French President Emmanuel Macron, during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, accused Russia of endangering the world’s food supply by suspending its participation in a Ukrainian grain deal. Macron also assured Zelensky that France would help Ukraine get through the winter and help repair water and energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes. Follow our live blog for the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. All times are local time in Paris (GMT+1).
18:20: No grain ship movement planned in Black Sea Wednesday, says coordination center
There are no plans for grain-laden ships to move in the Black Sea on Wednesday, the Joint Coordination Centre, the body overseeing a deal on Ukrainian food exports, said.
“The UN Secretariat at the Joint Coordination Center reports that the Ukrainian, Turkish and UN delegations agreed not to plan any movement of vessels in the Black Sea Grain Initiative for November 2,” it said on Tuesday, referring to the July agreement as mediated by Turkey. and the United Nations.
18:15: Putin tells Erdogan he wants ‘real guarantees’ from Kyiv on grain deal, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Tuesday that he wanted “real guarantees” from Kyiv before it possibly joined the grain deal.
Putin told Erdogan in a phone call that Russia sought “real guarantees from Kyiv on strict compliance with the Istanbul agreement, in particular on not using the humanitarian corridor for military purposes,” according to a Kremlin statement.
15:51: France says Russia endangers world food security
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accused Russia of endangering the world’s food supply by suspending its participation in a landmark Ukraine grain deal.
Moscow on Saturday suspended its participation in the deal that allowed vital grain exports from Ukraine, blaming drone attacks on Russian ships in Crimea.
In a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron condemned a unilateral decision by Russia that is once again harming the global food supply, the president’s office said.
Russia made the announcement after its army accused Kyiv of a “massive” drone attack on the country Black Sea navy, which Ukraine called a “false pretext” and the United Nations called for the agreement to be preserved.
The July agreement to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by Turkey and that U.N has been seen as crucial to alleviating the global food crisis caused by the conflict.
15:18: Macron says France will help Ukraine get through winter, fix infrastructure
French President Emmanuel Macron, after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said France would help Ukraine get through the winter and help repair water and energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes.
France will also help bolster Ukraine’s air defenses and Macron said he and Zelensky had agreed to hold an international conference in Paris on December 13 to support Ukraine’s civilians in the winter.
A bilateral conference on December 12 will also aim to increase support for Ukraine from French companies, Macron said in a statement.
15:13: Macron, Zelensky discuss Ukraine’s defense needs, restoration of energy facilities
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he had an “extremely important and productive conversation” with the French president Emmanuel Macron on strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities and restoring damaged energy infrastructure.
Zelensky did not say what was agreed but thanked Macron for his support since Russia invaded Ukraine.
13:54: Britain says it will not be drawn into Russian “distractions” over Nord Stream
Moscow’s claim that Britain is to blame for damage to Nord Stream gas pipelines is an attempt to distract from the situation in Ukraine and is part of the “Russian playbook”, PM Rishi Sunak’the spokesman said on Tuesday.
“Of course, we are monitoring the situation closely, but it is right not to be drawn into these kinds of distractions that are part of the Russian playbook,” Sunak’s spokesman told reporters.
“They continue their indiscriminate bombing of civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure. That is our focus, and we will continue to provide support so that they lose this illegal war.”
12:04 Kremlin accuses UK of “leading and coordinating” Nord Stream blasts
The Kremlin on Tuesday again accused UK of “directing and coordinating” explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
“Our intelligence services have data indicating that British military specialists directed and coordinated the attack,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “There is evidence that Britain is involved in sabotage, in a terrorist attack on vital energy infrastructure, not only Russian but international.”
11:46 AM: Russia says no decree needed to stop “partial mobilization” in Ukraine
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not need a decree to mark the completion of its “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reservists for the war in Ukraine.
But the fact that the Kremlin has not rescinded the original presidential decree or issued a new one canceling it has raised concerns that it could leave the door open to further calls.
11:06: The EU presidency says the sanctions may next be aimed at Belarus
The prime minister of the Czech Republic, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said on Tuesday that the bloc may look at further sanctions against Belarus over its role in the war in Ukraine.
