Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised German chancellor Olaf Scholz for speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin over the phone for the first time in two years.
Mr Scholz urged Putin to pull his forces out of Ukraine and open talks with Kyiv in order to set the region on course for a “just and lasting peace”.
The Kremlin said that Berlin had requested the conversation, and Putin told Mr Scholz that any agreement to end the war in Ukraine must take into account “new territorial realities”.
Mr Zelensky said the call “opens Pandora’s Box”, claiming it is “critical for [Putin] to weaken his isolation, as well as Russia’s isolation, and to hold mere talks that will lead nowhere”.
This is a decades-old strategy which has “allowed Russia to avoid making any changes to its policies, effectively doing nothing, which has ultimately led to this war,” Mr Zelensky added.
“We understand all the current challenges and we know what to do. And we want to make it clear: there will be no ‘Minsk-3’; we need real peace,” he said, referring to the peace agreement signed in 2015 which granted self-governance to certain areas of Donbas.
Key Points
- Ukraine claims North Korea is supplying dozens of long-range missiles to Russia
- Zelensky criticises German’s chancellor’s call with Putin
- Russian troops disguise as Ukrainians on battlefield, Kyiv says
- Ukraine’s Zelensky says war will end ‘sooner’ with Trump in office
- Why Russia is going all-out to capture Ukraine’s Kupiansk
ICYMI: Ukraine war justifies financial emergency – and more spending, says Scholz
04:00
Alex Croft
Germany’s Scholz: Ukraine war justifies financial emergency – and more spending
Embattled chancellor Olaf Scholz has insisted that the war in Ukraine constitutes a financial emergency for Germany – which would open up the possibility of more spending.
In an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, Mr Scholz said that, at the start of the war in February 2022, Germany had no idea how long the conflict would last or how long over 1 million Ukrainian refugees would need protection in the country.
“The misjudgement we made back then does not prevent us from doing the right thing today. Russia’s war is an extraordinary event that justifies a financial emergency – and therefore higher spending,” said Scholz, while also calling for a moderate change in the debt rule that currently limits public spending.
“A reform will not solve all of our financial problems, but it will make our path a little easier,” he added.
Why are North Koreans troops in Ukraine?
03:43
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine claims North Korea is supplying long-range missiles to Russia
03:11
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
North Korea has supplied Russia with long-range rockets and artillery systems, Ukrainian intelligence assessment has found, amid reports of Pyongyang deploying 12,000 of its soldiers to Moscow to fight against Ukraine.
Pyongyang has provided 50 domestically produced 170mm M1989 self-propelled howitzers and 20 updated 240mm multiple launch rocket systems, Financial Times reported citing the assessment.
Some of the weapons have been moved to the border region of Kursk where Moscow has deployed 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers to retake the territory from Ukrainian troops. The Russian forces are facing difficulty in pushing back Ukraine’s cross-border incursion launched on 6 August.
North Korean troops in Ukraine ‘grave escalation’, Scholz says
03:00
Alex Croft
Deployment of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s war against Ukraine is a “grave escalation” of the conflict, German chancellor Olaf Scholz told Vladimir Putin during their first phone call in nearly two years.
German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Mr Scholz urged Mr Putin in the hour-long call to withdraw his troops and end the full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.
The Kremlin said the conversation between the two leaders was “detailed and frank” on the situation in Ukraine.
Russia strikes Ukraine's capital
02:50
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine's air defence units were trying to repel a Russian air attack on Kyiv, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said this morning.
Ukraine is facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
02:00
Alex Croft
After months spent occupying a swathe of territory in Russia in the wake of a daring summer assault, Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Ukraine is now engaged against a force of 50,000 troops amassed by Vladimir Putin in the border Kursk region.
The Ukrainian incursion was the largest on Russian soil since the Second World War and succeeded in taking Moscow – and even Kyiv’s closest allies – by surprise.
Tom Watling and Andy Gregory report:
Why did Russia attempt to capture Kharkiv city of Kupiansk?
00:55
Arpan Rai
Russian forces have breached the outskirts of Ukraine’s northeastern city Kupiansk, part of a region it briefly held after first invading Ukraine, military officials said.
Moscow’s forces attacked the region in four waves and used soldiers disguised as Ukrainian troops but were repelled from the city by Kyiv’s forces, Ukraine’s General Staff said. But why does the control of Kupiansk, a significant rail hub in the area, matter?
