A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russian reports of a sabotage attack by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Bryansk region are a "deliberate provocation". Russian sources claimed that at least one person was killed. Follow our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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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.
12:39am: US hosts war games for Ukraine ahead of next phase of Russia conflict
The United States is hosting war planning exercises in Germany for Ukrainian military officers to help them think through upcoming battlefield decisions, officials said on Thursday, ahead of the next phase of the year-old conflict with Russia.
The multi-day, table top exercises have been carried out at a war-gaming facility at a US Army base in Wiesbaden, Germany, where the top US military officer, Army General Mark Milley, visited on Thursday.
US officials declined to talk through the potential battlefield scenarios that Ukrainian military staff were examining during the drills, which involve thought exercises to evaluate potential military courses of action.
12:02am: Biden, Scholz to focus on Ukraine war in hour-long meeting on Friday
US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will focus their discussions on Friday mainly on the war in Ukraine, but could also touch on concerns that China may provide lethal aid to Russia, a senior administration official said.
The two leaders are slated to meet for an hour, including a significant one-on-one component, the official said.
"The overarching purpose of this meeting was a chance for the two leaders to be able to coordinate specifically on Ukraine," the official said.
The US had not seen evidence that China had provided lethal aid to Russia thus far, but was tracking the situation closely, the official said.
11:30pm: US says China arming Russia is still 'on the table'
The United States has "no indication" that China has decided to supply arms to Russia, but the possibility remains "on the table," a White House spokesman said Thursday.
"This is not a move that would be in the best interest of the Chinese and their standing in the international community, which we know they highly prize," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.
Beijing so far has forcefully denied the allegations that it is considering such a move.
11:08pm: Brazil's Lula tells Zelensky he wants to help with Ukraine peace
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday renewed a proposal for his country to take part in international mediation concerning Ukraine during a call with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
"I have just had a video meeting with the president of Ukraine. I reaffirmed Brazil's desire to speak with other countries and participate in whatever initiatives around the construction of peace and dialogue," Lula posted on Twitter.
"War cannot be of interest to anyone."
The conversation between the two presidents came a day after Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during the G20 meeting of foreign ministers in New Delhi.
8:02pm: US not providing Ukraine with intel on targets inside Russia, Pentagon says
The United States is not providing Ukraine with intelligence for targets inside Russia, the Pentagon said on Thursday, calling the Russian accusations "nonsense".
"I don't have any information in regards to whether or not the Ukrainians have conducted these type of operations, I'd refer you to them," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.
"I can say definitively that the notion of the US providing intelligence or information to the Ukrainians to target locations inside Russia is nonsense. We are not at war with Russia, nor do we seek war with Russia," Ryder added.
7:06pm: Ukraine orders vulnerable residents to evacuate frontline city of Kupiansk
Ukraine has ordered the mandatory evacuation of vulnerable residents from the frontline city of Kupiansk and adjacent northeastern territories as fears mount that Russia will retake the key city and rail hub.
“Mandatory evacuation of families with children and residents with limited mobility began in Kupiansk community... due to constant shelling of the territory of the community by Russian troops,” the Kharkiv region military administration said.
5:28pm: Every metre taken in Bakhmut is costing Russia ‘hundreds of lives’
The small eastern city of Bakhmut has now been almost completely surrounded by Russian forces, FRANCE 24’s correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports, likening it to a horseshoe formation.
While some Ukrainians have started questioning the strategic value of its forces holding on to the city, Cragg cited a commander who had told Ukrainian radio that by keeping control, his troops are still able to inflict huge losses on the Russian side.
“Every metre that they take from the Ukrainians - in the words of this commander - costs them literally hundreds of lives.”
Watch the full report in the video below:
4:54pm: Blinken presses Lavrov about Russian aggression at G20
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to end the Ukraine war on the sidelines of G20 talks in India, in their first face-to-face contact since the invasion.
“I told the foreign minister what I and so many many others said last week at the United Nations, and what so many G20 foreign ministers said today—end this war of aggression, engage in meaningful diplomacy that can produce a just and lasting peace,” Blinken told reporters.
The last time Blinken and Lavrov were in the same room—at a G20 meeting in Bali last July—the latter stormed out, according to Western officials.
Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova sought to downplay the significance of the encounter, telling state news agency RIA Novosti that Blinken had initiated it and that it had been fleeting. Lavrov “spoke to him, standing, as part of the second second session of the G20”, she said. “No talks or real meeting took place.”
1:25pm: Putin says Ukrainian 'neo-Nazis' fired at civilians in 'terrorist' attack in Bryansk
Russian President Vladimir Putin said a Ukrainian sabotage group had knowingly fired at civilians on Thursday in what he called a "terrorist act" on Russian territory close to the border. Russian news agencies reported earlier that a group of Ukrainian saboteurs had taken hostages in the Bryansk region, while the regional governor said one person had been killed.
