Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested he would temporarily cede Ukrainian territory to Russia in exchange for joining Nato to end the “hot phase” of the war.
“If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the Nato umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” Mr Zelensky told Sky News.
“We need to do it fast. And then on the occupied territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way.”
The statement comes as North Korea pledged its “invariably support” to Russia’s war in Ukraine amid military talks with Moscow. Pyongyang has reportedly sent thousands of its troops to Russia to join the fight against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military claimed that Vladimir Putin’s forces suffered more than 2,000 casualties in a single day.
With both Kyiv and Moscow anticipating that Donald Trump could seek to broker a rapid peace deal upon returning to the White House in January, freezing the front lines, Ukraine’s military said on Friday there had been more than 200 combat clashes over the past 24 hours.
Key Points
- Zelensky says Ukraine could temporarily cede territory to Russia
- Russia suffers ‘record 2,000 daily casualties’, Ukraine says
- North Korea’s Kim vows steadfast support for Russia
- Vladimir Putin says Russia could strike ‘decision-making centres’ in Kyiv
- Russian attack leaves one million people without power
- Buildings in Kyiv hit as Ukraine downs Russian drones overnight
Russia could test nuclear weapon, says diplomat
06:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Moscow could possibly resume testing of nuclear weapons due to hostile US policies, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted as saying.
“This is a question at hand,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency when asked whether Moscow was considering a resumption of tests.
“And without anticipating anything, let me simply say that the situation is quite difficult. It is constantly being considered in all its components and in all its aspects.”
In September, Mr Ryabkov referred to president Vladimir Putin as having said that Russia would not conduct a test as long as the US refrained from carrying one out.
Moscow has not conducted a nuclear weapons test since 1990, the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Ukraine imposes first wartime tax hikes to fight Russian invasion
06:00
Andy Gregory
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed into law Ukraine's first wartime tax increases as the war against Russia reaches its 34th month.
Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenkko said that the bill was vital to ensure smooth funding for the Ukrainian defence sector next year. The changes will take effect from 1 December, he said.
The government is raising the war tax for residents to 5% from 1.5% paid currently on personal income and is introducing the war tax for tens of thousands of individual entrepreneurs and small businesses.
It also increases some rental payments, taxes commercial banks' profits at 50%, and raises taxes on the profits of other financial institutions to 25%.
The tax increases would help raise about 140 billion hryvnias (£2.8 billion) in additional revenues next year to fund Ukraine's defence efforts at a critical juncture of the war as Kyiv is battling with a much bigger and better-equipped enemy.
World at most dangerous point in 40 years, MI6 chief warns
05:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The world is at its most dangerous point for 40 years, the head of MI6 has warned, accusing Russia of waging a “staggeringly reckless campaign” of sabotage in Europe to undermine support for Ukraine.
Sir Richard Moore also said the West could face a “reckoning” as potential terrorists are radicalised over war in the Middle East.
“In 37 years in the intelligence profession I’ve never seen the world in a more dangerous state. And the impact on Europe, our shared European home, could hardly be more serious,” Sir Richard said, adding that if “Putin is allowed to succeed in reducing Ukraine to a vassal state he will not stop there”.
Andy Gregory reports.
Russia kills five Ukrainian prisoners of war, prosecutor general says
05:00
Andy Gregory
Russian forces have killed five Ukrainian prisoners of war in Zaporizhzhia region, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general.
In a statement on Facebook, the prosecutor general said an investigation has been launched after Russian forces shot five out of six captured Ukrainian soldiers.
Investigators also received a video of the moment the shooting was recorded, the prosecutor said.
New NATO chief Rutte says alliance ‘needs to go further’ in support for Ukraine
04:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine asks Nato for membership invite next week
04:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has urged his Nato counterparts to issue an invitation to Kyiv at a meeting in Brussels next week to join the Western military alliance.