Minsk allows Russian troops to be stationed on Belarusian territory and stage attacks on Ukraine from there, although it insists it does not want to join the war directly.
“We are now looking at … the role of Belarus and the potential need to target it,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters after returning from Kyiv where members of his government joined him in talks with Ukrainian equivalents.
“We must realize that the attacks against Ukraine are directed out of Belarusian airspace and that Belarus supplies Russia with weapons,” said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.
>> “The Russian pressure is too strong”: Is Putin drawing Belarus into the war in Ukraine?
10:23: Three more ships leave Ukrainian ports under contract despite Russian suspension
Three outbound ships left Ukrainian ports at noon on Tuesday under the Black Sea grain export agreement, the UN-led coordination center said, the second day of sailings after Russia suspended participation in the initiative.
The statement said the ship movement was approved by the Ukrainian, Turkish and UN delegations at the Istanbul-based center and that the Russian delegation had been informed.
It said the UN’s grain initiative coordinator, Amir Abdulla, was continuing discussions with all three member-state parties in an effort to resume full participation in the center that oversees the safe passage of ships.
10:17: Finland urges Turkey, Hungary to quickly approve Swedish, Finnish NATO bids
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Tuesday urged Hungary and Turkey to quickly approve the Swedish and Finnish applications for membership in NATO defense alliance.
Hungary and Turkey are the only two remaining NATO members that have not ratified the applications.
“All eyes are now on Hungary and Turkey. We are waiting for these countries to ratify our applications. I think it would be important for this to happen sooner rather than later,” Marin said at a joint press conference with other Nordic leaders.
Finland and Sweden reiterated last week that they would join NATO at the same time and present a united front to Turkey.
The Nordic neighbors asked to join the NATO alliance in May in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but ran into objections from Turkey, which has accused the two of harboring groups it considers terrorists.
09:34: Ukraine calls for Russia’s expulsion from G20, says Putin’s hands ‘stained in blood’
Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that Russia should be expelled from the country Group of 20 major economies and President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to a G20 summit in Bali next month must be withdrawn.
“Putin publicly admitted ordering missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure,” spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Twitter.
“With his hands stained in blood, he must not be allowed to sit at the table with world leaders. Putin’s invitation to the Bali summit must be revoked and Russia expelled from the G20.”
8:19 am: Water, power supply restored in Kyiv after missile attack
Water and electricity supplies have been restored in the Ukrainian capital Kyiva day after being knocked out by Russian missile strikes, the city’s mayor said on Tuesday.
“The water supply to the homes of Kiev residents has been fully restored… The electricity supply in Kyiv has also been restored,” Vitali Klitschko said on social media.
8:08: Russian missiles hit apartment complex in Mykolaiv
Russia fired four missiles at the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv overnight, demolishing half an apartment building and killing one resident, a day after it unleashed a barrage of missiles at several cities, including the capital Kyiv.
Rescue workers retrieved the body of an elderly woman from the rubble of the apartment building early on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin said missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities on Monday that targeted infrastructure and a decision to freeze participation in a Black Sea grain export program were in response to a drone attack on Moscow’s navy in Crimea that he blamed on Ukraine.
07:24: Turkey says Black Sea grain export deal must be kept separate from war in Ukraine
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Ukraine’s defense and infrastructure ministers that it was important to keep the Black Sea grain export deal going and that, as a humanitarian initiative, it should be kept separate from the conflict in Ukraine.
Akar’s comments, released in a statement by his ministry on Tuesday, followed Russia’s suspension of its participation in the deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July aimed at keeping food commodities flowing to world markets.
Akar also told his Russian counterpart on Monday that Moscow should reevaluate its decision.
07:15: Russia expands the evacuation zone in the Kherson region
Russian-installed officials in Ukrainesouthern Kherson region said late Monday it was expanding an evacuation zone further from the Dnipro River, saying Ukraine may prepare to attack the Kakhovka dam and flood the region.
In a post on Telegram, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-backed head of the region partially occupied by Russian forces, said he is expanding the area covered by an order for civilians to evacuate by another 15 kilometers to include seven more settlements.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP, REUTERS)
Originally published on France24
Source: sn.dk