Closing summary
It’s almost 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Vladimir Putin mentioned a potential settlement to end his war in Ukraine on Friday while still claiming that his “special military operation” was going to plan. Putin also discussed the potential for a nuclear war in his remarks on Friday, saying that Russian nuclear doctrine doesn’t allow for a preventive strike and that in the case of all-out war, strikes against Russia would be “inevitable”.
Putin’s remarks came a day after he appeared to revel in recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Drinking what appeared to be sparkling wine, Putin vowed to keep battering Ukraine’s energy grid despite an outcry against the systematic attacks that have plunged millions into cold and darkness as winter sets in.
Putin also said Russia may cut oil production and will refuse to sell oil to any country that imposes the G7’s price cap on its oil. His comments came after the G7, the EU and Australia announced a $60-a-barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil last week.
Russian forces have shelled the “entire frontline” in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the region’s governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, has said. The fiercest fighting was near the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, he said, adding that Russian troops were also trying to advance near Lyman, which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November.
The UK’s ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, said Russia is attempting to obtain more weapons from Iran, including hundreds of ballistic missiles. Moscow is offering Tehran an “unprecedented level” of military and technical support in return for it supplying weapons for the war in Ukraine, Woodward told reporters. Meanwhile, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, warned that Russia is “expanding and modernising its nuclear arsenal”.
Ukraine’s state-run power agency has accused Russian forces of abducting two senior Ukrainian staff at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Energoatom said the two abducted members of staff were beaten before being driven off in an “unknown direction” on Thursday. A third worker, who was detained, was responsible for safety at the plant, it said.
Russian forces have installed multiple rocket launchers at Ukraine’s shut-down Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to Ukrainian officials. Energoatom said Russian forces occupying the plant have placed several Grad multiple rocket launchers near one of its six nuclear reactors, raising fears that Europe’s largest atomic power station could be used as a base to fire on Ukrainian territory and heightening radiation dangers.
The UK Ministry of Defence has said Russia has likely received a resupply of Iranian Shahed-131 and 136 loitering munitions. Friday’s intelligence update comes following new reports over the past three weeks of attacks involving these devices. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian general staff reported shooting down at least 14 Shahed-136s.
Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, discussed the latest Russian attacks on the country’s infrastructure in a phone call on Friday. Sunak said “more anti-air guns and further short-range air defence missiles would arrive in the coming weeks”, Downing Street said.
A Russian court has sentenced the opposition politician Ilya Yashin to eight and a half years in prison on charges of spreading false information meant to discredit the Russian army. The verdict marks the most high-profile case to date of a Russian dissident being jailed for opposing the invasion of Ukraine.
Representatives from Russia and the US met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss “difficult questions”, Russian state media reported. A US embassy spokesperson confirmed that a senior State department official met with Russian interlocutors to discuss “a narrow set of bilateral issues” that did not involve the war in Ukraine.
Russian athletes have been offered a path to compete at the Paris 2024 Games even if the war in Ukraine continues to rage for another 18 months. It comes after a proposal was made by the Olympic Council of Asia to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in its qualifying competitions for 2024 – even though they are still banned by most sports.
The American basketball star Brittney Griner returned to the US early on Friday after being freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange from nearly 10 months in detention in Russia. Griner was seen getting off a plane at joint base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas, after she was swapped for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Following his release from US detention, the notorious arms dealer, Viktor Bout, told RT that it was difficult to find the words to describe his feelings after being freed. Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death”, Bout is a former Soviet lieutenant colonel who was serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons US officials said were to be used against Americans.
The prisoner exchange of Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner should not be seen as a step towards improving US-Russia bilateral relations, the Kremlin said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov’s comments came as Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, said 30 more embassy staff would have to leave in the new year because of visa restrictions, according to state-owned news agency Ria.
The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has announced in today’s Guardian that he will place new sanctions on 2,000 individuals and 400 entities across the world with connections to the Kremlin. “We are right to express our horror and revulsion, but our words will always count for more when they are backed by action,” Cleverly wrote. “I will ensure this remains the theme of British diplomacy. We are not passive observers and we should not merely voice our feelings: we will use our country’s leverage to make a difference.”
The US has announced fresh sanctions on dozens of people and entities over alleged human rights abuse or corruption across nine countries, including Russia, China and Iran. The latest sanctions list includes Russia’s Central Election Commission, which Washington accused of helping to oversee and monitor what the US said are “sham referendums” held in Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine, as well as 15 of its members.
President Joe Biden has authorised $275m in military aid for Ukraine, the White House said. The new package will include weapons and artillery rounds, as well as equipment to help Ukraine boost its air defences, according to a statement by the US defence department.
Updated
My colleagues Andrew Roth, Pjotr Sauer and Helen Sullivan have the full story on the comments made earlier today by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on a potential settlement to end the war in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin mentioned a potential settlement to end his war in Ukraine on Friday while still claiming that his “special military operation” was going to plan.
The Russian president said during remarks at a press conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan:
The settlement process as a whole, yes, it will probably be difficult and will take some time. But one way or another, all participants in this process will have to agree with the realities that are taking shape on the ground.
The remarks came just days after Putin appeared to be girding Russians for a protracted war in Ukraine, saying that his military operation could be a “long-term process”. Initially, Russian commanders expected the war would last just a matter of weeks before a Russian victory, according to plans captured at the beginning of the war. It is now in its 10th month and Russia has been forced to retreat for several months.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Putin claimed that his military operation was going to plan. “Everything is stable. There are no questions or problems there,” he said, adding that information was being given to the public transparently.
Putin also discussed the potential for a nuclear war in his remarks on Friday, saying that Russian nuclear doctrine doesn’t allow for a preventive strike and that in the case of all-out war, strikes against Russia would be “inevitable”, adding:
However, nothing will remain of the enemy.
Updated