In a letter sent to the members of Nato, Ukraine has renewed push to secure an invitation to join the alliance, which is part of a “victory plan” outlined last month by president Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Mr Zelensky told UK-based Sky News that offering Ukraine Nato membership while allowing Russia to keep for the moment territory it had captured could be a solution to end the “hot stage” of the 33-month-old war.
“The invitation should not be seen as an escalation,” Mr Sybiha wrote in the letter, Reuters reported.
“On the contrary, with a clear understanding that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is inevitable, Russia will lose one of its main arguments for continuing this unjustified war,” he wrote.
“I urge you to endorse the decision to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance as one of the outcomes of the Nato Foreign Ministerial Meeting on 3-4 December 2024.”
Ukrainian author dies on the frontline
03:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian poet and screen writer Myroslav Herasymovych was reportedly killed in the frontline in Donetsk Oblast, according to his brother.
“In the battle with Russia, my brother, Myroslav, gave away his life in the city of Avdiivka,” his brother Taras Kulyk wrote on Facebook.
Herasymovych was killed on 25 November just four days before his 57th birthday, the sibling added.
Ukraine urged to lower army conscription age in fight against Russia
03:00
Andy Gregory
Zelensky says Ukraine could temporarily cede territory to Russia
02:55
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested he would temporarily cede Ukrainian territory to Russia in exchange for joining Nato.
Mr Zelensky said Nato membership would have to be offered to unoccupied parts of the country to end the “hot phase” of the war and appeared to accept eastern parts of the country would fall outside this deal.
It comes after reports claimed one of US president-elect Donald Trump’s plans to end the war might be for Kyiv to cede the land Moscow has taken in exchange for Ukraine joining the alliance.
Alexander Butler reports.
North Korea vows steadfast support for Russia
02:53
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un vowed his country will “invariably support” Russia’s war in Ukraine as he met Russia’s defence chief.
A Russian military delegation led by defence minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday, amid growing international concern about the two countries’ expanding cooperation after North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia last month.
Mr Kim said that North Korea “will invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity from the imperialists’ moves for hegemony”, according to state media KCNA.
North Korea has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a defensive response to what both Moscow and Pyongyang call Nato’s “reckless” eastward advance and US-led moves to stamp out Russia’s position as a powerful state.
Putin says Ukrainian infrastructure attack was revenge for Kyiv's strikes on Russia
02:00
Andy Gregory
President Vladimir Putin has said that a massive Russian overnight attack on Ukrainian infrastructure was a response to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian regions using longer-range Western missiles.
Russia had unleashed its second big attack on Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure this month on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. This cut power to more than 1 million people in the west, south, and centre of the country.
Speaking in Astana, Kazakhstan, Putin told members of a security alliance made up of ex-Soviet states:
“Tonight we conducted a comprehensive strike using 90 missiles of similar classes and 100 drones. Seventeen targets were hit.
“These are military facilities, defence industry facilities and their support systems. Let me repeat once again: these strikes on our part also took place in response to the ongoing strikes (by Ukraine) on Russian territory with American ATACMS missiles. As I have already said many times, there will always be a response from our side.”
Ukraine urges global response to Putin threats to attack Kyiv government sites
01:00
Andy Gregory
Ukraine has urged the international community to react to Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to strike government targets in Kyiv, accusing him of "blackmail" intended to test the incoming Trump administration.
Putin had said Russia could use its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile to attack "decision-making centres" in Kyiv in response to Ukraine's firing of Western missiles at Russian territory.
"We expect those countries that have urged everyone to avert the expansion of the war to react to the statements voiced by Putin today," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.
Tykhyi described Putin's rhetoric as "blackmail" aimed at discouraging Kyiv's partners and testing US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to seek a swift end to the conflict without specifying how.
Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves among 15 cabinet ministers banned from entering Russia in new sanctions
Friday 29 November 2024 23:59
Andy Gregory
Read the full report below:
UK-based spy ring passed secrets to Russia for nearly three years, court told
Friday 29 November 2024 23:30
Andy Gregory
A “sophisticated” UK-based spy ring passed secrets to Russia for nearly three years, a court has heard.
