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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to welcome leaders during a Ukrainian and Nordic-Baltic countries summit in Kyiv on August 23, 2026. © Francisco Seco, AP

Ukraine on Monday hosts a meeting of its key European backers to press for air-defence supplies and more pressure on Moscow, with Russian attacks killing more civilians than at any time since the first months of the invasion. The meeting of the Coalition of the Willing will be jointly chaired by the leaders of Britain, France and Germany. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

New UK PM Andy Burnham to make visit to Kyiv

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Kyiv on his first international visit since taking office last month, his office said, as Ukraine marks its 35th independence anniversary.

Burnham has vowed to give strong support to Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.

The Labour Party leader’s visit comes as he announced that Britain had “agreed that defence firm MBDA can release classified information on UK components for the long-range missile, SCALP, to establish local assembly lines in Ukraine”, a statement said.

Zelensky says war time elections in Ukraine would ‘destroy the country’

In remarks on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke out against holding war time elections, saying it would be too dangerous for the country and would “split” Ukraine.

The remarks came after his former defense minister publicly called for a vote.

Details and analysis by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Kyiv, Emmanuelle Chaze.

Russia’s Ozon says Dagestan logistics hub on fire after drone attack

Russian ⁠online ​retailer Ozon’s ​logistics hub in Makhachkala in Dagestan was ​on ‌fire ⁠after a ‌drone attack, it said on ⁠the Telegram messaging app.

The company ‌has also temporarily shut ‌down two warehouses ​in the nearby regions of Stavropol and Adygeya ​in ​the North Caucasus ​amid a drone ​attack alert, it said, though they were not ⁠damaged.

North Korea preparing further Russia troop deployments, no sign move imminent, Seoul says

South ‌Korea’s Defence Ministry said North Korea was continuing preparations for an ⁠additional troop deployment to Russia, but had detected no signs that such a deployment was imminent, according to a South ‌Korean lawmaker’s office.

The assessment came after North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader ⁠Kim Jong Un, last week denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that Pyongyang planned to send up to 50,000 more troops to Russia to fight ​for its ally.

South Korea’s Defence Ministry said in a statement ‌to lawmaker Yu Yong-weon that North Korea had continued to supply Russia with weapons systems, including short-range ballistic missiles, according to Yu’s office.

Drone debris kills two children in Russia’s Krasnodar, governor says

⁠Two ⁠children ​were killed ​and another nine people, including seven ​children, ‌were ⁠injured after ‌drone debris hit a private ⁠childcare center in Krasnodar ​in southern Russia ‌overnight, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said ‌on the Telegram ​messaging app.

Debris also fell on apartment ​buildings in ​the city, ​causing a fire ​at warehouses, he said, without providing details.

Ukraine backers gather as war escalates, air defence runs low

Ukraine on Monday hosts a meeting of its key European backers to press for critical air-defence supplies and more pressure on Moscow, with Russian attacks killing more civilians than at any time since the first months of the invasion.

The meeting of the Coalition of the Willing will be jointly chaired by the leaders of Britain, France and Germany.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will be in Kyiv for his first international trip since entering 10 Downing Street, and several other leaders are expected to join remotely.

Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering the war in Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)