Russian invasion

World response
EU discusses possible Putin whisperer in Cyprus

The EU is actively considering resuming contacts with Russia on Ukraine, reports the BBC. This comes as Ukraine has requested a “new dynamic” in the negotiation process.

The subject will be discussed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus today.

Candidates rumored to be in the running to become the EU’s “Russia whisperer” include former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. They have not said how they feel about it, but Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said that he “probably wouldn’t be able to say no” if he were offered the task.

Putin's Russia
Russian banks to be able to shoot down drones

The Russian Central Bank and other financial institutions will be able to shoot down Ukrainian drones under a new law, the Financial Times reports.

Banks will be able to equip themselves with jammers and air defense systems. Staff will also be allowed to carry weapons. This is what Anatoly Aksakov of the Duma's finance committee told Russian RBC.

The measures will not be state-funded.

- In this way, Putin makes the oligarchs pay, says military expert Johan Huovinen to DN.