Live blog: Ukraine could use UK's DragonFire against Russian drones

Friday, April 12, 2024

1505 GMT — The UK defence secretary has suggested that a new British military laser could be used in the Ukraine frontline to take down Russian drones, according to media reports.

The DragonFire weapon system, which uses a beam to hit and destroy targets at the speed of light, is expected to be rolled out by 2027, but Grant Shapps said on Friday he wanted to "speed up" production and make it ready sooner.

"In a more dangerous world, our approach to procurement is shifting. We need to be more urgent, more critical and more global," he said at the Porton Down military research hub in Salisbury as reported by the media.

"Let’s say that it didn’t have to be 100 percent perfect for Ukrainians perhaps to get their hands on it, 2027 is still the date as of this moment. But of course, I’ll look to see what we can do to speed up," Shapps added.

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1454 GMT — Netherlands pledges four billion euros in Ukraine military support

The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with an additional $1.06B in military support this year, and has earmarked three billion euros for 2025, caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said. The extra support in 2024 takes the total sum for this year to three billion euros and will be complemented by 400 million euros in aid to support Ukraine's economy, Rutte said in a post on social media platform X.

1352 GMT — Russian shelling kills one in Ukraine's Kharkiv

Russian shelling killed one person and wounded three others in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city that has been pounded by Moscow for days. Moscow has hit Kharkiv — in Ukraine's northeast close to the Russian border — with a string of deadly attacks this month. "Kharkiv region. Three civilians were wounded in the shelling, and a 65-year-old man was killed," Ukraine's national police said.

Authorities said another man was killed in Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi, a village in the Kharkiv region. "Occupiers shelled Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi. A fire started in a house, and a man born in 1959 died," the Kharkiv region administration said. It said two other people were wounded in the attack. The attack came a day after a large-scale Russian attack on energy sites across the country.

1215 GMT — Russia summons French envoy over foreign minister comments

Russia summoned the French ambassador to its foreign ministry on Friday in connection with comments made by the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne regarding alleged false statements by Russian authorities, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

According to the Russian side, Sejourne said that Paris was not interested in dialogue with Moscow as statements from Russian officials contained false information.

"We regard these statements by the French Foreign Minister as a conscious and deliberate action by the French side aimed at undermining the very possibility of any dialogue between the two countries," the ministry said.

1134 GMT — 2022 Istanbul draft could be basis for peace talks, says Kremlin

The Kremlin has said that a draft Russia-Ukraine agreement negotiated in 2022 could serve as a starting point for prospective talks to end the fighting that has dragged into a third year.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the draft document that was discussed in Istanbul in March 2022 could be “the basis for starting negotiations.” At the same time, he noted that the possible future talks would need to take into account the “new realities.”

“There have been many changes since then, new entities have been included in our constitution,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.

0122 GMT — US House speaker negotiating Ukraine aid with White House

House Speaker Mike Johnson is negotiating with the White House as he prepares for the treacherous task of advancing wartime funding for Ukraine and Israel through the House, a top House Republican said.

House Republican Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that Johnson had been talking with White House officials about a package that would deviate from the Senate's $95 billion foreign security package and include several Republican demands.

It comes after Johnson has delayed for months on advancing aid that would provide desperately needed ammunition and weaponry for Kiev, trying to find the right time to advance a package that will be a painful political lift.

"There's been no agreement reached," Scalise said. "Obviously, there would have to an agreement reached not just with the White House, but with our own members."

0101 GMT — Japan calls for law-abiding fix to handling of frozen Russian assets

Japan's finance minister said that any handling of frozen Russian assets must abide by international law. He added that the topic will likely be discussed at next week's meeting of his counterparts from G7 advanced economies.

"I don't think there is consensus yet among the countries on what to do with the frozen Russian assets," Suzuki told a press conference.

"Japan's stance is that it must be handled in a way that does not violate international law," he said, suggesting Tokyo is cautious over the idea, floated by Washington, of confiscating frozen Russian assets outright — a move some experts warn could lead to legal disputes.

For our live updates from Thursday, April 11, click here.