British Foreign Minister David Lammy met Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and announced a new $68.7 million financial package for Ukraine as its war with Russia continues.
"Our support for Ukraine remains unbreakable," Lammy said. "We are determined to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, both in its fight against Russia and beyond."
Later Wednesday, Zelenskyy told reporters that an international force of troops would be needed if forces were deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire deal with Russia.
It would be a "major mistake" if U.S. troops were not included, the president said. "This isn't just a matter of numbers. It's about sharing responsibility and ensuring security guarantees."
Ukraine and Russia exchanged captured soldiers on Wednesday. Each country returned 150 prisoners of war.
Zelenskyy shared on Telegram photographs of some of the Ukrainian soldiers, saying, "They are all from different sectors of the front, but they have one thing in common — they fought for Ukraine."
A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar region, the area's governor said Wednesday.
The fire, which was later put out, happened in the village of Novominskaya.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said that debris from a destroyed drone caused the fire, and that there were no injuries.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday it shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region and two more drones over Belgorod, both of which border Ukraine.
Officials in Kursk reported damage to a building but no casualties.
Ukraine's military said Wednesday it shot down 57 of the 104 drones that Russian forces launched in overnight attacks.
The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy and Zhytomyr regions.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the attacks damaged several buildings and injured one person.
Officials also reported damage to buildings in Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad and Sumy.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
