G-7 agrees to fix, defend Ukraine’s infrastructure amid Russian attacks
Top diplomats from the world’s major industrialized democracies agreed on Friday to combine efforts to help Ukraine repair and defend its energy and water infrastructure, which has come under relentless attack by Russian cruise missiles and “kamikaze” drones.
The plan to fortify Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months was cemented on the second day of G7 meetings in the German city of Münster. The symbolic importance of the meeting place — the same venue in which the Treaty of Westphalia was signed ending the Thirty Years’ War — was underscored by some of the attending diplomats who said Russia’s invasion challenged the world order those centuries-old accords helped establish.
“If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the international order will start to erode and eventually crumble, and none of us can afford to let that happen,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Read the full story here.
Top diplomats from the world’s major industrialized democracies agreed on Friday to combine efforts to help Ukraine repair and defend its energy and water infrastructure, which has come under relentless attack by Russian cruise missiles and “kamikaze” drones.
The plan to fortify Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months was cemented on the second day of G7 meetings in the German city of Münster. The symbolic importance of the meeting place — the same venue in which the Treaty of Westphalia was signed ending the Thirty Years’ War — was underscored by some of the attending diplomats who said Russia’s invasion challenged the world order those centuries-old accords helped establish.
“If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the international order will start to erode and eventually crumble, and none of us can afford to let that happen,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s military command has withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, “leaving demoralized and leaderless men to face the Ukrainian assaults,” Western officials told reporters on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
- White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Friday to reaffirm the United States’ “unwavering” support for Ukraine.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukrainian troops “certainly” had the capability to retake Kherson.
- China’s Xi Jinping urged nations to “oppose the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,” as he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday.
- Africa is “suffering” as a result of the Ukraine war, top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell said at the G-7 meeting on Friday.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s military command has withdrawn to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, “leaving demoralized and leaderless men to face the Ukrainian assaults,” Western officials told reporters on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
- White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Friday to reaffirm the United States’ “unwavering” support for Ukraine.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukrainian troops “certainly” had the capability to retake Kherson.
- China’s Xi Jinping urged nations to “oppose the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,” as he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday.
- Africa is “suffering” as a result of the Ukraine war, top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell said at the G-7 meeting on Friday.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
World leaders fortified their support for Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months, with the United States announcing a $400 million aid package that includes funding for additional air defenses against Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
A U.S. defense official said the next few weeks are expected to be dynamic as Ukrainian forces continue to make battlefield gains, including around the southern city of Kherson. Russian officials have told residents to evacuate the city, while Ukraine warned those signals could be a trap.
More live updates.
World leaders fortified their support for Ukraine ahead of the punishing winter months, with the United States announcing a $400 million aid package that includes funding for additional air defenses against Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.
A U.S. defense official said the next few weeks are expected to be dynamic as Ukrainian forces continue to make battlefield gains, including around the southern city of Kherson. Russian officials have told residents to evacuate the city, while Ukraine warned those signals could be a trap.
More live updates.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
The United States is pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reconsider his stance against negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Washington Post reports. The effort is intended as a means to maintain international support, not necessarily to induce bargaining between the warring nations.
Meanwhile Saturday, Iran acknowledged publicly for the first time that it had given Russia deadly drones — albeit before the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began in February. Zelensky called Tehran’s statement a “confession” after weeks of attacks from Iranian Shahed drones.
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The United States is pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reconsider his stance against negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Washington Post reports. The effort is intended as a means to maintain international support, not necessarily to induce bargaining between the warring nations.
Meanwhile Saturday, Iran acknowledged publicly for the first time that it had given Russia deadly drones — albeit before the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began in February. Zelensky called Tehran’s statement a “confession” after weeks of attacks from Iranian Shahed drones.
Read more updates.
U.S. privately asks Ukraine to show it’s open to negotiate with Russia
The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The request by American officials is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, these people said. Rather, they called it a calculated attempt to ensure the government in Kyiv maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a war for many years to come.
The discussions illustrate how complex the Biden administration’s position on Ukraine has become.
Read the full story here.
The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The request by American officials is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, these people said. Rather, they called it a calculated attempt to ensure the government in Kyiv maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a war for many years to come.
The discussions illustrate how complex the Biden administration’s position on Ukraine has become.
Read the full story here.
Russia strips climate advocate of citizenship
Climate activist Arshak Makichyan built a reputation as the Russian answer to Greta Thunberg, staging lonely weekly protests in central Moscow and often getting arrested.
