Ukraine’s outgoing defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said ⁠on Wednesday that the country’s military had tested ⁠a ​ballistic ⁠missile developed by ⁠the defence ministry.

“Symbolically, on ​the ⁠day the ‌government was dismissed, a ballistic ‌missile developed under ‌the Ministry of ⁠Defence was successfully tested,” Fedorov wrote on Telegram.

“We fundamentally revised the technical requirements ‌and achieved maximum ​accuracy. ‌We reduced ⁠the cost ⁠by 30 per cent. Ukraine will ‌enter ​a ‌new league.”

Russia’s defence ministry ​claimed on Thursday it hit military and industrial facilities in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, as Ukraine reported large-scale strikes.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have been stepping up their ⁠attacks on key economic ​targets, with ⁠Ukrainian forces hitting Russian energy infrastructure, including oil tankers, while ⁠Russia has intensified its attacks on Black ​Sea ⁠ports in recent ‌weeks.

Ukrainian officials said Russian ballistic missiles struck at least two districts in the ‌Ukrainian capital of Kyiv ‌early on Thursday, triggering fires and killing two people.

Russia’s defence ministry said it hit Ukrainian ⁠military and industrial facilities in Kyiv involved in the production and storage of medium- and long-range drones.

It also said it targeted infrastructure facilities at the ports of Odesa and Pivdennyi, which are ‌used to receive, store and handle ​military cargoes and fuel supplies.

A ‌maritime vessel and ⁠a high-speed boat belonging to ⁠the Ukrainian armed forces were also struck while en ‌route to ​ports in the Odesa ‌region, the Russian ​defence ministry said.

Russian energy companies have approached Indian refiners for additional gasoline supplies after Ukrainian strikes knocked out a significant share of Russia’s refining capacity, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The requests mark an unusual reversal in the energy trade relationship between the two countries. India has become the largest buyer of Russian seaborne crude oil since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Russia is now seeking refined fuel from Indian suppliers as it grapples with its worst gasoline shortage.

According to one source cited by Reuters, at least one cargo of Indian gasoline has already been shipped to Russia, with more deliveries expected. The source said nearly 40 per cent of Russia’s refining capacity is unlikely to return to operation for at least two months, provided there are no further Ukrainian attacks.

Reuters reported that Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and Lukoil are among the companies that have contacted Indian counterparts, including both private and state-owned refiners. Any supplies would likely be routed through commodity traders if agreements are reached.

However, sources at three Indian state-run refiners told Reuters they had been approached by Russian companies but did not have surplus gasoline available for export.

Earlier this month, Indian oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Indian companies were not directly selling fuel to Russia, although he acknowledged it was possible that Russian buyers were obtaining Indian-origin fuel through international traders.

Donald Trump said he still believes that Vladimir Putin is ready to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine soon, despite indications Russia is likely to escalate.

“I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said in a Fox News interview, taped on Tuesday, when asked about his conversations with Putin.

Three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin is rejecting calls to negotiate peace with Kyiv and was likely to escalate the conflict, now in its fifth year.

Trump had promised to have a deal to the war, now in its fifth year, on the first day of his presidency in January 2025.

Multiple fires broke out across Kyiv after Russian ballistic missiles struck the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday, killing two people and injuring six others, officials said.

Ukraine’s emergency services said the strikes ignited fires in two storage buildings and several parked trucks in one district, where two people were killed.

Another fire erupted in a one-storey warehouse in Kyiv’s Svyatoshynskyi district, west of the city centre. Emergency responders said five people were injured in the two fire incidents.

The overnight barrage marked the sixth ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month, as Russia intensifies its long-range strikes against Ukraine.

Elsewhere, the Black Sea port city of Odesa also came under attack, with local officials saying an educational facility was damaged.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it had struck two Russian “shadow fleet” tankers in the Black Sea using naval drones, in what it described as the latest attack targeting vessels linked to Moscow’s oil exports.

More details are awaited.

Keir Starmer, the outgoing Labour leader, arrived in Kyiv to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, a high-security trip before he leaves office.

He is expected to assure Mr Zelensky that Britain’s commitment to backing Ukraine will continue after he is succeeded by Andy Burnham.

Sir Keir said: “Throughout this conflict, I have seen the incredible fortitude of the Ukrainian people and the iron will of a nation that refuses to be cowed.

“Their stand has not only defended its own freedom, it has preserved the security of Europe.

“When I became Prime Minister, I knew the UK must not simply stand with Ukraine in the moment, but help build the foundations of its long-term security and success.

“That’s why we put the UK at the centre of a stronger Europe – investing more money into defence, leading the way in the war fighting technologies of the future and doing everything we can to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.

“And we have brought others with us on that journey. As we showed at the G7 and Nato summits, in recent weeks, the UK and its allies are absolutely united against Russian aggression.

“I am so proud of what Britain has contributed. That work will continue, and our cast-iron support for Ukraine will always endure.

“Not just for them and for European security, but for families in Britain who have felt the cost of this war through rising prices.”

Ukraine expects to have the technical ⁠capability to produce missiles for ⁠US-made ​Patriot air ⁠defence systems by ⁠the end ​of ⁠this year, ‌president Volodymyr Zelensky said on ‌Wednesday.

Zelensky also ‌told reporters that ⁠Ukraine has a prospective launcher and missile for the developing European anti-ballistic project ‌Freyja, and ​hopes ‌its ⁠tests will ⁠be successful.

Russia has warned that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine under a post-war security arrangement would be considered “legitimate military targets”, rejecting plans discussed by Kyiv’s Western allies.

The warning came after members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” met in Paris this week and reaffirmed their intention to deploy a multinational force to Ukraine following any ceasefire or peace agreement. The proposed mission is intended to reassure Kyiv and help rebuild its armed forces after the fighting ends.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow viewed such a deployment as an unacceptable escalation.

“The deployment of any military contingents from countries of the so-called ’coalition of the willing’ to ⁠Ukraine is unacceptable to our country,” she told reporters.

“I ​repeat: this would amount, de facto, ​to foreign intervention ‌and an ​escalation ​of threats to Russia’s security. We would regard such units as legitimate military targets.“

The outgoing Labour leader is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday, a high-security trip before he leaves office.

He is expected to assure Mr Zelensky that Britain’s commitment to backing Ukraine will continue after he is succeeded by Andy Burnham.