Wednesday Summary
It’s close to 9pm in Kyiv and here are the major developments from Wednesday on Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion.
Vladimir Putin said Russia has always been “ready for talks” to end the “tragedy” of war in Ukraine. Speaking at the virtual G20 meeting, the Russian president gave his most pacific comments yet since invading Ukraine, but then blamed Kyiv for no peace talks.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s troops faced “difficult” defensive operations on parts of the eastern front, as bitter winter cold settles in. But the president added forces in the south were still conducting offensive actions.
The death toll from a Russian strike on a Ukrainian hospital in Selydove rose to three people. After Tuesday’s attack, rescuers spent the night clearing rubble and discovered further casualties.
The Russian foreign ministry said relations with the US were extremely thin and risked being torn at any moment. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters Washington’s actions could lead to “unpredictable consequences.”
Finland prime minister Petteri Orpo said the country will shut three border crossings after Helsinki accused the Kremlin of pushing hundreds of asylum seekers to the border in recent weeks. It leaves just one crossing open in its 1,340km border with Russia, also the Nato and EU border.
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is threatening to block Ukraine’s candidacy for membership of the EU. European leaders will meet on 14 and 15 December to discuss Ukraine’s EU bid.
The European Council president, Charles Michel, said he expected a “difficult” meeting next month about Ukraine joining the EU. He promised to do “everything in my power” to make a decision in December.
The EU has approved a further €1.5bn (£1.3bn) payment in macro financial assistance to Ukraine. It is the tenth payment made as part of an €18bn programme to keep the Ukrainian economy moving.
Russia’s defence ministry said a group of Russian journalists had come under drone attack from Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. It said one reporter received medical treatment but no one was life-threateningly injured.
A Russian independent politician was summoned to a local prosecutor’s office after declaring her intention to run in next year’s presidential election. She had been critical of the regime.
The Kremlin said there were “no revisions” to its policy of pardoning prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine. It followed local media reports of a Russian “satanist” killer who was released.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces overnight. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The US voiced concern that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine. The national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said the development would probably be disastrous for the Ukrainian people.
The UN human rights office said more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. It expects the real toll is significantly higher.
That’s all from me, Jem Bartholomew, taking charge of our live coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine today. See you next time.
A 17-year-old Russian has been sentenced to six years in a juvenile penal colony for throwing molotov cocktails at army recruitment offices, the latest ruling in Moscow’s crackdown against dissent over its invasion of Ukraine.
Yegor Balazeikin, then a student at a prestigious high school in St Petersburg specialising in social sciences, threw homemade molotov cocktails, but they failed to ignite.
Balazeikin “has no regrets” over his actions, his mother said, but according to supporters, he has suffered worsening health conditions while in custody – including autoimmune hepatitis and liver fibrosis.
AFP has a reporter at the court in St Petersburg:
Balazeikin said he had targeted the enlistment buildings in Saint Petersburg and in his hometown of Kirovsk, 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of St Petersburg, in protest at Russia’s offensive on Ukraine.
His uncle was killed a few months after volunteering to fight at the start of the conflict.
Moscow has taken a harsh line against public shows of dissent and opposition to its actions in Ukraine.
Russian courts have sentenced several individuals to multiple years in prison - also on ‘terrorism’ charges - for attempted attacks on military and government buildings.
During the trial, Balazeikin admitted to throwing the Molotov cocktails, but said he did not agree with the classification of his actions as a ‘terrorist act’.
‘I believe that if people en masse expressed their dissatisfaction - not necessarily in the way I did - it will lead to the end of this war and the saving of lives,’ the independent Sota outlet quoted him as saying in court.
Updated
Russia lifted a temporary ban on diesel exports on Wednesday, saying the two-month restrictions had been successful in bringing down rising fuel prices on the domestic market, AFP reports.
Moscow suspended the export of diesel and gasoline products in September in a move that roiled global markets.
The energy ministry said it had taken the measures to boost supplies inside Russia and bring down rising prices that were hitting drivers and businesses across the country.
On Wednesday, it said it was removing the restrictions after prices had dropped and domestic reserves had grown 14% to 3.2m tonnes during the two months when exports were curtailed.
It follows the lifting last month of restrictions on Russia’s seaborne diesel exports, which make up the majority, and last week’s removal of a suspension on gasoline exports.
