As talks continue over security guarantees in post-war Ukraine, a new report suggests a buffer zone is among the potential solutions under consideration. Yesterday, Russia bombarded Kyiv, killing at least 21 people and striking an EU building and the British Council. Follow the latest.
Friday 29 August 2025 08:54, UK
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The EU’s defence ministers are meeting in Copenhagen today to discuss support for Ukraine.
Ahead of that summit, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Vladimir Putin is “mocking any kind of peace efforts”.
“The only thing he understands is pressure,” she said.
Lithuania’s defence minister Dovile Sakaliene appeared to agree, adding secondary sanctions on Russia would be the most efficient way to cut the cashflow to Putin’s war machine.
Her Danish counterpart Troels Lund Poulsen said Ukraine’s defence will be the most important topic, while Hanno Pevkur, of Estonia, said the best security guarantee for Ukraine would be membership in NATO – something Moscow has repeatedly spoken out against.
Russian drones have struck a residential area in Dnipropetrovsk, eastern Ukraine, according to rescue workers.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said two men were injured in the city of Dnipro, where a fire also broke out.
In the Synelnykove district, two people died “in the residential sector”, with a house burned down in the attack, the group said.
As we reported earlier, European leaders may be considering a new option to cover Ukraine’s security in the event of a peace deal (see 6.37).
On the subject of security guarantees, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told some of those leaders last night Kyiv needs “clear answers”.
In a virtual meeting with the Polish president and the leaders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark, he said: “Who will help us defend on the ground, in the air and at sea if Russia comes again?
“And how exactly you can take part. I’m asking you to define your role.”
He added it is “important that President Trump sees we in Europe are united in our determination to end the war”.
And he also repeated his calls for tougher sanctions on Russia.
Referring to yesterday’s attack on Kyiv (see the post below this one), he said: “This is Putin’s response to the world’s calls to stop the war.
“Russia refused to stop the killing – they even said ‘no’ to President Trump.
“We’re seeing negative signals from Russia regarding a possible leaders’ summit. Honestly, we think Putin is still interested only in continuing this war.
“That’s exactly why we need new strong pressure on Russia – tough sanctions, strong tariffs, both from Europe and from America.”
Yesterday’s Russian attack on Kyiv killed at least 23 people, including a two-year-old child, Ukrainian officials said.
That assault, which was part of the second-largest aerial attack on Ukraine of the war, involved 598 drones and 31 missiles, according to authorities.
The strikes damaged an EU delegation building and a British Council site in the Ukrainian capital.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said rescuers worked through the night at sites across the city.
It said more than 2,260 tonnes of building structures and debris have been removed and psychologists have helped 147 people.
The White House said Donald Trump “was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised”, given the two countries had been at war for a long time.
Russia’s attack on Kyiv targeted sites across the city, including the suburbs and the city centre, as the map below shows.
On the battlefield, Russia’s Defence Ministry has claimed Ukraine launched dozens of drones overnight.
It said 54 drones were downed by its defence teams, but it did not say how many were missed, if any.
It’s also not said where they were brought down or what the drones targeted.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has targeted oil refineries in Russia, with its attack yesterday going after two sites in the south, as the map below shows.
Washington has given the green light to a potential sale of air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine.
It’s a package that could cost around $825m (£611m), and the Pentagon said it’s formed of 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition missiles.
This also includes GPS guidance kits and electronic warfare defences for the weapons, which have a range of “several hundred” miles, one of the manufacturers said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month Kyiv has secured $1.5bn (£1.1bn) from European allies to buy US weapons.
The Pentagon said the sale includes support equipment, mission planning software, spares and technical support.
Congress was told about the possible sale yesterday, with the Pentagon adding: “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.”
Despite approval by the State Department, this doesn’t mean a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
While European leaders reportedly consider the prospect of a buffer zone in post-war Ukraine – see the post below – it’s among a number of possible options for allies to analyse.
Last week, our security and defence analyst Michael Clarke talked through what these could be in his regular Q&A.
Full US and European backing
“The largest guarantee would be a series of multilateral guarantees that look a bit like NATO’s Article 5, which saw Ukraine’s allies – including the US – fighting the Russians if they breach the peace deal,” said Clarke.
“I think the Ukrainians would give away the rest of the Donbas if they thought they would get that in return – but they’re not.”
Full European backing with US assistance
The next level down is a European force operating in Ukraine with American backup – like airpower, intelligence sharing and logistics.
“Those forces would have to be prepared to fight – they’d have to be prepared to take on Russian forces – and that’s a big, big issue.”
European training and backfilling with US assistance
But what is probably being talked about is Western forces training Ukrainian forces in western Ukrainian, while backfilling other jobs like screening the frontier with Belarus, Clarke said.
US air power would provide intelligence and logistics, but “Trump won’t specify what he means”.
European air police
Weaker than that is an agreement without the US, meaning Europe provides “air policing” over Ukraine and “be prepared to take on Russian aircraft” carrying out bombing runs.
“That’s plausible. Difficult, dangerous, plausible.”
Black Sea free trade
The “most practical” thing Western forces can do is assist in the Black Sea to ensure Ukrainian trade can flow freely, Clarke said.
“That could be enforced by both air and sea.”
Longer war
The alternative is there is no peace deal and Europe gets “more involved in helping Ukraine continue to fight the war”.
Our military analyst Sean Bell also broke down what this security guarantee could look like in an earlier analysis…
Recent diplomatic efforts have centred on guaranteeing security for Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
Allies have been mulling their options, while Vladimir Putin appears resolute in his demands – no NATO troops and territorial concessions – and hasn’t given any clear indication he will budge.
To that end, a new report suggests European leaders are considering a buffer zone between frontlines.
According to Politico, this would stretch to 40km and could be embraced by Moscow, given it would “likely stretch the continent’s modest number of peacekeeping troops”.
Citing five European diplomats, the outlet said the proposal is among several under consideration.
Officials disagree “how deep the actual zone could be” and it is not clear if Kyiv would accept it, as it would likely involve giving up land.
The US, it seems, has not been involved in talks over a buffer zone.
Before we resume our updates, here’s a quick run through the key lines we brought you yesterday:
We’re pausing our coverage for now, and we’ll be back with more updates tomorrow.
Russia launched its second-largest attack of the war on Kyiv, with 598 drones and 31 missiles being fired into the Ukrainian capital.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has said 21 people died, with a two-year-old among them.
European leaders condemn attack
EU offices and a British Council building were also damaged in the attack, which prompted a chorus of condemnation from leaders.
Speaking after the attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is still interested in negotiations to meet its aims.
“The special military operation continues,” he said, referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which it launched in February 2022.
“You see that strikes on Russian infrastructure facilities are also continuing, and often Russian civilian infrastructure is targeted by the Kyiv regime.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador to the UK arrived at the Foreign Office after being summoned following the attack.
As Andrey Kelin arrived in his vehicle, the window came down in front of the media, which is not usual when diplomats arrive. He did not speak.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the “killing and destruction must stop”, as he confirmed our report that Kelin has been summoned.
Watch: Summoned Russian ambassador arrives at UK Foreign Office
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