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the early days of the February 2022 invasion and then liberated by Ukraine in a counteroffensive months later.
Vladimir Putin’s forces deployed 15 pieces of hardware in their assault on Kupiansk, including tanks and armoured vehicles, as they attempt to expand offensive operations on a sprawling more-than-1,000km front, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Russian attack looked opportunistic and Kyiv appeared to have isolated and destroyed most of the Russian forces that penetrated the outskirts of Kupiansk, Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Black Bird Group, said.
“However, a penetration like that certainly signals confusion and weakness in Ukrainian defences in that area, which could prompt the local Russian commanders to increase their efforts to squeeze or cut off the Ukrainian salient,” he added.
He said the coming days would likely indicate whether the Kremlin was going to react to this by ramping up attacks there further.
Ukraine fights to liberate all its territory, defence minister says
Saturday 16 November 2024 23:50
Alex Croft
Ukraine is fighting to liberate all territory captured by Russia in the last decade, and any claim that Kyiv is shifting its focus in the war to prioritise security over land is false, the country’s defence minister has said.
“Territorial integrity is part of our values,” Rustem Umerov told a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart in Oslo.
When asked about reports that Ukraine is shifting its focus in the war, Mr Umerov said this was false and part of Russian propaganda efforts.
“Our priority is still to protect people, protect the nation, to liberate people from almost 10 years of temporary occupation, so Crimea and Donbas [are] part of Ukraine,” he said, adding that people living in territories held by Russia are all waiting to be liberated.
A France-trained and armed force aims to strengthen Ukraine's defenses at critical juncture in war
Saturday 16 November 2024 22:46
Alex Croft
A French military task force with a festive name — “Champagne” — is wrapping up a mission that’s no party: Training a whole new brigade of several thousand Ukrainian troops who will be joining the fight against Russia‘s invasion armed with France-supplied tanks, artillery canons and other heavy weaponry.
The approaching return to Ukraine of the “Anne of Kyiv” brigade, after more than two months of intense military training in eastern and southern France, comes at another critical juncture in the almost three-year war.
Read the full report:
Putin tells Scholz that Russia is willing to look at energy cooperation, Kremlin says
Saturday 16 November 2024 21:44
Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin has told Germany’s Olaf Scholz that Russia is ready to look at energy deals if Berlin is interested, the Kremlin has said, following their first phone conversation since December 2022.
A readout from the Kremlin claimed: “It was emphasised that Russia has always strictly fulfilled its treaty and contractual obligations in the energy sector and is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation if the German side shows interest in this.”
Germany was heavily reliant on Russian gas before the war, but direct shipments ceased when the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea were blown up in 2022.
Germany and other European Union countries have imposed successive waves of sanctions on Russia over the war and taken steps to wean themselves off their dependence on Russian oil and gas.
Sanctions on Russia will ‘destroy’ EU economy, Orban claims
Saturday 16 November 2024 20:45
Alex Croft
Hungary’s Viktor Orban has claimed that European Union sanctions against Russia will “destroy” the bloc’s economy.
Mr Orban, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the EU, has broken with the majority of European leaders and vocally opposed such sanctions.
Speaking on state radio on Friday, the hard-right leader claimed the EU’s sanctions regime “should be reviewed, because with such a policy of sanctions, energy prices will not come down”.
He added: “It will be painful for those who argued for sanctions. Not for us, because we will see this as a victory, but the other camp has to change because otherwise it will destroy the European economy.”
Putin and Trump are deluded about one another – and Ukraine will pay the price
Saturday 16 November 2024 19:49
Tom Watling
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin seriously underestimate what the other is capable of and that carries far-ranging risks for Ukraine over Russia’s invasion, Britain’s former spy chief and ex-diplomats have told The Independent.
Trump’s US election victory last week has upended Europe’s plan to back Kyiv for “as long as it takes”. His focus is on ending the war quickly, even if that potentially means pushing Kyiv to cede territory currently occupied by Russia.
Sir Alex Younger, former chief of MI6 from 2014 to 2020, believes both the incoming president and his Russian counterpart overestimate their ability to influence the other.
Tom Watling reports:
Ukrainian military shares footage of artillery attacks
Saturday 16 November 2024 18:50
Alex Croft
artillerymen are burning the ground beneath the enemy's feet.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 16, 2024
: 82nd Air Assault Brigade pic.twitter.com/QgYpwDqMga
Zelensky ‘deeply grateful’ to G7
Saturday 16 November 2024 17:50
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked leaders of the G7 major democracies.
