"This deal won't lower costs for the American people, who are already paying for Trump's failed war of choice in Iran. It will hand Putin millions of dollars to continue slaughtering Ukrainian civilians with impunity."

The balancing act of Bulgaria's Moscow-friendly leader stands on shaky ground.

Since taking office in May, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has taken a harsh line on Ukraine while adopting steps his critics say are accommodating to Moscow.

Radev's course has now come under scrutiny as

Key developments on Oct. 16:

• Drone attack sparks fire at industrial facility in Russia's Surgut district, governor says
• Pope Leo urges Putin to allow humanitarian aid, evacuations from Russian-occupied Oleshky
• Ukrainian military strikes million-dollar Russian radar in Krasnodar Krai, General Staff claim
• Zelensky's ask: 300 Patriot

Four sources familiar with the discussion said that Elon Musk approached U.S. President Donald Trump with the idea of slowing down Ukraine's Starlink service on the battlefield.

The pope called for a local ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the safe evacuation of civilians from the front-line city, where around 2,000 residents remain trapped amid severe shortages of food and medicine.

Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi raised the issue during a meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine Fatma Ceren Yazgan earlier this week.

A lunchtime drone attack on the head office of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv's downtown on Sept. 28, 2026, might have come as a shock to scientists based outside the country.

Unfortunately, for Ukrainian scientists, those who can be seen climbing down the ladders

"This step shows our commitment to supporting Ukraine's path to EU membership," the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said.

Why is Putin pushing Trump to stop Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries? Historian and journalist Anne Applebaum argues that these attacks are putting real pressure on Moscow — and that Trump’s approach risks giving Russia more time to continue its war against Ukraine.

"It would be simply wrong to split us apart on our way into the EU — I hope not. Morally wrong," President Volodymyr Zelensky told EU leaders.

De Wever said that Ukraine urgently needed the fighter jets, as they were one of the few weapons capable to strike Russian jet-powered drones.

"Without a determined European Union capable of making strong decisions Putin would have gone much further by now," Zelensky said, before calling on the bloc to double down on its support.

On Oct. 16, 63 lawmakers registered a draft resolution calling on the government to reverse its changes, consult with businesses, and reconsider a proposed "coordination center" overseeing the exemption system.

Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko claimed the facility was the Surgut Condensate Stabilization Plant, which processes gas condensate and produces petroleum products.

"I am standing up for Ukraine's interests solely and the people of Ukraine. We were attacked, we were occupied, our people were killed," Zelensky said when asked to comment on Trump's latest attacks against him.

"It will all come down to the banking system, individual people, and the chemical industry," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s main English-language publication, is looking for a Donations Manager.

Europe's far-right parties grow increasingly divided on something that once united them — sympathies for Vladimir Putin's Russia.

As nationalists and right-wing populists across Western Europe move closer to power, many are seeking to distance themselves from their past admiration for a country waging Europe'

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 149 Shahed-type drones, 108 of them jet-powered.

"We see the Ukrainian parliament's adoption of the minority education law and the immediate start of its implementation as a first step towards rebuilding mutual trust," Magyar said on X after the meeting.