Ukraine, 100,000 without electricity and gas in Kharkiv due to Russian raids. Zelensky calls for new EU sanctions package

The foreign minister also commented on the use of Russian assets for Ukraine: 'The cynicism with which the European Commission interprets the UN Charter and other international legal norms, including the provisions on sovereign immunity and the inviolability of central bank assets, has long ceased to amaze. Such actions constitute outright deception and robbery. No matter how the plan to extort money from the Russians is orchestrated, there is no legal way to do it' and 'Russia will respond appropriately'.

President Volodymyr Zelensky expects the content of the 20th EU sanctions package against Russia to be ready within a month and proposes to include Russian legal and natural persons profiting from energy resources, as well as persons involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children. Ukrainska Pravda reports this, citing Zelensky's evening speech. "We are preparing together with our EU partners the 20th sanctions package. Within a month we expect it to be ready, and we propose to add to the 20th EU sanctions package Russian natural and legal persons who still make money from energy resources. There will also be updates on Ukrainian child abductors," Zelensky said.

In an interview with the Guardian, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "not afraid" of his US counterpart Donald Trump, unlike other Western leaders, and denied rumours that their last meeting in Washington was stormy, adding that he had good relations with the US president. The Kiev leader also claimed that King Charles helped build relations with Trump and described the British monarch as 'very supportive' of Ukraine. According to the British media Zelensky refuted claims that Trump threw away battlefield maps during a heated exchange in October at the White House, where he had arrived in the hope of securing the supply of US Tomahawk cruise missiles. "He didn't throw anything away. I'm sure of that," Zelensky said, describing their relations as "normal", "professional" and "constructive" and stating that "everyone in the world" is afraid of Trump. "This is the truth," he added. Asked if this also applied to him, he replied: 'No... we are not enemies of America. We are friends. So why should we be afraid?"

After yesterday's Russian attacks, around 100,000 people in the Kharkiv region are still without electricity, water and heating. This was stated by Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction Oleksiy Kuleba, as reported by Rbc Ukraina. According to Kuleba, in the Kharkiv region, energy and utility services are working around the clock to stabilise the situation. The extent of the destruction is significant and it takes time. "Currently, about 100 thousand subscribers remain without electricity, water and heating," he noted.

More than USD 5 billion of US arms destined for NATO countries for Ukraine have been blocked due to the shutdown in the US. This was revealed by a State Department estimate, which Axios reviewed. The 40-day government shutdown has paralysed several federal agencies, including the State Department office that manages export contracts. As a result, deliveries of systems such as the Himars, Aegis and Amraam missiles to Denmark, Croatia and Poland were interrupted or delayed. Many of these weapons are then transferred to Ukraine.

"Above Belgorod, air defence systems shot down aerial targets and a drone. Four flats in an apartment building, a private house, a public infrastructure, 12 cars and 28 garages were damaged, eight of which were completely destroyed. An FPV drone was shot down over the Belgorod district. In addition, debris from the downed aerial targets and the drone damaged a public facility in the village of Razumnoye, a car in the village of Dubovoye, and a private home in the village of Tavrovo'. This was announced by the governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reporting severe damage to electrical and heating systems that left more than 20,000 residents without electricity.

The Russian embassy in Italy has attacked the leader of Azione, Carlo Calenda, over a tattoo displayed on the X platform. According to the diplomatic representation, the Italian politician did not understand 'the meaning of the symbol' he had tattooed.

In a commentary posted on its channels, the embassy claims that Calenda's gesture is tantamount to "voluntary adherence" to figures of Ukrainian nationalism such as Symon Petljura, Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych, whom Moscow calls "nationalists and collaborationists" and accuses of crimes against various ethnic communities during the 20th century. The message is accompanied by a reference to Calenda's post on X and images juxtaposing the Italian politician with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Petljura himself.

Concern over the conditions of detention in Italy of Serhii Kuznietsov, the former Ukrainian military man accused of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022, was expressed by Dmytro Lubinets, commissioner of the Ukrainian Parliament for human rights. The former military man, who is held in a high-security prison, has been on hunger strike since 31 October in protest against his detention conditions. Lubinets posted a photo on Telegram of his meeting with the 49-year-old's wife, who told him that her husband is now in critical health. The Ukrainian parliamentary commissioner for human rights said that he had formally urged the Italian authorities to respect the fundamental rights of the suspect, who is awaiting extradition to Germany for a criminal trial and has been in pre-trial detention in Italy since August.