Ukraine-Russia war latest: Macron warned Trump could ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call with European leaders

Turkey is telling Russia, Ukraine, and all other parties to keep energy infrastructure out of their conflict and wants energy flows to continue uninterrupted, energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said after a series of attacks off Turkey’s Black Sea coast.

Ukraine, which is targeting Russia’s oil exports as Moscow bombards its power grid, has taken responsibility for an attack by sea borne drones on two empty tankers heading towards a Russian port last week.

But it denied any link to another incident on Tuesday in which a Russian-flagged tanker loaded with sunflower oil said it had come under drone attack.

“Hopefully, this horrible war will end. But as of today also, we say to all the parties – Russia and Ukraine – to keep the energy infrastructure out of this war,” Bayraktar told journalists in embargoed comments.

“We need to keep the energy flows uninterrupted,” he said, adding that routes like the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline should be kept safe.

Senior Ukrainian and European officials have accused Russia of not pursuing “any kind of peace” and wasting the world’s time.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said the Russian president Vladimir Putin “should end the bluster and the bloodshed and be ready to come to the table and to support a just and lasting peace”.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha called on the Russian leader to “stop wasting the world’s time”.

“Russia must end the bloodshed it has started. If this doesn’t happen and Putin just spits into the world’s face once again, there must be consequences. Russia must stop wasting the world’s time, which must be the time for peace,” he said.

Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said Putin “has not changed course”, adding: “It’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t want to have any kind of peace.”

French president Emmanuel Macron warned European leaders that the US may “betray” Ukraine during peace negotiations, according to a bombshell report revealing an alleged transcript of the multi-party call.

“There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Macron said according to Der Spiegel, adding that there was “great danger”.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz said Volodymyr Zelensky had to be “extremely careful” in the coming days. In comments likely referring to Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, he said: “They are playing games, both with you and with us.”

Finnish president Alexander Stubb, who enjoys warm relations with Trump, said: We mustn’t leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.” Nato secretary general Mark Rutte concurred, reportedly saying: “I agree with Alexander, we must protect Volodymyr.”

Mr Merz also discussed the issue of frozen Russian assets, warning that the US must be clear that the issue was Europe’s to deal with alone.

Europe could not “leave the decision to other, non-European states regarding what happens to the financial resources of an aggressor that have been legally frozen within the jurisdiction of our rule of law and in our own currency”, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Moscow intends to seize full control of Ukraine’s Donbas region through military force, unless Ukrainian troops withdraw – a demand Kyiv has unequivocally rejected.

The declaration, made in an interview published on Thursday in India Today, follows Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which escalated an eight-year conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces across the Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Speaking ahead of a planned visit to New Delhi, Mr Putin stated: “Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories,” according to footage broadcast on Russian state television.

Ukraine has consistently maintained it will not cede territory that Moscow has failed to secure militarily. President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously asserted that Russia should not be rewarded for initiating the conflict.

French president Emmanuel Macron has called on China to back a moratorium on strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure through winter.

Mr Macron, who was speaking at a press conference with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, said it is vital to do everything possible to find compromises and adhere to international law, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

“I hope that China will join our call and our efforts to reach at least a ceasefire in the form of a moratorium on strikes on critical infrastructure as soon as possible,” he said.

It is crucial for the coming winter, with energy facilities still under Russian attack.

Ukrainian units continue to hold the northern part of the city of Pokrovsk, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces has said.

An “extremely difficult stage” in the defence of the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad urban area is ongoing, Oleksandr Syryskyi said, adding that Kyiv’s troops are still holding designated areas inside the two cities

Ukraine’s military denied on Thursday that Russian troops were in control of the southern village of Dobropillia, which is located near a part of the frontline where Moscow’s forces have recently advanced.

“An enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group infiltrated the outskirts of the village, taking advantage of the weather conditions,” Ukraine’s General Staff said on Telegram, adding that the village currently is under the control of Kyiv’s troops.

Russia has said that any “illegal action” by the European Union in relation to its frozen assets would elicit “the harshest reaction”.

Under the proposal, around £123 billion of Russian state assets held in Belgium would be transformed into a “reparations loan”.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: “Any illegal actions involving our assets will not go unanswered… Preparations for a package of countermeasures in the event of actual theft and seizure of Russian Federation assets are already under way.”