*   
    
    Closing summary
    
*   
    
    **President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s approval rating has risen by 10 percentage points since his White House spat with US president Donald Trump, a poll by a leading Ukrainian pollster showed on Friday.**
    
    The poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 67% of respondents trusted Zelenskyy in March, up from 57% a month earlier.
    
    The survey was conducted from 14 February to 4 March – a challenging time for Zelenskyy as Kyiv’s relations with the United States, its biggest military backer, plunged into crisis after the Oval Office meeting on 28 February.
    
    Anton Hrushetskyi, KIIS’ executive director, said the poll showed Ukrainians were rallying behind Zelenskyy more than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
    
    “Ukrainians perceive the rhetoric of the new US administration as an attack on the whole of  and all Ukrainians,” Hrushetskyi said in a statement.
    
    He said Ukrainians want peace but not a peace that comes at too high a cost.
    
*   
    
*   
    
    Emergency teams and civilians are at the scene where a Russian Iskander missile hit a civilian infrastructure facility, causing an explosion and therefore fire and damage in ten garages and five cars in Kharkiv, Ukraine on 7 March 2025. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
    
*   
    
    Three Bulgarian nationals accused of spying for Russia have been found guilty of espionage charges in a trial that heard how they were involved in a string of plots around  directed by a fugitive based in Moscow.
    
    After more than 32 hours of deliberations, a jury at the Old Bailey reached unanimous verdicts on **Katrin Ivanova**, 33, a lab technician, **Vanya Gaberova**, 30, a beautician, and **Tihomir Ivanchev**, 39, a painter and decorator, all of whom were living in London before their arrest.
    
    The three were convicted for being junior members of a spy ring that was ultimately directed by **Jan Marsalek**, an Austrian businessman who had fled to Russia in 2020 after a company he helped to run collapsed amid a €1.9bn fraud.
    
    Full story:
    
    
    
*   
    
    Keir Starmer has hailed the EU’s “historic step forward” as he spoke to leaders after the bloc backed moves to free up hundreds of billions of euros for security.
    
    In a phone call with the president of the European Council, the president of the European Commission and the leaders of Canada, Turkey, Norway and Iceland on Friday, the prime minister also welcomed the prospect of talks next week in Saudi Arabia after they were confirmed by , PA reported.
    
    Issuing a readout of the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister applauded the progress the European Union had made at the European Council yesterday, saying it was a historic step forward and another sign of  stepping up.
    
    “Closer collaboration between the European Union, its partners and our combined defence industrial base was vital as Europe stepped up to counter egregious Russian aggression,” the prime minister added.
    
    “Updating on the intensive diplomacy between the US, UK, France and , the prime minister welcomed the potential for peace talks in Saudi Arabia next week.
    
    “The leaders also discussed the “coalition of the willing” and looked ahead to the chiefs of defence meeting in Paris on Tuesday. It would be another important moment to drive forward planning, they agreed.
    
    “The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.”
    
    On Thursday, European leaders had backed new defence spending plans aimed at freeing up billions of euros as the bloc grapples with the prospect of Donald Trump reducing security assistance for Europe.
    
*   
    
    If you want to read on the three Bulgarians convicted in the UK, here’s our explainer on this case:
    
*   
    
    Three Bulgarian nationals accused of spying for Russia have been found guilty of espionage charges in a trial that heard how they were involved in a string of plots around  directed by a fugitive based in Moscow.
    
*   
    
    
    
*   
    
    If you want to read on the three Bulgarians convicted in the UK, here’s our explainer on this case:
```