Live blog: Russia warns US Patriot missile supply to Ukraine a provocation

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Russia warns US Patriot missile deployment to Ukraine would be further provocation

Russia has warned the US that its plans to supply Patriot missile defence systems to Ukraine were a "provocation", and that it "effectively becomes a party" in the Ukraine conflict.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was recommending Washington "draw the right conclusions" from Moscow's warnings that US-supplied military equipment would become legitimate targets for Russian missile strikes.

The US is expected to announce soon that it will equip Ukraine with one of the world’s most advanced weaponry to boost its defences against Russia.

Ukraine dismisses possibility of New Year ceasefire

Top Ukrainian defence officials have dismissed the possibility of a ceasefire being agreed upon with Russia over the festive New Year period.

Asked about the possibility of a New Year ceasefire, Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov told a news briefing: "There will be a total ceasefire only when not a single occupier remains on our land." 

Earlier, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with a US publication that his country’s armed forces "do not plan to stop" its operation during the winter, adding that they have stockpiles of winter gear “three times larger than critical levels”. "We just need to keep being resilient."

EU signs off on $19B Ukraine aid

The European Union has cleared the way to give Ukraine the equivalent of $19 billion in aid after Poland dropped its objections to the package that also includes a minimum corporate for the regional bloc.

The move followed an impassioned plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to let internal disputes within the 27-nation bloc stand in the way of backing Kiev.

The 27 member states had struck a complex agreement on Monday that gave the green light to both the Ukraine aid and a minimum 15 percent global corporate tax rate.

US sanctions target one of Russia’s richest men, major bank

The United States is targeting Russia's financial services sector and Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin, increasing pressure on Moscow over its military conflict with Ukraine.

Washington imposed sanctions on Potanin, one of Russia's richest men, as well as his wife, adult children, yacht and Interros, an investment holding company Potanin controls, according to the US State Department. Bloomberg Billionaires Index places Potatin’s wealth at $30.4 billion.

The US Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on Rosbank, a Russia-based commercial bank it said Potanin acquired earlier this year, along with 17 subsidiaries of Russian VTB, which was designated by Washington earlier this year.

Vatican apologises over Pope's comments about 'cruel' Russian ethnic minorities: Moscow

Russia has said it received an apology from the Vatican over Pope Francis' comments last month that Russian soldiers from some ethnic minority groups were the "cruellest" fighters in the Ukraine conflict.

At a briefing in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia now considered the matter closed and hoped for a constructive dialogue between Russia and the Vatican.

Gift from Ukraine explodes at Polish police headquarters

A gift that Poland's top police commander received during a recent visit to Ukraine has reportedly exploded at national police headquarters in Warsaw, causing the commander and a civilian employee to suffer minor injuries, according to the Polish Interior Ministry.

The explosion happened in a room next to the office of Gen. Jarosław Szymczyk on Wednesday morning, the ministry said. It did not specify what object the Polish commander had received during the working visit to Ukraine.

It said he has been in a hospital since Wednesday for observation, while the civilian employee did not require hospitalisation. On Sunday and Monday, Szymczyk met with leaders of the Ukrainian police and emergency services, the ministry said. Poland is an ally of Ukraine.

14M tonnes of grain exported from Ukraine: UN

More than 14 million tonnes of grain have been exported from Ukraine under the Black Sea deal with Russia, easing global food prices, according to the United Nations.

Rebeca Grynspan, head of the UN's trade and development agency UNCTAD which helped broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), said it had reduced world food prices for seven straight months. "The volumes that we are talking about are very significant for the market."

Ukraine is one of the world's top grain producers, and grain supply went down following the conflict with Russia triggering an increase in prices.

Two killed in Russian shelling of liberated Kherson: Ukraine

Russian shelling has killed two people in the centre of the recently liberated city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office, said on the Telegram messaging app that the two were killed about 100 metres from the regional administration building, which was hit in shelling on Wednesday.

One killed in Donetsk in 'massive' Ukraine shelling: separatists

One person has been killed and nine more were injured in "the most massive shelling since 2014" by Kiev's forces in the Moscow-held eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, pro-Russian separatist officials said.

"At precisely 7:00 am (0500 GMT), the centre of Donetsk was hit by the most massive shelling since 2014," the city's Moscow-backed mayor Alexei Kulemzin said on social media.

He said "40 rockets were fired at civilians" and posted images of what he said were buildings and cars destroyed in the attack.

Russia says all Western weapons in Ukraine legitimate targets

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that all weapons supplied to Ukraine by the West are legitimate targets for Russia, and that they would be either destroyed or seized.

Poland holds up EU deal on minimum corporate tax, aid for Ukraine

Poland is holding up the European Union's formal adoption of a minimum corporate tax for large companies and, by extension, also blocking a whole package of other deals, including financing for Ukraine in 2023, diplomats said.

The minimum tax, along with  $19 billion (18 billion euros) for Ukraine next year, the approval of Hungary's recovery plan and the suspension of some EU budget funds for Budapest were all part of a complex deal reached by EU governments on Monday night.

The pact was to be signed off in what is called a "written procedure" by Wednesday, but Poland has twice demanded an extension of the deadline for this, the latest of which is now 1100 GMT (12:00 pm local) on Thursday.

Russian oil exports rise to a seven-month high in November: IEA

Russian oil exports recorded the highest level since April, with an increase of around 270,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 8.1 million bpd in November before the EU crude oil ban began, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said in its monthly oil market report.

This quantity was down from the 8.2 million bpd of oil that the country exported in February, when the Russia-Ukraine war erupted.

Despite increasing export volumes, Russia’s export revenues fell by $700 million to $15.8 billion due to lower prices and wider discounts for Russian-origin products.

Telecom equipment maker Ericsson divests Russian operation

Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has said it had divested a customer support operation in Russia.

The new owners of the business, which has some 40 employees, come from the management of Ericsson's Russian subsidiary, the company said in a statement.

Ericsson has previously announced it had decided to wind down its Russian businesses that used to employ 400 people. 

Report: US ready to hand JDAM kits to Kiev

The United States is planning to send electronic equipment that converts unguided aerial munitions into smart bombs, allowing a high degree of accurate targeting, The Washington Post reported, citing US officials familiar with the matter. 

"The kits incorporate global positioning devices for precision and can be bolted onto a variety of weapons, creating what the Pentagon calls a Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM," the Post reported.

"The US military has used the technology on bombs weighing up to 2,000 pounds, usually incorporating it with bomber aircraft and fighter jets."

It comes as Russia warned US Patriot missile defence systems would be a legitimate target in Ukraine if Washington authorises them to be delivered to support Kiev in fighting. 

Canada to bring back sanctions on Nord Stream 1 turbines

Canada has said it would revoke a time-limited sanctions waiver that allowed turbines for Nord Stream 1, Russia's biggest gas pipeline to Europe, to be repaired in Montreal and returned to Germany.

Nord Stream 1 was shut down for repairs on August 31, but never restarted and was subsequently damaged by explosions in September.

"Canada is making this decision recognising that the circumstances around granting the waiver have changed, it no longer serves its intended purpose," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in a joint statement.

For live updates from Wednesday (December 14), click here