Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says Russia has damaged ‘every power plant’ as he seeks Latin American help

Zelenskyy made the announcement during a summit in Madrid on Thursday, addressing the Ibero-American Community, a 22-nation group of mainly Latin American Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. 'Every power plant in Ukraine has been damaged in one way or another by attacks,' the Ukrainian president stated, adding that repair crews were working around the clock to restore the energy system.

'We need as much international cooperation as possible to continue rebuilding and repairing our energy system,' Zelenskyy told the meeting, specifically mentioning companies in Spain and Latin America as potential partners. 'We need equipment that works with our power grid, and we need it fast.'

Trump predicts major Russia deal

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump predicted a 'very big' deal with Russia that would involve not only the Ukraine war but 'all of Europe.' Trump revealed he had an unscheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who was at the White House for talks with Ukrainian officials hosted by US First Lady Melania Trump.

'I can't tell you what I discussed, but I'm just telling you, it's going to be an agreement, it's going to be a big agreement,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'It's going to be very big. It's going to involve more than Ukraine, and I could even say it might involve all of Europe … everyone's going to be thrilled.'

The US president noted he had not met with Ukrainian officials who were also at the White House on Thursday, with his comments likely fueling European concerns about his approach to the conflict.

Exchange of strikes continues

Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight airstrikes as talks on Ukraine's postwar reconstruction wrapped up in Brussels. In Ukraine's Russian-occupied Luhansk region, a Ukrainian attack on a bus killed five people and wounded 13, according to Moscow-backed leader Leonid Pasechnik.

Rescue teams continued searching for more than 30 people believed trapped in the wreckage of a former school and nearby shelter in Komyshuvakha, near the frontline in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, which was hit by Russian guided bombs on Monday. Zelenskyy confirmed 43 people had been killed in that attack, though one person previously reported missing was found alive.

In Russia, the Ryazan oil refinery appeared to have come under attack during a large overnight drone strike on industrial sites in the city south-east of Moscow, according to a Reuters video analysis.

Military cooperation revealed

Leaked defense industry documents have revealed that Russia arranged to supply Iran with 90 launchers for advanced guided missiles, shedding light on the depth of military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. The documents, obtained by a Ukrainian private intelligence firm and shared with The Guardian, detail plans to supply Iran with launchers for the LMUR, a guided missile fired from attack helicopters that Russian forces have used extensively against Ukraine.

European divisions exposed

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has criticized Europe's 'disorderly' approach to Ukraine negotiations, demanding the EU decide who speaks on its behalf. In a letter to European Council chief António Costa, Meloni complained about the recent proliferation of different meeting formats for talks on Russia's war on Ukraine.

'All this is making us look utterly lacking in credibility in handling one of the most complicated dossiers our nations are facing,' the Italian leader wrote. Costa responded that he agreed 'Europe needs to act with coherence, unity and determination' regarding the conflict.