The World

LONDON — Britain announced more than £10 billion (about $13.3 billion) in new support for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday. The package includes £500 million for urgent air defense, £7 billion in economic support over three years and £3 billion in export-finance capacity, mostly for military equipment. It arrives as Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continue ahead of winter. Crisis Group analysts note that Ukrainian forces reported restrictions on Starshield, the military version of Starlink, and that Zelensky said U.S. intelligence sharing had been restored. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Starlink throttling a technical error that no one ordered. Crisis Group says the episodes fed speculation that Washington is pressing Kyiv to make concessions. Separately, Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk a genius and said Moscow keeps in contact with him.

CEBU, Philippines — At the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Cebu, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposed a U.S.-ASEAN framework for defense cooperation to mark 50 years of relations next year, and said work would begin with Singapore, next year's chair. He described Washington's approach as strong, quiet and clear. After meeting Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, the Pentagon announced more security cooperation funds for interoperability along the first island chain and an alliance command-and-control modernization effort. It gave no figure or timetable, the South China Morning Post noted. Hegseth also agreed with Japan's defense minister to speed up flexible use of facilities and dispersed-operations training. China sent its defense attaché in Manila rather than its defense minister, which the SCMP described as a departure from past practice. Teodoro urged members to reject threats and the use of force.

PARIS — Defense ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain, the E5 group, met in Paris on Monday and said Europe must take more responsibility for its own security. They still called the United States an indispensable ally. French minister Catherine Vautrin described the aim as a stronger Europe inside an equally stronger NATO, through a plan drawn up openly with Washington. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas attended. The talks followed a Pentagon announcement in May of a planned reduction in its European presence, to take place over six to 12 months, which caught allies off guard, according to TRT World. Poland's representative said he expected any arrangement to be coordinated to avoid capability gaps. The ministers reaffirmed support for Ukraine but announced no new financial or operational aid. The next E5 meeting is set for Rome in March 2027.

SOFIA — Defense ministers and military chiefs of Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania met in Sofia on Wednesday and agreed to set up a trilateral mechanism to respond to maritime security threats. Bulgarian minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the meeting was called quickly because the security environment had worsened. The meeting followed a drone attack reported off the Bulgarian coast the same day. Romania's Stefan-Radu Oprea said his country has also been hit by drone attacks on commercial vessels. Turkish minister Yasar Guler urged Russia and Ukraine to show restraint and respect freedom of navigation. He also pointed to work on a regional task group to counter drifting naval mines, which other countries may join without sending ships if members agree. More trilateral meetings are under discussion for Bucharest and Ankara. Guler credited Turkey's application of the Montreux Convention with limiting the war's spread.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command figures provided to Congress put the cost of the war with Iran at an estimated $47.1 billion through Oct. 16, about $3.5 billion more than the Pentagon's early-September estimate. The war began Feb. 28. Replacing expended munitions accounts for roughly $29 billion. Another $6.1 billion covers damaged or destroyed equipment, and about $11.9 billion is operating cost. The total excludes damage to U.S. bases in the Middle East, which a Pentagon inspector general report says included hundreds of structures hit by Iranian missiles and drones. CENTCOM projects $2 billion to $3 billion a month while fighting continues. The official tally lists 21 U.S. service members killed and 865 wounded. Trump has left open renewed strikes after next week's midterms, and the administration is seeking more war funding while Democrats press for fuller accounting.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department says the FBI arrested Ian A. Brinksman, 42, of Washington on Oct. 23 on a criminal complaint charging unlawful transmission of national defense information. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the arrest followed a CIA referral. Brinksman held a Top Secret clearance with SCI access. According to the FBI affidavit, he repeatedly opened classified reports outside his duties and then contacted a romantic partner who runs a Substack. The affidavit cites database logs, badge swipes and more than 800 calls or attempted calls in 2026. It ties five episodes to articles that mirrored the reports. Reuters matched the affidavit's language to Capital & Empire, written by Aída Chávez. Israel's Ynet reports that three of the five articles concerned Israel. Chávez has not been charged. Brinksman is presumed innocent, and a public defender declined comment.

WASHINGTON — The Washington Post reports that Ukraine is critically low on Patriot interceptors as Russian strikes intensify. The U.S.-supplied systems are among the few able to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, and the interceptors are among the most depleted munitions worldwide. The shortage overlaps with American demand. Central Command figures reported Wednesday show that replacing munitions used in the Iran war is the largest cost item. USA Today has reported the U.S. military has used roughly 65 percent of its Patriot interceptor stockpile, and Patriot and THAAD supplies have both been drawn down. The Pentagon this week also picked Poland as a Patriot maintenance hub. The administration is seeking additional military funding. The Post's full reporting is paywalled, and the Pentagon has not published a detailed accounting of interceptor inventories.