Live blog: Russia, France discuss Ukraine nuclear plant inspections

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Russia, France discuss Ukraine nuclear plant inspections

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken with French counterpart Catherine Colonna on the expected visit of independent inspectors to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

They "discussed in detail the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the opportunities available for organising a visit to the station by an IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) mission," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement following their phone call.

Lavrov said that Ukraine "continues to shell the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the territory adjacent to it, exposes the entire European population to the danger of a nuclear catastrophe", it added.

UN nuclear watchdog could visit Zaporizhzhia plant in days

The UN nuclear watchdog has said it will visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant within days if talks to gain access succeed.

"I'm continuing to consult very actively and intensively with all parties," the IAEA's statement quoted chief Rafael Grossi as saying. 

"The mission (to Zaporizhzhia) is expected to take place within the next few days if ongoing negotiations succeed." 

US to announce $3 billion in new military aid for Ukraine

The United States is expected to announce as early as Wednesday a new security assistance package for Ukraine of about $3 billion, a US official has said.

The $3 billion weapons assistance package would be the largest such assistance package that Washington has generated for Ukraine in the six months since Russian troops poured over its borders in February. 

Kiev accuses Moscow of illegal adoptions of Ukrainian children

Kiev has accused Moscow of having organised illegal mass adoptions of Ukrainian children after transferring them from occupied territories to Russia.

"The Russian Federation continues to abduct children from the territory of Ukraine and arrange their illegal adoption by Russian citizens," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Over 1,000 children from Mariupol," a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russian troops, "were illegally transferred to outsiders in Tyumen, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, and Altai Krai" (in Siberia), the statement read, referring to different areas of Russia.

Ukraine will not agree to freeze front lines to 'calm' Russia

Ukraine will not agree to any proposal to freeze the current frontlines in its conflict with Russia in order to "calm" Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told a news conference.

He also urged the world not to show fatigue with the conflict, saying this would pose a big threat to the whole world.

Spain warns that Russia could again attack Kiev

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles has warned that Russia could again attack Kiev.

“The theatre of the war has changed,” she said at a news conference, referring to the current concentration of fighting in eastern Ukraine. 

“But intelligence services worldwide warn that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s attacks could return to Kiev or any other part of Ukraine.”

Robles affirmed that the Russian government will “without a doubt” use “natural gas as a weapon of war” and urged “solidarity and unity” within Spain and the EU.

Zelenskyy vows to restore Ukrainian rule in Crimea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has opened an international conference on Crimea by saying Kiev would restore Ukrainian rule over the Russia-annexed region.

He told the conference that regaining control of the peninsula, seized and annexed by Russia in 2014 in a move not recognised by most other countries, would be the "biggest anti-war step."

"To overcome terror, it is necessary to gain victory in the fight against Russian aggression. It is necessary to liberate Crimea. This will be the resuscitation of world law and order," he told the Crimea Platform summit.

Macron: EU ready to support Ukraine for the long term

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed that the EU's support for Ukraine would continue "for the long term."

Six months after the conflict erupted, "our determination has not changed and we are ready to maintain this effort for the long term," Macron said in a video address to participants in the Crimea Platform conference in Kiev.

"This destabilisation of the international order and the disruptions that have followed, on the humanitarian level, in terms of energy and food, are the consequences of the choice made by Russia and Russia alone to attack Ukraine on February 24," he said.

Lavrov: No mercy for killers of Russian nationalist’s daughter

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said there can be "no mercy" for those behind a car bombing that killed the daughter of pro-Kremlin ultranationalist intellectual Alexandr Dugin.

"The investigation will hopefully be completed soon. According to the results of this investigation, there can be no mercy for those who organised, ordered and carried out (the bombing)," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow.

Russia: Moscow downed Ukrainian SU-27 over Kharkiv region

Russia's defence ministry has said its forces downed a Ukrainian SU-27 fighter jet over the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. 

In its latest daily briefing, Moscow also said it destroyed two US-made M777 Howitzer artillery guns.

Lithuania eyes possible regional ban on Russian visas

Lithuania could seek a "regional solution" for banning Russian tourists if EU member states fail to agree on a bloc-wide sanction, Lithuania's foreign minister has said.

Gabrielius Landsbergis said he expected talks with Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland on the issue in Prague next week on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting.

Landsbergis said if a European solution is not reached, "we do not rule out the possibility of looking for a regional solution that would include the Baltic states, Poland and potentially Finland," adding "there should be no Russian tourists in the EU...as if nothing happened".

S Korea military: Russian warplanes entered air defence zone

South Korea's military has said Russian warplanes entered the country's air defence zone, adding that it has taken tactical measures against contingencies. The military did not elaborate further.

Canada sanctions Russian officials, defence entity

Canada has sanctioned 62 individuals and one defence sector entity over Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.

