Five European nations meet in Paris to coordinate Ukraine aid

Defence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom began talks in Paris on Monday. The gathering aims to determine the next steps for supporting Ukraine. French officials indicated the group will also discuss wider European defence needs and the conflict in the Middle East.

This meeting follows a similar session in Berlin in June. At that time, the five nations pledged continued backing for Kyiv to signal solid European support against Moscow.

Combat continued while the ministers convened. Regional Governor Mykhailo Semikin reported that a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine injured four people on Monday morning. Ukraine's emergency service stated that two additional people were hurt in strikes on the Chernihiv region.

Russian military officials announced they hit a power station and a warehouse in Kharkiv. They also targeted a power station in the Khmelnytskyi region, port infrastructure in Chornomorsk, and a cargo vessel near Odesa that they claimed served military purposes.

In Russia, Governor Alexander Gusev said a Ukrainian drone attack in Voronezh killed two people and wounded 17. Most of the injured were riding a commuter train in a left-bank suburb when drone debris struck the vehicle. Gusev noted that the debris also ignited fires at several industrial sites, a business centre, and a residential building, though the industrial damage was limited.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Sunday interview that Kyiv would halt strikes on Russian oil refineries only if Moscow stops hitting Ukraine's power grid. He argued that if Russian attacks persist, the United States should allow Starshield satellite use over Russia to detect missile sites or supply Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials confirmed on Saturday that the Starlink and Starshield systems are fully operational after a week of restrictions. Those disruptions had hampered military operations and heightened tensions with Washington. Diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi during the first half of November.