Ukraine’s air defences downed 33 out of 50 Russian drones launched overnight, the air force said on Friday.

Nine drones were “lost”, it said, referring to Ukraine’s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones. Another left Ukraine in the direction of Romania.

The military said on Telegram: “Hostile attack drones hit enterprises in Odesa region, and buildings of institutions, private businesses and households in Kharkiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv regions were damaged as a result of the fall of downed enemy drones.”

Port infrastructure in the Danube region came under attack, they added. An official in Kyic said a child was wounded due to falling debris from downed targets during an attack.

The UK and Poland will start work on a new defence and security agreement today, when Sir Keir Starmer travels to the eastern European country for talks.

The prime minister has said that it is “time to take our partnership to the next level” with Warsaw and that “closer collaboration” with allies such as Poland will “protect the UK’s national security”.

He is expected to discuss the new UK-Poland treaty with his counterpart Donald Tusk, which will support both countries working together to protect Europe from Russian aggression and work together to tackle people smuggling gangs.

The agreement will also do more to tackle disinformation and hybrid threats, Number 10 said.

Sir Keir Starmer is considering plans to send British troops into Ukraine to act as peacekeepers in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

The Ukraine president said the two men had discussed a French-backed proposal for Western peacekeepers to monitor a future ceasefire, but said it’s “a bit too early to talk about details”.

Sir Keir did not commit to peacekeepers but, directing his words at Mr Zelensky, he said that “we will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine’s security” and deter future aggression.

Romania’s airspace was breached during an overnight Russian drone attack on neighbouring Ukraine, its defence ministry said this morning.

The likely impact zone of a drone was found near the border in the southeastern county of Tulcea, Romanian officials said.

Nato member Romania scrambled two fighter jets to monitor the attack from the air. Drone fragments and air space breaches have occurred regularly over the past year and a half as Russia has attacked Ukraine’s Danube river port infrastructure.

Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Britain has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, with prime minister Keir Starmer’s predecessors visiting Kyiv in the early days of their tenure.

As the war against Russia approaches its three-year mark, Ukraine is on the backfoot on the frontlines. Ukrainian forces are suffering from manpower shortages and losing ground in the eastern Donetsk region as Russia’s troops continue their advance.

It took a little longer for Sir Keir to make the trip, but he comes armed with a 100-year partnership with Kyiv to deepen security and cultural ties.

The treaty and political declaration aims to boost military cooperation to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov and deter Russian aggression.

The treaty will also cover areas such as energy, critical minerals and green steel production, the prime minister’s office said.

“Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure,” Sir Keir said in a statement. “Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level.”

Britain has provided £12.8bn in support to Ukraine since in 2022, a sum dwarfed by Washington’s $63.5bn in security assistance, underscoring the importance of Donald Trump’s actions over Ukraine.

The partnership announced yesterday, which provides £40m for Ukraine’s economic recovery, includes additional support around grain verification and trade with Ukraine’s thriving technology sector that has produced battle-ready equipment.

Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and the Central African Republic have been named as among the most dangerous countries to visit from an extreme security risk perspective, according to a risk map compiled by security and health risk services company, International SOS.

Also on the list were Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine.

Countries that have a “high” security risk (one below an “extreme” security risk) include: Mali, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, Haiti and Honduras.

Scott Bessent, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for treasury secretary, said he “100 per cent” supports raising sanctions on Russian oil producers if the future president requests doing so.

Mr Bessent told US senators on the Senate Finance Committee that he believes the Russian sanctions from the Biden administration “were not fulsome enough.”

“I think if any officials in the Russian Federation are watching this confirmation hearing, they should know that if I’m confirmed, and if President Trump requests as part of his strategy to end the Ukraine war, that I will be 100 per cent on board with taking sanctions up – especially on the Russian oil majors – to levels that would bring the Russian Federation to the table,” Mr Bessent said.

He also said “the tragedy going on in Ukraine is one of the greatest tragedies of my adult life, and ending that as soon as possible – and any role that Treasury can play in that, if confirmed, I would like to do.”

The incoming US president Donald Trump could risk violating international law – as well as sending a “chilling” message to aggressors around the world – if he forces Ukraine to give up territory as part of a peace deal with Russia, human rights lawyers have warned.

What to do about Ukraine will be one of the most pressing questions facing Mr Trump when he returns to the White House on Monday, having promised to end the war in a day. His campaign advisers are already slowly backtracking from that particular promise.