In a post on X, he said: “The leaders of the G7 have once again demonstrated unwavering support for Ukraine as we approach the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale aggression.
“I am deeply grateful to President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni and all G7 leaders for their united voice in standing with Ukraine. Their support helps Ukraine protect its people against terror, ultimately saving countless lives.
“At a time when Russia remains the sole obstacle to a just and lasting peace, it’s vital to send a clear message: aggression and violations of the international order, as outlined in the UN Charter, will not be tolerated, and those responsible will face consequences.
“Now is the time for the global community to deepen its efforts and make decisive decisions to ensure stability and peace for all our nations.”
The leaders of the G7 have once again demonstrated unwavering support for Ukraine as we approach the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale aggression.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 16, 2024
I am deeply grateful to President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni and all G7 leaders for their united voice in standing…
Ukraine could reopen Lviv airport in 2025, broker says
Saturday 16 November 2024 16:52
Alex Croft
Wartime Ukraine could reopen its first airport in the western Lviv region next year, as it tries to restore air links suspended nationwide since Russia’s invasion, a senior partner at an insurance broker has said.
While Ukraine’s national flag carrier and several other companies have gone bankrupt due to the suspension of air travel, Kyiv has taken part in discussions with European aviation authorities and airlines on restoring some air travel for almost a year, Crispin Ellison of the firm Marsh McLennan said.
Marsh McLennan has been supporting the Ukrainian government to put together an insurance facility to cover commercial aviation, Mr Ellison said. The broker already runs an insurance programme for ships carrying all cargos via Ukraine’s Black Sea corridor. The aviation sector is involved in the talks, he said.
“National carriers, low-cost and Ukrainian airlines [are] all expressing an interest and looking at whether they do this,” he told Reuters.
“If regulators agree it is safe to open it and a political decision is made, the insurance industry is ready to support the recovery efforts,” said Mr Ellison, referring to 2025.
The State Aviation Service said in written comments it was considering the possibility of a phased and limited opening of airspace for civil aviation “provided the risks are assessed and reduced to an acceptable level, and additional security measures are implemented”. It did not provide any timeframe.
The Ukrainian government is also keen to reopen the country’s main airport just outside Kyiv but Mr Ellison believes the aviation market is waiting “until confidence has been gained that this can happen in a much lower-risk scenario”.
Estonian government sends military aid to Ukraine
Saturday 16 November 2024 15:58
Alex Croft
Estonia has approved the delivery of a new military aid package to Ukraine.
The package, proposed by defence minister Hanno Pevkur, will be drawn from the reserves of the Estonian Defence Forces and are specifically tailored to Ukraine’s needs, the Estonian defence ministry said according to Reuters.
It includes surveillance equipment, ballistic protection gear, ammunition, and naval uniforms.
Mr Pevkur said: "This is not the final aid package. We will soon launch an annual competitive support programme for Estonian companies, allowing Ukraine to benefit from goods produced by Estonia’s defence industry.
“This initiative will support not only Ukraine but also Estonia’s economy and security."
In Focus: Putin’s forces intensify assaults across Ukraine - ‘They don’t care how many men they lose’
Saturday 16 November 2024 15:05
Alex Croft
As Russian forces intensify attacks against hard-pressed Ukrainian soldiers along much of the 600-mile frontline, a senior Ukrainian military source has told The Independent that Moscow will keep up the assaults until the moment of Donald Trump’s inauguration – despite the huge troop losses Vladimir Putin‘s forces are suffering.
The colonel, who requested not be named, said both Ukraine and Russia have to take seriously Trump’s campaign promises to quickly end the war, although the president in waiting has not explained how he plans to bring about a ceasefire.
“What is clear,” says the colonel, “is that the Russians want to take as much Ukrainian territory as possible and clear Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk [Russian border] region we occupied in August before any negotiations begin.”
Askold Krushelnycky writes:
In pictures: Japanese foreign minister visits Ukraine amid North Korea concerns
Saturday 16 November 2024 14:10
Alex Croft
Zelensky says war will ‘end sooner’ with Trump as president as he slams German chancellor’s call with Putin
Saturday 16 November 2024 13:15
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is certain the war with Russia will “end sooner” once Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Mr Zelensky conceded the battlefield situation in eastern Ukraine was difficult and Russia was making advances, adding that Russian president Vladimir Putin was not interested in agreeing to a peace deal.