Ukrainian officials denied responsibility. In televised remarks, Putin said Russia would prevail in the face of such attacks. He also qualified the attackers as "neo-Nazis" and "terrorists".
1:20pm: China joins Russia in refusing to support G20 joint declaration
China joined Russia on Thursday in refusing to support a demand for Moscow to cease hostilities in Ukraine, a statement from the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi showed.
Both countries were the only G20 members not to agree to the statement demanding Russia's "complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine".
12:46pm: Russian plane destroyed in factory test incident, one killed
One person died and the fuselage of a Russian Il-76 plane was destroyed during an incident at a factory in the Ulyanovsk region on Thursday, the RIA Novosti Russian news agency reported, citing emergency services.
12:31pm: Blinken, Lavrov meet briefly as US-Russia tensions soar
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke briefly Thursday at a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in the first high-level meeting in months between the two countries.
US officials said Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 conference in New Delhi. The short encounter comes as relations between Washington and Moscow have plummeted while tensions over Russia’s war with Ukraine have soared.
A senior US official said Blinken used the discussion to make three points to Lavrov: that the US would support Ukraine in the conflict for as long as it takes to bring the war to an end, that Russia should reverse its decision to suspend participation in the New START nuclear treaty and that Moscow should release detained American Paul Whelan.
The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation, declined to characterise Lavrov's response but said Blinken did not get the impression that there would be any change in Russia's behavior in the near term.
11:40am: Zelensky's adviser says reports of Bryansk attack are 'deliberate provocation' by Russia
A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that reports of a sabotage attack by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Bryansk region are a "deliberate provocation".
"The story about (a) Ukrainian sabotage group in RF is a classic deliberate provocation," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter. "RF wants to scare its people to justify the attack on another country & the growing poverty after the year of war."
11:35am: Kremlin says Ukrainian 'terrorists' attacked border region, are being destroyed
The Kremlin said on Thursday that measures were being taken to destroy "Ukrainian terrorists" who had mounted a cross-border attack and were reported by Russian officials to have taken hostages.
Russian officials were cited by state news agencies as saying earlier on Thursday that Russian forces were battling Ukrainian sabotage group which had infiltrated Bryansk region that borders Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin was receiving regular updates from security agencies and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu about the situation. Peskov denied reports that Putin planned to hold an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Thursday, but said he would hold a meeting of the Council on Friday when it convenes regularly.
11:22am: Russian parliament backs tougher law on 'discrediting' the army
Russia's lower house of parliament on Thursday gave its initial backing to a law that would bring in longer prison sentences for anyone deemed to have discredited the Russian army, the TASS news agency reported. The new legislation would also extend the law to cover the Wagner mercenary force.
11:16am: Denmark's Little Mermaid vandalised with Russian flag
The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, one of Denmark's most iconic landmarks, was vandalised overnight Thursday with a Russian flag painted across the statue's base.
The colours of Russia's flag had been painted on the stone where the statue rests of the heroine from Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen's famous novel, an AFP journalist saw.
10:41am: Moscow, Beijing blast Western 'blackmail and threats'
Russia and China on Thursday criticised the West for employing "blackmail and threats" against other countries, Moscow said following a meeting of the two countries' foreign ministers at the G20.
"A unanimous rejection was expressed of attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, to impose unilateral approaches through blackmail and threats, and to oppose the democratisation of international relations," the Russian foreign ministry said, after the meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
10:21am: Russia says it suspended nuclear pact because US was using it to help Ukraine
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that Moscow had been forced to suspend its participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty because Washington was using it to help Ukraine attack Russian strategic sites.
Speaking at the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Ryabkov said that the United States and its Western allies wanted to see Russia strategically defeated in Ukraine. "The situation further degraded after US attempts to assess the security of Russian strategic facilities outlined under the New START Treaty by assisting the Kyiv regime in conducting armed attacks against them," Ryabkov said. "Under these circumstances, we were forced to announce the suspension of the treaty."
10:17am: Finland's Fortum energy firm posts big losses from Ukraine war
Finnish utility Fortum announced losses Thursday of more than 10 billion euros ($10.6 billion) in 2022 due to the "shock-like" impact of the Ukraine war and the nationalisation of its Uniper subsidiary by Germany.
"Russia attacked Ukraine, marking the beginning of shock-like effects of the war and a full-blown energy crisis in Europe that drastically changed our operating environment," Fortum's chief executive Markus Rauramo said in a statement.
Fortum's decision to exit from Russia in May led to impairments of around 1.7 billion euros for the year, the company said.