Makichyan, 28, who fled Russia to Berlin in March following the invasion of Ukraine, is still pushing for climate action, but as of last week, the government says he is no longer Russian. In an unusual case, a Moscow court has decided to strip Makichyan along with his father and brother, who both remain in Russia, of their citizenship, in what appears to be payback for his public antiwar statements.
Makichyan, who is Armenian by birth, emigrated to Russia as a baby in 1995 and holds only a Russian passport, meaning the decision has rendered him effectively stateless. “I am at a loss as what to do going forward,” Makichyan told The Washington Post in a phone interview.
Read the full story here.
Climate activist Arshak Makichyan built a reputation as the Russian answer to Greta Thunberg, staging lonely weekly protests in central Moscow and often getting arrested.
Makichyan, 28, who fled Russia to Berlin in March following the invasion of Ukraine, is still pushing for climate action, but as of last week, the government says he is no longer Russian. In an unusual case, a Moscow court has decided to strip Makichyan along with his father and brother, who both remain in Russia, of their citizenship, in what appears to be payback for his public antiwar statements.
Makichyan, who is Armenian by birth, emigrated to Russia as a baby in 1995 and holds only a Russian passport, meaning the decision has rendered him effectively stateless. “I am at a loss as what to do going forward,” Makichyan told The Washington Post in a phone interview.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Millions of people in Ukraine’s capital region were without power Sunday because of blackouts aimed at relieving the strain on a damaged power grid, as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of more Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
- Ukraine said it struck a Russian base in the Kherson region where 200 soldiers were located.Ukraine’s Operational Command South said early Monday local time that the strike in Kakhovka, northeast of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, had caused significant losses.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to propose that the bloc give Ukraine 1.5 billion euros per month, “which would contribute significantly to cover Ukraine’s financing needs for 2023.”
- Iran’s foreign minister said his country supplied Russia with a “limited number of drones” months before the invasion. But Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran had not received any confirmation that they had been used in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
- Millions of people in Ukraine’s capital region were without power Sunday because of blackouts aimed at relieving the strain on a damaged power grid, as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of more Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
- Ukraine said it struck a Russian base in the Kherson region where 200 soldiers were located.Ukraine’s Operational Command South said early Monday local time that the strike in Kakhovka, northeast of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, had caused significant losses.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to propose that the bloc give Ukraine 1.5 billion euros per month, “which would contribute significantly to cover Ukraine’s financing needs for 2023.”
- Iran’s foreign minister said his country supplied Russia with a “limited number of drones” months before the invasion. But Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran had not received any confirmation that they had been used in Ukraine.
More live updates here.
They escaped Russian occupation. Now they want to go back.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — When Russian tanks rolled into the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson last spring, the young couple decided it was time to leave.
They fled to Kyiv, where Anton got a job driving a taxi and soon Nastya became pregnant. But she missed her mother, who had been left behind. So, last month, newly married Nastya did the unthinkable: She went back.
Back into Russian-occupied territory. Back into a city teetering on the edge of chaos, where both sides are preparing for what could be one of the fiercest battles in the now eight-month-old war. Back into the maw of a Russian military accused of committing atrocities.
Anton could not follow. And it was the Ukrainian side that blocked him.
Read the full story here.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — When Russian tanks rolled into the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson last spring, the young couple decided it was time to leave.
They fled to Kyiv, where Anton got a job driving a taxi and soon Nastya became pregnant. But she missed her mother, who had been left behind. So, last month, newly married Nastya did the unthinkable: She went back.
Back into Russian-occupied territory. Back into a city teetering on the edge of chaos, where both sides are preparing for what could be one of the fiercest battles in the now eight-month-old war. Back into the maw of a Russian military accused of committing atrocities.
Anton could not follow. And it was the Ukrainian side that blocked him.
Read the full story here.
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Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Blackouts are planned for the Kyiv region and at least six other parts of Ukraine between 6 a.m. local time and the end of the day, Ukrenergo said.
- World leaders and top officials gathered in Egypt for COP27, the annual U.N. climate conference, made a theme in their remarks the shadow cast by the war in Ukraine on the world’s energy systems — underscoring the crisis wrought by dependence on fossil fuels.
- Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing for further strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
- Ukraine said it struck a Russian base in the occupied Kherson region where 200 soldiers were located.
- Ukraine has received air defense systems from the United States and other allies, according to Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister.
- Russia is probably losing more military aircraft in Ukraine than it has the capacity to replace, the British Defense Ministry said.
More live updates here.
- Blackouts are planned for the Kyiv region and at least six other parts of Ukraine between 6 a.m. local time and the end of the day, Ukrenergo said.
