Live blog: EU adopts new round of sanctions on Russia over Ukraine war

Monday, December 18, 2023

The European Union has adopted a new package of sanctions on Russia that include an import ban on Russian diamonds, officials said.

Moscow is accused of helping to fill its war chest with proceeds from diamond sales, which are worth an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion a year.

The EU package is the 12th packet levelled at Moscow since it sent Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022. They are designed to reduce Russia's access to revenues, metals and technology used to sustain its war effort.

The latest round of sanctions was settled last Friday by envoys from the 27 EU member countries but not formally adopted because of an objection from Austria that was subsequently lifted.

"We continue to stand with Ukraine, through thick and thin," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

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1710 GMT — Putin says girls are Russia's labour force 'reserve'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged traditionally male professions to employ more women, to reduce major labour shortages exacerbated by thousands of soldiers being called up to fight in Ukraine.

"Girls represent a huge reserve for Russia. In sectors where they are not yet working, they need to exploit their potential to the fullest," Putin said.

Russia has for years been suffering from a shrinking labour force because of persistently low birth rates, and this has been aggravated by the conflict in Ukraine.

The mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of men took them out of the job market and prompted many of the most educated sections of the population to flee the country.

1653 GMT — US seeks to claw back Russian oil trade under the G7 price cap

The United States will push shippers to disclose more information about their Russian oil dealings in a bid to enforce sanctions.

The Group of Seven countries (G7) agreed a price for Russian crude in December last year, which bans Western companies from providing maritime services including financing, insurance and shipping for oil sold above $60 per barrel.

But US officials acknowledged a big chunk of trade has already escaped Western oversight after Russia built a parallel fleet: "A significant amount of (Russian) oil can in fact flow outside the G7," one told Reuters.

The officials said that on top of targeted sanctions, they are pushing for an "itemisation of costs" when a Russian oil buyer presents documentation to Western insurance providers and shippers to prove the trade took place under the cap.

1649 GMT — Finland bolsters military ties with US after Putin warning

Finland has signed an agreement to enhance military cooperation with the United States, a day after Putin warned the neighbouring country over its entrance into NATO.

Signing the agreement in Washington with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen hailed it as a "strong sign of US commitment to the defence of Finland and the whole northern Europe."

"We do not expect the United States to take care of the defence of Finland. We continue to invest in our defence and share the burden in our area and beyond," he said. "However, this agreement significantly enhances our ability to act together in all situations."

1627 GMT — Hungarian premier credits Türkiye as sole nation to achieve results on Russia-Ukraine war via Grain Deal

Türkiye is the only country that has achieved results in efforts concerning the Russia-Ukraine war through the grain deal it helped broker last year, Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban has said.

"We have advanced the Türkiye-Hungary relationship to the level of enhanced strategic partnership. I don't know if there is anything beyond this in diplomatic terms. I believe this is the strongest in terms of friendship and brotherhood," Orban said in a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

1559 GMT — More Ukraine aid would force German debt brake decision: Habeck to Handelsblatt

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has told the Handelsblatt daily that the government would have to decide on an emergency exception if it were to extend aid to Ukraine by billions of euros.

"If we have to extend the aid by billions, we will also have to decide on this emergency situation," he said.

The government can go beyond its debt brake if Germany is hit by a natural disaster or "exceptional emergencies" that are beyond the control of the state and significantly affect its finances. Such an exception must be declared by parliament through a majority of lawmakers.

1558 GMT — Polish truckers resume blockade of key Ukraine checkpoint

Polish hauliers have resumed their blockade of the largest freight border crossing with Ukraine following a court order that allowed the truckers to go back to the Dorohusk checkpoint.

The truckers have been blocking the border for over a month to demand the reintroduction of permits to enter the European Union for their Ukrainian competitors.

The bloc had waived the permits system after Russia started its offensive against Ukraine, but the Polish road carriers say the move took a toll on their earnings.

Last week the local authorities in Dorohusk withdrew permission for protests at the border crossing, but the decision was later overturned by the court. Police confirmed that the truckers were once again blocking cargo traffic.

