Summary of the day
One person was killed and 10 were wounded, while four appeared to be trapped under rubble following Russian missile attacks in the Donetsk region.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s presence at a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in North Macedonia fuelled controversy.
A number of delegates walked out of the room while the Russian minister spoke.
Lavrov accused the west of killing the OSCE.
Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó met with Lavrov, despite European qualms about the Russian minister’s presence.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that he discussed defence cooperation and the situation in the battlefield with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. He also spoke with British prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said troops’ most urgent needs at the moment are electronic warfare equipment, drones and protection against UAVs.
The European Council president, Charles Michel, called for a defence union, underscoring the need to both continue supporting Ukraine and ensuring Europe’s own security.
The European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, underlined the importance of sustained aid to Ukraine, calling for “strategic responsibility”.
Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, met with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov today.
In a post on social media, Szijjártó insisted that Hungary’s foreign policy is based on national interest.
Ukrainian troops’ most urgent needs at the moment are electronic warfare equipment, drones and protection against UAVs, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the president’s office.
Together with President @ZelenskyyUa, Minister of Defense @rustem_umerov and the team, visited the frontline command post of the Kupiansk defense.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) November 30, 2023
We discussed the most urgent needs of the defenders: electronic warfare equipment, drones, protection against enemy UAVs. pic.twitter.com/hooKVR2y8x
Ukraine’s minister for strategic industries, Alexander Kamyshin, has met with European commissioner Thierry Breton.
“Strengthening cooperation is key,” Breton said.
Important meeting with Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries @AKamyshin 🇺🇦
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) November 30, 2023
EU has a solid defence industrial base to support both 🇪🇺 and Ukraine’s security — strengthening cooperation is key.#ASAP #EDIRPA #EDIP pic.twitter.com/XStruQHCUg
Updated
Here are some photos from Ukraine today.
Zelenskiy and Sunak discuss defence needs
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he spoke with the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, about Ukraine’s defence needs, macro-financial assistance and Euro-Atlantic integration.
I spoke with @RishiSunak to thank him for the UK’s continued defense and political support.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 30, 2023
Following my visits to the frontlines, I briefed the Prime Minister on Ukraine’s priority defense needs for strengthening our warriors and our sky shield.
We discussed further…
Updated
Commitment to Ukraine needs to be 'rock solid', EU Commission chief says
Speaking at a defence conference today, the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, underlined the importance of sustained aid to Ukraine.
“The strategic environment around us has fundamentally changed,” she said. “This creates a new kind of responsibility for Europe. I call it strategic responsibility. It is a responsibility, first of all, to support Ukraine in this war, for as long as it takes.”
The commission president added:
This will not be easy – but it is exactly when our commitment needs to be rock solid.
Russia is now reinforcing its positions. Trying to re-take the initiative. And this means that the situation on the battlefield remains very challenging. But this is not an argument against support. On the contrary, it is an argument for more support.
Because let’s not forget … Currently, Putin does not even control all the territories he has already annexed. Ukraine has driven Russia out of half the territories captured after February 2022. Ukraine has even pushed the Russian fleet in the Black Sea back and is able to deliver grain again through this maritime corridor. Finland has become a NATO member, with a long border with Russia. Sweden soon will be. Ukraine is on its way to EU membership. And the Kremlin has deprived itself of access to Western economies and innovation systems and made itself dependent on China.
We have achieved a lot together. And all these are good arguments for sustained support to Ukraine.
At the same time, we must also look at Ukraine’s security in the medium and long term. Ukraine must have the capabilities to deter further attacks by Russia. And this is why the EU’s future security commitments to Ukraine are so vital.
Updated
Jan Lipavský, the Czech foreign minister, wrote on social media that he “did not listen to the speech of the Russian foreign minister in Skopje”.
“I thought it would be more beneficial for our colleague who is in charge of disinformation monitoring to be in the room at that moment,” he said.
Projev ruského ministra zahraničí jsem si ve Skopje neposlechl. Považoval jsem za přínosnější, aby byl v tu chvíli v sále náš kolega, který má na starosti monitoring dezinformací.
— Jan Lipavský (@JanLipavsky) November 30, 2023
Updated
A new report by the European Defence Agency (EDA) has found that European defence spending increased by 6% in 2022, reaching a record €240bn.
“20 of the 27 EU member states increased defence expenditure, with six increasing spending by over 10%,” the agency said.
The greatest increases were found in Sweden (+30.1%), Luxembourg (+27.9%), Lithuania (27.6%), Spain (19.3%), Belgium (14.8%) and Greece (13.3%).
The EDA also said there was a “significant jump in value of projects” it manages “with 18 projects starting in 2022 worth more than €76m, for a combined value of €250m across 46 projects managed on behalf of member states by EDA”.
