Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Ukraine and Belgium signed a bilateral security and long-term support agreement on Tuesday which includes the delivery of 30 F-16 fighter jets and at least 977 million euros ($1.06 billion) worth of Belgian military aid.

The deal was struck in Brussels during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Belgium.

The F-16 jets will be delivered to Ukraine by 2028, with the first arriving this year. The two countries also pledged to deepen their cooperation in intelligence, cyber security and countering disinformation, Zelenskyy said in a post on social media platform X.

“The agreement guarantees Belgium’s timely security assistance, modern armoured vehicles, equipment to meet Ukraine’s air force and air defense needs, naval security, mine clearance, participation in the artillery ammunition coalition, and military training,” Zelenskyy said.

– April Roach

The Netherlands proposed to contribute core parts from its existing stocks, in a bid to assemble a Patriot air defense system in collaboration with other countries and deliver it to Ukraine, the Dutch government said in a Tuesday statement.

“We are engaged in talks with partners to compile a Patriot system, including training for Ukrainian crews,” Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said. “With our offer, and consulting with partner countries providing several key parts and munitions, we can provide Ukraine with at least one fully operational system in a short time frame.”

The Netherlands said it has already identified which countries can offer additional parts and munitions for a surface-to-air Patriot missile system, which is primarily used by the U.S. and its allies.

Ukraine currently operates a handful of Patriot systems and has been requesting further donations of such systems, amid a bolstered long-range bombardment of its infrastructure by invading Russian forces. The U.S. has committed to supply further Patriot munitions under the $60 billion military air package for Ukraine agreed earlier this spring.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to visit Belgium on Tuesday and sign a security pact with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Reuters reports.

The diplomatic trip comes on the footsteps of the Ukrainian leader’s visit to Spain, which pledged to supply Ukraine with military support worth 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) this year under a freshly inked agreement.

“In this context, where it is crucial to increase support for Ukraine, your visit to Spain allows us to reiterate our firm commitments in all areas with Ukraine,” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during a Monday press conference alongside Zelenskyy, according to a CNBC translation.

The Ukrainian head of state also had an audience with Spanish King Felipe VI as part of his visit.

— Ruxandra Iordache

A Russian air defense system last night shot down a drone in the city of Balashikha just east of Russian capital Moscow, according to the regional governor of the Moscow region.

The incident took place at 9 p.m. local time in the Kuchino district and resulted in debris falling on a private residence, Andrey Vorobyov said in a Google-translated Telegram post.

“The people in the house managed to evacuate, and no one was injured,” he added, noting that residents of Balashikha could hear “popping noises.”

CNBC could not independently confirm the attack.

— Ruxandra Iordache

A fire broke out in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine last night, following an offensive with cluster munitions, according to a Russian official.

“Ukrainian nationalists launched another rocket attack on Lugansk with cluster munitions. The attack started a fire,” said Russia-installed Governor Leonid Pasechnik in a Google-translated Telegram post.

“Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, law enforcement agencies and doctors went to the scene. Information about the damage and casualties is being clarified,” he added.

Rodion Miroshnik, a senior Russian diplomat, suggested that a second shelling may have been carried out against Luhansk.

“A second strike on the place where rescuers are working to eliminate the consequences of the recent missile attack cannot be ruled out,” he noted in a Google-translated Telegram update without supplying further details.

Luhansk was annexed by Russia in September 2022, alongside the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

CNBC could not confirm developments on the ground.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Six NATO countries neighboring Russia are joining forces to build a “drone wall” to protect their borders, Lithuania’s interior minister announced on Friday.

“This is a completely new thing, a drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland, and the goal is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders,” Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said in an interview with local news agency BNS.

“Not only with physical infrastructure, surveillance systems, but also with drones and other technologies, which would allow us to protect against provocations from unfriendly countries and to prevent smuggling,” she said.

The other states taking part are Lithuania’s Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia, as well as Poland, Finland, and Norway. Details such as funding, timeline and technical aspects of the project were not provided.

— Natasha Turak