Live:Ukraine
🇸🇮Slovakia will not support using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine.
Pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico strongly opposes his country agreeing to such a move.
“Do we want to end the war or keep fueling it? Are we going to give Ukraine €140 billion so that the war continues? What does that mean? It means the war will last at least two more years,” Fico said.
🇦🇺 Australia has found a way to buy Russian oil through a sanctions loophole.
Despite an official ban on importing fuel from Russia, since 2023 Australia has imported over 3 million tons of Russian oil products via Singapore’s Jurong port — which is partly owned by Macquarie Bank.
According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, this “sanctions loophole” allows Australian companies to technically comply with the law while effectively supporting Russia’s oil industry and contributing to the Kremlin’s tax revenues.
Government data shows that nearly a quarter of Australia’s fuel imports come from Singapore — which, in turn, received more than 22 million tons of Russian fuel during this period.
Officials acknowledge the problem but admit they are unable to track indirect purchases routed through third countries.
💥 In Vologda and Bashkortostan, the Resistance Movement destroyed four Russian military logistics facilities.
According to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Directorate (GUR), at the turn of October and November, members of the Resistance Movement in Russia set fire to equipment at three communication towers in Sterlitamak, Bashkortostan, and a railway relay cabinet in Vologda.
🇪🇸 Spain opposes increasing military spending to 5% of GDP.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that his country is “fully meeting its commitments” to the Alliance through its active presence and deployment of armed forces on NATO’s eastern flank — including in Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, and Estonia.
The prime minister also stressed that spending 5% of GDP on defense, while education receives less than 5%, “makes no sense.”
According to Sánchez, Europe “should strive for solidarity and international law,” not just military strength.
At the same time, he acknowledged the need for a gradual increase in defense spending.
🔹 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he is ready to hold a personal meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio but insists that any discussion of the war in Ukraine must take into account the Kremlin’s interests.
Lavrov also stated that the summer talks in Alaska between Putin and Trump should remain the foundation for a potential agreement to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
🇺🇸 The United States has suspended over $5 billion worth of arms deliveries to NATO allies and Ukraine due to the government shutdown, Axios reports.
The halted shipments include AMRAAM missiles, Aegis combat systems, and HIMARS launchers for Denmark, Croatia, and Poland. Some of these deliveries were reportedly intended for transfer to Ukraine.
According to a U.S. State Department official, the shutdown harms both America’s allies and partners, as well as its own defense industry, which “supplies many of these critical systems abroad.”
▪️The ongoing shutdown — a partial halt of federal government operations — has become the longest in U.S. history, lasting 40 days so far.
🔸 Angelina Jolie shared details about her recent trip to Mykolaiv and Kherson this week.
She said the visit took place under the “constant threat” of Russian drones. At one point, she had to stop and wait while a drone “flew directly overhead.”
“They call it a ‘human safari’ here — when drones constantly chase and terrorize people… I was wearing protective gear, and for me, it lasted only a few days. But these families live like this every day,” Jolie wrote on social media.
She said locals spoke to her about the psychological burden of living under constant threat and the fear of “being forgotten by the world.” Jolie said she was deeply moved by the strength and determination of Ukrainian volunteers.
🔹 “Europe is afraid of the word ‘escalation.’” Key points from Zelensky’s interview with The Guardian:
▪️Ukraine is actively working with partners on air defense and aims to order 27 Patriot systems from the U.S. Meanwhile, according to the president, European countries could provide their own Patriot systems.
▪️Zelensky said Europe is afraid to take decisive action toward Russia:
“Europe is afraid of the word ‘escalation.’ They believe any reaction is escalation — but Russia sees non-forceful, intellectual responses as weakness.”
▪️The president also commented on his relationship with Trump:
“We have a constructive, very focused relationship. Everyone’s afraid of Trump — everyone in the world.
Am I afraid of Trump? No. We are not a threat to the United States — quite the opposite. I believe the U.S. is our strategic partner. Hopefully for decades, even centuries.
Only enemies should be afraid. We and America are not enemies, we are friends — so why should we be afraid?”
💥 Drone attacks targeted a port in Tuapse and a railway near Rostov, according to Russian Telegram channels.
about:blank 🔴Explosions were heard overnight near the railway station in the village of Likhovsky, Rostov region. Footage circulating online shows a fire at the site.
about:blank 🔴In addition, maritime drones reportedly attacked the port of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region, striking one of the vessels.
Russian authorities have not commented on the aftermath of the attack. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down 71 drones over ten regions and the Black Sea.
🇬🇧 King Charles III played a decisive behind-the-scenes role in encouraging Trump to step up his support for Ukraine, President Zelensky said.
He revealed that the British monarch helped restore his relationship with the U.S. president after a dispute in the Oval Office in February.
During his visit to the UK in September, Trump held a private meeting with the King. According to Zelensky, the U.S. president sent “some important signals” to the monarch at that time.
Zelensky added that Charles III is a strong supporter of the Ukrainian people, and that Trump respects the King and considers him “a very important figure.”
🇧🇪 Unknown drones flew over a nuclear power plant in Belgium.
The incident occurred late on November 9, when three drones were detected flying over the Doel nuclear power plant near Antwerp.
The event did not affect the plant’s operations, and relevant authorities continue to monitor the situation.
Earlier the same day, operations at Belgium’s Liège Airport were suspended due to unidentified drones flying nearby.
▪️Throughout October, several unidentified drones were also spotted over Belgian military bases. The country’s defense minister said they were spying on F-16 fighter jets and ammunition depots but stopped short of directly blaming Russia for the incursions.