Russia's War with Ukraine. Day 1208

According to a German position paper obtained by the Financial Times, Germany intends to prioritise defence spending in the next EU budget, while strongly opposing increases in national contributions.

As the EU's largest economy and biggest net contributor, Berlin wants EU funds to support joint arms procurement and help boost production capacity at European arms manufacturers.

The document reportedly reflects a broader shift in Germany's stance towards increasing domestic defence spending in response to the Russian threat and in the face of calls by US President Donald Trump for Europe to shoulder a larger share of its own defence costs.

Berlin is arguing that the EU budget should also fund dual-use technologies, military transport corridors and other security-related initiatives, despite current treaty restrictions on defence spending from the common budget , according to the FT.

To free up money for these priorities, Germany is proposing cutting administrative costs and simplifying the structure of the EU budget. The government supports reducing the number of programmes, giving the European Commission more flexibility to shift funds and focusing spending on strategic areas such as cross-border infrastructure, energy security, digitalisation and innovation.

Among the Ukrainian soldiers who returned from Russian captivity are the defenders of Mariupol and Azov, who have been held since 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

According to the president, all are being provided with the necessary assistance after their injuries and the conditions of captivity in Russia. - The situation is really very difficult. We are working to bring back all our remaining people who are currently in Russian captivity - he noted.

Zelensky added that the exchange is planned to continue next week. "At least that's the agreement. We hope that the Russian side will fulfill its part of the humanitarian obligations and do so in accordance with the agreements," he said.

During the day, Russian troops carried out 495 strikes on 14 towns in Zaporizhia Oblast, as a result of which four people were injured. The Russians carried out air raids and artillery strikes, the head of the Zaporizhia Oblast State Administration Ivan Fyodorov reported.