Updated
Death toll from Russian strike on Ukrainian hospital rises to three people
The death toll from a Russian strike on a hospital has risen to three people, emergency services in Ukraine’s southern town of Selydove have said.
The strike on Tuesday damaged two hospital buildings – injuring at least eight people – and a coal mine – Reuters reports, citing local Ukrainian authorities.
After clearing rubble overnight, the state emergency service said on Telegram on Wednesday: “Another body was recovered from the rubble of the hospital building. In total, three people were killed in the missile strike.”
Moscow denies targeting civilians. But the United Nations says more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. It expects the actual toll to be significantly higher.
Updated
Critical politician planning Russian presidential run summoned to prosecutor's office
A Russian independent politician was summoned to a local prosecutor’s office after declaring her intention to run in next year’s presidential election and criticising the regime, AFP reports.
According to Freedom House, a democracy advocacy group, “the Kremlin manipulates elections and suppresses genuine dissent”.
AFP has the details on the story here:
President Vladimir Putin is set to extend his rule until at least 2030 in a nationwide vote next March – a contest rights groups say will be neither free nor fair.
After saying she would try to stand in the 2024 vote and criticising the current regime, prosecutors in Rzhev, a town 200 kilometres west of Moscow, called Ekaterina Duntsova, 40, in for questioning.
Officials said her post had “raised some questions, specifically about the wording of sections about war and peace, my opinion of the current government and what is happening in our country,” Duntsova told AFP in a video interview Wednesday.
In earlier social media posts, Duntsova said issues of “war and peace” affected every Russian, and said the country was “moving away from rights and freedoms, away from love and peace, away from a beautiful future.”
Any criticism of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine is effectively illegal under sweeping censorship laws passed in the first days after Russia launched its military offensive.
Updated
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said he will support Ukraine as long as necessary in its fight against the Russian invasion.
At a summit in Berlin with the Italian rightwing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, Scholz said he had called on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to end the invasion of Ukraine during Wednesday’s G20 virtual meeting.
“I called on President Putin to end his attack on Ukraine and withdraw troops from Ukraine’s territory, so that this war can finally end,” he said.
Meloni told reporters: “It is simply enough for Russia to withdraw its troops from the invaded territory”.
Scholz also announced the construction of a new energy pipeline across the Alps. “We agree that we want to expand our energy cooperation in order to strengthen long-term supply, security and transformation,” he said.
Updated
Finland to close all but one remote border crossing with Russia amid asylum seeker row
Finland’s prime minister Petteri Orpo said the country will shut three border crossings – leaving just one open in its 1,340km border with Russia – after Helsinki accused the Kremlin of pushing hundreds of asylum seekers to the border in recent weeks.
Finland accuses Russia of facilitating organised illegal crossings. The border also marks the frontiers of Nato an the European Union. Estonia, another Nato and EU member, also says Russia is pushing asylum seekers to its border as a form of hybrid “warfare”.
Finland’s closures will begin at midnight on Friday. The Raja-Jooseppi crossing, in the far northern Lapland region, will remain open and asylum applications will be processed there, Reuters reports.
“The government has today decided to close more border posts,” Orpo told a press conference. “Raja-Jooseppi is the northernmost [crossing] and it requires a real effort to get there”.
Destitute and desparate people with few possessions – often from war torn countries like Syria, Yemen and Somalia – have become political footballs in a clash between Finland and Estonia against Russia at the borders of the western alliance.
Updated
Following Finland, Estonia has accused Russia of pushing asylum seekers to its border crossings.
The countries share a 338.6km border, which is also the European Union and Nato border. Finland and Estonia say they have seen a surge in migrants arriving in the past two weeks and accuse Moscow of facilitating the arrivals.
The office of Estonia’s interior minister, Lauri Laanemets, told Reuters: “Unfortunately, there are many signs that Russian border officials and possibly other agencies are involved”. Laanemets added: “Quite frankly, [the] ongoing migration pressure on Europe’s eastern border is a hybrid attack operation”.
Estonia’s interior ministry said 75 people – largely from Somalia and Syria – attempted to enter from Russia since Thursday but said they were turned back.
Finland’s foreign minister on Wednesday told Reuters it demanded Russia stops sending people to the border, and said the country was considering closing all border crossings. The Kremlin denies pushing asylum seekers to the borders.
The issue has become a point of contention between the two EU and Nato members and Russia, as they tussle over the fates of asylum seekers from often war-torn countries who have few possessions and face hostility and destitution.
