents of Russia and the United States," reported Pavel Zarubin, the journalist closest to the Kremlin leader, on his Telegram channel, citing presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The conversation—the seventh since January—takes place on the eve of a meeting at the White House between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

18.20

The European Union presents a plan to be 'ready' for possible attacks from Russia.

The European Union unveiled a plan Thursday to ensure Europe can defend itself from external attacks by the end of the decade, amid growing concerns that Russia is already probing the bloc's defenses.

One priority would be to establish drone defenses to detect, track and disable unauthorized drones, following a series of worrying airspace violations across Europe over the past month, some close to Europe's borders with Russia , Belarus and Ukraine. AP reports.

This European Drone Defense Initiative would be a key part of a broader scheme called Policing the Eastern Flank to strengthen defenses along Europe's eastern border on land, in the Baltic and Black Seas, and in the air, as well as against hybrid attacks.

The goal is for both to be operational by December next year, with the drone system fully operational by the end of 2027, and the Eastern Flank Surveillance fully operational by the end of 2028. Separate air and space shields would also be developed over Europe.

18.04

Russian drones over Ukraine's rear, the new"death zone"

The old café of Anatoly Tokarev in Pavlograd is more than just a museum. The accumulation of objects, thousands of them stacked in several rooms, could be understood as a catalogue of the evolution of war conflicts that they have devastated Ukrainian territory during the last century.

It houses swords from the Tsarist era, weapons used during World War II, and the latest gadgets that have appeared on the front lines.

Tokarev stops over the wreckage of a Russian drone, a Molniya."Look, it doesn't weigh anything. It's made of plastic, foam rubber, and aluminum," he explains.

17.25

37 Russian regions suffer daily internet outages"due to drones"

Half of Russians suffer daily internet outages at the hands of authorities, who argue that they need to protect the population from Ukrainian drone attacks, although the independent press reports that the real objective is censorship and control of public opinion.

According to the Meduza portal, during September 37 Russian regions , including Moscow, Leningrad, Kaliningrad, and Primorye, have experienced almost daily internet outages, even though they are mostly not among the main targets of drones, according to the En Línea project. Efe reports.

The region that has suffered the most outages since May is Nizhny Novgorod, about 350 kilometers east of Moscow, with 124 days of outages. Meanwhile, the least affected among the most populated regions were Chechnya and Dagestan in the Caucasus. There were even fewer outages in Chukotka, Altai, and Tuva in Siberia, and in Kalmykia (Caspian Sea).

16.49

kyiv confirms North Korean troops operating drones over Ukraine

North Korean troops based in Russia are operating drones across the border with Ukraine on reconnaissance missions, the Ukrainian military confirmed Thursday. This is the first time in months that kyiv has reported North Korean involvement on the battlefield.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the Ukrainian General Staff said that some North Korean units were operating drones from the Kursk region to locate Ukrainian military positions and help direct rocket attacks against the adjacent Sumy region."The Ukrainian Defense Forces have intercepted communications between North Korean drone operators and Russian military personnel," it said.

North Korea and Russia have signed a mutual defense pact, intensifying their military cooperation over the past two years. Ukraine and South Korea estimate that Pyongyang deployed more than 10,000 troops to fight in the war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military-technological assistance.

16.39

Trump and Putin to speak before Zelensky's visit to the White House

The President of the United States, Donald Trump , and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin , will speak this Thursday, one day before the visit of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky , to the White House, as reported by Axios.

The Ukrainian president will meet with Trump to push for greater military support as Kyiv and Moscow escalate their war with massive attacks on energy systems. NATO is struggling to respond to a series of Russian airstrikes, Reuters reports.

16.27

Putin asserts that Russia is"one of the main oil producers" despite pressure

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin , confirmed this Thursday that his country remains among the world's top oil producers, despite what he describes as"unfair" anti-competitive practices.

At an energy conference in Moscow, the Russian president confirmed that European countries had harmed their own economies by limiting Russian gas exports and criticized Western powers' restrictions on the import of equipment to Russia.

Putin did not mention in his remarks the US pressure on China and India to stop buying oil and gas from Russia."Russia maintains its position as one of the main oil producers, despite the use of unfair competition mechanisms against us," he asserted, as reported by AFP.

15.51

A Ukrainian attack leaves 84,000 people without power in the Russian-occupied area of Kherson.

