Russia-Ukraine war news live updates: Russia digs in for long war, says Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron said he will call on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to stop bombing civilians in Ukraine and to finalise a safety plan for Europe's largest nuclear reactor. "The most urgent issue today is to continue to call for a truce on the bombings and drone attacks," Macron said at a press conference after a summit in Brussels on Thursday. (AFP)

The World Bank on Thursday announced a $2 billion package to support Ukraine's private sector, in a bid to help pave the way for reconstruction amid the devastation resulting from Russia's invasion. The latest package by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the bank's development arm focused on private-sector development in emerging markets, adds to its ongoing support of Ukraine. The group has been working to help Ukraine maintain trade flows, while retaining access to essential resources like food and fuel, it said. (AFP)

Deadly Russian shelling cuts off Kherson power

Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing that the US had "effectively become a party" to the war in Ukraine, following reports that it will provide Kyiv with Patriot surface-to-air missiles, the most advanced the West has yet offered to help repel Russian aerial attacks. Growing amounts of US military assistance, including the transfer of such sophisticated weapons, "would mean even broader involvement of military personnel in the hostilities and could entail possible consequences," Zakharova added.

Russia's foreign ministry warned Thursday that if the United States confirms reports that it plans to deliver sophisticated air defense missiles to Ukraine, it would be "another provocative move by the US" that could prompt a response from Moscow. (AP)

"I am asking you very much to ensure that our struggle for peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe does not depend on misunderstandings and controversies between some EU member states," Zelenskyy said in a video address to EU leaders meeting in Brussels. The 27 member states had struck a complex agreement on Monday that gave the green light to both the Ukraine aid and a minimum 15 per cent global corporate tax rate

The EU on Thursday cleared the way to giving Ukraine 18 billion euros ($19 billion) in aid and agreed a minimum corporate tax after last-minute Polish objections held up a deal, diplomats said. The move followed an impassioned plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to let internal disputes within the 27-nation bloc stand in the way of backing Kyiv. (AFP)

A Ukrainian general said on Thursday that Moscow was digging in for a long war and still wanted to conquer the whole of Ukraine, as Russian forces pounded two strategic cities while Kyiv's troops shelled Russian-controlled Donetsk in the east. Both sides have ruled out a Christmas truce and there are currently no talks aimed at ending the nearly 10-month-old conflict, Europe's largest since World War Two. (Reuters)