1553 GMT — France's Macron to discuss Ukraine with UK's Cameron

French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss topics including Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Tuesday, said a statement from Macron's Elysee office.

Macron and Cameron will also discuss how to tackle illegal immigration, added the Elysee on Monday.

1552 GMT — Russia declares renowned writer Boris Akunin 'terrorist'

Russia has placed the writer Boris Akunin, who has spoken out against Moscow's military operation in Ukraine from exile, on its list of individuals identified as terrorists or extremists.

Akunin is the pen name of Georgian-born writer Grigory Chkhartishvili. The 67-year-old is known for his historical detective novels and his longstanding criticism of Putin.

Russia's Investigative Committee announced it had opened a criminal probe into Akunin for allegedly "justifying terrorism and publicly spreading fake information" on the Russian army.

1545 GMT — Ukraine's top general criticises president's firing of recruitment chiefs: media

Ukraine's top general has issued his strongest criticism to date of a previous presidential decision to fire regional military draft office chiefs, Interfax Ukraine reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired all of Ukraine's regional military recruitment heads in August in a corruption crackdown.

He said at the time a state investigation into centres across Ukraine had exposed abuses by officials ranging from illegal enrichment to transporting draft-eligible men across the border despite a wartime ban on them leaving the country.

1531 GMT — Denmark, Sweden to donate more armoured vehicles to Ukraine

Denmark will contribute financially to Sweden's donation to Ukraine of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles as well as the production of new vehicles for Kiev's fight against Russia, for a total of $264 million (1.8 billion Danish kroner), it has said.

"The government, together with the Swedish government, has decided to co-finance the donation already underway (of 50 CV90 vehicles) as well as the production of new CV90 infantry fighting vehicles," the Danish defence ministry said in a statement.

The contribution also includes spare parts, ammunition and a multiyear maintenance deal.

1226 GMT — Ukraine’s military chief says one of his offices was bugged and other devices were detected

Ukraine’s military chief has said that a covert listening device was found in one of the offices where he works, and hinted without elaborating that bugs were detected in other locations.

Army Cmdr. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi commented to local media about Sunday’s revelation by Ukraine’s Security Service that during a routine sweep a bug was found in a room he used.

The device wasn’t working, the agency said.

1210 GMT — Ukraine's army chief says situation at front line is not a stalemate

Ukraine's army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi has said that the situation on the front line had not reached a stalemate.

Answering a question about whether he considers the battlefield situation a stalemate, he replied "no", Ukraine's RBC media reported.

He declined to comment on whether Ukraine would continue counteroffensive operations during the winter due to the sensitivity of the matter.

1126 GMT — Ukrainian troops face artillery shortages, scale back some operations: commander

Frontline Ukrainian troops face shortages of artillery shells and have scaled back some military operations because of a shortfall of foreign assistance, a senior army general has told Reuters.

Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi was speaking after Republican lawmakers held up a $60-billion U.S. aid package and Hungary blocked 50 billion euros ($54.5 billion) in European Union funding for Kiev as it battles Russia's offensive.

"There's a problem with ammunition, especially post-Soviet (shells) — that's 122 mm, 152 mm. And today these problems exist across the entire front line," he said in an interview.

2353 GMT — Russia, Ukraine exchange swarm of drones

Ukraine and Russia have launched a swarm of drones at each other's territories as both sides step up attacks, with the Russian assault reportedly killing one person in Odessa and the Ukrainian strike targeting a Russian military airfield.

Ukraine's air force said on Sunday morning that it had destroyed 20 drones and a cruise missile that Russia launched overnight.

Nine of the drones were downed over the southern Odesa region, with falling debris starting a fire in a residential house and killing one person.

The Russian defence ministry said in a social media statement that its air defence systems destroyed or intercepted a total of 35 Ukraine-launched drones over Lipetsk, Volgograd and Rostov regions. It did not say what was targeted or whether there was any damage.

Ukrainska Pravda media outlet reported late on Sunday, citing unnamed sources, that the Kiev attack targeted the Russian Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region in a reportedly joint operation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Armed Forces.

For our live updates from Sunday (December 17), click here.