Ukraine called on NATO members on Tuesday to speed up arms deliveries and help restore its shattered power grid, as Western allies pledged to boost support to help Kyiv through the winter in the face of Russia’s attacks. Follow our blog to see how today’s events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
04:23: Ukraine urges allies to speed up support for war winter
Ukraine urged NATO members Tuesday to speed up arms deliveries and help restore its battered power grid, as Western allies pledged to boost support to help Kyiv through the winter in the face of Russia’s attacks.
Moscow has unleashed waves of strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as its troops are pushed back to the ground, plunging millions of people into darkness.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba demanded that arms deliveries, particularly advanced air defense systems, come “faster, faster, faster” as he joined a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
04:00: Ukraine strikes digital trade deal with UK
UK on Wednesday said it had agreed in principle on a digital trade deal with Ukraine, the eastern European country’s first agreement in which it seeks support for its economy after Russia’s invasion.
Britain has tried to support Ukraine during the war, providing weapons but also taking economic steps, such as reducing tariffs on all Ukrainian goods to zero.
Talks on the digital deal began this summer and were fast-tracked to support Ukraine’s economy through the war and beyond.
01:21: NATO promises more weapons and energy support to Ukraine
NATO allies pledged more weapons to Ukraine and equipment to help restore power supplies cut by Russian strikes at meetings on Tuesday.
Foreign ministers from the NATO alliance, including the US Secretary of State Antony Blinkenbegan a two-day meeting in Bucharest on Tuesday, looking for ways to both keep Ukrainians safe and warm and to support Kiev’s military through an upcoming winter campaign.
US and European officials said the ministers would focus in their talks on non-lethal aid such as fuel, medical supplies and winter equipment, as well as on military aid. Washington said it would provide $53 million to buy power grid equipment.
12:25 PM: PM says Finland must provide more weapons to ensure Ukraine wins war against Russia
Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the comments on Wednesday in Auckland on the first ever visit by a Finnish prime minister to New Zealand and Australia.
“We need hard power when it comes to Ukraine,” Marin told reporters when asked how soft power affects smaller countries. Finland and New Zealand could exercise.
“They need weapons, they need financial support, they need humanitarian support, and we also need to ensure that all refugees fleeing Ukraine are welcomed to Europe,” Marin said. “We have to make sure they’re going to win,” Marin said.
Since the war began, both Finland and Sweden have abandoned their long-standing policy of military non-alignment and applied to join NATO. Both countries are still seeking support from Turkey.
Marin said Western countries also needed to make sure the sanctions were “tougher and tougher”. Russia” because the war affected everyone, not only the civilians in Ukraine but also people all over the world with higher energy prices.
12:00 p.m.: Ukraine forces strike power plant in Russia’s Kursk region, governor says
Ukrainian forces hit a power plant in several attacks in Russia’s Kursk region on Tuesday, causing some power outages, a local governor said.
“In total there were about 11 launches. A power plant was hit,” Roman Starovoyt, the governor of the Kursk region, said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Because of this, there are partial blackouts in Sudzha and Korenevo districts.” The districts are part of Russia’s Kursk region and lie across Ukraine’s northeastern border.
There was no immediate information on possible injuries or fatalities, he added.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
Originally published on France24
Source: sn.dk