Ukraine-Russia war latest: Meloni hits out at Trump over 'very risky' Putin deal as Zelensky ...

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Donald Trump ’s diesel deal with Vladimir Putin is a “very risky choice” that will undermine efforts to bring Moscow to the negotiating table, Giorgia Meloni has said.

In the most critical yet issued by a European leader, the Italian prime minister said that the agreement for Russia to supply 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the US would have an “uncertain” outcome.

"It provides Moscow with legitimacy as its bombs continue to fall on Ukrainian cities, generates new revenue ‌to finance the war, and implicitly weakens ‌the effectiveness of sanctions," she told the Italian parliament ahead of an EU summit.

In other remarks, Meloni said the 27 EU countries should appoint "an authoritative figure" to negotiate for Europe over the war.

It came as Russia ⁠struck a number ⁠of ​energy facilities ⁠in ⁠ Ukraine overnight, Kyiv mayor ‌ Vitali Klitschko said, with president Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Vladimir Putin of “disrespecting” Trump’s so-called energy ceasefire.

Wednesday morning’s strikes came hours before Zelensky was due to meet prime minister Andy Burnham for talks at No 10.

Russia attacks Ukraine's western Lutsk kills three

Russian attack on Ukraine's western city of Lutsk on Wednesday killed three and injured at least 12, the regional governor said.

Drone debris hit a warehouse, Roman Romaniuk said on Telegram. A residential building was damaged as well, he added.

Watch: Ukraine reports Russian attacks with no warnings, Trump says US still sharing intel

Poland blasts Musk for restricting Ukraine’s Starlink access: ‘Big man, are you playing politics again?

Poland has called out SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk for restricting access to Starlink satellite terminals across Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers have had their access to the internet restricted amid Donald Trump’s demands for a halt on long-range strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, according to reports.

The service provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX provides broadband internet and has been used for government and military communications in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Poland blasts Musk for slowing Kyiv’s Starlink: ‘Big man, are you playing politics?’

US-Russia diesel deal can pave way for further economic cooperation

The US-Russia diesel deal can pave the way for further economic cooperation between the two countries, Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Wednesday.

He added that Moscow would overcome any sanctions-related difficulties to ensure the diesel supplies.

The example of diesel cooperation with the US "will open other opportunities as well," he told reporters.

Four killed in Ukraine's second city

Russian strikes killed ‌four people in Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, and dozens were wounded across the ⁠country, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

Fabian Hoffmann, a missile expert at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, said Ukraine's European allies had "very limited" ability to replace US early-warning ⁠intelligence Russian missile strikes.

"Ukraine relies on the so-called Space-Based Infrared System which the US deploys – and the US system is really second to none and only the United States can provide that," he said.

Sybiha said ‌the US request to halt attacks on Russian refineries ​showed how Ukraine's position had strengthened, alluding to Trump's to Zelenskiy in a ‌tense Oval Office meeting last year that "you don't have the cards".

"In less than ​two years, we have gone from 'having no cards' to 'not playing your cards'. That is an achievement," Sybiha said.

Russia's history of targeting foreign journalists

Russia has arrested a number of foreign citizens in recent years on charges widely dismissed as baseless.

One of the most prominent cases of a foreign journalist arrested in Russia ‌was the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in ​2023.

He was found guilty of espionage by a Russian court, sentenced to 16 years and then freed in an East-West prisoner swap in August 2024.

Radio Free Europe editor Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual US-Russian citizen, was held for more than nine months before being convicted on charges of spreading “fake” news the Russian army.

She was also freed along with Gershkovich during the prisoner swap.

Full report: Russia arrests Japanese journalist and accuses him of spying

Russian authorities have charged a Japanese journalist with espionage offences after arresting him for allegedly collecting information on the nation’s defence capabilities, in the latest sign of rising tensions between Moscow and Tokyo .

Yuki Imai, a reporter for Hokkaido Shimbun , was detained in the far eastern region of Sakhalin, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

The Russian intelligence agency FSB published a video showing masked personnel storming into a hotel room and pinning Mr Imai to the floor before handcuffing him.

Read the full report by Shweta Sharma:

Russia arrests Japanese journalist and accuses him of spying

Putin set to cybersecurity challenges with top officials - Kremlin

Russian Ppesident Vladimir Putin will cybersecurity with top officials on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described it as an increasingly pressing issue.

He added that a number of countries were seeking to turn cyber technologies into weapons and Russia needed to be ready to face such challenges.

Polish military police investigates potential drone on Baltic beach

Polish military police are investigating an unidentified object that resembled a drone found on a Baltic Sea beach on Tuesday.

A passerby discovered what resembled a drone and reported it to the police, with military sappers and other services then arriving at the scene, private radio station RMF FM reported that

Poland is the largest Nato member on the alliance's eastern flank, and borders Ukraine. A series of airspace incursions in the region have fuelled concerns the war in Ukraine spilling over the alliance's borders.

Military police said late on Tuesday on X that they "are investigating the circumstances of the discovery of fragments of an unidentified flying object on October 13, 2026, at approximately 0630 pm local time on the beach in Karwia, Puck County."

Military police spokesman Dariusz Rozkosz told the private TVN24 television station that he could not yet confirm the type of object found.

Watch: Katie Zacharia caught off guard as reporter presses her on US intel sharing with Ukraine

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