Moscow claims to have downed almost 300 Ukrainian drones overnight as Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet German chancellor Friedrich Merz in Germany to continue peace talks.The Russian defence ministry earlier claimed to have intercepted 100 drones,

And it meant Kuleba’s new rescue, a gray French bulldog named Marik, scooped from the wreckage of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, would spend the next couple of years overhearing foreign policy discussions as he waddled around the office. Such an arrangement might seem unusual for a foreign minister — but not in wartime Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their range and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repel Russia's invasion.

Volodymyr Zelensky previously challenged the Russian president to meet him in Istanbul for direct talks earlier this month, a dare shunned by Putin

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the two countries would jointly produce long-range missiles, enabling strikes deep inside Russia.

Trump previously said his personal relationship with Putin would usher in peace for Ukraine. Now, he says Putin's gone "absolutely CRAZY!"

In the latest sign of a warming relationship, President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Berlin with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Germany would increase funding for arms production and supplies.

Explosions in Moscow were heard overnight as air defences targeted Ukrainian drones. As a result of the air attack, a fire broke out in the Elma technopark in Zelenograd, 37 miles from Moscow, with one of its buildings damaged. According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, 33 drones were reportedly shot down.