The central bank said on Friday that Euroclear, which holds €185bn of the €210bn in Russian assets frozen by Europe, had “made it impossible to access funds and securities belonging to the Bank of Russia” through “illegal actions”.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte issued a stark warning to Western allies about the reality of the threat posed by Russia, as negotiations are making slow progress to end the war in Ukraine and the U.S. pressures Kyiv to make painful compromises with the Kremlin, including on territorial concessions.

Ukraine said Thursday its long-range drones had struck a major offshore oil platform in the Caspian Sea this week, signalling an expansion of its target list in a mounting campaign to cut off Russian energy revenues funding its war.

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for peace in Ukraine includes proposals to restore Russian energy flows to Europe, major U.S. investment in Russian rare earths and energy, and tapping frozen Russian sovereign assets,

Europeans find themselves stranded between hostile powers, Russia and the United States, with key decisions looming over the future of Ukraine.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a peace plan that Washington hopes can end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

The top Ukrainian negotiator said the most recent Russia peace talks in the U.S. with President Donald Trump's team were "constructive" and he will now return to Kyiv to discuss the latest proposals with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Poland detained a Russian archaeologist who works on an ancient site in Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Ukraine calls the work illegal.

Pope Leo said Europe must play a central role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, warning that any peace plan sidelining the continent is "not realistic."

Zelenskyy indicated the talks were hastily arranged as Kyiv officials scramble to avoid getting boxed in by U.S. President Donald Trump's demands for a swift settlement. European governments are trying to help steer the peace negotiations because they say their own security is at stake.