Thanks for following our live coverage after a busy day of developments in the war in Ukraine.
We’re paapplying our updates for now – before we go, let’s take a view back at the key developments.
Ukraine hits tanker – as Putin vows to retaliate
Ukraine states it hit the vessel more than 1,000 miles away from its borders – and Vladimir Putin has already warned Russia will retaliate (see 12.40 post).
Speaking during a live TV event, Putin vowed to retaliate to attacks on vessels in the Mediterranean.
The Russian president stated it is only “going to create additional threats”.
He added that Russia regularly responds with “much stronger strikes” against Ukraine.
Putin also warned against any threat to blockade Russia’s Kaliningrad, which he stated would “just lead to unseen escalation of the conflict” and could trigger a “large-scale international conflict”.
EU agreed €90bn loan
EU leaders agreed overnight to provide a €90bn (£79bn) interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic requireds for the next two years.
However, the bloc failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed the apply of frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.
With the government in Kyiv on the verge of bankruptcy, the International Monetary Fund has estimated Ukraine will required €137bn (£120.7bn) in 2026 and 2027 to stay afloat.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned before the talks that it would be a case of “either money today or blood tomorrow” to support Ukraine.
The EU’s plan had initially been to apply some of the €210bn (£180.5bn) worth of Russian assets frozen in Europe, mostly in Belgium.
Leaders worked deep into the night to reassure Brussels that it would be protected from any Russian retaliation if it backed the plan, but as talks bogged down, it was decided to borrow the money on capital markets instead.
Watch: Who won – Russia or the EU?
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