Russia Ukraine news live: Drone attack on Putin’s forces at Crimea port as Germany to slash military aid

Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, called on Thursday for closer cooperation in Europe to advance support for Ukraine and tackle the continent’s most pressing problems: illegal migration, climate change and energy security.

Opening a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) of more than 40 nations at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, Starmer made his bid for a reset in post-Brexit ties with the European Union.

He distanced himself from the previous Conservative government which had threatened to withdraw from an international treaty on human rights, offering other European leaders a clean slate.

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s frontline Donetsk region killed five civilians and injured three others on Thursday, damaging private houses and a residential building, prosecutors said.

A woman and her husband were killed in artillery shelling in the village of Pleshchiivka, the general prosecutor’s office said on Telegram.

Another three women were killed in a strike on private buildings in the village of Hrodivka, it added.

Separately, the Russian military dropped two guided bombs on the village of Velyka Novosilka, injuring a man and his wife inside their house, the prosecutors said. Another man was wounded in an artillery strike in the town of Zalizne, they added.

Dozens of Nobel prize winners have urged Belarus’s authoritarian leader to release over a thousand political prisoners locked up for criticising his regime.

The 58 Nobel laureates, including Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, signed an open letter urging Alexander Lukashenko to agree to a political amnesty for 1,400 people behind bars for political activity.

Many of those suffering in harsh conditions were detained after Mr Lukashenko staged a violent crackdown in 2020 to suppress peaceful protests following an election widely believed to have been rigged.

“It is unacceptable to subject the people of your country to severe trials and harsh conditions solely for their beliefs. Every person has the right to their opinion and deserves respect for their individuality,” the letter, addressed to Mr Lukashenko said.

“You have a unique opportunity to turn the page on the past and enter history not only as an uncompromising ruler but also as a political leader who has shown wisdom and compassion, responsible to your people and their future.”