Russia and Ukraine accused each other early on Wednesday of launching air attacks that led to fires and damaged infrastructure just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with US President Donald Trump to work towards a limited ceasefire.
“Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure and people – right now,” Andriy Yermak, chief of staff for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said overnight on Telegram.
Regional authorities in Sumy in north-east Ukraine said Russia's drone attacks damaged two hospitals, causing no injuries but forcing the evacuation of patients and hospital staff.
A 60-year-old man was injured and several houses damaged in a Russian drone attack on the Kyiv region that surrounds the Ukrainian capital, Mykola Kalashnyk, governor of the region, said early on Wednesday.
Mr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched more than 40 drones against Ukraine.
In Russia, authorities in the southern region of Krasnodar said a Ukrainian drone attack caused a small fire at an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya.
No one was injured in the fire but 30 employees were evacuated, the administration of the southern Russian region said in a post on Telegram.
The attacks came hours after Mr Trump held a keenly awaited phone call with Mr Putin during which the leaders agreed to seek an energy infrastructure ceasefire.
Mr Putin had ordered the Russian military to cease such attacks, the Kremlin said. In a readout of the call, which lasted more than an hour, the White House said that the leaders had also agreed to hold negotiations on the implementation of a possible maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
“This conflict should never have started and should have been ended long ago with sincere and good-faith peace efforts”, according to the White House readout, which also said that negotiations would “begin immediately in the Middle East”.
Mr Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff later said talks will continue on Sunday in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. He said the US delegation would be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, but did not indicate who they would be holding talks with.
Referring to the ceasefire on energy infrastructure and targets in the Black Sea, Mr Witkoff said: “I think both of those are now agreed to by the Russians. I am certainly hopeful that the Ukrainians will agree to it.”
The Kremlin said that Mr Putin and Mr Trump had a “detailed and frank exchange of views” on Ukraine, and that Mr Putin had said resolution of the conflict must be “comprehensive, sustainable and long-term”, taking into account Russia's security interests and the root causes of the war. The White House also said the two presidents had agreed that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel, and that they discussed the need for improved bilateral relations between the US and Russia.
Mr Trump called his call with Mr Putin “very good and productive”.
“We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an end to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and took over large areas of territory in the eastern part of the country. Europe and the US quickly rallied around Ukraine as it attempted to push back the invasion, and with extensive military aid, Ukrainian troops have put up remarkable resistance on the battlefield. But in recent months, Russia has reversed some of Ukraine's gains and the outcome of the conflict is uncertain.
Last week, Ukraine agreed to a 30-day truce proposed by the US during negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah. Following the announcement of the agreement, the US said that it would resume weapons shipments to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which had been paused amid tension between Washington and Kyiv.
Mr Witkoff met Mr Putin for several hours in Moscow last week to discuss the ceasefire proposal. Mr Witkoff later told CNN that he had been able to narrow differences between the sides.
Mr Putin said after the agreement was announced that he supported Washington's proposal for a truce in principle, though he suggested direct talks with Mr Trump and added that his troops would continue to fight until several conditions are met. Mr Zelenskyy has cast doubt on Russia's willingness to end the war and its sincerity in negotiations.
Mr Trump, who took office on January 20, has made permanently ending the war in Ukraine a main foreign policy priority. The Republican ran on a campaign to advance an “America first” policy towards the world, and has antagonised allies and sought rapprochement with Russia, a historical foe.
The call between Mr Putin and Mr Trump also comes in the wake of extraordinary developments in US-Ukrainian relations. An Oval Office meeting between Mr Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Mr Zelenskyy last month turned into a shouting match, with the US leaders saying the Ukrainian President was “disrespectful” and not grateful enough for US support. The cuts to aid and intelligence sharing came after this meeting.
Mr Trump has said that he wants to overturn the legacy of his predecessor Joe Biden, who made equipping Ukraine with defensive weapons to fend off Russia's advances a central goal. He said the US had grossly overspent on the war at the expense of American taxpayers.
He has pushed for Nato allies to do more to support Ukraine, arguing that European countries have more at stake given their geographical proximity to the war. Mr Trump has also promised to pay back American taxpayers by advancing a deal that would allow the US to benefit from the mining of rare earth minerals in Ukraine, though few details of the proposal have been made available.
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on animal trafficking
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC
Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045
Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