10:08am: Russian forces say they are fighting Ukrainian sabotage group in border region
Russian forces are fighting a Ukrainian sabotage group in Russia's Bryansk region which borders Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing security agencies.
Officials in southern Russia said Thursday that a Ukrainian sabotage group had crossed into southern Russia and opened fire, and that the Russian military was responding to "eliminate" the group.
"A reconnaissance and sabotage group penetrated from Ukraine to the Klimovsky district in the village of Lyubechane... The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are taking all the necessary measures to eliminate the sabotage group," the Bryansk regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a statement online.
9:41am: Blinken at G20 demands Russia extend grain deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanded at the G20 meeting attended by Russia that Moscow renew a UN-brokered deal to allow exports of Ukrainian grain, which expires this month.
"It is imperative the G20 speak up on behalf of extending and expanding the grain initiative to strengthen food security for the most vulnerable," Blinken told G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi, according to his prepared remarks.
9:17am: Russia says West is 'burying' Black Sea grain deal
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday accused the West of "shamelessly burying" the Black Sea grain initiative that facilitates the export of Ukraine's agricultural products from its southern ports, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
While remaining in the agreement, Russia has repeatedly railed against the West's approach to the deal, struck last July, saying countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow are not doing enough to ease restrictions on Russia's own exports, in particular of fertilisers.
9:14am: Russia's Lavrov calls for 'fast and fair' investigation into Nord Stream blasts
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday called for a "fast and fair" investigation into last year's still-unexplained explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea, the TASS news agency reported.
Speaking ahead of a G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in India, Lavrov also said Moscow must be involved in the probe into the blasts.
9:08am: Italy hopes India as G20 president may facilitate peace in Ukraine
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday she hoped that India, as G20 president, may facilitate the path towards "just peace" in Ukraine.
Speaking during a press conference with Indian president Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Meloni added that Italy aimed to strengthen its partnership with India on defence and energy security, as well as cybersecurity and other areas. Meloni landed in Delhi on Thursday for a visit until Friday.
>> India tries diplomatic dance on Ukraine, but Russia is an awkward partner
9:06am: Germany's Scholz calls on China not to arm Russia and to engage in Ukraine peace talks
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged China not to send weapons to help Russia's war in Ukraine and instead asked Beijing to exert pressure on Moscow to pull back its forces. In a speech to the German parliament, Scholz said it was disappointing that Beijing had refrained from condemning the Russian invasion, though he welcomed its efforts towards nuclear de-escalation.
"Is Putin even ready... to negotiate a just peace? Nothing suggests it at the moment," Scholz said. "My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to urge the withdrawal of Russian troops ... And don't deliver any weapons to the aggressor Russia".
8:06am: German FM calls on Russia to return to New START at G20
German Foreign Minister Baerbock on Thursday called on her Russian counterpart to return to the full implementation of the New START nuclear arms control treaty. "I ask you, Mr (Sergei) Lavrov, to return to full implementation of New START," Baerbock said during the first G20 session on multilateralism, according to the German delegation.
7:46am: Ukraine says two killed in Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia apartment block
A Russian strike on an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia has killed at least two people, the city's acting mayor said Thursday.
The five-storey building was "almost completely destroyed" in the strike overnight, said Anatoly Kurtev on social media.
5:07am: India PM Modi calls for common ground on global issues at G20 meeting
Top diplomats from the world’s major industrialised and developing nations on Thursday opened what are expected to be contentious talks dominated by Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s moves to boost its global influence.
Host India appealed for all members of the fractured Group of 20 to reach consensus on issues of deep concern to poorer countries even if the broader East-West split over Ukraine cannot be resolved.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on world leaders to find common ground on divisive issues on Thursday as he inaugurated a ministerial meeting of the Group of 20 bloc where Russia's year-long war in Ukraine is taking centre-stage. "We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can," Modi said in a video message that was broadcast before the first session of the foreign ministers' meeting in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
>> East-West showdown over Ukraine war looms at G20 meeting in India
10:06pm: Ukraine considering 'strategic' withdrawal from Bakhmut, Zelensky aide says
The Ukrainian military might pull troops back from the key stronghold of Bakhmut, an adviser to Ukraine's president said Wednesday in remarks that suggested Russia could capture the city that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Kremlin forces have waged a bloody, months-long offensive to take Bakhmut, a city of salt and gypsum mines in eastern Ukraine that has become a ghost town.
>> Ukraine's Bakhmut: Inside the frontline city
“Our military is obviously going to weigh all of the options. So far, they’ve held the city, but if need be, they will strategically pull back," Alexander Rodnyansky, an economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told CNN.
“We’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
