Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, the Ukrainian leader said Thursday.

“I welcomed the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, @Jeremy_Hunt, and thanked him for the UK’s largest defense aid package, worth half a billion pounds,” Zelenskyy said on the X social media platform, thanking Hunt and the U.K. for their support.

“We paid special attention to the sanction policy. It is important to extend restrictive measures against Russia and make the circumvention of sanctions impossible.”

He expressed gratitude for the U.K.’s government and said that Hunt would be meeting Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal later in the day.

— Natasha Turak

Two people were killed following an Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow-occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, a Russia-installed official said.

“As a result of a hit on a civilian vehicle, a man and a woman were killed, and their four minor children were left orphans,” Evgeniy Balitsky said in a Google-translated Telegram post.

He added that emergency services are on site, and the children will be provided with social assistance and psychological care.

CNBC could not independently confirm the report.

Home to the largest nuclear plant in Europe, Zaporizhzhia was among four Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia in September 2022, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

— Ruxandra Iordache

A Russian aerial attack impaired a critical infrastructure facility and injured six people in the central Ukrainian region of Cherkasy on Thursday morning, according to regional governor Ihor Taburets.

He reported no casualties to date, adding in a Google-translated Telegram post that 47 residential houses were damaged as a result of the attack blast and consequent debris.

Repair teams are attending at the site of the incident, he said.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

— Ruxandra Iordache

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a bill into law that provides billions of dollars of additional aid to Ukraine to help it repel Russia’s onslaught, bringing an end to a protracted political battle over urgently needed assistance.

Biden said the first tranche of military equipment would be sent to Ukraine within the next few hours. He described the U.S. aid as an investment not only in Ukraine and Europe’s security but also U.S. security.

“America stands with our friends, we stand up against dictators. We bow to no one, to no one. Certainly not [Russian President] Vladimir Putin,” Biden said.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was grateful to the U.S. Senate for approving aid to the war-torn country.

Russia, meanwhile, has said its forces will intensify attacks on Ukraine’s Western weapons.

— Sam Meredith

Photos published via Getty Images on Wednesday showed an armored vehicle said to be captured by Russian servicemen during Russia’s war in Ukraine. The display was held at the Victory Park memorial complex in Moscow.