BBC Photo: A kindergarten was hit in a Russian air strike on the north-eastern city of Kharkiv earlier this week

Source: BBC News

DST News: More than 20 countries backing Ukraine have pledged to remove Russian oil and gas from global markets in an effort to curb Moscow’s funding for its war against Kyiv.

“We’re choking off funding for Russia’s war machine,” said UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after hosting a London summit of the so-called “coalition of the willing.”

In recent days, the UK and the US have sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil companies, while the European Union has imposed new restrictions on Moscow’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the summit, emphasized that maintaining “pressure” on Russia remained the only effective way to halt the ongoing conflict. However, no commitments were made regarding the delivery of long-range missiles to Ukraine.

Zelensky has long argued that access to US-made Tomahawk missiles and European long-range systems would allow Ukraine to strike strategic targets deep inside Russia, such as oil refineries and weapons depots. But during his talks in Washington last week, US President Donald Trump reportedly told Zelensky he was not prepared to authorize such deliveries.

President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, warned on Thursday that if such weapons were used against Russian territory, the response would be “overwhelming.” Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

At a joint press conference in London, Starmer said Putin was “not serious about peace,” and that Ukraine’s allies had agreed on “a clear plan for the rest of the year” to bolster Kyiv’s defence. This plan includes exploring ways to use Russia’s frozen sovereign assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort, though Starmer provided no details.

European leaders meeting in Brussels also pledged to meet Ukraine’s financial needs for the next two years, but stopped short of approving the use of €140 billion in frozen Russian assets. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed hope that a decision on a “reparations loan” backed by those assets could be reached by Christmas Eve.

The London summit participants also promised to reinforce Ukraine’s air defences amid intensifying Russian attacks on civilian areas and energy infrastructure. “Russia wants to make the winter cold a weapon of torment,” Zelensky warned.

Despite strong rhetoric from Western leaders, observers noted the absence of concrete new measures to alter the situation on the battlefield or compel Moscow to negotiate.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, citizens continue to face daily hardships from Russia’s bombardment. Residents in Odesa and Kyiv told the BBC of ongoing power outages, water shortages, and strikes using guided bombs. “I don’t think this war will end soon,” said Tetiana Dankevych from Kyiv.

Further support for Ukraine’s energy grid was discussed in London, though no specific initiatives were announced.

The summit also included Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, with French President Emmanuel Macron and others joining via video link.

Both Ukraine and its Western allies have agreed in principle with President Trump’s call for an immediate freeze along the front lines to open the door for negotiations — a proposal Russia has dismissed as tantamount to surrender.

Earlier on Friday, Zelensky met with King Charles at Windsor Castle, marking their third meeting this year.