The sanctioned individuals include high-ranking Russian government officials, their family members and senior officials of currently sanctioned defence sector entities, Trudeau said. 

Superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch is auctioned in Gibraltar

A $75-million superyacht linked to a sanctioned Russian steel billionaire has been auctioned in Gibraltar, court sources said, in what is understood to be the first sale of its kind since the conflict began.

The Axioma was granted entry into Gibraltarian waters and then impounded by the authorities in March after US bank JP Morgan said its alleged owner Dmitry Pumpyansky had reneged on the terms of a $20 million loan.

The 72.5-metre vessel is being auctioned by the Gibraltar Admiralty Court. It was listed for one day, with closed bids to be sent electronically by midday on Tuesday, a court spokesperson said.

US embassy issues new security alert for Ukraine, urges US citizens to leave

Warning of an increased possibility of Russian military strikes on Ukraine in the coming days around Ukrainian independence day, the US Embassy in Kiev has again urged US citizens to leave if they can.

"The US Embassy urges US citizens to depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so," the embassy said in an alert on its website, repeating the advice of previous security warnings.

Polish president in Kiev to discuss support for Ukraine

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kiev for a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm Poland's support in the conflict with Russia and urge fresh sanctions on Moscow.

Ukraine's border guard agency shared footage of Duda arriving by train in Kiev on Tuesday morning with the caption: "We welcome our friend to the capital".

"The presidents will discuss what other assistance Poland can provide, but also how Poland can politically help to persuade other countries to help," the head of the Polish president's office Pawel Szrot said at a press conference in Warsaw.

Hundreds mourn Russian nationalist's daughter killed in car bomb

Hundreds gathered for the Moscow funeral of Daria Dugina, the daughter of prominent ultranationalist intellectual Alexander Dugin, who was killed in a car bombing that Russia blames on Ukraine.

Ukraine denies any involvement.

Mourners – many carrying flowers – paid their respects at a hall in Moscow's Ostankino TV centre where her black-and-white portrait was displayed over an open casket.

Ukraine war having 'devastating knock-on effects': Red Cross

The Ukraine conflict is stretching the entire humanitarian system and could have lasting impacts on the ability of organisations to tackle emergencies worldwide, the Red Cross, which now counts more than 100,000 local volunteers and staff in Ukraine and nearby countries, warned.

The conflict, now six months old, has pushed people to "a critical breaking point," said Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

"The devastating knock-on effects are only growing as the conflict drags on, with rising food and fuel prices and worsening food crises," he said in a statement.

Ukraine's key food exports have fallen by almost half since Russia's assault

Exports of key Ukrainian agricultural commodities have fallen by almost half since the start of Russia's assault earlier this year compared to the same period in 2021, data from the agriculture ministry showed late on Monday.

As a result of the fighting, Ukrainian seaports were blocked, leaving a vast amount of crops either unharvested or destroyed.

Agricultural exports between February 24 and August 15 this year fell to 10 million tonnes from around 19.5 million in the same period last year, the ministry data showed, and the 2022 grain harvest in Ukraine is forecast to fall to around 50 million tonnes from a record 86 million tonnes in 2021.

UN rights office 'very concerned' about planned trials of Ukrainian POWs

The UN human rights office expressed concern about plans by Russian-backed authorities to try Ukrainian "prisoners of war" (POWs) in the port city of Mariupol, possibly within days, saying such a process could itself amount to a "war crime." 

The Russian-backed authorities appear to be installing metal cages in a hall in Mariupol as part of plans to establish what they were calling an "international tribunal", Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told a briefing. 

Willfully depriving a "prisoner of war" of the right to a fair trial would amount to a "war crime" by Russia, she said, adding that Ukrainian POWs were entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions.

Ukraine strikes administration headquarters in Donetsk, Russia-backed separatists say

Ukrainian forces shelled a building housing the local administration headquarters in the centre of separatist-controlled Donetsk with Western-supplied weapons, the TASS news agency reported, citing Moscow-backed officials.

Three people were killed in a series of strikes on Donetsk, which has been under the control of Russian-backed separatists since 2014, on Tuesday, the Russian-supported mayor of Donetsk said in a post on his Telegram channel.

A separatist official said at least one of the shells used in the attack was fired from a US-made HIMARS artillery system, Russian state news agencies reported.

Russia preparing to hit Ukraine's civilian infrastructure – US 

The United States has intelligence that Russia is planning to launch fresh attacks against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and government facilities soon.

“We have information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days," a US official said. "Given Russia’s track record in Ukraine, we are concerned about the continued threat that Russian strikes pose to civilians and civilian infrastructure."

The official said the statement was based on downgraded US intelligence.

For live updates from Monday (August 22), click here