<p><strong>Day 1,386.</strong></p><p>Today, as Ukraine fires hundreds of drones into Russia – forcing the closure of all major Moscow airports – we report on how the maritime war is intensifying, with Kyiv striking shadow fleet tankers in the Black Sea and oil rigs in the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions are rising, with President Donald Trump saying he exchanged “pretty strong words” with his European counterparts, just as reports emerge of a White House plan to bring Russia’s economy in from the cold. Then we return to controversial developments in the chess world with <em>The Telegraph</em>’s chess correspondent Malcolm Pein.</p><br><p><strong>Contributors</strong></p><p>Dominic Nicholls&nbsp;(Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.</p><p>Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.</p><p>With thanks to&nbsp;Malcolm&nbsp;Pein (Chess&nbsp;Correspondent). @TelegraphChess on X.</p><br><p><strong>SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:</strong></p><p><a href="http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.</p><br><p><strong>CONTENT REFERENCED:</strong></p><p>Dom and Francis’s Chess Game with Malcolm in Odesa:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCptvJ2tuIA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCptvJ2tuIA</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>With clips in our Ukraine Culture War Documentary:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28HqbQLYGMM&amp;pp=ygUPb2Rlc2EgdGVsZWdyYXBo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28HqbQLYGMM&amp;pp=ygUPb2Rlc2EgdGVsZWdyYXBo</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Starmer, Macron and Merz warn Trump over ‘Euro-Atlantic’ alliance (The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/10/starmer-macron-and-merz-warn-trump-euro-atlantic-alliance/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/10/starmer-macron-and-merz-warn-trump-euro-atlantic-alliance/</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Ukrainian drone boats blow up Russian oil tankers (The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/29/ukrainian-drone-boats-blow-up-russian-oil-tankers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/29/ukrainian-drone-boats-blow-up-russian-oil-tankers/</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>U.S. Blueprint to Rewire Economies of Russia, Ukraine Sets Off Clash With Europe (Wall Street Journal):</p><p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/u-s-blueprint-to-rewire-economies-of-russia-ukraine-sets-off-clash-with-europe-72484515" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/u-s-blueprint-to-rewire-economies-of-russia-ukraine-sets-off-clash-with-europe-72484515</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>US House passes bill to bolster Europe’s defence, in apparent rebuke to Trump’s foreign policy strategy (The Guardian):</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/11/us-house-passes-bill-to-bolster-europes-defence-in-apparent-rebuke-to-trumps-foreign-policy-strategy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/11/us-house-passes-bill-to-bolster-europes-defence-in-apparent-rebuke-to-trumps-foreign-policy-strategy</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>‘Make Europe Great Again’ and more from a longer version of the National Security Strategy (The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/12/make-europe-great-again-and-more-longer-version-national-security-strategy/410038/?oref=d1-homepage-top-story" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/12/make-europe-great-again-and-more-longer-version-national-security-strategy/410038/?oref=d1-homepage-top-story</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:</strong></p><p>The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: <a href="https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest</a></p><br><p>Subscribe:&nbsp;<a href="http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest</a></p><p>Email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>