In an interview on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said he had a “constructive exchange” with US president-elect Trump during a phone conversation following his victory against Kamala Harris.
He added that he had not heard anything from Trump that went against Ukraine’s stance, but he did not specify whether Trump had made any demands on potential negotiations with Russia.
Mr Zelensky also said US legislation prevented him from meeting Trump before his inauguration next January. The Ukrainian leader said he would only talk with Trump himself rather than any emissary or advisor.
“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens,” Mr Zelensky told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.
Jabed Ahmed reports:
Ukraine has not received half of aid allocated by US, Zelensky says
Saturday 16 November 2024 12:25
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine hasn’t received even half of the weapons allocated to it by the US.
Speaking on Ukrainian Radio, he said according to Ukrainska Pravda: "Now, regarding the huge assistance [from the US – ed.]. Look, that money still needs to be delivered. If you asked me how much we have received from this, I wouldn’t go into the details because there are various reports from different institutions, such as the Ministry of Defence, intelligence agencies, and so on.
“I would only say that we haven’t received half.
"When I talk about half, I actually mean less, and I’m talking about weapons. I negotiated for weapons. Of course, there is humanitarian aid, financial aid, targeted financial aid to the budget, as well as specific humanitarian programmes directed to the regions.”
G7 reiterates pledge to impose severe costs on Russia
Saturday 16 November 2024 11:32
Alex Croft
Leaders of the major democracies in the G7 repeated their pledge on Saturday to impose severe consequences on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The consequences will include sanctions, export controls and other measures, the G7 said. The group will continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary, it added.
“Russia remains the sole obstacle to just and lasting peace,” it said in a statement on Saturday. The statement was adopted “in support of Kyiv as the thousandth day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine approaches.”
“The G7 confirms its commitment to imposing severe costs on Russia through sanctions, export controls and other effective measures. We stand united with Ukraine,” the statement added.
Italy currently holds the 2024 rotating presidency of the G7. Other member states include United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Britain.
Ukraine must ensure the war ends through diplomacy, says Zelensky
Saturday 16 November 2024 10:33
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine must ensure the war with Russia ends next year through diplomacy.
Mr Zelensky accepted in a radio interview on Saturday that the situation on the eastern Ukrainian front is difficult as Russia continues to advance in key areas.
US legislation prevents the president from meeting with US president-elect Donald Trump before his inauguration in January - but Mr Zelensky has said he will only talk with Trump himself rather than an advisor.
"I, as the president of Ukraine, will only take seriously a conversation with the president of the United States of America, with all due respect to any entourage, to any people."
"From our side, we must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means," Mr Zelensky said.
Russian forces capture two villages in Ukraine, defence ministry says
Saturday 16 November 2024 09:38
Alex Croft
Russian forces have captured two villages in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Russian news agencies cited the defence ministry as saying on Saturday.
The villages of Makarivka, just over 100km west of Donetsk city, and Hryhorivka, which is is situated to the west of the town of Selydove, captured by Russia last month, the ministry claims according to Reuters.
It comes as Russia continues to progress in its offensive on the eastern Ukrainian front.
Zelensky criticises German’s chancellor’s call with Putin
Saturday 16 November 2024 08:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized German chancellor Olaf Scholz for his call with Russian president Vladimir Putin as opening a “Pandora’s box”.
“This is exactly what Putin has been wanting for a long time: it is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation, Russia’s isolation, and to have normal negotiations that will not end in anything,” Mr Zelensky said.
During the first phone call in nearly two years, Mr Scholz urged Mr Putin to withdraw his troops and end the full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.
Ukraine is facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
Saturday 16 November 2024 08:00
Andy Gregory
After months spent occupying a swathe of territory in Russia in the wake of a daring summer assault, Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Ukraine is now engaged against a force of 50,000 troops amassed by Vladimir Putin in the border Kursk region.
However, Moscow is now pushing to retake the territory. Following reports that thousands of North Korean troops have been stationed in Kursk, Ukraine’s military has claimed that Russia has suffered two consecutive days of record losses – suggesting the fight is gaining a new intensity.
The Independent has spoken to analysts about how the situation may develop in the weeks and months to come:
Biden to press China's Xi on North Korea's ties with Russia
Saturday 16 November 2024 07:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
President Joe Biden is expected to use his final meeting with China's leader, Xi Jinping, to urge him to dissuade North Korea from further deepening its support for Russia's war on Ukraine.
