President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday acknowledged that his country was experiencing “economic difficulties” because of different “restrictions” imposed on his country due to the war in Ukraine. The UK's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, vowed to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, saying it must “be seen successfully to its conclusion”. Read our live blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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11:55pm: Liberal US lawmakers withdraw Ukraine letter after blowback
A group of liberal US Democrats withdrew a letter to the White House urging a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, the group's chairperson, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal, said on Tuesday, after blowback from within their own party.
“The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine," Jayapal said in a statement. She added: "The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting."
The letter signed by 30 caucus members became public on Monday, leaving some other Democrats feeling blindsided just two weeks before Nov. 8 mid-term elections that will determine which political party controls Congress. And it appeared just as Republicans face concerns that their party might cut back military and humanitarian aid that has helped Ukraine since Russia invaded in February.
Several members of the Progressive Caucus issued statements expressing support for Ukraine, noting that they had joined other Democrats in voting for billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine.
Some said they had signed the letter months earlier and that things had changed. "Timing in diplomacy is everything. I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then. I wouldn't sign it today," Representative Sara Jacobs said on Twitter.
10:16pm: After call with Sunak, Zelensky hopeful ties with London will grow
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday and said he believes the ties between their two countries will grow.
“I believe that the partnership between our states, as well as Britain’s... leadership in defending democracy and freedom, will continue to strengthen further,” Zelensky said after the phone call, in his daily address to the nation.
9:55pm: Israel to share intel on Iranian drones in Ukraine with US
Israel will share intelligence with the United States to prove that Iran supplied Russia with the so-called kamikaze drones that have been used to reap destruction in Ukraine, President Isaac Herzog’s office said Tuesday.
According to a statement, Herzog, who is currently in Washington to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden, is going to share images that Israel assesses carry similarities between drones downed in Ukraine and parts tested in Iran in December 2021 and displayed at an exposition in Iran in 2014.
Despite Israel’s findings on Iranian drones, it has been cautious in how far to support Ukraine, mindful of Russia’s active military role in the Jewish state’s neighbour Syria.
9:16pm: Russia has notified US about planned nuclear drills
Russia has notified the United States about its plans to carry out exercises of its nuclear forces, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, declining to offer further details about drills expected to include test launches of ballistic missiles.
“The US was notified and, as we’ve highlighted before, this is a routine annual exercise by Russia,” spokesman Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing. “So in this regard, Russia is complying with its arms control obligations and its transparency commitments to make those notifications.”
6:37pm: Poland mulls building barrier on Kaliningrad border
Poland may have to build a barrier on its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, a top Polish official said on Tuesday, as Warsaw suspects Russia plans to help African and Asian migrants cross over in the coming week.
Poland accuses Russia and its ally Belarus of using migrants as part of a “hybrid warfare” campaign to destabilise Europe. With tensions running high due to the war in Ukraine, Poland fears a repeat of the 2021 crisis when thousands of African and Middle-Eastern migrants tried to cross the Belarus border.
At that time, Minsk denied engineering the situation of flying in people seeking to enter the European Union, instead blaming Warsaw and Brussels for a humanitarian crisis that led to the deaths of several migrants in forests along the border.
6:18pm: Ukraine urges refugees to stay abroad as winter power cuts loom
Refugees who fled in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should stay abroad this winter due to blackouts created by Moscow’s bombardment of critical energy infrastructure, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an interview broadcast on national television Tuesday.
Vereshchuk said the Ukrainian power grid “won’t survive” the return of refugees from abroad, and that the situation would “only get worse” if they did.
“To return now is to risk yourself and your children, your vulnerable relatives,” she said.
Since October 10, Russia has launched waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Kyiv says they have damaged up to 40 percent of the power system.
A local official in Kyiv warned last week that residents needed to be prepared for possible disconnections lasting days or even weeks.
5:01pm: Putin acknowledges “economic difficulties” linked to sanctions
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday acknowledged that his country was experiencing “economic difficulties” because of different “restrictions” imposed on his country due to the war in Ukraine.
