Putin criticises sanctions and Eurovision row - round-up
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Russian President Vladimir Putin railed against the West on Friday, stating that sanctions imposed on Russia are "mad and thoughtless".
Speaking at an economic conference in St Petersburg, he said the "economic blitzkrieg against Russia had no chance of succeeding from the very beginning" - referring to a type of surprise attack used by Nazi Germany at the start of World War Two.
The president accused the EU of losing its "political sovereignty" in its response to the war in Ukraine, and criticised the US for pretending there are no other strong world powers.
As he gave the televised address, fierce fighting continued in Ukraine's eastern city of Severodonetsk. Capturing Severodonetsk - and its twin city of Lysychansk - has for weeks been the key target for the Russian troops.
Ukraine one step closer to joining EU
Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement in Brussels wearing yellow and blue - Ukraine's colours
Hours earlier, Ukraine breathed a momentary sigh of relief when it was announced that the European Commission would back Ukraine's bid to join the EU.
Getting candidate status is the first step to joining the bloc - but it still needs to be signed off by the EU's 27 member states, who will meet next week to do so.
And there were caveats - Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "good work has been done" by Ukraine, but more is needed, and Ukraine must make reforms - on rule of law, oligarchs, human rights and tackling corruption.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that the "historic decision" would bring "victory closer".
Boris Johnson flies into Kyiv, again
On Friday, British PM Boris Johnson travelled to Kyiv for a second visit with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Glad to see our country's great friend Boris Johnson in Kyiv again," a message on President Zelensky's official Telegram channel said.
The British PM offered to provide a training programme that could train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers every four months, a statement from Downing Street said.
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Russia cuts Italy's gas supply
Italy has become the latest in a host of European countries to report more cuts in its supply of gas from Russia.
Italian energy giant Eni said it would receive only half of the 63 million cubic metres per day it had requested from Gazprom.
Germany has accused Gazprom of attempting to push up energy prices by sharply reducing supplies.
Gazprom says repairs to the Nord Stream pipeline are to blame.
Next Eurovision will not take place in Ukraine
Ukrainian rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra won the competition this year
The war is preventing Ukraine from hosting next year's Eurovision competition.
Ukrainian rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra won it this year with huge public support, and it's tradition for the winning country to host the following year.
But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has said it was "disappointed with this decision" but after a "full assessment and feasibility study", next years event cannot be held in Ukraine.
EBU is now in talks with the BBC about staging the event in Britain - which would be the fifth time the UK has stepped in to host the Eurovision for another country.
Ukraine is not happy with the decision and will "demand that the decision be revisited".
War in Ukraine: More coverage