Here's a summary of the latest developments...
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of delaying the passage of more than 150 ships scheduled to carry grain exports through the Black Sea. In a video address, he said that Russia’s actions mean that Ukraine has delivered three million tonnes less grain than planned.
The UK, France and Germany have called for a UN investigation into accusations that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine. If found to be true, the allegations would be in breach of UN security council resolution (UNSCR) 2231. A letter, seen by Reuters, was circulated to UN security council members by the three countries, known as the E3.
The Pentagon also published a readout of the US defence secretary’s call with the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov. US secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin III pledged “unwavering US commitment” to supporting Ukraine against Russia.
The Pentagon also confirmed a call between the US defence secretary and the Russian defence minister. They said that Austin “emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication” with Sergey Shoygu.
Russia has hit at least half of Ukraine’s thermal generation capacity since 10 October, Ukraine has said. Energy minister Herman Halushchenko said 30-40% of overall national power infrastructure had been hit but that not all stricken power units have stopped working completely.
Russia’s defence ministry said there was a telephone conversation between the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin. A statement said: “Topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, were discussed.”
Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine will need Europe’s support “for as long as it takes”. The president of the EU Commission made the comments at the European Council in Brussels.
A Russian-appointed official in occupied Kherson has denied allegations by Kyiv that Russia has started mining a hydroelectric dam in the region. Citing state-owned news agency RIA, Reuters reported that Kirill Stremousov denied suggestions by the Ukrainian president that Russia is planning to blow up Kakhovska HPP and that claims that it had started mining the dam were “false”.
The office of Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed it will “not succumb to peace by coercion” – threatening to hit back harder if Russia destroys a hydroelectric dam in Kherson. Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, claimed that Russia has resorted to destroying the Kakhovska HPP because “nuclear blackmail did not work”.
Russia claims it has destroyed a depot with foreign-made Ukrainian military equipment in the Kherson region, reports Reuters. The agency was not able to immediately verify the report.
That’s it from me for today. This blog is now closing. Thanks for reading.
Zelenskiy accuses Russia of delaying passage of more than 150 ships scheduled to carry grain
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of delaying the passage of more than 150 ships scheduled to carry grain exports through the Black Sea.
In a video address, he said that Russia’s actions mean that Ukraine has delivered 3m tonnes less grain than planned, reports Reuters.
Updated
