Live blog: EU agrees on further $507M military aid for Ukraine

Monday, July 18, 2022

EU agrees another $507M for Ukrainian arms

European Union foreign ministers have agreed another $507 million (500 million euros) of EU funding to supply arms to Ukraine, taking the bloc's security support to 2.5 billion euros since Russian offensive began Ukraine on February 24.

"Today at the EU foreign ministers meeting, a political agreement was reached on the fifth tranche of military assistance to Ukraine," Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde said in a statement.

The money should help the EU continue to jointly buy equipment and supplies for the Ukrainian military, including lethal weaponry, which the bloc has said should be used for defensive purposes.

Ukraine names corruption department head as acting security agency chief

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed corruption department head as the acting head of the domestic security agency after abruptly sidelining his predecessor.

Zelenskyy signed a decree appointing Vasyl Maliuk as acting chief of the State Security Service (SBU), one day after the president suspended childhood friend Ivan Bakanov over what he portrayed as a failure to root out treason in the agency.

Maliuk, 39, had been first deputy head of the SBU since March 2020 and headed the Main Directorate for Combating Corruption and Organised Crime of the SBU's Central Directorate, according to his profile on the SBU website.

Russia’s Gazprom declares force majeure on gas supplies to Europe

Russia's Gazprom has told customers in Europe it cannot guarantee gas supplies because of 'extraordinary' circumstances, according to a letter seen by Reuters, upping the ante in an economic tit-for-tat with the West over Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Dated July 14, the letter from the Russian state gas monopoly, said it was declaring force majeure on supplies, starting from June 14. Known as an 'act of God' clause, force majeure is standard in business contracts and spells out extreme circumstances that excuse a party from their legal obligations.

Gazprom's had no immediate comment. Uniper, Germany's biggest importer of Russian gas, was among the customers who said they had received a letter, and that it had formally rejected the claim as unjustified.

No clear timeframe of ‘special operation’ in Ukraine: Russia

There are no clear timeframes of the "special operation" in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, adding that it will end when all its goals are achieved.

In an interview with Iran's state broadcaster, Peskov also claimed that the Russian army acts "very carefully, using high-precision weapons" in Ukraine, excluding any attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Speaking on the sanctions against Russia and Iran, Peskov said this is the "price that Russia and Iran pay for their independence and sovereignty."

Gas pipeline damaged in Ukraine's Kherson region, no sign of disruption in supply to EU

A gas pipeline has been damaged as a result of a strike by the Ukrainian armed forces near the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in Ukraine's Kherson, a region currently controlled by Russian forces, TASS has reported, citing the regional administration.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's state gas system Naftogaz said there was no immediate evidence that the developments in the Kherson region had affected the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe.

Four-way Ukraine, Russia, UN meeting on grain corridor “probable” this week - Türkiye

Officials from Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the United Nations will most likely meet this week to discuss resuming Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports, Ankara has said.

"An agreement was reached on a plan, general principles for shipping grain and food products... A meeting on this within the week is probable," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.

He added that technical matters like forming a monitoring centre in Istanbul, identifying safe routes, and checkpoints at port exits and entries were on the agenda.

Putin: Russia cannot be cut off from rest of world

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said it will be impossible to cut Russia off from the rest of the world, and that the country must focus on developing its own technology and supporting fast-growing companies.

"Clearly, we cannot develop in isolation from the rest of the world, but we won't. In today's world, you can't just, you know, circle everything with a compass and put up a huge fence, it's just not possible," Putin said, speaking to a video-conference with government figures.

Nord Stream turbine was meant for use in September - German ministry

The turbine being sent to Russia for the Nord Stream gas pipeline was meant to be used only from September, a German economy ministry spokesperson has said, adding that the ministry could not provide details on the turbine's whereabouts.

That means the turbine's absence could not be the real reason for a fall-off in gas flows.

Kommersant newspaper reported earlier that Canada had sent the turbine to Germany by plane on July 17 after repair work had been completed.

EU: Türkiye-mediated grain deal a 'matter of life or death'

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has expressed hope that diplomatic efforts led by Türkiye to help export grain from Ukraine will bring an agreement and ease a growing global food crisis.

"It's an issue of life and death for many human beings. And the question is that Russia has to de-block and allow Ukrainian grain to be exported," Borrell told reporters on Monday.

He noted that “it is not a diplomatic game” as the lives of “tens of thousands of people depend on this agreement.”

Türkiye last week announced a deal with Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked since February.

Russian shelling kills several in east Ukrainian town 

At least six people have been killed in Russian shelling of the town of Toretsk in the Donetsk region of east Ukraine, the State Emergency Service said.

Rescuers retrieved five bodies from the rubble of a two-storey house and another person died in hospital, it said on Facebook.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians.

Russia targets Ukraine's missiles as Western-supplied weapons bite

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered generals to prioritise destroying Ukraine's long-range missile and artillery weapons after Western-supplied weapons were used to strike Russian supply lines.

The ministry said the weapons were being used to shell residential areas of Russian-controlled Donbass and to deliberately set fire to wheat fields and grain storage silos.

H&M to wind down operations in Russia

Swedish fashion retailer H&M has decided to wind down operations in Russia, after pausing all sales there in March following Moscow's attacks on Ukraine.

"After careful consideration, we see it as impossible given the current situation to continue our business in Russia," H&M Group CEO Helena Helmersson said in a statement.

It said the entire wind-down was expected to cost the group around $192 million, of which around $96 million would have a cash flow impact.

EU foreign ministers zoom in on tightening Russia sanctions

European Union foreign ministers have been zooming in on tightening the extensive package of sanctions on Russia and looking at ways to add a ban on gold exports.

Foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said that at the moment “the most important thing is a ban on Russian gold,” which is Moscow's second largest export industry after energy.

The 27 ministers will also assess how they can tighten controls on exports of high technology to Russia for a possible decision later in the week.

Russian journalist released after brief detention

Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who shot to prominence for interrupting a live TV broadcast to denounce Russia's military action in Ukraine, has said she had been released after a few hours in custody.

"I am at home. Everything is fine," she wrote on Facebook overnight. "Now I know it's better to leave home with my passport and my bag," she added.

Her lawyer, Dmitri Zakhvatov, said she was detained because she was suspected of having "discredited" the army in remarks outside a Moscow court last week in support of opposition activist Ilya Yashin.

Zelenskyy: Ukrainians won't accept Canada's turbine decision

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he had told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Ukrainians would never accept Canada's decision to return a gas turbine intended for a Russian pipeline because it would encourage more sanctions violations.

Zelenskyy said in his video address that he had talked to Trudeau earlier and thanked him for his support. "However I stressed separately that Ukrainians will never accept Canada's decision regarding the Nord Stream turbine," he said. Handing it to Germany violated sanctions, he added.

Trudeau said on Wednesday that it was a "very difficult decision" to grant an exemption from sanctions imposed on Russia for the return of the repaired turbine, needed for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.

But Zelenskyy, echoing earlier remarks by other Ukrainian officials, said Russia was engaging in blackmail with gas. "If there is one violation now, it is only a matter of time before there will be others," he said.

For live updates from Sunday (July 17), click here