Putin signs off record Russian defence spending

Around 32.5% of the budget posted on a government website on Sunday has been allocated for national defence, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (£99.5 billion), up from a reported 28.3% this year.

Politicians in both houses of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and Federation Council, had already approved the plans in the past 10 days.

Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started in February 2022, is Europe’s biggest conflict since the Second World War and has drained the resources of both sides.

Kyiv has been getting billions of dollars in help from its Western allies, but Russia’s forces are bigger and better equipped, and in recent months the Russian army has gradually been pushing Ukrainian troops back in eastern areas.

New European Council president Antonio Costa and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, marking their first day in office with a strong message of support for Ukraine.

Their visit comes as doubts are deepening over what Kyiv can expect from a new US administration led by Donald Trump.

“From day one of the war, the EU has stood by the side of Ukraine,” Mr Costa posted on X, together with a photo of himself, Ms Kallas and EU enlargement chief Marta Kos. “From day one of our mandate, we are reaffirming our unwavering support to the Ukrainian people.”

Speaking at a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Costa reiterated the EU’s recent commitment to help Ukraine continue through the war, including 4.2 billion euros (£3.4 billion) to support Ukraine’s budget and 1.5 billion euros (£1.25 billion) of assistance every month from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.

Asked whether the EU would step up funding if Mr Trump withdrew support, Mr Costa said the bloc would “stand for Ukraine as long as necessary”.

Mr Zelensky said that any future ceasefire negotiations with Russia would need to include representatives from the EU and Nato, because Ukraine see its future security in both alliances.

However, he said he failed to see what any such negotiations would focus on, adding that Ukraine would “never legally recognise any occupation of our lands by the Russian Federation”.

He urged the outgoing Biden administration to use the remaining two months in office to exert influence “over those few European sceptics about our future”.

He said: “I see nothing, I personally see no risks, and most Nato countries see no risks from the recommendation regarding the positive future of Ukraine’s membership in Nato.”

Mr Zelensky said that an offer of Nato membership to territory under Kyiv’s control would end “the hot stage of the war”.

On the ground in Ukraine, three people died in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson when a Russian drone struck a minibus on Sunday morning, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Seven others were injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, the number of people injured in a missile strike in Dnipro in central Ukraine on Saturday rose to 24, with seven in a serious condition, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak said. Four people were killed in the attack.

Moscow sent 78 drones into Ukraine overnight into Sunday, Ukrainian officials said.

According to Ukraine’s air force, 32 drones were destroyed during the overnight attacks. A further 45 were “lost” over various areas, probably due to being electronically jammed.

In Russia, a child was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, according to regional governor Alexander Bogomaz.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said 29 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Sunday in four regions of western Russia – 20 over the Bryansk region, seven over the Kaluga region, and one each over the Smolensk and Kursk regions.