Today’s talks on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru will take place just over two months before Biden leaves office and makes way for Republican president-elect Donald Trump.
It will be Mr Biden's last check-in with Mr Xi — someone the Democrat saw as his most consequential peer on the world stage.
With the final meeting, officials say Biden will be looking for Mr Xi to step up Chinese engagement to prevent an already dangerous moment with North Korea from further escalating.
Mr Biden along with South Korean president Yoon Seok Yul and Japan's prime minister Shigeru Ishiba yesterday condemned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's decision to send thousands of troops to help Moscow repel Ukrainian forces who have seized territory in Russia's Kursk border region.
Mr Biden called it "dangerous and destabilising cooperation."
White House officials also have expressed frustration with Beijing, which accounts for the vast majority of North Korea's trade, for not doing more to rein in Pyongyang.
Germany’s Scholz: Ukraine war justifies financial emergency – and more spending
Saturday 16 November 2024 07:00
Andy Gregory
Embattled chancellor Olaf Scholz has insisted that the war in Ukraine constitutes a financial emergency for Germany – which would open up the possibility of more spending.
In an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, Mr Scholz said that, at the start of the war in February 2022, Germany had no idea how long the conflict would last or how long over 1 million Ukrainian refugees would need protection in the country.
“The misjudgement we made back then does not prevent us from doing the right thing today. Russia’s war is an extraordinary event that justifies a financial emergency – and therefore higher spending,” said Scholz, while also calling for a moderate change in the debt rule that currently limits public spending.
“A reform will not solve all of our financial problems, but it will make our path a little easier,” he added.
Japan’s foreign minister arrives in Ukraine
Saturday 16 November 2024 06:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya landed in the Ukrainian capital today for an unannounced visit in an apparent show of unity with the war-ravaged country.
Mr Iwaya traveled to Kyiv by train from Poland after visiting Peru for a regional economic meeting, the foreign ministry said.
The top diplomat will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha and hold talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky later in the day, Mainichi reported.
London-based Russian TV chef who criticised Putin found dead in Serbia
Saturday 16 November 2024 06:00
Andy Gregory
A London-based exiled Russian television chef has been found dead in Serbia.
Alexei Zimin, 52, was an outspoken critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s Crimea annexation. He was found dead in a hotel room in Belgrade earlier this week, according to Russian media. He was travelling to the Serbian capital to promote his new book on Britain, entitled Anglomania.
According to the Serbian authorities, there were “no suspicious circumstances” in Zimin’s death. An autopsy and toxicology investigation was underway, according to BBC News.
Zimin spent his final years in exile in the UK and ran a cookery show on the Russian NTV channel. But the show was stopped after he issued anti-war messages on social media in the wake of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Austria says Russia will cut off natural gas supply today
Saturday 16 November 2024 05:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia’s state-owned natural gas company Gazrom will cut off supplies to Austria’s OMV utility today Austria’s chancellor said.
He added that his country’s underground gas storage was full and that it had alternative, non-Russia supplies.
The cutoff follows OMV’s announcement that it would stop paying for Gazprom gas to its Austrian arm to offset a £192m arbitration award it won over an earlier cutoff of gas to its German subsidiary.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer said yesterday that Austria has a secure supply of alternative fuel and that “no one will freeze this winter, no home will be cold.”
More here.
Ukrainian forces conduct missions behind Russian lines in Kursk
Saturday 16 November 2024 05:00
Andy Gregory
Operators from Ukrainian SOF 73rd Naval Center are conducting sabotage behind enemy lines in russia's Kursk region. pic.twitter.com/PYCJ8AdFZl
— 73centreuasof (@73centreuasof) November 14, 2024
Can Ukraine hold out facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk?
Saturday 16 November 2024 04:58
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
After months spent occupying a swathe of territory in Russia in the wake of a daring summer assault, Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Ukraine is now engaged against a force of 50,000 troops amassed by Vladimir Putin in the border Kursk region.
The Ukrainian incursion was the largest on Russian soil since the Second World War and succeeded in taking Moscow – and even Kyiv’s closest allies – by surprise.
But despite Ukrainian troops’ success in bedding into positions deep into Kursk, the offensive received a mixed reaction from analysts, with some questioning the wisdom of drawing vital defensive power away from the fight in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Mr Putin’s forces have been making steady, grinding gains for months.