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Finland’s foreign minister demanded Russia stops sending people to the border, claiming to have evidence the Russian border service is transporting asylum seekers to crossings – as tensions between the two countries continue to simmer.
The foreign minister, Elina Valtonen, told Reuters on Wednesday that one alternative is to close the entire 1,340km border it shares with Russia – which is also the border of Nato and the EU – if asylum seekers from its neighbour continue to arrive.
Valtonen said: “We have already taken measures to close border crossing points, and if need be, we will be doing further closings.”
Helsinki has shut several crossings and is considering closing some of the four remaining border points on its Russian frontier, Reuters reports. Moscow denies sending people to the border.
Around 600 people have arrived in the past few weeks, Finland told Reuters. The asylum seekers come from a wide range of nations including Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria, according to immigration authorities.
An announcement from Finland is expected at 5pm GMT. Earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Russia would “of course” respond if Finland closes the remaining border posts.
It comes after Russia said on Wednesday it had protested to Finland after a damaged Russian tank was placed on display near the Finnish parliament.
The issue has become a point of contention between Finland and Estonia against Russia, as they tussle over the fates of asylum seekers from often war-torn countries who have few possessions and face hostility and destitution.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It’s 6.15pm in Kyiv and here’s an update on Wednesday’s key developments in Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion.
Vladimir Putin said Russia has always been “ready for talks” to end the “tragedy” of war in Ukraine. Speaking at the G20 meeting, the Russian president gave his most pacific comments yet since invading Ukraine, but then blamed Kyiv for no peace talks.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s troops faced “difficult” defensive operations on parts of the eastern front, as bitter winter cold settles in. But the president added forces in the south were still conducting offensive actions.
The Russian foreign ministry said relations with the US were extremely thin and risked being torn at any moment. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters Washington’s actions could lead to “unpredictable consequences.”
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is threatening to block Ukraine’s candidacy for membership of the EU. European leaders will meet on 14 and 15 December to discuss Ukraine’s EU bid.
The European Council president, Charles Michel, said he expected a “difficult” meeting next month about Ukraine joining the EU. He promised to do “everything in my power” to make a decision in December.
The EU has approved a further €1.5bn (£1.3bn) payment in macro financial assistance to Ukraine. It is the tenth payment made as part of an €18bn programme to keep the Ukrainian economy moving.
Russia’s defence ministry said a group of Russian journalists had come under drone attack from Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region. It said one reporter received medical treatment but no one was life-threateningly injured.
Russia said on Wednesday it had protested to Finland after a damaged Russian tank was placed on display near the Finnish parliament. Finland is an EU and Nato member and shares a 1,340km border with Russia.
The Kremlin said there were “no revisions” to its policy of pardoning prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine. It followed local media reports of a Russian “satanist” killer who was released.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces overnight. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The US voiced concern that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine. The national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said the development would probably be disastrous for the Ukrainian people.
The UN human rights office said more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. It expects the real toll is significantly higher.
Updated
Electronic warfare in Ukraine is affecting air travel and unnerving pilots far from the battlefield, according to a report in the New York Times.
“Planes are losing satellite signals, flights have been diverted and pilots have received false location reports or inaccurate warnings that they were flying close to terrain, according to European Union safety regulators and an internal airline memo,” the piece says.
Here are further details:
Radio frequency interference – intended to disrupt the satellite signals used by rockets, drones and other weaponry – spiked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and has grown even more intense this fall in the Middle East. The interference can involve jamming satellite signals by drowning them out with noise, or spoofing them – mimicking real satellite signals to trick recipients with misleading information.
The radio interference has so far not proven to be dangerous. But aircraft systems have proved largely unable to detect GPS spoofing and correct for it, according to Opsgroup, an organization that monitors changes and risks in the aviation industry. One Embraer jet bound for Dubai nearly veered into Iranian airspace in September before the pilots figured out the plane was chasing a false signal.
“We only realized there was an issue because the autopilot started turning to the left and right, so it was obvious that something was wrong,” crew members reported to Opsgroup.
Airplanes can typically fly safely without satellite signals and large commercial aircraft have at least six alternative navigation systems, pilots said. Business jets such as Dassault Falcons, Gulfstreams and Bombardiers appear to be more susceptible to signal spoofing, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said.
The strain on aviation could be a harbinger of far-reaching economic and security problems as the weapons of electronic warfare proliferate.
Updated
Lithuania said a new package of aid to Ukraine has arrived.
“Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable,” the Lithuanian ministry of national defence said on X/Twitter.
🇺🇦One more new package of military support from Lithuania has reached Ukraine today
— Lithuanian MOD 🇱🇹 (@Lithuanian_MoD) November 22, 2023
🇱🇹@LTU_Army delivered 3 million units of 7.62×51 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable pic.twitter.com/IkA508EMFL
The post said: “3 million units of 7.62×51 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment” had arrived.
“Thank you for steadfast support!” Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence replied.
Updated
Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that a group of Russian journalists had come under attack from Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region, Reuters reports.
Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine, is one of four regions that Russia claims to have annexed since February 2022.
Russia said a Ukrainian drone struck a group of journalists, wounding a reporter from the Rossiya 24 state TV channel, AFP reports.
“As a result of a Ukrainian drone attack on a group of journalists, a correspondent of the Rossiya 24 TV channel, Boris Maksudov, was wounded by shrapnel,” Moscow’s defence ministry said. The injuries are not believed to be in a life-threatening, it said.
Updated
Russia said on Wednesday it had protested to Finland after a damaged Russian tank was placed on display near the Finnish parliament.
The foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, accusing Helsinki of “Russophobia”, said:
Why are they doing this, for what? Why do Finns need this?
The damaged Russian T-72B3 tank was put on display on Saturday in an initiative by two pro-Ukraine associations in Finland to remind people of the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Tensions have increased between Moscow and Helsinki since Finland joined Nato earlier this year in response to the Ukraine conflict, and they rose further last week when the Nordic country closed four crossing points on its border with Russia.
Helsinki said it was responding to a surge in asylum seekers who it said were being funnelled to the border by Russia, an accusation that Moscow has denied. Zakharova blamed Finland for the problems but said:
We are open to dialogue, particularly on border-related issues.
Russia will “of course” respond if Finland closes the remaining border posts between the two countries, Zakharova said, without specifying what its reaction would be.
Putin says Russia 'ready for talks' to end the 'tragedy' of war in Ukraine but then blames Kyiv for no peace talks
Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is “ready for talks” to end the “tragedy” of war in Ukraine but blamed a Kyiv law prohibiting talks.
The Russian president launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year that has devastated the country and led to hundreds of thousands of casualties, both military and civilian, as well as Russian troops suspected of massacres in places such as Bucha.
Putin used his speech at the G20 meeting to say it was necessary to think about how to stop the tragedy of the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters reports, and said Russia had never refused to participate in peace talks with Ukraine.
“Military actions are always a tragedy,” Putin said to the virtual meeting. “And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy,” Putin said. “By the way, Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, signed a decree in October 2022 formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin “impossible” but leaving the door open to discussions with Russia.
Putin also used the speech to discuss wider geopolitical issues, saying a large share of economic activity is shifting to Asia and Africa. He said Russia had shipped grain to Africa free of charge, and emphasised the country’s willingness to contribute to global climate and development goals – in words that will be interpreted by many as attempts to spread Russia’s zones of influence further in the global south.
Updated
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the country’s troops faced “difficult” defensive operations on parts of the eastern front, as bitter winter cold settled in.
But, in a Telegram post on Wednesday, he added that forces in the south were still conducting offensive actions.
“Difficult weather, difficult defence on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka fronts. Offensive actions in the south,” Zelenskiy said. The temperature in Bakhmut is -6C.
Zelenskiy added: “The Black Sea grain corridor shows good results. The last days were a record for the volume of transported goods.”
Meanwhile, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is speaking at the G20 online summit, Russian state media Tass reports. Updates to come on that.
Updated
Russian foreign ministry says Russian-US relations risk 'being torn at any moment'
The Russian foreign ministry said relations with the US were extremely thin and risked being torn at any moment, a spokesperson said at a news conference.
Maria Zakharova told reporters Washington’s actions could lead to “unpredictable consequences”.
Russia has deployed strong rhetoric since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year – including frequent references to nuclear weapons – as one tactic to pressure the west into dampening its support for Kyiv.
It comes as the Ukraine invasion and the Israel-Hamas war have become proxies for superpower conflict between Moscow and Washington. The US has spent billions of dollars in military and financial aid to Ukraine; and Russia has grown closer to Hamas since its attacks on Israel on 7 October, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
You can watch Zakharova’s conference in full here.
Updated
In the US, polling from the Associated Press-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research found close to half the American public thinks the country is spending too much on aid to Ukraine.
