Uncertainty meanwhile remains whether Kyiv diplomats will attend a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul.

A bipartisan pair of US senators met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday and urged stronger sanctions against Russia, while uncertainty swirls over whether the next round of peace talks will move ahead in the coming days.

China on Saturday criticised as a "double standard" attempts to link the defence of Ukraine with the need to protect Taiwan from a Chinese invasion - a thinly veiled reference to a speech by French Emmanuel Macron in Singapore on Friday night.

Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election on Sunday between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner will succeed President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term.

A bipartisan duo met with the Ukrainian president and made the case for Congress to impose harsh economic penalties on Moscow for its continuing offensive.

Russia dramatically intensified missile and drone attacks across Ukraine this month in an effort to sap Ukrainians’ morale – but it is also stepping up ground attacks in many areas along the long frontline,

Ukraine's finance ministry said on Friday it would not be paying more than half a billion dollars due to holders of its GDP warrants, marking the first payment default since it created the instruments.

Ukraine has refused to participate in the IESF WEC 2025 esports tournament in Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (women) and PUBG Mobile. Source: Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company;