- World leaders and top officials gathered in Egypt for COP27, the annual U.N. climate conference, made a theme in their remarks the shadow cast by the war in Ukraine on the world’s energy systems — underscoring the crisis wrought by dependence on fossil fuels.
- Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing for further strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
- Ukraine said it struck a Russian base in the occupied Kherson region where 200 soldiers were located.
- Ukraine has received air defense systems from the United States and other allies, according to Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister.
- Russia is probably losing more military aircraft in Ukraine than it has the capacity to replace, the British Defense Ministry said.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Zelensky said Monday that “anyone who is serious about the climate agenda” should also be serious about stopping Russian aggression.
- World leaders must “force Russia into genuine peace negotiations,” Zelensky said. Kyiv has “repeatedly proposed” talks, but Russia has responded with “terrorist attacks, shelling or blackmail,” he said.
- The “entire world is suffering because of the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi said at the COP27 climate summit. “And so I would like to appeal to you, please allow me to say this in all respect: This war must stop.”
- “Russian forces have greatly depleted their arsenal of high-precision weapons systems and have suffered significant aviation losses,” analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank said Monday.
- Russian troops are looting and robbing Ukrainian civilians in the southern region of Kherson, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said late Monday.
More live updates here.
- Zelensky said Monday that “anyone who is serious about the climate agenda” should also be serious about stopping Russian aggression.
- World leaders must “force Russia into genuine peace negotiations,” Zelensky said. Kyiv has “repeatedly proposed” talks, but Russia has responded with “terrorist attacks, shelling or blackmail,” he said.
- The “entire world is suffering because of the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi said at the COP27 climate summit. “And so I would like to appeal to you, please allow me to say this in all respect: This war must stop.”
- “Russian forces have greatly depleted their arsenal of high-precision weapons systems and have suffered significant aviation losses,” analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank said Monday.
- Russian troops are looting and robbing Ukrainian civilians in the southern region of Kherson, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said late Monday.
More live updates here.
Putin ally boasts he ‘interfered’ in U.S. midterm elections
Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin and head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, which is fighting in Ukraine, boasted Monday that he was interfering in the U.S. midterm congressional elections and planned to continue doing so.
Prigozhin gained infamy as an operator of internet “troll farms” and was placed under sanction by the U.S. Treasury Department for his role in meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, using a company he owned, then called the Internet Research Agency, to spread misinformation and sow discord, especially on social media platforms.
Asked by Russian media about interference in the midterm elections, Prigozhin replied: “Gentlemen, we interfered. We are interfering and we will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do.”
His comments were published by his press service on the Russian social media platform VKontakte.
Read the full story here.
Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin and head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, which is fighting in Ukraine, boasted Monday that he was interfering in the U.S. midterm congressional elections and planned to continue doing so.
Prigozhin gained infamy as an operator of internet “troll farms” and was placed under sanction by the U.S. Treasury Department for his role in meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, using a company he owned, then called the Internet Research Agency, to spread misinformation and sow discord, especially on social media platforms.
Asked by Russian media about interference in the midterm elections, Prigozhin replied: “Gentlemen, we interfered. We are interfering and we will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do.”
His comments were published by his press service on the Russian social media platform VKontakte.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s heavy casualties in Ukraine spark outcry and rare official response
RIGA, Latvia — Steep Russian casualties in key battles in eastern Ukraine have prompted an unusual public outcry — and sharp criticism of military commanders — by surviving soldiers and family members of recently conscripted fighters, who say their units were led to slaughter in poorly planned operations.
The uproar over battlefield losses near Vuhledar in the Donetsk region prompted an official statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, which sought to play down the reportedly high death toll among soldiers in the 155th Separate Guards Marine Brigade, which led Moscow’s offensive in the area.
It was the first time since the start of Russia’s invasion that the ministry has officially responded to reports of mass casualties and criticism of commanders on Telegram, the main platform used by officials as well as by reporters and bloggers covering the Russian war.
Read the full story here.
RIGA, Latvia — Steep Russian casualties in key battles in eastern Ukraine have prompted an unusual public outcry — and sharp criticism of military commanders — by surviving soldiers and family members of recently conscripted fighters, who say their units were led to slaughter in poorly planned operations.
The uproar over battlefield losses near Vuhledar in the Donetsk region prompted an official statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, which sought to play down the reportedly high death toll among soldiers in the 155th Separate Guards Marine Brigade, which led Moscow’s offensive in the area.