About 45% Americans say the US government is spending too much on aid to Ukraine in the war against Russia, compared with 52% in October.
Meanwhile, the US president Joe Biden’s request for more than $61bn (£49bn) in emergency funding to support Ukraine’s defence remains stalled in Congress amid Republican opposition.
AP has further details:
Those sentiments, driven primarily by Republicans, help explain the hardening opposition among conservative GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill who are rebuffing efforts from President Joe Biden to approve a new tranche of Ukraine aid, arguing that the money would be better spent for domestic priorities.
The shift appears to come mostly from Republicans: 59% now say too much is spent on Ukraine aid, but that’s down from 69% in October.
Nonetheless, the Republican resistance to continued Ukraine aid remains strong.
Updated
The Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta shipped a record high 29.4m metric tons of Ukrainian grain between January and October, Reuters reports, citing the port authority.
If you want a primer on how Russia has resorted to one of the oldest forms of warfare – a food blockade – to try to crush Ukraine, read my colleague Julian Borger’s report here.
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Orbán threatens Hungary will block Ukraine's EU membership bid
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is threatening to block Ukraine’s candidacy for membership of the EU.
He has written to the European Council president, Charles Michel, arguing that the official candidacy recommended on 8 November by the European Commission should not be endorsed by EU leaders.
“The European Council is not in a position to … agree on the future of the enlargement process unless a consensus on our future strategy towards Ukraine is found,” he wrote.
The leaders meet on 14 and 15 December with the recommendation that candidacy should be granted in mid-December high on the agenda.
But Orbán says the council leaders “must have a frank and open discussion on the feasibility of the EU’s strategic objectives in Ukraine which presently aim to achieve the military victory of Ukraine and the military defeat of Russia with the intention to induce fundamental political changes in Russia.
“Do we regard these objectives as realistically attainable?” he asks.
His letter is being seen in the context of his battle to force the EU to release €30bn (£26bn) of funding, withheld because of rule of law and corruption concerns.
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Poland charges 16 people for Russian spying
Poland said on Wednesday it had charged 16 foreign individuals with spying for Russia, AFP reports, for allegedly preparing acts of sabotage and gathering information on military equipment deliveries to Ukraine.
The charges against the spy ring, dismantled in March, were announced by the office of the intelligence service coordinator, Mariusz Kaminski.
“Charges have been filed against 16 foreigners accused of conducting espionage activities on behalf of Russian intelligence services on Polish territory and participating in an organised criminal group,” Kaminski’s office said.
“Their assigned tasks included identifying military facilities and critical infrastructure, monitoring and documenting trains transporting military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and preparing for train derailments,” it added.
16 rosyjskich szpiegów staje przed sądem. Lubelscy prokuratorzy skierowali właśnie akty oskarżenia przeciwko członkom groźnej siatki szpiegowskiej - oskarżeni na zlecenie rosyjskiego wywiadu prowadzili działania wywiadowcze wokół portów morskich i jednostek militarnych,…
— Zbigniew Ziobro | SP (@ZiobroPL) November 22, 2023
The justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, said on X/Twitter, they: “Face ten years in prison each.”
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EU approves further €1.5bn for Ukrainian economy
The EU has approved a further €1.5bn (£1.3bn) payment in macro financial assistance to Ukraine.
It is the tenth payment made as part of an €18bn programme to keep the Ukrainian economy moving.
The money is used to help meet the bill for public servants wages, pensions and essential services such as hospitals, schools and housing for relocated people.
Updated
Russia stands by convict pardon policy despite 'satanist' killer release
The Kremlin said on Wednesday there were “no revisions” to its policy of pardoning prisoners in exchange for fighting in Ukraine, AFP reports, after local media said a “satanist” killer had been released.
About 100,000 Russian prisoners have fought in Ukraine in exchange for their freedom, according to the head of an independent prisoners’ rights group Olga Romanova.
Nikolai Ogolobyak, 33, was sentenced to 20 years for the ritualistic murder of four teenagers in 2008. He was freed earlier this month after fighting in Ukraine, local media said on Tuesday.
AFP has the details:
“Now everyone is studying the pardon lists very closely,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“But I repeat once again, we are talking about certain conditions that are related to being on the frontline,” he said, adding: “There have been no revisions in this regard.”
Ogolobyak and six other members of a self-proclaimed cult were handed lengthy jail terms for the gruesome murders, which took place in Russia’s Yaroslavl region 15 years ago.
