Here’s a round-up of what’s happened in the Ukraine war over the weekend.
Zelenskyy visits Middle East
Volodymyr Zelenskyy carried out diplomatic duties across the Middle East to establish mutual support in both the Ukraine and Iran wars.
On Saturday he visited Qatar, where he met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha.
He then headed over to Jordan on Sunday where he met with King Abdullah II, discussing a possible security partnership and the situation in the Middle East.
Russia used more than 3,000 strike drones against Ukraine in the last week alone, with a significant portion of them Iranian Shaheds, Zelenskyy said on X.
“The Russians are not dialling back their war effort against our state and our people, and at the same time, they are openly investing in prolonging another war that is driving global destabilization,” he said.
Zelenskyy downplays fears of weapons, oil shortages
Ukraine’s president said US weapons had not been redirected from Ukraine to the Middle East in recent days.
There had been concerns Washington was starting to shift priorities in its missile stockpiles as strikes on Iran continue.
“As for the redirection of weapons, nothing of that sort has taken place. I cannot say what future developments will be,” Zelenskyy said during a video call with journalists on Saturday, Ukraine’s Interfax news agency reported.
“The duration of the war will likely be decisive in this matter. I hope that such steps will not occur.”
Zelenskyy also confirmed Ukraine required around 700,000 tonnes of diesel and gas per month to supply the entire country, including the military.
Global energy supplies have been heavily disrupted after Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began last month.
After Russian strikes virtually destroyed Ukraine’s
domestic oil refining capacity, it has become almost entirely dependent
on imported fuel.
“As of today, the army is fully supplied. The army is our priority,” Zelenskyy said.
US media also asked Zelenskyy if Donald Trump still cares about Ukraine – watch his response…
Russia expels British diplomat for ‘spying’
Russia’s security agency, the FSB, expelled a British diplomat from the country after detecting “signs of spying”, the Russian Interfax news agency reported on Monday.
The diplomat had his accreditation revoked and must leave Russia within two weeks, according to the report.
He was accused of attempting to gather information on the Russian economy and providing false information about himself.
Deadly Russian strikes cause casualties across Ukraine
Three people were killed and a further 13 injured after a “massive” Russian airstrike in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region on Sunday.
Seven apartment buildings, as well as houses, administrative buildings and a shop, were all damaged in the town of Kramatorsk, Ukraine’s emergency services said.
One of the victims was teenager, born in 2012.
Elsewhere, a woman was killed and after a Russian drone hit a car in the city of Kherson, while a 75-year-old woman was also killed and a residential building destroyed in an attack on the suburbs of Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine’s air force said a further 164 Russian drones and a ballistic missile were launched at Ukraine on Sunday night. 150 of the drones were shot down.
Russia’s defence ministry said 102 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight.
Here is the latest frontline map in Ukraine…
Ukraine hits targets away from frontline
A fire at a major Russian port on the Baltic Sea was brought under control on Sunday after another Ukrainian drone attack.
Kyiv’s SBU security agency confirmed it has struck the Ust-Luga port and caused “serious damage” on
Sunday, after earlier attacks on Wednesday.
The terminal is one of Russia’s largest export outlets for petrol.