Putin, who spoke as he presided over the first meeting of Russia’s new coordination council, also said his country needs to “to speed up” decision-making in relation to its military campaign in Ukraine.
4:08pm: Ukraine claims Russia is carrying out suspicious work at nuclear plant
Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator stated Tuesday that Russian forces have carried out suspicious operations at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, activity that could shed light on why Russia has been saying Kyiv are preparing a radioactive device.
Energoatom, the Ukrainian state company that operates the country’s four nuclear power plants, said it “assumes ... (the Russians) are preparing a terrorist act using nuclear materials and radioactive waste stored at (the Zaporizhzhia plant).” It said there were 174 containers at the plant’s dry spent fuel storage facility, each of them containing 24 assemblies of spent nuclear fuel.
“Destruction of these containers will result in an explosion that will lead to radiation contamination covering several hundred square kilometers of the nearby area,” the company said.
It called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to assess the situation.
1:10pm: UK's new PM Sunak vows to support Ukraine to war's 'conclusion'
Britain's new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, vowed Tuesday to help Ukraine fight off Russia's invasion.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, Sunak called it a "terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusion".
12:40pm: Kremlin sees 'no hope' of improving UK ties after Sunak nomination
The Kremlin said Tuesday that Moscow believes there is "no hope" of improving diplomatic ties with London after the appointment of Rishi Sunak as British prime minister.
"At the moment, we do not see any preconditions, grounds, or hope that in the foreseeable future there will be any positive changes" in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during his daily briefing.
12:05pm: Italy will 'continue to be a reliable NATO partner', says incoming leader
Italy's newly appointed prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said her administration will "continue to be a reliable partner of NATO in supporting Ukraine".
Meloni, the country's first far-right leader since Benito Mussolini, sought to allay concerns over the pro-Russian stance of her coalition partners.
>> Read more: Meloni rages as Berlusconi’s ‘vodka gifts’ from Putin hijack Italy’s coalition talks
"Giving in to Putin's blackmail on energy would not solve the problem, it would exacerbate it by paving the way for further demands and blackmail, with future energy increases even greater than those we have experienced in recent months," she said in her first address to parliament.
11:30am: UK's outgoing PM Truss vows continued support for Ukraine
Britain's shortest-serving premier has called for continued support for Ukraine in her farewell speech from Downing Street.
"Now more than ever we must support Ukraine," said Liz Truss, who will be replaced at Number 10 by Rishi Sunak later today .
"Ukraine must prevail and we must continue to strengthen our nation's defences," she added.
10:20am: Zelensky says Russia has destroyed a third of Ukraine's energy sector
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed the Berlin conference on Ukraine's reconstruction, saying Russian rockets and Iran-made drones have destroyed more than a third of his contry's energy sector.
"Russia is destroying everything so that it is harder for us to get through the winter," he said.
Zelensky also told the conference in Berlin via video link that Ukraine had yet to receive "a single cent" towards a fast recovery plan worth a total 17 billion dollars.
He urged the international community to cover an expected budget deficit of 38 billion dollars next year for his war-torn country.
10:01am: Rebuilding Ukraine a 'generational task', says Germany's Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has opened an international reconstruction conference for Ukraine in Berlin.
"What is at stake here is nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century – a generational task that must begin now," he said, describing Germany's committment to helping Kyiv as "one of the most consequential geopolitical decisions of our time."
Scholz said Germany's own history showed that it was possible to rebuild even after a devastating war, and so it was important to plan for Ukraine's future as a prosperous and democratic European Union member and exporter of green energy and high-tech goods.
Addressing the conference after Scholz, EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said Kyiv "must get the support it needs at all times".
"We need to firmly embed Ukraine's reconstruction efforts in its path to EU membership," von der Leyen added.
9:50am: Blast in Russian-occupied Melitopol injures five
Five people were injured in a blast in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine, the pro-Moscow administration has said.
"A car exploded near the ZaMedia media group building in Melitopol", damaging it and nearby residential homes, the local pro-Moscow administration said on Telegram, adding that "five people were slightly injured, including employees of the media group. One was hospitalised."
