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In a significant step to strengthen its long-term security, the Ukrainian government has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire up to 100 Rafale warplanes, drones, air defense equipment and additional essential equipment from the French Republic. This deal was formalized by Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and France's leader Macron during a shared news conference at the Elysée presidential palace. Zelenskyy described the arrangement as “a historic deal.”

Forcibly Deported Children: Families Lose Contact

A number of families of Ukraine's children who were forcibly deported to Russia have raised concerns about their fate, stating that all contact has been severed. At a rare press event in Paris, Darina Repina, who cares for two minors removed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in recent years, stated that Russian authorities are disregarding all requests to facilitate the children's return.

Unmanned Aerial Attack Targets Turkey-Registered Tanker in Odesa

An unmanned aerial vehicle hit a Turkey-registered ship and caused a fire in the southern part of Ukraine's Odesa region, authorities said. This event occurred just a day after the Ukrainian president signed a deal to bring in American LNG through the region. The MT Orinda was struck while offloading LPG at Izmail harbor, according to Turkey's Directorate for Maritime Affairs. Every one of the 16 crew aboard evacuated and not a single person was injured.

Romania's Authorities Evacuate Communities After Drone Incident

Romanian officials said they had relocated two communities close to the Ukraine frontier following the drone attack on the MT Orinda. After entering the country in 2022, Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian ports in the Danube River area, causing alerts in neighbouring the country.

US Leader Trump Willing to Approve Russia Sanctions Legislation

US president Trump is prepared to sign legislation to enact penalties on Russia, as long as he retains final authority power over these actions, a senior U.S. administration official said. Trump told reporters late on Sunday that it was “acceptable to me” that Republicans were drafting legislation to impose sanctions on nations engaging commercially with Moscow over its failure to reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine.

Polish Leader Describes Railway Explosion an “Unprecedented Act of Disruption”

Poland's leader, Tusk, has described an explosion along a section of rail track employed in shipments to the country as an “unprecedented act of disruption” that might have led to disaster. These remarks coincided with a announcement from legal authorities saying that an inquiry had opened “concerning actions of disruption of a terrorist kind […] carried out on orders of a external spy service against the nation of the country.”

Chinese Leader Shows Willingness to Expand Partnership with Russian Federation

China is ready to deepen collaboration with the Russian Federation in the energy sector, agriculture and other financial ventures, Leader Li said during a meeting with Russia's leader Mikhail Mishustin in the Russian capital. The Chinese premier told Mishustin that the country welcomes more agricultural and food-related goods from Russia, as per a state-run news agency. The Chinese side also hopes that Moscow will facilitate for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Russia, the report mentioned. Mishustin told his counterpart that the cooperation between the two sides has consistently proven its resilience to external challenges.