Bulgarian nationals Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, allegedly carried out surveillance on individuals and places of interest to Russia.
The spying activities allegedly included locations in London, Vienna, Valencia, Montenegro and Stuttgart, jurors have heard.
Read the full report from our crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin below:
Russian visit to North Korea suggests their allegiance is set to intensify, analyst says
Friday 29 November 2024 23:01
Andy Gregory
Russian defence minister Andrey Belousov’s visit to North Korea incidates that cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is set to increase further, an analyst has said.
“The Russian defence minister doesn’t visit North Korea just to celebrate bilateral ties,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“This visit indicates Putin and Kim’s military cooperation in violation of international law is about to increase further.”
North Korea has already deployed some 10,000 troops to Russia, which is expected to in turn to potentially share information on military technology with Pyongyang.
Ukraine letter intends to show that Nato invite not off the table, senior official says
Friday 29 November 2024 22:00
Andy Gregory
Ukraine has said it understood there was no consensus yet among its allies to invite it to join the Nato military alliance, but that it had sent a message to its allies to show that the matter of the invitation was not off the table.
According to the text of a letter seen by Reuters earlier, Ukraine’s foreign minister urged his Nato counterparts to issue an invitation during a meeting in Brussels next week to Kyiv to join the Western alliance.
“We have sent a message to the allies that invitation is not off of the table, regardless of different manipulations and speculations around that,” Olga Stefanishyna, deputy prime minister in charge of Nato affairs, told the news agency.
Zelensky says new military appointees ‘have proved their efficiency on the battlefield'
Friday 29 November 2024 21:30
Andy Gregory
Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed a new land forces commander and deputy army chief, praising both as having “proved their efficiency on the battlefield”.
Former Kharkiv commander General Mykhailo Drapatyi was placed at the helm of Ukraine’s land forces, as reported in the previous post, while Colonel Oleh Apostol – commander of the 95th separate air-assault brigade – was made deputy to Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The Ukrainian president praised both Mr Drapatyi and Mr Apostol, saying “they had proved their efficiency on the battlefield”.
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy names new land forces chief and warns changes needed
Friday 29 November 2024 21:01
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced the commander of the military’s land forces, putting Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi in charge as he warned that “internal changes” were needed.
The 42-year-old replaces Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, who took the helm of the land forces in a major shake-up in February 2024.
“The main task is to increase noticeably the combat efficiency of our army, ensure the quality of servicemen training, and introduce innovative approaches to people management in Ukraine’s Armed Forces,” Zelenskiy said.
“The Ukrainian army needs internal changes to achieve our state’s goals in full,” he said on Telegram after meeting his top military and government officials.
Mr Drapatyi is well respected in the army and military analysts praised his appointment. He took command of the Kharkiv front in May and managed to stop the Russian offensive in the northeast, stabilising the front.
World at most dangerous point in 40 years, MI6 chief warns
Friday 29 November 2024 20:42
Andy Gregory
The world is at its most dangerous point for 40 years, the head of MI6 has warned – accusing Russia of waging a “staggeringly reckless campaign” of sabotage in Europe to undermine support against Vladimir Putin’s push to turn Ukraine into a “vassel state”.
Why is Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy grid with missile attacks?
Friday 29 November 2024 20:20
Andy Gregory
Putin says Russia would use all weapons at its disposal if Ukraine got nuclear weapons
Friday 29 November 2024 20:00
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia would use all weapons at its disposal against Ukraine if Kyiv were to acquire nuclear arms.
The New York Times reported last week that some unidentified Western officials had suggested US president Joe Biden could give Ukraine nuclear weapons before he leaves office.
“If the country which we are essentially at war with now becomes a nuclear power, what do we do? In this case, we will use all, I want to emphasize this, precisely all means of destruction available to Russia. Everything: we will not allow it. We’ll be watching their every move”, Putin said during a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan.