Ukrainian drone attacks left almost 100,000 people without power in the Russian-occupied area of the Kherson , 84,000 of which remain without electricity, according to what the pro-Russian governor, Vladimir Saldo, reported on Tuesday.

"Kyiv terrorists continue their targeted attacks against Kherson's energy infrastructure. On October 14 and 15, enemy drones repeatedly attacked and damaged the Vinogradovo electrical substation, leaving nearly 100,000 people and 49 social infrastructures without power," he announced via Telegram, as reported by Efe.

In his statements, he stated that the power outage affected 96 towns in four districts of the region, where the Russian military controls two-thirds of the territory.

15.33

"True justice will only come when all Russians are ashamed of what they did, like Germany after World War II."

A year ago Yaroslav Bazylevich He lost his entire life under a staircase. The bad news is that he's still alive to tell the tale. Sitting in front of the journalist for an interview with Chronicle He manages to smile from time to time, but emitting a dull light that is worse than tears: sadness, fossilized on his lips. He hasn't died, but his entire family has. His daughters, Darina , of 18 years old ; Yarina , of 21 , and Emilia , of 7 ; and also his wife, Evgenia , of 43 , died when they took refuge in the stairwell of their apartment building on September 4, 2024 during a Russian bombing raid. And all because, in the darkness, they tried to cheat death. Yaroslav survived only because he was in the house when the missile hit the building. He had gone to get some water for the family.

--It's been a year. How are you?

--I feel alone right now. I'm not sure how to measure it. And to be honest, I'm not sure I've fully accepted it. I don't think I can fully grasp what I lost. So it's complicated...

15.02

The Kremlin warns Trump and Zelensky that the Tomahawk delivery would be a"new escalation."

The Kremlin warned this Thursday, on the eve of the meeting at the White House between the presidents of the United States, Donald Trump , and Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky , that the supply of American Tomahawk missiles to kyiv would represent a"new level of escalation".

"The Tomahawk issue is constantly being raised (...) This would be a significant step towards a new level of escalation," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia, stressing that Russia's position on the matter is"very clear and well known both in Washington and in kyiv."

Russia maintains that, in addition to the danger this poses to national security—the Tomahawks could reach Moscow—the Ukrainian military would need Western assistance to use such weapons, Efe reports.

Peskov also stressed that the Ukrainian military could not continue attacking Russian energy infrastructure"without the involvement of Western intelligence services," mentioning the United Kingdom."The difficulty of these attempts indicates that the Ukrainians could not have done it on their own," he noted.

14.34

Brussels wants an"anti-drone wall" by the end of 2027: "Europe is in danger."

The European Commission (EC) proposes that the "anti-drone wall" it plans to deploy in Eastern Europe be fully operational by the end of 2027 and the surveillance system on the eastern flank a year later, according to a roadmap presented Thursday for the European Union to achieve full military readiness by 2030.

"Recent threats have made it clear that Europe is in danger "We must protect every citizen and every square inch of our territory. Europe must respond with unity, solidarity, and determination," said the President of the European Commission in a statement. Ursula von der Leyen .

The Commission had already published a white paper (a non-legislative document) in March identifying the EU's military resource gaps and then presented a package of proposals to mobilize up to €800 billion in investments by 2030, Efe reports.

For Brussels, achieving full defense readiness means that Member States' armed forces can"anticipate, prepare for, and respond to any defense-related crisis, including high-intensity warfare."

14.19

1,127,300 Russian combat losses

The 'Defense of Ukraine' social media account X (formerly known as Twitter ) has published a post detailing Russian combat losses. The figure includes all losses recorded from the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022, to the present, October 16, 2025.

The total figure is 1,127,300 Russian combat losses.

1:50 PM

The EU proposes"landmark" defense projects to counter drones and protect the eastern border.

The European Commission on Thursday proposed four landmark defense projects for Europe - including an anti-drone system and a plan to strengthen the eastern border - as part of an effort to prepare the continent for defend themselves autonomously by 2030 .

The proposals, included in a defense policy"road map," reflect fears fueled by the war in Ukraine that Russia could attack an EU member state in the coming years, as well as US President Donald Trump's repeated calls for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security.

13:20

Russia and Ukraine continue their energy war on the eve of the Trump-Zelensky meeting.

