Ukraine live: Putin’s forces surrender to army robots, Zelensky says

 Ukraine says its forces have retaken territory in an operation using only unmanned robots and drones, the first time this has happened in the course of the war.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian soldiers surrendered when confronted by army robots after an advance "carried out without infantry and without losses on our side".

“For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned platforms – ground systems and drones,” he said on X.

Zelensky said Ukraine has carried out 22,000 missions using unmanned systems in the past three months, saving potentially thousands of lives.

“This is about high technology protecting the highest value – human life," he added.

Earlier, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar indicated that he would end Budapest's refusal to allow the EU to loan €90bn to Ukraine, and that he would urge Russian president Vladimir Putin to end his war.

Key Points

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Zelensky says ground robots retake land in a historic battlefield first

What are the robots being used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield?

Zelensky: We survived the winter - but next winter we must be ready for anything

Hungary's new PM says he will tell Putin to end his war in Ukraine

Ukrainian troops pull back to new defensive line near Sumy

UK to send £752m payment to Ukraine

03:58 , Shweta Sharma

Britain will announce extra support for Ukraine worth millions of pounds on Wednesday as senior ministers hold a series of meetings with their international counterparts.

In Washington DC, chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to confirm a £752m payment to Kyiv ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

The payment, part of a £3.36bn loan, is intended to help pay for weaponry including long-range missiles, air defence systems and drones.

Ms Reeves said: "This funding will help deliver the military equipment Ukraine needs as it defends itself against Russia's unprovoked war.

"I am proud that the UK is a leading partner in providing vital support to Ukraine, and we will continue to step up to do more while keeping pressure on Russia."

Meanwhile, defence secretary John Healey will use a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) to announce the UK's biggest ever drone package for Ukraine that will see 120,000 drones delivered to the country.

The package will include long-range strike drones, reconnaissance drones, logistics drones and those with maritime capabilities, with many produced by UK-based companies.

Mr Healey said: "This big boost of battle-proven drones will give Ukrainian forces the capability they need to defend their people and fight back against Russian aggression."

Ukraine joining EU is not achievable in immediate term, says Merz

03:00 , Alex Croft

As we earlier reported, Volodymyr Zelensky and German chancellor Friedrich Merz held a press conference on after a meeting in Berlin on Tuesday morning.

We can now bring you more lines from Merz, who announced plans to cooperate with Ukraine on drone and battlefield data technology.

He also urged Kyiv to push forward with reforms with an eye to joining the European Union in the future.

Merz said joining the EU would be a strategically important step, but added that it was not achievable in the immediate term.

Comment | The biggest winner from Viktor Orban’s ousting is Ukraine

02:01 , Alex Croft

As the long, dark night of Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule in Hungary came to an end this weekend, it wasn’t just the jubilant crowds crammed onto the bridges across the Danube that had a song in their heart. There are few political events about which you can reach for a quote from 1970s soul band Hot Chocolate – but today, “Everyone’s a winner, baby, that’s no lie”.

For “the dictator”, as he was known in Brussels, has gone. Hungary has certainly won, Europe has won, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have lost their fifth-columnist ally on this continent, and Nigel Farage has lost a source of ideological inspiration.

But the biggest sigh of relief – at the sheer size of Peter Magyar’s election landslide – must have been in Kyiv. Cliche or not, we shouldn’t hesitate to call the end of Orban as a game-changer for Ukraine.

In recent years, Volodymyr Zelensky and his people have conducted their astonishingly successful resistance to the Russian invasion with bravery, solidarity and ingenuity – and in spite of a shortage of funds. The EU has long had a massive €90bn ready to lend to them – to pay for armaments, soldiers’ wages, and just to keep going – but the arrangement has been vetoed by the most stubborn and intractable of EU member states.