“If officially someone were to transfer something, then that would mean a violation of all the non-proliferation commitments they have made,” Mr Putin said.
The Russian president also said it was practically impossible for Ukraine to produce a nuclear weapon, but that it might be able to make some kind of “dirty bomb”, a conventional bomb laced with radioactive material in order to spread contamination. In that case, Russia would respond appropriately, he said.
Russia has repeatedly said, without providing evidence, that Ukraine might use such a device.
Zelensky aide says Ukraine ready to host second peace summit soon
Friday 29 November 2024 19:21
Andy Gregory
Ukraine is ready to host a second global summit aimed at ending Russia's invasion in the "nearest future", the Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Thursday, local media outlets reported.
Ukraine held its first "peace summit" in Switzerland in June, bringing together over 90 countries to draft a resolution based on Ukraine's proposed conditions to end the war.
However Russia was not invited to that summit and dismissed its deliberations as meaningless without Moscow's participation. It has also said it would not take part in any follow-up summit organised by Ukraine.
"Thanks to active work with our partners, a joint peace framework has already been developed, which will become the basis for the Second Peace Summit, and Ukraine is ready to hold it in the near future," Yermak told a conference, according to Ukrainian media.
China also stayed away from the June summit, while other major non-Western powers including India, Saudi Arabia and Mexico withheld their signatures from the summit communique, underlining the diplomatic challenge Kyiv faces in marshalling broader global support for its cause beyond its Western allies.
Germany offers re-deployment of Patriot air defence missiles to Poland
Friday 29 November 2024 19:02
Andy Gregory
Germany has offered to re-deploy Patriot air defence missiles to NATO ally Poland at the start of the new year, the German defence ministry has said.
The units could be deployed for up to six months, the ministry said in a statement.
"With this we will protect a logistical hub in Poland which is of central importance for the delivery of materials to Ukraine," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.
From January to November 2022, Germany had already deployed 300 troops together with three Patriot units to Poland.
They were based in the town Zamosc, about 50 km (31 miles) from the Ukrainian border, to protect the southern town and its crucial railway link to Ukraine.
The deployment was triggered by a stray Ukrainian missile that struck the Polish village of Przewodow in November 2022, in an incident that raised fears of the war in Ukraine spilling over the border.
Russia kills five Ukrainian prisoners of war, prosecutor general says
Friday 29 November 2024 18:40
Andy Gregory
Russian forces have killed five Ukrainian prisoners of war in Zaporizhzhia region, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general.
In a statement on Facebook, the prosecutor general said an investigation has been launched after Russian forces shot five out of six captured Ukrainian soldiers.
Investigators also received a video of the moment the shooting was recorded, the prosecutor said.
Russia and Ukraine return children to families after mediation by Qatar
Friday 29 November 2024 18:22
Andy Gregory
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to return to each other a total of nine children to be reunited with family members, according to a senior Russian official.
The transfers were agreed following mediation by Qatar, which has brokered several similar deals during the war. Russia’s commissioner for children, Maria Lvova-Belova, said six boys and one girl, aged six to 16, were being returned to relatives in Ukraine. She said that Qatari mediation had also enabled the repatriation of two young Russian boys, aged seven and nine, from Ukraine.
Ukraine says about 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians since the war began, calling the abductions a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide.
Moscow says it has protected vulnerable children from the war zone. Ms Lvova-Belova and Mr Putin are both wanted by the International Criminal Court over war crimes allegedly committed in relation to the children’s transfer.
Pictured: Aftermath of Russian strikes this week on Odesa
Friday 29 November 2024 18:01
Andy Gregory
Full report: Russia suffers ‘record 2,000 casualties in day’ as Ukraine military chief vows to reinforce eastern front
Friday 29 November 2024 17:42
Andy Gregory
Russia has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in a single day, Ukraine’s military has claimed, in what would mark the heaviest toll of losses inflicted on Vladimir Putin’s forces at any point in the war so far.