Russia and Ukraine continued their cross-attacks on energy infrastructure in each other's rear areas during the early hours of Thursday, in a new episode of this facet of the war for which the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, will seek further support from his American counterpart, Donald Trump , at the meeting that both have planned for this Friday.

According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used more than three hundred drones and 37 missiles in its attack against Ukraine, 26 of which were ballistic missiles. Iskander-M or its North Korean equivalent KN-23, as well as two Kinzhal hypersonic rockets.

12:38

Russian bombing causes blackouts in Ukraine as Zelensky seeks Trump's help

Russia attacked Ukraine's energy facilities with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in its latest massive bombardment of the country's power grid, officials said Thursday, as President Volodymyr Zelensky is preparing to ask his counterpart Donald Trump p more US-made air defenses and long-range missiles during a meeting at the White House.

Eight Ukrainian regions suffered blackouts following the Russian offensive, the national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, reported outages in the capital, Kyiv, and said it had to curb the extraction of natural gas in the central Poltava region due to attacks.

Zelensky claimed that Russia fired more than 300 drones and 37 missiles against the country overnight He also accused Moscow of using cluster munitions and repeatedly attacking the same target to reach emergency crews and engineers working to repair the grid.

11:51

Russia says decision on Zaporizhia nuclear power plant repairs could be made as early as Friday

A Russian official said a decision could be made as early as Friday on a pause in fighting to allow repairs to power lines at the nuclear plant. Zaporizhia, controlled by Russia in Ukraine , reported the state press.

Alexei Likhatchev, head of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom, was quoted as saying that implementing a"calm period" would allow work on two damaged power lines feeding the plant, one in Russian-controlled territory and the other in Ukraine.

11:16

Russia expects India to continue buying Russian oil despite Trump's comments

Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexandr Nóvak , expressed confidence on Thursday that India will continue to buy Russian oil despite the fact that the US president, Donald Trump , assured yesterday that Delhi will cease its imports of Russian hydrocarbons.

"Our energy resources are in demand. They are economically viable and feasible. And I am confident that our partners (India) will continue to work with us, interact, and develop energy cooperation," Novak told reporters during the Russian Energy Week forum, as quoted by Interfax.

Nóvak added that what they're seeing right now through the press are"signs that our partners are declaring that no one can dictate anything to them and that they will choose their own path."

11:04

Tomahawk missiles, the"main theme" of Zelensky's visit to Washington

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Friday to discuss the possible delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles to his army,"the main topic" of the visit, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP on Thursday.

Zelensky will arrive in the US capital on Thursday to meet with representatives of the defense industry, the official said on condition of anonymity. The goal is to determine"when supplies will actually be possible," he said.

10:50

Ukraine says it has hit another Russian refinery, located in the Saratov region.

The Ukrainian army hit a refinery in the Saratov region of the Russian Federation last night in another long-range attack on Russian territory, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement.

According to the Kyiv General Staff, the refinery processed around 4.8 million tons of oil in 2023. The refinery helps supply fuel to the Russian army, according to the Ukrainian military statement.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian air defenses shot down 51 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones last night over seven regions of the country and the annexed Crimean peninsula.

10:30

Naftogaz says Ukraine will need to import gas to cover production losses following Russian attacks.

Ukraine will need to import more gas to compensate for domestic production losses following the Russian attacks, the director general of Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz said.

Sergii Koretskyi said the overnight Russian attack halted operations at several critical facilities. It was the sixth major attack on gas facilities since early October, he added.

10:00

Fourteen Russian missiles and 37 drones hit different parts of Ukraine last night.

Fourteen Russian missiles and 37 drones landed last night at fourteen unspecified locations in Ukraine, in a new massive attack targeting energy and other infrastructure.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force report, Ukrainian defenses neutralized 283 of the 320 drones launched by Russia.

As for the 37 missiles, five Kh-59 guided missiles were shot down and another 18 missiles of unspecified type failed to hit targets after being diverted with interference by the Ukrainian Army.

9:48

Merz to propose use of frozen Russian assets at EU summit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday he would ask the European Union to use frozen Russian assets in the West to provide a 140 billion euro ($163 billion) loan to Ukraine to fund its war effort at the next EU summit. Merz had already advocated for an interest-free European loan backed by the frozen assets in late September.

"We don't want to do this to prolong the war, but to end it," Merz said in a speech to the lower house of the Bundestag."(Russian President Vladimir) Putin must understand that our support for Ukraine will not diminish, but will increase, and that he cannot count on outliving our determination."