Andy Gregory and Tom Watling report.
Ukraine’s Zelensky says war will end ‘sooner’ with Trump in office
Saturday 16 November 2024 04:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s war against Ukraine will “end sooner” after US president-elect Donald Trump takes office next year.
“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House,” he told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne yesterday.
“This is their approach, their promise to their citizens.”Mr Trump has attempted to foster relations with both the Ukrainian and Russian presidents since he defeated vice president Kamala Harris at the ballot this month.
North Korean troops in Ukraine ‘grave escalation’
Saturday 16 November 2024 04:06
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Deployment of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s war against Ukraine is a “grave escalation” of the conflict, German chancellor Olaf Scholz told Vladimir Putin during their first phone call in nearly two years.
German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Mr Scholz urged Mr Putin in the hour-long call to withdraw his troops and end the full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.
The Kremlin said the conversation between the two leaders was “detailed and frank” on the situation in Ukraine.
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Saturday 16 November 2024 04:00
Andy Gregory
Why did Russia attempt to capture Kharkiv city of Kupiansk?
Saturday 16 November 2024 03:00
Arpan Rai
Russian forces have breached the outskirts of Ukraine’s northeastern city Kupiansk, part of a region it briefly held after first invading Ukraine, military officials said.
Moscow’s forces attacked the region in four waves and used soldiers disguised as Ukrainian troops but were repelled from the city by Kyiv’s forces, Ukraine’s General Staff said. But why does the control of Kupiansk, a significant rail hub in the area, matter?
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the early days of the February 2022 invasion and then liberated by Ukraine in a counteroffensive months later.
Vladimir Putin’s forces deployed 15 pieces of hardware in their assault on Kupiansk, including tanks and armoured vehicles, as they attempt to expand offensive operations on a sprawling more-than-1,000km front, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Russian attack looked opportunistic and Kyiv appeared to have isolated and destroyed most of the Russian forces that penetrated the outskirts of Kupiansk, Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Black Bird Group, said.
“However, a penetration like that certainly signals confusion and weakness in Ukrainian defences in that area, which could prompt the local Russian commanders to increase their efforts to squeeze or cut off the Ukrainian salient,” he added.
He said the coming days would likely indicate whether the Kremlin was going to react to this by ramping up attacks there further.
A France-trained and armed force aims to strengthen Ukraine's defenses at critical juncture in war
Saturday 16 November 2024 02:00
Andy Gregory
Ukraine fights to liberate all its territory, defence minister says
Saturday 16 November 2024 01:00
Andy Gregory
Ukraine is fighting to liberate all territory captured by Russia in the last decade, and any claim that Kyiv is shifting its focus in the war to prioritise security over land is false, the country’s defence minister has said.
“Territorial integrity is part of our values,” Rustem Umerov told a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart in Oslo.
When asked about reports that Ukraine is shifting its focus in the war, Mr Umerov said this was false and part of Russian propaganda efforts.
“Our priority is still to protect people, protect the nation, to liberate people from almost 10 years of temporary occupation, so Crimea and Donbas [are] part of Ukraine,” he said, adding that people living in territories held by Russia are all waiting to be liberated.
Zelensky says war will ‘end sooner’ under Trump administration
Saturday 16 November 2024 00:01
Andy Gregory
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia’s war against his country will “end sooner” under US president-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
“The war will end, but there is no exact date. Of course, with the policy of this team, which will now lead the White House, the war will end sooner,” he told Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne.
He stressed that “fair peace” is vital for Ukraine.
Putin and Scholz had ‘frank exchange of views’ on Ukraine war, says Kremlin
Friday 15 November 2024 23:30
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin and Germany’s Olaf Scholz had a “detailed and frank exchange of views” on Ukraine in their first phone call since 2022, the Kremlin has said.
According to the Kremlin, the Russian president set out the same position he has been stating for months – that any peace deal must address Moscow’s security interests and be based on “new territorial realities”, a reference to the fact that Russian troops now control a fifth of Ukraine.
Mr Putin also spoke of an “unprecedented degradation” in relations between the two countries, for which he blamed unfriendly actions by Germany, the Kremlin claimed, following Russia’s decision to invade the sovereign nation of Ukraine in 2022.
Mr Putin claimed in June that the war could end if Kyiv gave up its Nato ambitions and handed over the entirety of four regions claimed by Russia. Ukraine rejected those conditions as tantamount to surrender and merely enabling Russia to regroup before mounting another attack on Kyiv.
