Putin discusses peace terms with Witkoff. Kiev attacks Moscow with drones: airports closed for hours

Meanwhile, regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said that three people were killed in Ukrainian drone attacks in Kursk. International media reported this. Khinshtein states that 'seven people were taken to hospital' after the Ukrainian attacks, while 'three others were killed'. Ukrainian drones also wounded civilians in the Glushkovsky district, near the border, he further reports. Also yesterday, Moscow had reported deaths in Kursk from Ukrainian drones.

Russia, for its part, attacked in the evening of 5 May the villages of Bilopilia and Vorozhba in Sumy oblast, killing three residents and wounding seven others. This was reported by the regional administration. Among the injured was reportedly a 16-year-old boy. Local authorities initiated an emergency evacuation due to the intensity of the attacks.

Kharkiv was also hit during the night by Russian drone attacks. Among the affected places was the Barabashovo market, where a large fire broke out. This was reported by the Ukrainian authorities. According to the regional governor, a Russian raid also hit Odessa causing one death.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes for 'more German leadership' in the West after the election of Friedrich Merz as chancellor. 'I sincerely congratulate you,' the Ukrainian leader writes on X, 'I am very grateful for your support. Ukraine is deeply grateful for the support of Germany and its people. Your help has saved thousands and thousands of Ukrainian lives. We sincerely hope that Germany will become even stronger and that we will see more German leadership in European and transatlantic affairs. This is especially important, as the future of Europe is at stake, and will depend on our unity'.

The European Union outlined today, 6 May, how it will seek to block new Russian gas deals and phase out existing contracts with Moscow, in a bid to end its decades-long energy relationship with Europe's once-leading gas supplier. The EU has a non-binding target to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027, set after Moscow's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The European Commission has therefore published a "roadmap" of more specific plans to achieve the target, including measures to ban new Russian gas import agreements and spot contracts, sources close to the file told Reuters.

The EU Commission also evaluated legal options that would allow European companies to terminate existing Russian gas contracts by the end of 2027. However, lawyers emphasised that it will be difficult to invoke 'force majeure' to abandon these agreements and that buyers could face sanctions or arbitration.

About 19% of European gas still comes from Russia, via the TurkStream pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments. This is far less than the 40% supplied by Russia before 2022. But European buyers still have 'take or pay' contracts with Gazprom, which require those who refuse gas deliveries to pay for most of the contracted volumes anyway. Uncontracted 'spot' purchases made up about 31% of Russian LNG purchased by Europe last year, according to data from Rystad Energy.

In an effort to reduce Russian imports, the European Commission has signalled a willingness to buy more US LNG, one of the steps President Donald Trump has asked Europe to take to reduce the trade surplus with the US. The Commission is also concerned about energy prices and said that any measures to limit Russian energy imports must hurt Moscow more than the EU and take into account the impact on fuel costs.