Diplomats from dozens of countries are meeting Wednesday in London to drum up funds to rebuild Ukraine, a mammoth task whose cost is estimated by the World Bank at more than $400 billion - a figure rising daily alongside the human toll of the 16-month war. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
Diplomats from dozens of countries are meeting Wednesday in London to drum up funds to rebuild Ukraine, a mammoth task whose cost is estimated by the World Bank at more than $400 billion - a figure rising daily alongside the human toll of the 16-month war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to announce a new package of US assistance at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which is both a fundraising forum and a message to Russia that Ukraine's allies are in it for the long haul.
Blinken, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among international representatives at the gathering, which hopes to get big businesses to back Ukraine.
"(It's) very much about encouraging the private sector to invest in Ukraine's rebuilding and recovery," UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Tuesday. To do that, he said, "we need to demonstrate that those investments will be effective and that they will be safe" by underwriting Ukraine's long-term security.
Two drones were intercepted on their approach to military warehouses in the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the area, said on Wednesday. "Debris was found, no damage or casualties," Vorobyov said, adding that the drones fell near the village of Kalininets.
Russia's channels on the Telegram messaging app, including one with links to the security services, said at least one more drone was intercepted near the village of Lukino.
The Russian navy will receive two new nuclear submarines by the end of this year, Russia's TASS state news agency reported on Wednesday.
Alexei Rakhmanov, head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, told TASS in an interview that the strategic nuclear-powered submarine missile cruiser Emperor Alexander III and the multipurpose nuclear-powered submarine Krasnoyarsk will be operational by the end of 2023.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine's forces were destroying Russian forces in the two main theatres of the conflict, the east and south of the country, and working hard on pushing Moscow's troops back.
Kyiv repatriated three Ukrainian prisoners of war from Hungary after a group of POWs was transferred there from Russia without coordination with Kyiv, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Additionally, the destruction of the vast Kakhovka hydro-electric dam has caused ?1.2 billion of damage, Ukraine's environment minister said on Tuesday, warning that mines unearthed by flooding could wash onto other European countries' shores.
Finally, France and Italy said they are united in supporting Ukraine's war effort, according to French President Emmanuel Macron who met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday.
Read yesterday's liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)