A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
The UK launched its most extensive set of sanctions yet, introducing 90 new measures that directly target Russia’s energy revenues by sanctioning oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil and aiming to take Russian oil “off the market.” These sanctions also hit Russia’s global trade network, specifically targeting four oil terminals in China, 44 tankers in the Russian “shadow fleet,” and Nayara Energy Limited, which helps sustain the Kremlin’s war funding.
President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him India would halt its purchases of Russian oil “within a short period of time.” However, India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently cast doubt on this account, stating it was “not aware of any conversation” between the two leaders taking place the previous day, leaving questions about any potential deal unresolved.
Russia’s finances are showing strain after three and a half years of war in Ukraine, with a $51 billion budget deficit in the first eight months already exceeding the full-year target. Analysts say the country’s dependence on oil and gas revenues and plans to cut defense spending by as much as 15 percent indicate mounting economic pressure that could push Moscow toward negotiations.
On Thursday, President Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which the two pledged to meet in Budapest ‘in the next two weeks’ to discuss the war. The two leaders previously met in Alaska two months ago, holding a summit that ultimately failed to produce any meaningful action on the war in Ukraine. Various American media outlets reported this week that, in wake of the Alaska summit, Trump increased intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, including support for deep strikes into Russia.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
The United States is reportedly offering to provide 20-50 Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. These long-range missiles could complement Ukraine’s own strike drones and missiles. The U.S. could place restrictions on the use of the Tomahawk missiles by Ukraine.
A report in The Telegraph this week said that President Trump is considering the creation of a ‘victory fund‘ for Ukraine, paid for new tariffs slated to be imposed on the Chinese economy. For now, though, American weapons for Ukraine are only being purchased by Europe through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which was announced over the summer.
This week, 10 more members of NATO signed on to the PURL initiative.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said this week ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels that Kyiv expects to need anywhere from $12-20 billion next year from its Western partners to support the purchase of American weapons.
Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova stated this week that the Czech-led ammunition initiative for Ukraine has received over $4.5 billion since inception to acquire artillery shells for Ukraine. Prague’s leadership of the project has been thrown into question in wake of its elections earlier this month, which were won by Andrej Babis and the ANO party. On the campaign trail, Babis stated that Prague would withdraw from the project.
Battlefield Updates
A record Russian combined missile and drone strike targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the night of October 15-16, 2025, with Ukrainian air defense forces reporting the interception of 283 strike drones and 5 cruise missiles out of 357 total assets launched.
The Institute for the Study of War reported this week that, to address manpower challenges, Russia may enact a limited mobilization among its active reserves. Russia has thus far been deploying volunteer forces in the war, offering generous incentives for soldiers to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense.
With the exception of its 2024 Kursk offensive, Ukraine’s Armed Forces have largely spent the last two years on the defensive, aiming to deny Russian advances in Donbas and elsewhere along the front. But Ukraine “wants to go [the] offensive,” President Trump stated this week, adding that his administration would look into it. A Ukrainian official told POLITICO, “We indeed can go on the offensive – it all depends on the weapons we get and the approved plan.”
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