Latest news about Russia and the war in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron delivered an impassioned speech in Paris calling for a stronger defense of Europe, warning that the continent as he knows it “could die” if it does not implement reforms to meet its military, economic and political challenges to offer.

“There is a risk that our Europe will collapse. We are not equipped to deal with the risks,” he said from France’s elite Sorbonne University.

Macron warned against becoming an overly dependent vassal on the US, saying Europe “must show that it is never a vassal of the United States and that it also knows how to talk to all other regions of the world.”

He also called for more support for Ukraine to ensure that Russia does not win the war.

“The greatest danger to European security is the war in Ukraine, the sine qua non for our security is that Russia does not win this war of aggression.”

“There is no defense without defense industry… we have had decades of underinvestment,” Macron said. “We have to produce more, we have to produce faster, and we have to produce as Europeans… how can we build our sovereignty and our autonomy if we do not take responsibility for developing our own European defense industry?”

–Natasha Turak

Russia’s ambassador to the US denounced the Biden administration’s delivery of ATACMS, a type of long-range ballistic missile, to Ukraine, saying the delivery would fail to defeat Russian forces.

“Local officials confirmed ‘retroactively’ the fact that extremely dangerous weapons had been sent to Kiev,” Anatoly Antonov said in a post on the embassy’s Telegram channel, according to a Google translation.

“It is clear that the transfer of ATACMS to the Zelensky regime increases the threat to the security of Crimea, including Sevastopol, new Russian regions and other Russian cities,” he said, adding that Russian forces have already captured many of the missiles shot and will continue to do so.

“Neither these missiles nor other weapons can help defeat the Russian Federation… Washington will not be able to get out of the terrible swamp that has absorbed the blood of ordinary soldiers,” the ambassador said.

–Natasha Turak

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev, the Ukrainian leader said on Thursday.

“I welcomed the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, @Jeremy_Hunt, and thanked him for Britain’s largest defense aid package worth half a billion pounds,” Zelenskyy said on the social media platform Xthanking Hunt and Britain for their support.

“We have paid special attention to the sanctions policy. It is important to extend restrictive measures against Russia and make it impossible to circumvent sanctions.”

He expressed his gratitude to the British government and said Hunt would meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal later in the day.

–Natasha Turak

Two people were killed after a Ukrainian drone strike in the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhia region, a Russian-installed official said.

“As a result of a collision with a civilian vehicle, a man and a woman were killed and their four minor children were left orphaned,” Evgeniy Balitsky said in a Google-translated Telegram post.

He added that emergency services are on the scene and the children will receive social assistance and psychological care.

CNBC could not independently confirm the report.

Zaporizhia, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, was one of four Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia in September 2022, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

— Ruxandra Iordache

A Russian airstrike damaged a critical infrastructure facility and injured six people in the central Ukrainian region of Cherkasy on Thursday morning, according to regional governor Ihor Taburets.

He reported no casualties so far, adding in a Google-translated Telegram message that 47 residential homes had been damaged as a result of the attack and resulting debris.

Repair teams are at the scene of the incident, he said.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

— Ruxandra Iordache

US President Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Wednesday that would provide billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine to help the country fend off the Russian attack. This puts an end to a long-term political battle over urgently needed aid.

Biden said the first tranche of military equipment would be sent to Ukraine within hours. He described US aid not only as an investment in the security of Ukraine and Europe, but also as an investment in the security of the US.

“America stands with our friends, we stand up against dictators. We bow to no one, to no one. Certainly not (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” Biden said.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was grateful to the US Senate for approving aid to the war-torn country.

Russia, meanwhile, has said its forces will intensify attacks on Ukraine’s Western weapons.

– Sam Meredith

Photos published Wednesday via Getty Images show an armored vehicle reportedly captured by Russian soldiers during Russia’s war in Ukraine. The exhibition was held at the Victory Park memorial complex in Moscow.