Read the full report on today’s developments in Ukraine here:
A Ukrainian video game set in Chernobyl is the target of a Russian misinformation operation
Friday 29 November 2024 17:41
Andy Gregory
Read the full report below:
Polish company denies that it broke the law in sending Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine
Friday 29 November 2024 17:22
Andy Gregory
A Polish company has strongly denied any laws were broken when it sent Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine.
Switzerland’s government said last week it was barring exports to Polish military hardware supplier UMO after concluding that some 645,000 rounds of Swiss-made small-calibre ammunition ended up in Ukraine.
The issue is sensitive because Swiss laws on neutrality and the export of war material ban the export or re-export of Swiss-owned or Swiss-made military hardware to countries in conflict.
Poland, in contrast, is one of neighbouring Ukraine‘s staunchest allies and has sought to help Kyiv defend itself against Russia’s invasion with arms supplies.
UMO, which specializes in hardware for the military and police, said it purchased ammunition in 2023 from a Swiss ammunition provider, SwissP Defence, and later exported the ammunition to Ukraine “in accordance with the Polish law.”
It argued that it did not break Swiss law either, saying that “the Swiss government handed over control of the goods to Polish law.”
Russian court sentences defence lawyer to seven years in prison over Ukraine war comments
Friday 29 November 2024 17:01
Andy Gregory
The sentencing of Kremlin critic Alexei Gorinov comes a day after a Russian court sentenced a defence lawyer who has represented critics of Moscow’s war in Ukraine to seven years in prison.
Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence for Dmitry Talantov, 63, who pleaded not guilty, after he wrote Facebook posts which condemned the actions of Russian soldiers in Ukraine. He was prosecuted under two censorship laws, spreading false information about the Russian army and “inciting hatred”, the court said.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia has called for his acquittal.
“Talantov must be released immediately and exonerated of all criminal responsibility, as acts such as expressing a non-violent opinion or peaceful dissent against the war are protected by international human rights law,” Mariana Katzarova said.
Putin’s secret daughter ‘is part-time DJ living in Paris under pseudonym’
Friday 29 November 2024 16:48
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin’s youngest daughter is an occasional DJ who has lived in Paris under a pseudonym, according to reports.
While the Russian president officially has two daughters with his ex-wife, who has remarried as Lyudmila Ocheretnaya after she and Putin were divorced in 2014, he is also alleged to have had a daughter with a woman named Svetlana Krivonogikh.
Her daughter Elizaveta has now been reported in Ukrainian media to haved lived in Paris under the name Elizaveta Olegovna Rudnova, and to have studied at the ICART international school of art management.
You can read more details here:
Nato invitation to Ukraine would be ‘the adequate response’ to Russian escalation, Kyiv says
Friday 29 November 2024 16:04
Andy Gregory
A decision by Nato to invite Ukraine to join the military alliance would be “the adequate response” to Russia’s “constant escalation of the war it has unleashed”, Kyiv’s chief diplomat has said in a letter seen by Reuters.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has urged his Nato counterparts to issue an invitation during a meeting in Brussels next week to Kyiv to join the alliance, according to the letter.
In line with president Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan”, Ukraine says it accepts that it cannot join Nato until the war is over but extending an invitation now would show Vladimir Putin that one of his main goals – preventing Kyiv from becoming a Nato member – could not be achieved.
Nato has declared that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership. But it has not issued a formal invitation or set out a timeline, and diplomats say there is no consensus among alliance members to invite Ukraine at this stage – a decision which would require the consent of all 32 member states.
But Mr Sybiha wrote: “We believe that the invitation should be extended at this stage,” he wrote.
“It will become the Allies’ adequate response to Russia’s constant escalation of the war it has unleashed, the latest demonstration of which is the involvement of tens of thousands of North Korean troops and the use of Ukraine as a testing ground for new weapons,” Mr Sybiha added.
