The European Union will loan Ukraine up to €35 billion ($39 billion) to help rebuild its economy, the bloc’s executive arm announced Friday.

The European Union vows to lend Ukraine up to $39 billion, underwritten by the windfall profits earned on almost $300 billion in frozen Russian assets.

KYIV, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Russian forces hit a geriatric centre in the Ukrainian city of Sumy and targeted its energy sector in a new wave of airstrikes on Thursday, killing at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine’s prime minister has warned that the country could be facing its toughest winter since the full-scale Russian invasion began, as airstrikes against the country’s beleaguered energy infrastructure intensify.

A close ally of President Vladimir Putin warned Western governments on Thursday that a nuclear war would ensue if they gave the green light for Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.