9:40am: US considering HAWK air defence equipment for Ukraine, Reuters reports
The United States is considering sending older HAWK air defense equipment from storage to Ukraine to help it defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, two US officials have told Reuters.
The HAWK interceptor missiles would be an upgrade to the Stinger missile systems – a smaller, shorter range air defense system – that Washington has already sent.
The Biden administration would use the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to transfer the HAWK equipment which is based on Vietnam-era technology, but has been upgraded several times, the unnamed officials told Reuters.
The PDA allows the United States to transfer defense articles and services from stocks quickly without congressional approval in response to an emergency.
8:52am: Seven civilians killed in Ukraine's stricken Bakhmut
Seven civilians have been killed and three injured in the battleground city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, the regional governor said Tuesday.
Three bodies of civilians killed earlier were also discovered in two places in the region, which has been at the centre of intense fighting with the Russian army for months, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram.
8:20am: Russia cuts Internet, phone signal as Ukrainian troops advance on Kherson
Russia has ordered civilians in Ukraine's Kherson province to evacuate territory it controls on the western bank of the Dnipro River, where Kyiv's forces have been advancing this month.
Moscow-backed officials in the area have disconnected the Internet and phone signal, with Ukraine's military intelligence claiming that equipment used by Internet service providers has been stolen.
FRANCE 24's correspondent Gulliver Cragg has the latest from Kyiv.
6:35am: German president makes surprise visit to Ukraine
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has arrived in Ukraine for a surprise visit, his first trip to the country since the start of Russia's invasion, according to German broadcaster ntv.
Steinmeir wants to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the trip, added the broadcaster.
"My message to the Ukrainians is that we are not only standing by your side. We will continue to support Ukraine, economically, politically and also militarily," the president said after his arrival.
The German president had been expected in Ukraine last Thursday. However, the trip was canceled at short notice due to the tense security situation, as Kyiv was bombed by Russian missiles and drones.
2:50am: World Bank disburses additional $500 million to help Ukraine
The World Bank said on Monday it had disbursed an additional $500 million to help Ukraine meet urgent spending needs created by Russia's Feb. 24 invasion and the ongoing war.
The financing by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the bank's main lending arm, was supported by $500 million in loan guarantees from Britain that were announced on Sept. 30, the bank said.
It comes on the eve of a recovery conference taking place in Berlin on Tuesday, where national leaders, development experts and CEOs will discuss how to rebuild Ukraine after Russia's invasion, now entering its ninth month.
“The Russian invasion continues to cause massive destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure – including water, sanitation, and electricity networks – just as winter is approaching, further endangering Ukrainian people,” World Bank Group President David Malpass said in a statement.
0:45am: Liberal Democrats urge Biden to negotiate on Ukraine
Left-wing US lawmakers have urged President Joe Biden to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia to end the Ukraine war including by exploring security arrangements acceptable to both sides.
In a letter, 30 House members from Biden's Democratic Party made clear they opposed Russia's "outrageous and illegal invasion of Ukraine" and agreed with the White House that a settlement was up to Kyiv.
"But as legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of US taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues," said the lawmakers led by Representative Pramila Jayapal, leader of the House Progressive Caucus.
They called for direct engagement with Russia to find a solution "that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine".
"Such a framework would presumably include incentives to end hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief, and bring together the international community to establish security guarantees for a free and independent Ukraine that are acceptable for all parties, particularly Ukrainians," they wrote.
11:32pm: Russia to raise ‘dirty bomb’ accusation at UN, diplomats say
Russia plans to raise its accusation that Ukraine is planning a “dirty bomb” attack at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.
Russia has told council counterparts it will bring up the issue during a closed-door meeting of the 15-member body, diplomats said.
10:38pm: UN nuclear body to inspect two sites in Ukraine over ‘dirty bomb’ claims
The UN nuclear watchdog is preparing to send inspectors in the coming days to two Ukrainian sites at Kyiv’s request, it said on Monday, in an apparent reaction to Russian claims that Ukraine could deploy a so-called dirty bomb, which Ukraine denies.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine,” the IAEA said in a statement, adding that both were already subject to its inspections and one was inspected a month ago.
“The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days,” it added.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
