Ukraine-Russia war, latest news. Volunteers standing alongside Ukraine: exercises in October. Italia pulls out

“The leaders also agreed on the urgent need to provide immediate assistance to Ukraine’s energy sector ahead of the coming winter, including through the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine and the supply of specialist equipment. They emphasised the need to continue supporting Ukraine’s economic resilience in the face of Russia’s increasing attempts to re-impose a naval blockade on Ukrainian ports”, note the Volenterosi.

“The leaders agreed to continue efforts to restrict the financial resources available to Russia for the war through sanctions, broader economic measures and by combating sanctions evasion and the Russian shadow fleet. These joint actions have so far deprived Russia of at least $495 billion in resources earmarked for the war since February 2022. The leaders welcomed the efforts of the US Senate to exert further economic pressure on Russia and pledged to work closely with the US in the coming months to coordinate actions aimed at depriving Russia of the means necessary to continue its illegal war”, the statement added.

“The leaders praised President Zelensky’s continued willingness to engage in meaningful peace negotiations with a view to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, and renewed their call on Russia to agree to a total, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, starting from the line of contact”, add the Volenterosi. (Continued)

The Coalition of the Willing calls on Russia to agree to “a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire” in Ukraine, effective from the current front line, and reaffirms its support for the diplomatic efforts of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to achieve a “complete, just and lasting” peace.

Ukraine is to receive further military and energy aid packages, air defence systems and funding for the production of drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during a press conference following the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.

“Today, Ukraine has received support in the form of military and energy aid packages. Thank you, Alex (Finnish President Alexander Stubb, ed.), for the air defence, and thank you to all our friends for funding a number of initiatives. Thank you for the additional funds allocated for drones,” said Zelensky, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.

“We are moving in two directions: we are sourcing and purchasing PAC-3s through Purl and other channels, whilst at the same time we are all working to speed up the Freya project,” said the Ukrainian president.

The first joint military exercises by the Coalition of the Willing will take place in October–November this year. This was announced by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, during the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. This was reported by the Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne. “It is very important to continue to demonstrate our determination and readiness with regard to the security guarantees we have decided to provide. And the large-scale exercises that our coalition will conduct in October and November will demonstrate its operational readiness and ability to act following the cessation of hostilities, and this is very important,” Macron said.

Italia “will not take part” in the “Volenterosi” military exercises announced by French President Emmanuel Macron at the meeting of countries supporting Ukraine. Government sources have made this clear, noting that this decision is in line with Italy’s position – reiterated on several occasions in recent months by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – of “no Italian soldiers” in Kyiv.

The Lithuanian President, Gitanas Nauseda, has announced that his country is ready to send its armed forces to Ukraine as soon as conditions allow. “From day one, Lithuania has been working tirelessly within the group of the willing. We are ready to deploy ground forces from the engineering corps, the air force and the navy, as well as a team of trainers,” added the Lithuanian politician.

Italia is determined to work alongside its international partners to facilitate a negotiating process towards a just and lasting peace. This was “reaffirmed” by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, whilst participating via video link in the meeting of the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, held to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, as reported in a statement from Palazzo Chigi.

The Prime Minister confirmed Italia’s commitment to humanitarian aid ahead of the winter season, which will continue with the dispatch of further generators, intended in particular to support the resilience of the Ukrainian people and to ensure the stability of the energy grid.

Equipment to ensure the functioning of hospitals, schools and the energy network: these are “the three areas on which the government is focusing its aid to Kyiv”, government sources later clarified regarding the aid package for Ukraine, which is currently being prepared.

During the summit, according to the statement from Palazzo Chigi, the leaders agreed on the need to strengthen the effectiveness of the sanctions regimeand counter any attempts to circumvent it, in order to further weaken Moscow’s war machine. In conclusion, Meloni reaffirmed Italy’s determination to work alongside its international partners to facilitate a negotiated path towards a just and lasting peace.

On 23 February 2026, as part of the agreements between Prime Minister Meloni and President Zelensky, ten high-power electricity generators donated by the Department of Civil Protection had arrived in Ukraine from Italia. On that occasion, Ambassador Carlo Formosa had spoken of “a shipment of over 300 boilers currently underway”. The generators, with a total capacity of 1,500 kVA – according to ANSA – are wheeled units, offering a level of flexibility that makes them invaluable for ensuring continuity of power supply in emergency situations.

On the anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, ‘France pays tribute to a people defending their freedom, their sovereignty and their future. ‘A free people cannot be subjugated’: so wrote the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in a post on X at the start of the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. ‘France, Europe and all its partners in the Coalition of the Willing stand by its side,’ Macron concluded.

“I have just arrived in Kyiv to mark the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Day. I am proud to be here on such a significant day, to underline the EU’s unconditional support. Ukraine is a free and courageous nation. Its struggle is also our struggle,” said the President of the European Council Antonio Costa.

To mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, the European Commission has approved new defence contracts for Ukraine worth €6.1 billion. These funds are earmarked for air defence and missile defence systems, missiles, ammunition and radar, confirming Europe’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s defence and resilience in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression. The EU executive announced this in a statement.

For weeks, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Kyiv and other urban areas. According to the United Nations, the shelling has contributed to Ukraine recording its highest number of civilian casualties since the start of the war in 2026.

Last week, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called for a global response to the ‘escalation’ of the conflict – which has now been ongoing for four years – by Moscow. Zelensky has recently spoken of a plan to end the war, which provides for ‘a ceasefire, a free economic zone and the withdrawal of troops’, drawn up in collaboration with the US and Europe.

An air raid alert has been triggered in Kyiv whilst the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the Finnish President, Alexander Stubb, are still in the Ukrainian capital. This was confirmed by ANSA on the ground. The two leaders have been evacuated to a shelter.

On the military front, two children have died and seven others have been injured at a private nursery hit by debris from Ukrainian drones shot down over the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, according to reports in the media in Kyiv and Moscow, citing local authorities. Two adults were also injured in the incident. The attack caused a major fire at a nearby Ozon warehouse, the Russian e-commerce firm reported, adding that no staff members were injured.

This is the third consecutive day that Ozon has been targeted, following Ukraine’s announcement of a wider campaign against Russian logistics infrastructure. For months, Kyiv has been targeting the warehouses of Wildberries, the country’s largest online retailer, claiming that it supplies components to the Russian army. Attacks on these commercial sites, which are far less well-protected than military targets, have already caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage, with several facilities completely destroyed by fire.

Moscow has criticised the attacks on its ‘civilian infrastructure’, more than four years after the start of its large-scale offensive in Ukraine, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths and reduced entire cities to rubble. At least 15 people, including two children, were injured after a building in Chernihiv was struck by a drone in a Russian attack, according to Ukrainian authorities, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. The Ukrainian State Emergency Service explained that rescue workers at the scene extinguished the flames that had broken out as a result of the raid. Meanwhile, attacks on civilian infrastructure and private homes, including two Epicentr hypermarkets, have also been reported in Odessa, according to RBC. At least five people were injured in the raids, said the head of the regional state administration Oleg Kiper.