Ukrainian president tells press conference with Ursula von der Leyen that Ukraine plans to use EU loan for air defence, energy and weapons purchases. Russia charges soldiers with killing pro-Moscow US fighter 15:37 Russia has charged four of its soldiers serving in occupied Ukraine with torturing a US citizen living in Russian-held Donetsk who had fought with pro-Moscow forces since 2014.

Russia on Friday (September 20) warned the West and Ukraine of "disastrous consequences" if they pursued what it called "provocative scenarios" against Belarus. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Moscow was concerned by what she called increasingly "provocative" NATO activity on the border with Belarus,

According to documents obtained by the Ukrainian military and shared with The Guardian, Russia's military command foresaw Ukraine's August 6 incursion and failed to act on warnings from those in the region. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on the reports.

Ukraine's "victory plan" in the war against Russia depends on quick decisions being taken by allies this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

There is an air of desperation around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky these days as he tries to convince his Western allies, the United States in particular, that he has a realistic plan to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to give up his maximalist goals and sue for peace.

Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, suggested that if Ukraine used Western weapons to strike Russian territory, Moscow would use nuclear weapons