Ukraine urges Nato to issue membership invite next week, letter shows
Friday 29 November 2024 15:34
Andy Gregory
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has urged his Nato counterparts to issue an invitation to Kyiv to join the Western military alliance at a meeting in Brussels next week, according to the text of a letter seen by Reuters.
“I urge you to endorse the decision to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance as one of the outcomes of the Nato Foreign Ministerial Meeting on 3-4 December 2024,” Mr Sybiha wrote.
Iran nuclear proliferation ‘critical threat’ in coming months, French spy chief says
Friday 29 November 2024 15:16
Andy Gregory
The risk of Iranian nuclear proliferation is a serious threat in coming months, and Britain and France are working out strategies to prepare for such an event, the head of France’s foreign intelligence service has warned – as Iranian and European leaders meet to discuss Tehran’s ties with Moscow.
“Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months – the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” Nicolas Lerner, head of the DGSE, said at the British embassy in Paris, alongside MI6 chief Richard Moore.
His rare public comments come as Iran and European powers meet in Geneva to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme, the situation in the Middle East, and Tehran’s ties with Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
“The intelligence will be crucial to enable our authorities to make the right decisions and define the right strategies,” he said.
Sir Richard echoed those comments, saying: “The regime’s nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us, especially friends of France and the UK in the Gulf region.”
German foreign minister to visit China next week to discuss Ukraine war
Friday 29 November 2024 14:49
Andy Gregory
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock will travel to China next week and discuss issues including the war in Ukraine with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Berlin has said.
Further political talks are also planned, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding that Ms Baerbock will also meet with German business representatives in the country.
Russia using thermal and radar decoys to trick Ukrainian air defences
Friday 29 November 2024 14:30
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s air force has warned that Russia was using thermal and radar decoys to trick Ukrainian air defences, and putting electronic warfare devices on its missiles.
"All this significantly complicates the operation of Soviet-made anti-aircraft missile systems. Western systems work much more effectively in such conditions, but Ukraine does not have enough to reliably cover hundreds of critical infrastructure facilities," the air force said.
It said foggy weather conditions also made it harder for machine gunners to spot drones, as Russia launched a large-scale attack this week on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
ICYMI: Putin threatens to target Kyiv ‘decision-making centres’ with new missile
Friday 29 November 2024 14:10
Andy Gregory
Vladimir Putin has threatened to strike Kyiv with Moscow’s new ballistic missile – in the wake of his forces conducting a “massive” aerial assault on energy infrastructure across Ukraine.
The Russian president claimed future targets could include "decision-making centres" in the Ukrainian capital, as he said the latest strikes by almost 200 drones and missiles were in response to Ukraine using long-range US- and UK-supplied missiles against Russia.
But given that Moscow has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s energy sector during its almost three-year invasion – and that this was the second large attack in a month – Putin’s remarks have little credibility.
My colleague Jabed Ahmed has more in this report:
Russian defence minister makes unannounced visit to North Korea to deepen military ties
Friday 29 November 2024 13:35
Andy Gregory
Russian defence minister Andrey Belousov arrived in North Korea for a meeting with his counterpart on Friday, deepening concerns about their expanding strategic and military cooperation in the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
“Today, friendly ties between Russia and North Korea are expanding across all areas, including military collaboration. We are committed to implementing all agreements reached at the highest level,” Mr Belousov told his counterpart No Kwang-chol during their meeting, news agency Tass reported.
“We look forward to close and fruitful cooperation with our Korean comrades,” the Russian minister said. “Today’s discussions will further strengthen the Russian-Korean strategic partnership in the defence industry.”
The visit, kept under the wraps until the last minute, coincided with South Korea scrambling fighter aircraft to intercept six Russian and five Chinese warplanes.
