Russia said on Friday it would take measures to prevent new border incursions, a day after accusing Ukraine-backed nationalists of killing two people in a cross-border raid in southern Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Friday told the Russian security council it needed to take up new "anti-terrorism measures" to safeguard law enforcement facilities. To see how all the day's events unfolded, read our live blog below. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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8:14pm: US attorney general makes unannounced trip to Ukraine, US official says
US Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to Lviv, Ukraine, on Friday at the invitation of the Ukrainian prosecutor general, a Justice Department official said.
"The attorney general held several meetings and reaffirmed our determination to hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in its unjust and unprovoked invasion against its sovereign neighbor," the official said.
6:40pm: US announces $400 million in additional military aid to Ukraine
The US on Friday announced another round of military aid for Ukraine, a package of ammunition and other support valued at $400 million.
The package will be funded using Presidential Drawdown Authority, which authorises the president to transfer articles and services from US stocks without congressional approval during an emergency, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in announcing the aid.
"This military assistance package includes more ammunition for US-provided HIMARS and howitzers, which Ukraine is using so effectively to defend itself, as well as ammunition for Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges, demolitions munitions and equipment, and other maintenance, training, and support," he said.
6:28pm: EU official cites 'red line' if China gives Russia weapons
It would be an absolute "red line" if China provided weapons to Russia, a senior European Union official said on Friday, adding that the EU would respond with sanctions.
The comments echo remarks by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday warning Beijing against providing such aid to Moscow as it continues to fight in Ukraine.
"Don't deliver any weapons to the aggressor Russia," Scholz said in a speech to the German parliament ahead of his meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington later on Friday.
Scholz and Biden are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict as well as China when they meet at the White House. China has denied any intention to arm Russia.
4:32pm: US imposes sanctions on three Russians under human rights provision
The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on three Russian individuals under provisions targeting human rights abuses and corruption, the Treasury Department's website showed.
2:48pm: Ukraine accuses Russia of 'disinformation' on Bakhmut withdrawal
Pictures emerged this morning of what appears to be a bridge blown up on what was the only remaining road in and out of Bakhmut. This has forced the Ukrainian armed forces to travel on unpaved roads and is a sign that things are getting harder for them.
A commander of a drone unit in the Ukrainian army posted a video online indicating that he had received orders to leave Bakhmut. However, another person posted a video saying that the Ukrainian army hasn't received orders to withdraw and that the other video was an example of Russian disinformation at work.
FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reports:
2:10pm: Putin tells Russian security council to tighten 'anti-terror' measures
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told his security council that they needed to discuss additional "anti-terrorism measures" to safeguard facilities controlled by law enforcement bodies.
Putin said on Thursday Russia had been hit by a "terrorist attack" in the southern Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, and vowed to crush a sabotage group that had fired at civilians.
2:08pm: Ukraine meeting energy needs despite Russian air strikes, says PM
Ukraine is managing to generate as much power as it needs, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday, despite waves of Russian air strikes on its energy network.
Shmyhal told a news conference no immediate changes were planned in government and that reforms would continue.
He also said that Kyiv, which has applied for membership of the NATO military alliance, hoped for "concrete decisions" from its NATO allies.
1:41pm: Putin amends law to ensure state defence orders are properly met
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday enabling the state to suspend the directors and shareholders of any companies that fail to meet state defence contracts under conditions of martial law.
The decree would allow the industry ministry to name a new external administrator to take over the running of such companies.
Putin said in October he was introducing martial law in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has partly seized control of and claimed as its own territory, a move condemned as illegal by most countries.
A year into the war with Ukraine, he has not extended martial law across Russia but has effectively placed the economy on a war footing, with defence factories working around the clock in three shifts to meet the needs of the army.
10:55am: Kremlin vows 'measures' to prevent incursions across Ukraine border
The Kremlin said Friday it would take steps to prevent cross-border incursions after Moscow blamed "Ukrainian nationalists" for killing two civilians in southern Russia the day earlier.
"Measures will be taken to prevent similar events in the future," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will later Friday chair a meeting of his security council, Peskov added.
On Thursday, Moscow claimed that "Ukrainian nationalists" had crossed into the southern Russian region of Bryansk and killed two civilians, an allegation dismissed by Kyiv as a "deliberate provocation".
9:27am: Wagner chief says Ukraine's Bakhmut 'practically surrounded'
The chief of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said Friday his fighters had "practically encircled" Bakhmut, an eastern Ukrainian city that Russia has been trying to seize for months.
"The Wagner paramilitary group units have practically surrounded Bakhmut, only one road remains" to leave the city, Yevgeny Prigozhin said, calling on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to abandon the city.
8:43am: Russia's Lavrov says Moscow will not let West blow up gas pipelines again
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Russia "will not let the West blow up gas pipelines again" and said that Moscow would no longer rely on the West as an energy partner.
Moscow has suggested that Western countries were responsible for the blasts that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines in September, an assertion they have dismissed, and has called for an international investigation.
7:47pm: EU's Borrell sees 'small improvement' in US talking with Russia
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday he saw a "small improvement" in diplomacy with Moscow after a G20 meeting that saw rare US-Russia talks.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met briefly Thursday with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the meeting in New Delhi, with the top US diplomat pressing Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Borrell noted that Lavrov remained in the room when Western nations criticised Russia, unlike at the last G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali last year, when he stormed out.
7:30am: Biden and Scholz to huddle on Ukraine war at White House
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting the White House on Friday for a private meeting with President Joe Biden as both allies become increasingly vocal about their concerns that China may step off the sidelines and supply weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Washington correspondent Kethevane Gorjestani reports that the meeting is also an opportunity for the two leaders to exchange notes on their recent, respective meetings with their Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
6:00am: Quad ministers denounce Russian threats of nuclear war
Foreign ministers of the so-called Quad group denounced Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war as unacceptable, according to a statement issued after a meeting on Friday.
The ministers also said they opposed any unilateral actions to increase tensions in the South China Sea, and expressed concerns about the "militarisation" of disputed territories, in a thinly veiled reference to China.
The Quad group consists of India, Australia, Japan and the United States.
1:17am: US to unveil new ammunition aid to Ukraine Friday
The United States will announce new aid to war-ravaged Ukraine on Friday, consisting mainly of ammunition to help it fight against Russia's invasion force, the White House said.
"Tomorrow, just unilaterally, the US will have another round of assistance for Ukraine," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.
"It will include mostly ammunitions and munitions that Ukrainians will need for the systems that they already have," notably the Himars precision rocket launchers, he added.
The announcement will coincide with the visit to the White House by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