The practice is controversial and local media have reported several instances of released prisoners going on to commit serious offences, including murders, after leaving the army.
Updated
Summary
It’s 1.30pm in Kyiv and here’s an update on recent developments in Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion today.
Overnight Ukrainian air defences shot down all 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces, the air force said this morning. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
Meanwhile, Russia said its anti-aircraft units destroyed three Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula.
Russian forces hit port infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa on Tuesday evening, but no one was injured, the regional governor said. Ukraine is maintaining a humanitarian corridor into the Black Sea to circumvent Russia’s de facto port blockade.
The US voiced concern that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine, a development that would probably be disastrous for the Ukrainian people, the national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said.
US president Joe Biden’s request for more than $61bn (£49bn) in emergency US funding to support Ukraine’s defence remains stalled in Congress. Meanwhile, Germany will support Ukraine with another military aid package worth €1.3bn ($1.4bn), the defence minister Boris Pistorius said.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, welcomed the “good news” of a potential four-day ceasefire in Gaza, after an Israel-Hamas breakthrough to facilitate the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The European Council president, Charles Michel, said on a visit to Kyiv he expected a “difficult” meeting next month about Ukraine joining the EU. The European Commission has recommended opening formal membership negotiations but talks cannot start unless all 27 member states agree.
Michel said he’d do “everything in my power to convince my colleagues that we need a decision in December”.
The new British foreign secretary, David Cameron, reiterated the UK would support Ukraine as long as it takes in its war against Russia, in his Tuesday maiden speech to the House of Lords.
The UN human rights office said more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with about half of recent deaths occurring far behind the frontlines. It expects the real toll is “significantly higher”.
This is Jem Bartholomew in London taking charge of the blog for the day. Feel free to get in touch with tips and stories via email or X/Twitter.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images of Ukraine from the news wires.
Updated
Russia has welcomed a four-day ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Palestinian conflict on Wednesday and said humanitarian pauses were the only way to make progress towards a settlement.
Israel’s government and Hamas agreed earlier today to allow in aid and release at least 50 hostages captured by militants in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel during a pause to Israeli air sorties over southern Gaza that will last at least four days, Reuters reports.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters:
This is the first good news from Gaza in a long time.
Russia and most countries were calling for a truce and humanitarian pauses because only on the basis of such pauses can the contours of future attempts at a sustainable settlement be built.
Updated
The Kremlin declined on Wednesday to comment on a suggestion by the White House spokesperson, John Kirby, that Iran may be considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.
At a regular news briefing, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said:
We are developing relations with Iran, including in the field of military-technical cooperation, but we do not comment on this information.
Kirby said the US would monitor the situation between Iran and Russia and take appropriate action as needed, Reuters reports.
Updated
Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian MP and the leader of the liberal Golos party, said EU security commitments to Ukraine were an “interim solution” and should not replace Nato membership.
Ukraine applied officially for Nato membership on 30 September 2022. At the 2023 Vilnius summit, allies reaffirmed their commitment that Ukraine would become a member of the alliance, though no timeline was offered.
In a tweet, she said:
I really appreciate the EU efforts in working out a plan on the lasting security commitments for Ukraine. But any interim solution should not replace Nato membership.
I really appreciate the EU efforts in working out a plan on the lasting security commitments for Ukraine. But any interim solution should not replace NATO membership.
— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) November 22, 2023
Updated
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, met with the chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin, in Beijing on Wednesday, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Russia’s energy corporation Gazprom said it would ship 42.4m cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday, a volume in line with those of recent days, Reuters reports.
The US national security council spokesperson John Kirby also noted Iran’s announcement earlier this year that it had finalised a deal to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, and said Iran was looking to buy additional military equipment from Russia, including attack helicopters, radars and combat-trainer aircraft.
Kirby said:
In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia to strengthen its military capabilities.
Russia has also been helping Iran develop and maintain its satellite collection capabilities and other space-based programs.
He said the burgeoning military partnership between Iran and Russia was harmful to Ukraine, Iran’s neighbours in the Middle East and “quite frankly to the international community”.
At the direction of the Russian government, Kirby said the Wagner mercenary group was preparing to provide an air-defence capability to either Hezbollah or Iran. He said the US would be watching to see whether that happened and was prepared to use “counter-terrorism sanctions authority against Russian individuals or entities that might make these destabilizing transfers”.
