Von der Leyen says US backing secured as Russia intensifies strikes on Ukraine’s power grid
Monday 01 September 2025
Europe is preparing “pretty precise” plans to send a multinational force to Ukraine once the conflict ends, Ursula von der Leyen has said.
The European Commission president told the Financial Times that the plan – backed by US military capabilities – includes tens of thousands of European-led troops, with Washington providing command, intelligence and surveillance support.
“President Trump reassured us that there will be (an) American presence as part of the backstop,” Ms von der Leyen said. “That was very clear and repeatedly affirmed.”
The proposal was discussed at a meeting last month between Mr Trump, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders.
Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes on power facilities left nearly 60,000 Ukrainians without electricity on Sunday. Mr Zelensky vowed retaliation, saying Ukraine had prepared “new deep strikes” inside Russia after attacks damaged infrastructure around the Black Sea port of Odesa.
Hardest hit was the port city of Chornomorsk, Odesa’s governor said, where homes and administrative buildings were also damaged.
KEY POINTS
- Von der Leyen says Europe is drawing up ‘precise’ plans to send troops to Ukraine, FT reports
- Putin arrives in China for summit after Moscow launches aerial attacks on Odesa
- Ukraine hit by over 500 drones, 45 missiles in overnight Russian attack, Zelensky says
- German leader says peace cannot come at Ukraine’s expense
- Ukrainian suspect arrested over killing of politician Andriy Parubiy in Lviv
German leader says peace cannot come at Ukraine’s expense
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that the war in Ukraine could still last for a long time and ending it quickly at the country’s expense was not an option.
In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, Mr Merz, when asked whether a ceasefire might be possible this year, said he hasn’t lost hope but “harbors no illusions,” and emphasised that supporting the country to defend itself against Russia was an “absolute priority”.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during the North Rhine-Westphalia federal state party convention of the Christian Democratic Union in Bonn, Germany, 30 August 2025 (Reuters)
“We are trying to end it as quickly as possible. But certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation. You could end the war tomorrow if Ukraine surrendered and lost its independence,” Mr Merz said.
“Then the next country would be at risk the day after tomorrow. And the day after that, it would be us. That is not an option,” the chancellor said.
Germany is a key backer of Ukraine and has delivered or pledged military support worth around $47bn since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian drone attack sparks brief fire at Krasnodar power substation, Russia says
Falling debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at a power substation in the town of Kropotkin that was promptly extinguished, the administration of the southern Russian region of Krasnodar said on Monday.
“Preliminary reports indicate no injuries,” the administration said on the Telegram messaging app.
The full scale of the attack and potential damage was not immediately known. The report could not be independently verified.
Several southern and southwestern Russian regions were under air raid alerts for hours at a time overnight, according to information published on official regional Telegram channels.
Flight operations at several airports, including in Saratov and Volgograd, were halted for several hours to ensure air safety, Russia’s civil aviation body Rosaviatsia said on Telegram.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv says its strikes inside Russia target infrastructure that is critical for Moscow’s overall war efforts. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched in February 2022.
Ukrainian suspect arrested over killing of politician Andriy Parubiy in Lviv
A man has been arrested over the assassination of senior Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy, president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed.
Parubiy, 54, was gunned down in the western city of Lviv on Saturday by an assailant posing as a delivery worker.
Unverified video circulating online appears to show the attacker walking behind him before raising a weapon. Lviv police chief Oleksandr Shliakhovskyi said the gunman “fired about eight shots from a firearm”.
Interior minister Igor Klymenko said the suspect was detained in the Khmelnytskyi region, also in western Ukraine, and that the murder had been “carefully prepared” with the victim’s travel schedule and an escape route studied in advance.
He promised further details from investigators.Mr Zelensky said he had been briefed by prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko, who confirmed the suspect had already given an initial statement.
“Urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this murder,” the president said, thanking police and prosecutors for “working around the clock”.
Parubiy rose to prominence during the 2014 Euromaidan uprising, a mass movement that toppled pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych and pushed Ukraine closer to the European Union.
Inside Putin’s campaign of ‘psychological terror’ in Kyiv
Inside Putin’s campaign of ‘psychological terror’: Why Russia keeps bombing Kyiv
Kyiv lies hundreds of miles from the frontline but residents have been forced to adapt to an endless cycle of missile and drone strikes. Ukrainians tell Steffie Banatvala that they would ‘rather die than submit.
German leader says peace cannot come at Ukraine’s expense
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that the war in Ukraine could still last for a long time and ending it quickly at the country’s expense was not an option.
In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, Merz, when asked whether a ceasefire might be possible this year, said he hasn’t lost hope but “harbors no illusions,” and emphasized that supporting the country to defend itself against Russia was an “absolute priority.”
“We are trying to end it as quickly as possible. But certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation. You could end the war tomorrow if Ukraine surrendered and lost its independence,” Merz said.
Read the full article here:
German leader says peace cannot come at Ukraine’s expense
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the war in Ukraine could continue for a long time.
Zelensky says new ‘deep strikes’ being prepared against Russia
Russian drone attacks on power facilities in northern and southern Ukraine overnight left nearly 60,000 customers without electricity, with President Volodymyr Zelensky vowing to retaliate by ordering more strikes deep inside Russia.
Three and a half years into the war, Russia and Ukraine have both intensified airstrikes in recent weeks. Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy and transport systems, while Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries and pipelines.
“We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine’s defence. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned,” Zelenskiy said on X after meeting Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Syrsky, without giving further details of the plans.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said Russian drones had attacked four energy facilities in the Odesa region during the night, and local authorities reported that 29,000 people were left without electricity early on Sunday.
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Original article, with videos of jinping and putler here :
“Europe is preparing “pretty precise” plans to send a multinational force to Ukraine once the conflict ends, Ursula von der Leyen has said.”
Ludicrous!
Completely arse about face as usual. The “conflict” isn’t ending. Even if it was, this absurd quote just gives putler another excuse to continue his genocide indefinitely.
Remove the “once the conflict ends” bullshit from that sentence and you have a decent plan.
Btw, the embedded videos have jinping referring to putler as “my dear friend” and saying shit like :
“Big change is coming; of the like we have not seen for 100 years.” And putler saying : “I agree.”