My colleague Shweta Sharma has more details in this report:
Moscow denies meddling in Romania election as authorities weigh re-running vote
Friday 29 November 2024 13:03
Andy Gregory
Any accusations of Russian interference in Romania’s presidential election are groundless, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has insisted – after far-right, anti-Nato candidate Calin Georgescu surged into the lead in a shock first round of voting.
Romanian authorities have said they have found evidence of meddling in the election campaign by hostile actors, and officials are awaiting a decision by the Constitutional Court on whether to validate the results of the first round.
The head of Romania’s electoral commission said on Friday that the first round of voting could be re-run on 15 December, with the run-off between the final two candidates pushed back from 8 December to 29 December.
According to Romanian law, the court can annul the result of the first round vote only it finds evidence of fraud that affected who reached the run-off.
Ukraine's top commander vows to boost troops on eastern front after visiting units there
Friday 29 November 2024 12:33
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has vowed to strengthen troops deployed on the eastern front with reserves, ammunition and equipment, after visiting two key sites in Donetsk – where Russia’s forces are advancing at the fastest rate since the early days of the 2022 invasion.
Visiting the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhhove, Mr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces were continuing to repel Russian advances, but said: “Based on the results of the work, all necessary decisions have been made to strengthen the units with reserves, additional ammunition, weapons, and military equipment.
“We continue to restrain the enemy and inflict heavy losses in terms of their manpower and equipment.”
Full report: Boris Johnson calls for British ‘peacekeeper’ troops in Ukraine after Russia ceasefire
Friday 29 November 2024 12:15
Andy Gregory
British troops should be sent to guard Ukraine’s border under any future ceasefire with Russia, Boris Johnson has said.
The former prime minister has said responsibility for keeping any deal intact should fall to a group of European peace-keeping forces.
Ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, which is expected to spark talks to end the conflict, Mr Johnson said British troops should be sent to Ukraine to maintain a ceasefire.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
Germany’s Scholz says he held call with Zelensky on continued support for Ukraine
Friday 29 November 2024 11:56
Andy Gregory
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has assured Volodymyr Zelensky of Germany’s continued support in a phone call in which they agreed to stay in contact.
“We will continue our military support for Ukraine in close coordination with our European and international partners. I agreed with Zelenskiy that we will remain in contact - also with a perspective to possible paths to a just peace,” Mr Scholz said.
Following the collapse of his governing coalition, Mr Scholz is reportedly planning to call a confidence vote on 16 December, which he is expected to lose, paving the way for an election in February.
MI6 chief warns of ‘staggeringly reckless’ Russian sabotage campaign against West
Friday 29 November 2024 11:48
Andy Gregory
The head of MI6 has warned that Russia is conducting a “staggeringly reckless” sabotage campaign against Ukraine’s Western allies, and that his spies are working to stop the consequences from spiralling out of control.
Sir Richard Moore said his agency and its French counterpart were working together to prevent a dangerous escalation by “calibrating the risk and informing the decisions of our respective governments” in response to Vladimir Putin’s “mix of bluster and aggression.”
“We have recently uncovered a staggeringly reckless campaign of Russian sabotage in Europe, even as Putin and his acolytes resort to nuclear saber-rattling, to sow fear about the consequences of aiding Ukraine,” said Britain’s foreign intelligence chief.
“Such activity and rhetoric is dangerous and beyond irresponsible,” he said, in remarks at an event marking 120 years of the Entente Cordiale, a series of pacts between Britain and France that bound the centuries-old rivals together as military and diplomatic allies.
Watch | Putin full of praise for ‘intelligent and experienced’ Trump after election victory
Friday 29 November 2024 11:04
Andy Gregory
Russia claims to have shot down 10 ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine in past week
Friday 29 November 2024 10:45
Andy Gregory
Russia’s defence ministry claims that its forces have shot down 10 US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine over the past week, Russian state media reports.
It was reported on 17 November that US president Joe Biden had for the first time authorised Ukraine to strike some targets on internationally-recognised Russian territory using the American-supplied missiles, with Britain soon following suit in allowing Kyiv to do so with UK-made Storm Shadow missiles.
