Russia-Ukraine war live: EU says conflict an existential threat to the bloc

The EU’s Josep Borrell made the remark in a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi

We are restarting our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine and will give you the latest updates throughout the day.

The EU’s most senior diplomat, Josep Borrell, warned that Russia’s war against Ukraine is an “existential threat” to Europe as he urged China to support the peace process to end the conflict during a meeting with the country’s foreign minister, Wang Yi.

The EU high representative/vice-president explained why the European Union considers Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. He expressed his concern because China’s exports of large amounts of dual-use goods and items represent a support to Russia to build up its military equipment.

The EU high representative/vice-president asked China to use its influence on Russia to contribute to end the war. He asked China to support the Ukraine peace process and considered that the joint statement with Brazil of May 2024 does not go in that direction.

Ukraine’s air defences shot down four attack drones and one missile fired by Russia in an overnight attack on Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said.
“All targets were shot down by the Ukrainian defence forces in Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions,” the military said in a statement.

The governor of the Bryansk region in southern Russia, Alexander Bogomaz, reported a “massive” drone attack on the region yesterday evening and overnight. No casualties were reported. “22 unmanned aircraft-type aerial vehicles have been intercepted and destroyed,” Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.

Ukrainian missile forces struck a Russian military airfield in Crimea that had been used for long-range attacks, Ukraine said on Friday, in the latest in a series of blows to the Russian military on the occupied peninsula. Russia’s Saky airfield in western Crimea was targeted, the Ukrainian military’s general staff said, adding it was assessing the aftermath. “This is one of the operational airfields that Russia uses to control the airspace, in particular the Black Sea, and for launching airstrikes on Ukrainian territory.” There was no immediate comment from Russia’s defence ministry or local Moscow-installed officials.

The US Treasury secretary said “things look good” for Group of Seven wealthy democracies to agree the terms of a $50bn loan to Ukraine backed by Russian assets by October. Janet Yellen told Reuters on the sidelines of a G20 finance leaders meeting in Brazil that talks to advance the loan were constructive, including over US demands for reassurances that the assets would stay frozen for a longer period of time. The $50bn loan, agreed in principle by G7 leaders in June, would be serviced with proceeds generated by about $300bn of Russian central bank assets frozen in the west after Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.