War breaking news. Latvia: 'Nato aircraft shot down a drone hijacked by Russia this morning'

Back in December, the US had already pushed Russia and Ukraine to quickly adhere to a plan to end the war, which began with Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision in February 2022 to launch a full-scale invasion of the neighbouring country.

The warring sides have recently intensified their attacks on each other, with Russia using missiles and drones to strike Ukrainian cities and Ukraine showing an increasing ability to strike deep into Russian territory with new technologies.

On Saturday, Ukrainian drones struck Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, as it hosted the last day of a major economic forum, an attack described as "unprecedented" by Russian authorities.

In the preceding days, Kiev had already struck the outskirts of the same city, about a thousand kilometres from Ukraine, just as Putin's flagship forum was beginning.

On the eve of the event, Zelensky sent an open letter to Putin asking for direct negotiations to end the war, an offer repeatedly rejected by the Russian president, who stated that the war would only end when Russia's objectives were achieved.

The three Western powers gathered in London are part of the so-calledE3 group and are among Kiev's main allies. The United Kingdom and France lead the so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' to provide security guarantees for Ukraine in a possible peace process.

They welcomed Zelensky's letter to Putin and supported his call for 'a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, with the active participation of the United States and Europe'. In an implicit reference to Moscow's insistence that Ukraine renounce NATO membership, they stated that Ukraine's right to choose its own alliances and security system must be fully respected.

Before arriving in London, the Ukrainian leader accused Russia of a 'cowardly' attack after authorities in Kiev reported that a drone had hit a spent nuclear fuel store near the Chernobyl plant. There were no injuries and the fire was extinguished, while radiation levels remained stable.

Separately, at least three people were killed in a Russian attack in a village outside Zaporizhzhia, authorities reported. Zaporizhzhia has recently been subjected to continuous Russian attacks, with at least two deaths recorded on Saturday alone.

The Russian raid on Chernobyl has 'partially destroyed' a spent nuclear fuel storage building, according to Ukrainian state nuclear operator Enerhoatom. The operator said there were no injuries and a fire in the building was extinguished, adding that radiation remains at normal levels. The body also criticised Moscow for what it called a deliberate threat to nuclear safety, in terms shared by Zelensky.

'Russia deliberately hit this nuclear infrastructure,' Zelensky said on X, describing the facility as 'extremely critical' and the attack as 'cowardly'.

"It is really difficult to imagine how to come to agreements with the Kiev regime under these conditions". This was said by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoting the words of President Vladimir Putin, in response to yesterday's statement by the leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Ukraine, in which the E3 supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for direct negotiations with the Russian one. Putin 'emphasised the actions we have seen from the Kiev regime, including terrorist crimes against children', his spokesman said.

Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in an interview with Sky News that he met with the Russian tycoon considered close to the Kremlin Roman Abramovich in Kiev last month. "He came to Kiev. He said he had a direct message for me, and I want to take a message from you and give it to Putin. He said it would have to be done quietly, without any publicity on the messages. I said, it is your choice. I don't care. I publicise. I don't public,' Zelensky said. In the interview, Abramovich wanted to understand whether Ukraine was really ready to accept peace negotiations. Zelensky conveyed to the tycoon that Kiev has no intention of ceding the Donbass to Russia, 'to give Moscow this kind of victory'. This was the 'key' message: Kiev will not let Russia have this kind of victory. With Abramovich Zelensky talked about the compromises each side is willing to make but made it clear that for Ukraine, compromises are only possible after a ceasefire. "I told him that I am ready to meet Putin, anywhere, anytime. Not in Moscow, not in Belarus, not in Minsk. You can choose the place, the time, We can discuss it with President Trump." Zelensky confirmed his readiness to freeze the situation in the territories at the current front line, the fastest way to the negotiating table.

The first tranche of the EUR 90 billion joint EU loan for Ukraine will be disbursed by June. This was announced by European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari, without giving a precise date for the disbursement. It is, he recalled, "a total of EUR 9.1 billion: 5.9 billion will be earmarked for defence and 3.2 billion for state budget support". "We are finalising the last details and the first transactions will be possible by the end of this month," he pointed out.