Russia’s economy will need to adapt to new US sanctions, minister admits
Friday 29 November 2024 10:40
Andy Gregory
The Russian rouble will strengthen when temporary speculative factors and market nervousness subside, but the economy will need to adapt to new US sanctions targeting the banking sector, minister Maxim Reshetnikov has said.
The latest US sanctions on Russia’s financial sector hit Gazprombank, which handles payments for Russia’s energy trade with Europe and is the major supplier of Western currencies to the market.
The sanctions created a shortage on the Russian foreign exchange market, which led to panic buying of foreign currencies. The rouble was largely stable against all major currencies on Friday but remained at its lowest level since March 2022. The currency is down by over one quarter against the US dollar since early August.
Insisting that there were no fundamental reasons for the rouble’s fall, Mr Reshetnikov said: “It is evident that adaptation to the new anti-Russian sanctions will be necessary, including changes to banking mechanisms and channels for currency inflows into the Russian market.”
He added: “We assume that once the market nervousness subsides, the exchange rate will return to its fundamental values.”
His remarks came after Vladimir Putin urged Russians not to panic over the rouble’s fall and a decision by Moscow’s central bank not to buy foreign currency on the domestic market until the end of the year.
Jailed Russian dissident Gorinov sentenced to further three years in prison
Friday 29 November 2024 10:28
Andy Gregory
Jailed Russian dissident Alexei Gorinov has been found guilty of "justifying terrorism" in his latest trial and sentenced to a further three years in prison, independent news outlet Mediazona said.
Mr Gorinov, who denied the charge, had already been serving a seven-year sentence after being convicted in 2022 of spreading supposedly false information about Russia's armed forces.
He was reported to have been the first person convicted under a strict censorship law brought in shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia suffers more than 2,000 casualties in a single day, Ukraine’s military claims
Friday 29 November 2024 09:46
Andy Gregory
Ukraine’s military claims to have inflicted 2,030 casualties among Vladimir Putin’s forces over the past 24 hours.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in its daily update that more than 200 combat clashes had been recorded over the past day, with Russian forces launching nearly 100 aviation strikes and more than 4,800 shells as they attacked positions along the front line.
Boris Johnson says UK troops should be peacekeepers in any Ukraine ceasefire deal
Friday 29 November 2024 09:27
Andy Gregory
Boris Johnson has called for British troops to be deployed as part of a multinational group of Western peacekeepers at the Ukrainian border as part of any ceasefire deal.
“I don’t think we should be sending in combat troops to take on the Russians. But I think as part of the solution, as part of the end state, you’re going to want to have multinational European peace-keeping forces monitoring the border [and] helping the Ukrainians,” the former prime minister told the Telegraph.
“I cannot see that such a European operation could possibly happen without the British.”
South Korea scrambles fighter jets in response to Russian and Chinese warplanes
Friday 29 November 2024 09:08
Andy Gregory
As Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov visits North Korea, South Korea was forced to scramble fighter jets to repel six Russian and five Chinese warplanes that temporarily entered the country’s air defence identification zone.
Seoul military chiefs said the foreign warplanes entered South Korean air defence identification zone around its eastern and southern seas – but did not breach South Korea’s territorial airspace.
Russian defence minister visits North Korea
Friday 29 November 2024 08:49
via AP newswire
Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov has arrived in North Korea for talks with military and political leaders as the countries deepen their alignment over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Mr Belousov, a former economist, replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister in May after Vladimir Putin started his fifth term in power. Photos released by Russia’s defence ministry showed him walking alongside his North Korean counterpart No Kwang Chol on a red carpet at a Pyongyang airport.
North Korean military officials were seen clapping under a banner that read: “Complete support and solidarity with the fighting Russian army and people.”
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s national security adviser, Shin Wonsik, said in a TV interview last week that Seoul assesses that Russia has provided air defence missile sy