It was the first time since the start of Russia’s invasion that the ministry has officially responded to reports of mass casualties and criticism of commanders on Telegram, the main platform used by officials as well as by reporters and bloggers covering the Russian war.
Read the full story here.
White House says ‘lines of communication’ with Russia are still open
The United States has had high-level conversations with Russian officials, the White House confirmed Monday — stressing the need to ensure that “lines of communications are not cut off.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news briefing that U.S. leaders “reserve the right to speak directly at senior levels about issues of concern to the United States,” and that “that has happened over the course of the past few months.”
Talks “have focused only … on risk reduction in the U.S.-Russia relationship,” Jean-Pierre said without elaborating.
Jean-Pierre was asked about reports that national security adviser Jake Sullivan had recently held confidential talks about the war with top Kremlin aides, but she would not comment on specifics or timing.
At an event on Monday, Sullivan noted the U.S. has channels to communicate with Russia at senior levels.
Read the full story here.
The United States has had high-level conversations with Russian officials, the White House confirmed Monday — stressing the need to ensure that “lines of communications are not cut off.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news briefing that U.S. leaders “reserve the right to speak directly at senior levels about issues of concern to the United States,” and that “that has happened over the course of the past few months.”
Talks “have focused only … on risk reduction in the U.S.-Russia relationship,” Jean-Pierre said without elaborating.
Jean-Pierre was asked about reports that national security adviser Jake Sullivan had recently held confidential talks about the war with top Kremlin aides, but she would not comment on specifics or timing.
At an event on Monday, Sullivan noted the U.S. has channels to communicate with Russia at senior levels.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said world leaders should “force Russia into genuine peace negotiations” and that Kyiv has “repeatedly proposed” talks.
- Ukraine will negotiate once Russian troops leave its territory, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Tuesday, answering questions about the Post report.
- “Anyone who is serious about the climate agenda” should also be serious about stopping Russian aggression, Zelensky also said Monday in his nightly address.
- The head of Russia’s central bank warned Tuesday that the impact of Western sanctions on the economy should not be underestimated.
- A U.S. citizen was killed fighting in eastern Ukraine, a spokesman from his unit, the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine, said Tuesday.
- Ukrainian forces “are gradually pushing back” Russian troops in parts of the country’s east and south, according to Zelensky, who said fighting raged in the eastern Donetsk region.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said world leaders should “force Russia into genuine peace negotiations” and that Kyiv has “repeatedly proposed” talks.
- Ukraine will negotiate once Russian troops leave its territory, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Tuesday, answering questions about the Post report.
- “Anyone who is serious about the climate agenda” should also be serious about stopping Russian aggression, Zelensky also said Monday in his nightly address.
- The head of Russia’s central bank warned Tuesday that the impact of Western sanctions on the economy should not be underestimated.
- A U.S. citizen was killed fighting in eastern Ukraine, a spokesman from his unit, the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine, said Tuesday.
- Ukrainian forces “are gradually pushing back” Russian troops in parts of the country’s east and south, according to Zelensky, who said fighting raged in the eastern Donetsk region.
More live updates here.
WNBA star Brittney Griner being transferred to Russian penal colony
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia since February, is being moved to a Russian penal colony — a type of prison facility known for its brutal living conditions — her legal team said Wednesday.
The 32-year-old was arrested at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on Feb. 17 and accused of entering Russia with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia. She pleaded guilty to carrying the cartridges, saying it was an “honest mistake.” She was sentenced to 9½ years in prison in August, and a judge rejected her appeal late last month.
“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” her attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia since February, is being moved to a Russian penal colony — a type of prison facility known for its brutal living conditions — her legal team said Wednesday.
The 32-year-old was arrested at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on Feb. 17 and accused of entering Russia with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia. She pleaded guilty to carrying the cartridges, saying it was an “honest mistake.” She was sentenced to 9½ years in prison in August, and a judge rejected her appeal late last month.
“We do not have any information on her exact current location or her final destination,” her attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
Russia announces retreat from Kherson, a mammoth setback in the face of a grinding Ukranian counteroffensive
Russia’s defense minister on Wednesday said that Russian troops were retreating east of the Dnipro river, in what appeared to be a full withdrawal from the city of Kherson, the one regional capital Russia had captured since its February invasion. The move is a major setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had declared the annexation of Kherson region.
More live updates here.
Russia’s defense minister on Wednesday said that Russian troops were retreating east of the Dnipro river, in what appeared to be a full withdrawal from the city of Kherson, the one regional capital Russia had captured since its February invasion. The move is a major setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had declared the annexation of Kherson region.
More live updates here.