Russia-Ukraine war updates: Drone attacks reported on Kyiv

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv was targeted once again by so-called "kamikaze" drones on Monday morning, the city's military administration said on Telegram.

An alert was first declared in the middle of the night. Several hours later it was still in effect.

"The enemy is attacking the capital with 'Shahed' barrage ammunition," the Kyiv military administration wrote. "The air defense is working."

Authorities also said that nine of the Iranian-made drones had been shot down. It was not clear how many had gotten past the air defense systems.

A witness in the city told Reuters that they had heard loud blasts during the early hours, but it was not clear if this came from strikes landing or from air defenses downing the drones.

UK PM to announce further arms deliveries to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to announce a new package of "hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery ammunition," according to a statement released ahead of a meeting later on Monday.

Sunak will take part in a meeting with his Baltic, Nordic and Dutch counterparts in Riga.

London aims to keep up its delivery of ammunition with a £250 million ($304 million, €287 million) contract "that will ensure a constant flow of critical artillery ammunition to Ukraine throughout 2023."

The statement from the prime minister's office also said that Sunak will call on the UK's allies to maintain or surpass the level of military aid to Ukraine next year.

Putin to visit key ally Lukashenko in Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to make his first visit to Belarus since 2019 on Monday.

He will meet with his close ally, strongman Alexander Lukashenko. They are set to discuss their strategic partnership as well as regional and international issues.

Lukashenko, who held onto power following what is widely seen as a fraudulent election in 2020, is reliant on financial support from Putin.

Belarus in return allowed Russian troops to use its land as a launch pad during its initial invasion of Ukraine in February, although the former Soviet state has not joined the conflict.