Updated
Zelenskiy and Scholz talk military aid, EU unity on Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that he discussed defence cooperation and the situation in the battlefield with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
“I am grateful for the powerful ‘winter’ defense package from Germany, including 4 IRIS-T systems and for the multi-year financial assistance program from Germany,” he said.
With a key EU summit coming up in December and fears of a Hungarian veto, the leaders also discussed European aid to Kyiv.
“I emphasized the importance of ensuring unity within the European Union in the issue of endorsement of Ukraine’s accession negotiations and in the allocation of €50 billion in aid for the coming years,” the Ukrainian leader said.
I had a phone call with @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 30, 2023
We discussed further defense cooperation. I am grateful for the powerful "winter" defense package from Germany, including 4 IRIS-T systems and for the multi-year financial assistance program from Germany. These are the best…
Updated
Speaking after Sergei Lavrov at the OSCE session, the Danish foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, pushed back against the Russian minister’s comments, describing his words as “to put it mildly, very misleading remarks”.
The Danish minister stressed that “we will not accept Russia’s attempt to divide Europe into spheres of influence”.
He added:
Russia’s actions are a breach of the rule-based international order, and Russia’s attempt to blame others for its own choices are transparent.
The minister underscored his disappointment in Russia, noting that Lavrov has “now left the room – so much for the dialogue”.
Updated
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, has sharply criticised Sergei Lavrov’s presence in today’s OSCE session.
“The only appropriate strategy towards Russia today is its absolute political isolation,” he said.
The Russian representative (#Lavrov) in Skopje at the #OSCE meeting a direct statement to the world that war is a good instrument of foreign policy, that mass murderers have the right to commit war crimes, that the war in #Ukraine must continue and escalate, that those who use…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) November 30, 2023
Some officials walk out of session, as Lavrov says west is killing the OSCE
A number of officials appear to have walked out of a session of the OSCE ministers’ meeting while Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov spoke.
The Russian minister told his counterparts that the OSCE is on the brink of a precipice and that the West was killing the chances of reviving the group, Reuters reported.
Lavrov said:
Unfortunately, the Western political elites, which have arrogated to themselves the right to decide the fate of humanity, have made a short-sighted choice not in favour of the OSCE, but in favour of NATO. In favour of the philosophy of containment, zero-sum geopolitical games and the ‘master - slave’ logic.
One of the key components of this policy was NATO’s reckless expansion to the East, which began after the dissolution of the Warsaw Treaty Organization.
Updated
Jan Lipavský, the Czech foreign minister, will leave the room while Russia’s Sergei Lavrov speaks at the OSCE.
Here’s a photo of Sergei Lavrov at the OSCE ministers’ meeting today. His presence has raised concerns among a number of delegations.
Updated
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has arrived in North Macedonia for the OSCE ministers’ meeting. His presence at the session has stoked controversy: the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are boycotting the meeting.
📹 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov 🤝 greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia @Bujar_O, Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ahead of the Plenary Session of the OSCE Ministerial Council. pic.twitter.com/U9LoNnP5JH
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) November 30, 2023
Updated
UK's Ministry of Defence says it is likely Russia is deploying newly formed 104th Guards Airborne Division in Ukraine
In an intelligence update, the British defence ministry said that Russia’s airborne forces has likely started deploying the newly formed 104th Guards Airborne Division in Ukraine, and that the division is probably assembling in Kherson oblast.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 30 November 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 30, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/l5XsggvG5b
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/OutuWDU2SR
Updated
One person was killed and 10 were wounded, while four appeared to be trapped under rubble following Russian missile attacks in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko and regional officials said today, Reuters reported.
Here are photos of rescue work in Novohrodivka and Pokrovsk.
Kremlin says Bulgarian airspace ban on Lavrov 'absurd'
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has had to take a longer plane route than he expected when travelling to a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in North Macedonia, after Bulgaria decided to prevent a plane he was travelling on from crossing its airspace.
The Kremlin called Bulgaria’s decision “absurd and stupid”, Reuters reported.
Updated
European Council chief calls for more coordination and financing for defence
The European Council president, Charles Michel, called today for a defence union, underscoring the need to both continue supporting Ukraine and ensuring Europe’s own security.
Speaking at a defence conference, Michel said “the time has come to create a real union of defence coupled with a true defence single market”.
He added Europe should focus on two goals:
First, our support – our ironclad military support for the people of Ukraine – because Ukraine security is our security, it is all of our security.
And second, I repeat again, we must make our defence – our European defence – stronger now, tomorrow and in the future.
And while noting Europe’s unprecedented assistance to Ukraine, Michel stressed more needs to be done.
We all know that we need to do more -- more missiles, more ammunition, more air defence systems and faster.