The US says the Kremlin’s reliance on Iran, as well as North Korea – countries largely isolated on the international stage for their nuclear programmes and human rights records – shows desperation.
US officials say Iran has also provided Russia with artillery and tank rounds for its invasion of Ukraine.
The US and other countries have taken steps to thwart the potential supply, sale or transfer involving Iran and ballistic missile-related items, Kirby said. The US has also issued guidance to private companies about Iranian missile procurement practices to make sure they aren’t inadvertently supporting Iran’s development efforts.
Updated
White House voices concern about Russia-Iran arms supply
The White House has voiced concern that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine, a development that would probably be disastrous for the Ukrainian people, a US national security official said.
National security council spokesperson John Kirby noted that Iran has already been providing Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, guided aerial bombs and artillery ammunition, and may be preparing “to go a step further in its support for Russia”.
Kirby highlighted a September meeting in which Iran hosted the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to show off a range of ballistic missile systems, sparking US concern. “We are therefore concerned that Iran is considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles now for use in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters during a conference call. “In return for that support, Russia has been offering Tehran unprecedented defence cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defence.”
Kirby’s warning came as president Joe Biden’s request for more than $61bn in emergency US funding to continue to support Ukraine’s defence remained stalled in Congress. The additional aid for Ukraine is part of a larger $106bn funding request from the Democratic president that also would support Israel, Taiwan and the US operations on the border with Mexico.
A growing group of lawmakers in the Republican party, which controls the House of Representatives, opposes sending more money to Ukraine. Kirby and other top US officials have been urging Congress to pass aid for Ukraine, saying existing funding is drying up.
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Wave of Russian drones shot down, say Ukrainians
Good morning, this is the Guardian’s live coverage of the Russian war against Ukraine. Here are some of the most recent developments:
Ukrainian air defences shot down all 14 Shahed drones launched by Russian forces in an overnight attack, the air force said this morning. The attack on Ukraine’s central, south-eastern, and western regions lasted from 8pm on Tuesday until 3am on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The air force also said that the Russian military launched an X-22 missile in Zaporizhzhia region in the south-east but the missile failed to reach its target, falling into a field.
For their part, the Russians said their anti-aircraft units destroyed three Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula.
The White House says it is concerned Iran may provide ballistic missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine. “In return for that support, Russia has been offering Tehran unprecedented defence cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defence,” said John Kirby, US national security council spokesperson.
President Joe Biden’s request for more than $61bn in emergency US funding to support Ukraine’s defence remains stalled in Congress. The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has announced the Pentagon will in any case be sending an additional $100m in weapons to Ukraine from existing US stockpiles, including another Himars mobile artillery system.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with about half of recent deaths occurring far behind the frontlines, the UN human rights office said. Its mission in Ukraine, which has dozens of monitors, said it expected the real toll to be “significantly higher” since its work was continuing.
Germany will support Ukraine with a further military aid package worth €1.3bn (£1.1bn) that will include an additional IRIS-T air defence unit, Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, has said.
Russia has not used its “premier air-launched cruise missiles” from its heavy bombers for nearly two months, likely allowing it to build up a substantial stock that could be used in a repeat of last year’s campaign to destroy Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure, the UK Ministry of Defence has said in an intelligence update.
Russian forces hit port infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa on Tuesday evening, the regional governor said, adding that no one was injured. The Ukrainian southern military command also reported strikes on the Belhorod-Dniester district south-west of Odesa, with missiles hitting open ground and administrative buildings. Ukraine is maintaining a humanitarian corridor into the Black Sea to circumvent Russia’s de facto port blockade.
A Slovakian border crossing with Ukraine was blocked on Tuesday, it was reported, although the Slovakian haulers’ union played it down as involving a single truck. Ukrainian truckers have been exempt from seeking border crossing permits since Russia’s invasion. Polish and Slovakian drivers say that has undercut business and they want restrictions imposed.
The European Council’s president, Charles Michel, on a visit to Kyiv said he expected a “difficult” meeting next month about Ukraine joining the EU. The European Commission has recommended opening formal membership negotiations but talks cannot start unless all 27 member states agree.
“I will do everything in my power to convince my colleagues that we need a decision in December,” Michel told the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelenskiy was quoted by AFP as saying: “We believe that the EU will be ready to do its part … so that by the end of the year in December, the result will be a political decision to start accession negotiations.”
Updated
