Ukraine attacked Moscow and dozens of other Russian regions with drones overnight. One person died and another was injured when an unmanned aircraft crashed at an agricultural company in the Lipetsk region in the southwest of the country. Russian air defenses shot down 155 Ukrainian drones.
After the US president changed his decision to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and criticized his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for the lack of progress in ending the war initiated after the 2022 Russian invasion, President Donald Trump explained in an NBC interview what he called "a new agreement" on Ukraine.
The US will supply weapons to Ukraine through NATO and announced that he will make an "important statement" about Russia next Monday, as he explained on the television network.
For the first time since returning to office, Trump will send weapons to Kiev under a presidential power and mentioned about $300 million.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is "ready" for various approaches to strengthen Ukraine's defense, including the purchase of defense equipment "from the US, together with Europe."
Following the meeting at the ASEAN summit between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russia claims that "the positive trend in relations continues" but points out that the "current US administration acts zigzagging on this and many other issues."
Lavrov is traveling to North Korea today, a country that unconditionally supports Russia by sending its youth to the front lines in the war in Ukraine and providing weaponry.
The search continues for the perpetrator of the shooting murder of a Colonel from the Security Service of Ukraine in a residential parking lot in the Holosiivskyi district in southern Kiev. The extensive Ukrainian spy agency, responsible for the "Web" operation and the assassination of a senior Russian general in Moscow.
Russian Bombing in Kharkiv and Drones in Mykolaiv and Sumy
In northeastern Ukraine, in Kharkiv, a bombing left nine injured on Thursday night, according to the mayor, Igor Terekhov, who added that a maternity hospital was damaged.
The drones also targeted the regions of Mykolaiv (south) and Sumy (northeast), according to local authorities, who did not report any injuries.
A salvo of Russian drones had left two dead in Kiev the previous night.
Trump to Send Arms to Kiev Worth an Estimated $300 Million
For the first time since returning to office, Trump will send arms to Kiev under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, said two sources familiar with the decision on Thursday.
Trump's team will identify weapons from US arsenals to send to Ukraine under the Presidential Authority for Reduction, which allows the president to access weapon reserves to assist allies in emergencies, said the sources, estimating around $300 million.
Trump said on Tuesday that the US would send more weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend against escalating Russian advances.
The package could include Patriot defensive missiles and medium-range offensive rockets, but no decision has been made on the exact equipment, according to the sources. One of them said this would happen at a meeting on Thursday.
The Trump administration has so far only sent weapons authorized by former President Joe Biden, who was a strong supporter of Kiev.
The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Trump Says He Will Make an "Important Statement" About Russia on Monday
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Thursday that the US will supply weapons to Ukraine through NATO and will make an "important statement" about Russia on Monday.
In recent days, Trump has expressed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the lack of progress towards ending the war unleashed by Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"I think I will have an important statement to make about Russia on Monday," Trump told NBC News, declining to give further details.
Trump also told NBC News about what he called a new agreement between the United States, "we are sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100%. So what we are doing is that the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO will be giving those weapons (to Ukraine), and NATO is paying for those weapons," said Trump.
"We are sending weapons to NATO, and NATO will reimburse the full cost of those weapons," he added.
Colonel of Ukrainian Security Service Shot Dead in Kiev
A senior Ukrainian security official was shot dead on Thursday in a residential parking lot in Kiev before his assailant fled on foot in broad daylight, according to authorities and video footage verified by Reuters.
The Kiev police stated that they are working to identify the shooter and "taking measures to apprehend him."
The slain agent was a Colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), according to an official who informed Reuters.
The SBU, an extensive national espionage agency with thousands of employees, stated that it has opened a criminal investigation into the murder of one of its employees in the Holosiivskyi district in southern Kiev.
The agency is responsible for security and counterintelligence, but since the 2022 Russian invasion, it has also played a prominent role in special operations against Moscow, including assassinations and sabotage, such as the extraordinary drone operation called "Web," targeting Russian strategic aircraft at bases hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine, and the assassination of a senior Russian general in Moscow with a bomb hidden in a motorcycle.
Germany Plans to Buy 15 Additional F-35 Fighter Jets
Germany plans to buy 15 additional F-35 fighter jets, Politico reported on Friday, citing several people familiar with the matter, a move that would increase the country's fleet of the US-made aircraft to 50.
The report comes amid tensions between Germany and France over the joint Franco-German FCAS fighter jet project, after it was reported earlier this week that France now wants an 80% stake.
The German Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comments from Reuters.
After NATO recently agreed on new arms goals and troop numbers, it suggests that the actual number of additional F-35s needed could be higher in the end, although the source did not confirm this.
South Korea, US, and Japan Conduct Military Drills to Show Strength to North Korea as Lavrov Visits
Senior military officials from South Korea, the United States, and Japan called on North Korea on Friday to end all its illegal activities that threaten regional security, while advanced combat aircraft from the three nations conducted joint maneuvers as part of a show of force aimed at Pyongyang, according to Ap.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was scheduled to travel to North Korea on the same Friday amid growing military and other cooperation between the two nations, raising concerns among their neighbors.
During their regular Friday meeting in Seoul, the chiefs of the joint staffs of South Korea, the United States, and Japan discussed the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia to support its war against Ukraine and the possible transfer of Russian military technology to North Korea.
"They urged the DPRK to immediately cease all illegal activities to destabilize the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and beyond, and pledged to continue working together to respond to threats from the DPRK," the three military chiefs said in a joint statement, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea by its initials.
Apparent Suicide of a Minister Sparks Fear Among Russian Elite
The apparent suicide of the Russian Transport Minister, announced shortly after being dismissed on Monday by Vladimir Putin amid corruption allegations, deeply shocked the political elite, according to Afp.
Hundreds of people, including ministers and high-ranking officials, visited the wake of Roman Starovoit set up at the presidential hospital in Moscow on Thursday.
The 53-year-old politician was found dead in his car on Monday hours after being dismissed by the Russian president. Investigators claim he shot himself.
Although the circumstances of his death are still unclear, Russian media reports that Starovoit was under investigation for corruption and was soon to be arrested.
"He was so active, cheerful, loved life so much. I don't understand how this could have happened," added the woman with tears in her eyes.
Vladimir Putin did not participate in the ceremony.