9:27

Zelensky claims Russia used more than 300 drones and 37 missiles in the night attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used more than 300 drones and 37 missiles in the overnight attack on Ukrainian infrastructure.

"This fall, the Russians are taking advantage of every day to hit our energy infrastructure," Zelensky said on the social network X on Thursday.

9:00

Russia shoots down 51 Ukrainian drones over seven of its regions and annexed Crimea.

Russian air defenses shot down 51 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones last night over seven regions of the country and the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry reported today on its Telegram channel.

According to the military report, the highest number of downings was recorded in the regions of Saratov (12), Volgograd (11) and Rostov (8), the latter being the only one with a border with Ukraine.

Anti-aircraft defenses, added the Ministry of Defense, shot down six drones over Crimea and another two over the Black and Azov Seas, whose waters bathe the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.

8:27

The head of the Russian FSB says there is no doubt about NATO's involvement in the alleged Russian drone incidents over the EU.

The head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that Moscow has no doubts about the involvement of NATO intelligence services in incidents involving alleged Russian drones over European Union territory, RIA reported.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed the creation of a"drone wall" after some 20 Russian drones allegedly entered the airspace of EU and NATO member Poland last month.

8:12

A Russian attack halted gas production operations in Ukraine's Poltava region.

The private Ukrainian energy company DTEK reported that an overnight Russian attack on energy infrastructure forced the suspension of operations at gas production facilities in the Poltava region.

"During the night, the enemy again attacked DTEK Naftogaz's energy infrastructure with drones and missiles," the company wrote in a statement published Thursday on the Telegram messaging app.

7:50

Photos from camps in eastern Ukraine show the plight of internally displaced people.

Across eastern Ukraine, shelters and transit centers reflect the human cost of a war now in its fourth year. More than 4.5 million people are officially registered as internally displaced, many arriving with little more than a bag.

Shared by six or more people, these temporary spaces—often cold, abandoned dormitories, tents, or empty basements—quickly become overcrowded shelters. Volunteers set up camp kitchens and hang curtains made from old bed sheets to provide some privacy. With each evacuee comes a silent reckoning.

Families who once lived a stable life are now navigating a fragile situation: they are no longer home, but they have not yet resettled. Children wrap themselves in donated blankets while older evacuees wait in long lines for news of a new location.

Refugiados ucranianos en Jarkiv.
Ukrainian refugees in Kharkiv. SERGEY BOBOK

7:45

Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to be repaired"soon," IAEA says

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Wednesday he expects repairs to begin "soon" to restore power to Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest.

The plant, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, lost its connection to the electricity grid on September 23 for the tenth time, in the longest outage of external supply since Moscow's invasion.

"I continue to consult with Russia and Ukraine so that these works can begin in the coming days," said Argentine Rafael Grossi, director of the United Nations nuclear agency.

7:30

The United Kingdom sanctions Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft and targets the shadow fleet.

Britain on Wednesday targeted Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, as well as 51 tankers in the so-called"shadow fleet," in what it described as a new attempt to tighten energy sanctions and cut off the Kremlin's revenue streams.

Lukoil and Rosneft were included in the British sanctions list against Russia for what London described as their role in supporting the Russian government. Both are subject to asset freezes, executive disqualifications, transportation restrictions, and a ban on using British trust services.

The British government said both companies are considered strategically important to the Kremlin and that their activities are of great economic importance to Russia, contributing to state revenues that support its war in Ukraine.

7:25

Trump says India will stop buying oil from Russia

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him that India will stop buying Russian oil as part of efforts to reduce Moscow's energy revenues in response to its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Trump said he didn't like Modi"buying oil from Russia because it allows him to continue his absurd war," during a press conference at the White House.

The Republican made it clear that the Indian Prime Minister gave him assurances that he would not gradually buy more Russian oil due to India's dependence.

7:15

Ukrainian police arrest six soldiers for blackmail, kidnapping, and torture in Ternopil.

The Ukrainian National Police has announced the arrest of six Ukrainian soldiers for kidnapping, torturing and blackmailing civilians in the Ternopil region of western Ukraine.

According to a statement from the police, proceedings have been initiated against seven suspects of these crimes.

"The attackers took the victims out of the city, beat them and demanded money or goods," reads the police statement, which has recovered a car obtained by these means by the suspects in the kyiv region.

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