And it’s an obligation – an obligation toward the Ukrainian people, but also towards our citizens. By protecting Ukraine, we protect ourselves, and our continued strong military support also sends a signal to our partners, especially our American allies – a clear signal that we take our security more seriously than ever.
Michel also called for more effective coordination of European defence spending, as well as a greater role for the European Defence Agency and ramping up financing for the defence industry.
Updated
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said Henry Kissinger was a “controversial but undeniably outstanding figure”.
Kissinger had suggested that Ukraine cede territory to Russia in order to reach peace, prompting a backlash.
Saddened by the news of Dr. Henry Kissinger's passing. He was a controversial but undeniably outstanding figure. His legacy of leadership and commitment to global collaboration will be remembered.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) November 30, 2023
Reacting to the death of Henry Kissinger, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said “his is intellectual legacy will continue to influence the understanding of diplomacy and world order”.
The century of Henry Kissinger was no easy one, but its great challenges fit his great and curious mind. He changed its pace and the face of diplomacy. Crisp in thoughts, prolific in writings. His intellectual legacy will continue to influence the understanding of diplomacy and… pic.twitter.com/NaMJXIUZB6
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) November 30, 2023
Summary
Hello, we resume the Guardian’s live coverage of Russia’s war against Ukraine with these developments:
Russian shelling hit the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk overnight, with at least three civilians reportedly injured. Photographs from the Getty agency showed firefighters working to extinguish the burning wreckage of a building in Pokrovsk, which is near the frontline in Donetsk.
Reports online this morning citing Russian media said Ukrainian drones or missiles blew up a warehouse for Shahed drones in Bryansk, Russia, on Wednesday night. Social media footage showed an explosion claimed to be in the area.
Ukraine used Patriot air defence missiles to destroy three Russian Mi-8 helicopters, an Su-34 bomber and an Su-35 bomber, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Col Yuriy Ignat has told a local news outlet. The “brilliant operation” took place in May, Ignat said. It was reported in Russia media at the time.
Ukraine said it had killed five high-ranking Russian officials in a strike on a building in an occupied part of Kherson. The armed forces said the strike targeted a meeting in the village of Yuvileyne following “information provided by the underground and concerned local residents”.
Russia is ramping up its attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said. Russia had “doubled its artillery fire and airstrikes” and had also “intensified ground infantry attacks”.
Russia is also likely to have begun using more 500kg cluster bombs in Donetsk, according to the British intelligence, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said. The bombs eject 100-350 smaller bombs over a wide area.
Russian forces claimed to have taken control of the village of Khromove in the same region. The village is on the western edge of Bakhmut, a city that fell to Russia over summer after a months-long battle and which remains the scene of heavy fighting.
Russian casualties since the beginning of the war stand at 327,580, according to the Ukrainian military. In its latest daily update, Ukraine’s general staff said the figure had increased by 1,140.
The secretary general of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, has warned that the bloc must not underestimate Russia and its ability to continue fighting the war in Ukraine. “Russia’s economy is on a war footing, Putin has a high tolerance for casualties, and Russian aims in Ukraine have not changed,” he said.
The European Union has delivered about 300,000 of the 1m shells it has promised to Ukraine, the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has said. Kuleba said the demands of Ukraine’s war effort meant there was a need for greater alignment of Ukrainian and Nato arms production and to create “a Euro-Atlantic common area” of defence industries.
Kuleba said, however, that Ukraine has seen no sign that its Nato allies are tiring of the war or of providing it with support. “I heard a clear ‘No’ to any reference to fatigue, and I heard [a] clear ‘Yes’ to increased support to Ukraine … They understand that in order for them to feel safe, in order for them not to end up in a situation where Nato’s soldiers will have to fight, Ukraine has to win in this war.”
Russia has failed in its bid to be re-elected to the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In a vote of the member states, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland were elected to fill three seats from the eastern Europe bloc for the 2024-2026 term.
Updated
Ukraine’s air force used Patriot defensive missiles to destroy three Russian Mi-8 helicopters, an Su-34 bomber and an Su-35 bomber, Ukrainian air force spokesman Col Yuriy Ignat has told the local news outlet Novynarnia.
The operation took place in May, Ignat said. It was reported in Russia media at the time.
“It was a brilliant operation led by the commander of the air force. Thanks to non-standard, decisive actions, the Patriot air defence units destroyed five ships at once in the Bryansk direction in five minutes, from where they then bombarded our northern regions with guided aerial bombs.”
Ignat also said that during this winter, “in my opinion, Russia will now use drones many times more than missiles. We are talking about Shaheds, as well as FPV drones and Lancets on the front line. Of course, they are stockpiling missiles, the GUR [Ukrainian military intelligence] regularly declares this. I think there will be [missile attacks], but in what quantity?
