UK NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER URGES EUROPE TO ENDURE WINTER HARDSHIP

Jonathan Powell, the UK's national security adviser, told a conference in Kyiv that Europe must be ready to endure "real hardship" this winter to sustain economic pressure on Russia. Speaking at the Yalta European Strategy forum, he said the strategy of backing Ukraine while sanctioning Moscow was working. He called reports of Russian escalation "not a problem" but a "sign of success" against President Vladimir Putin, saying Europe should not take its "foot off the gas". His remarks came as Russia continued attacks on Ukraine and Europe faced an energy shortage after cutting its reliance on Russian oil and gas.

Ukraine's minister of economy, Oleksandr Kravchenko, told the forum that Russian attacks this year are expected to cost $10bn (£7.4bn) in destroyed infrastructure and assets, and said a blockade of its sea ports curbing grain exports would shrink GDP by 1.5%. Russian strikes are also weakening morale and raising fears about winter power shortages, the forum heard. Europe is preparing for winter amid a global energy crisis and low gas stockpiles, making sanctioned Russian liquefied natural gas more attractive to some EU countries. Sanctions have cut Europe's Russian gas consumption substantially but not eliminated it; the EU still obtains 12% of its gas imports from Russia, with a complete phase-out planned by January.

Powell had been in Kyiv last weekend for talks with envoys of US President Donald Trump, who had visited Putin in Moscow. He said Ukraine had "already won" the war because Putin could not seize the whole country. He added that "a free Ukraine in Europe" would choose its own direction regardless of any territorial loss. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now in its fifth year.