Putin tells Scholz that Russia is willing to look at energy cooperation, Kremlin says
Friday 15 November 2024 23:00
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin has told Germany’s Olaf Scholz that Russia is ready to look at energy deals if Berlin is interested, the Kremlin has said, following their first phone conversation since December 2022.
A readout from the Kremlin claimed: “It was emphasised that Russia has always strictly fulfilled its treaty and contractual obligations in the energy sector and is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation if the German side shows interest in this.”
Germany was heavily reliant on Russian gas before the war, but direct shipments ceased when the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea were blown up in 2022.
Germany and other European Union countries have imposed successive waves of sanctions on Russia over the war and taken steps to wean themselves off their dependence on Russian oil and gas.
Watch: UK will not have air supremacy over enemies in future wars, RAF chief warns
Friday 15 November 2024 22:30
Andy Gregory
Ukraine detains Russian ‘mole’ in special forces, security service says
Friday 15 November 2024 21:59
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s SBU security service has detained a special operations forces unit commander accused of disclosing plans of operations behind enemy lines to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.
“The aggressor was most interested in intelligence on sabotage and reconnaissance raids by Ukrainian special forces behind the front line in the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimean directions,” the SBU said in a statement.
The alleged “mole”, whose rank corresponded to lieutenant colonel, had access to information on planned routes, weapons and targets, according to the statement. Russian forces planned to use the intelligence to eliminate special forces soldiers on the front line and in the Russian-occupied south.
The SBU said Russia’s military intelligence “activated” the unit commander in the spring of this year but that he was recruited prior to Moscow’s invasion in February 2022 through his acquaintances in Russia.
Ukraine’s top military leadership aided with the case and the suspect could face life in prison on treason charges, according to the SBU.
Trump says ‘Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop’
Friday 15 November 2024 21:29
Andy Gregory
Donald Trump has said his administration would focus on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“We’re going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s gotta stop. Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop,” he said during an event in Florida.
The US president-elect expressed regret over the deaths caused by the war, “whether they’re soldiers or they’re people sitting in towns”. “We’re going to work it.”
During his campaign, Mr Trump repeatedly said he could quickly end the fighting in Ukraine but did not offer details of how he would accomplish that.
Further mass displacement possible in Ukraine if energy sector hit, UN warns
Friday 15 November 2024 20:59
Andy Gregory
Any further Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system could trigger another wave of mass displacement as winter approaches, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine has warned.
Civilians are now more vulnerable than at any other winter during the conflict due to Russian strikes on its energy system and donor fatigue, warned Matthias Schmale, who said that around two thirds of Ukraine’s domestic energy production is currently offline due to Russian strikes.
“The real concern is if they were to target the energy sector again, this could be a tipping point...for further mass movements, both inside the country and outside the country,” Mr Schmale told reporters in Geneva.
Any further displacement would add to the 3.6 million that are currently displaced within Ukraine and the more than 6 million who have fled across its borders to escape the conflict since February 2022.
Sanctions on Russia will ‘destroy’ EU economy, Orban claims
Friday 15 November 2024 20:29
Andy Gregory
Hungary’s Viktor Orban has claimed that European Union sanctions against Russia will “destroy” the bloc’s economy.
Mr Orban, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the EU, has broken with the majority of European leaders and vocally opposed such sanctions.
Speaking on state radio on Friday, the hard-right leader claimed the EU’s sanctions regime “should be reviewed, because with such a policy of sanctions, energy prices will not come down”.
He added: “It will be painful for those who argued for sanctions. Not for us, because we will see this as a victory, but the other camp has to change because otherwise it will destroy the European economy.”
Footage shows remains of car that exploded in Crimea, killing Russian naval officer
Friday 15 November 2024 19:59
Andy Gregory
ICYMI: Senior Russian naval officer killed in Crimea car bombing
Friday 15 November 2024 19:28
Andy Gregory
A senior Russian naval officer has been killed in a car bombing in occupied Crimea – the latest in a series of targeted attacks on Russian military personnel.
Russian investigators said an unnamed serviceman was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated on Wednesday in the port city of Sevastopol – the primary headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – and that the killing was being treated as terrorism.
In what will be a blow to the morale of Russian military leaders, a source in Ukraine’s SBU security service said shortly after the blast that the explosion had killed na
