Live blog: S.Korea to 'expand scale' of Ukraine aid — Yoon

Saturday, July 15, 2023

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol has pledged to "expand the scale" of his country's humanitarian and non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine, after a summit with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev.

Seoul "will expand the scale of supplies from last year, when we provided materials such as helmets and bullet-proof vests", he said at a press briefing after the two leaders met.

Yoon, who earlier visited the town of Bucha on his unannounced visit to Ukraine, added that humanitarian aid would be increased to $150 million in 2023, from $100 million last year.

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1256 GMT — India says brokering peace in Ukraine beyond bloc's remit

Brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine is beyond the remit of the G20 and such efforts will be best undertaken by the United Nations and through bilateral negotiations, India's sherpa to the bloc has said.

"Our view is that G20 is an economic forum, not a forum to discuss security issues," India's sherpa Amitabh Kant told Reuters in an interview.

"However, as PM (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi said during Bali, this is not an era of war, but an era of dialogue and diplomacy," Kant added, referring to a G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali in November.

Sherpas are personal representatives of the leaders of G20 member countries. The representatives are involved in a preparatory process called the Sherpa Track, which is a series of meetings and negotiations that lead up to the annual G20 Summit.

1222 GMT — Moscow says attacks on its nuclear facilities could spill over to Europe

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned that Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian nuclear facilities may lead to a catastrophe in Europe.

In a statement on the ministry's website, Zakharova condemned Ukraine's attack on the Russian Kursk nuclear power plant, saying Kiev "embarked on a path of nuclear terrorism."

"This is not the first time Kiev has threatened the safety of the Kursk NPP. In August 2022, as a result of the actions of Ukrainian saboteurs, the pillars of power lines were damaged, which created risks to the safe operation of the plant," she said.

Zakharova called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN to pay attention to such actions.

1158 GMT — Putin talks grain deal, African peace plan with S.Africa's Ramaphosa

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in which the two leaders discussed the Türkiye-brokered Black Sea grain deal and an African peace initiative on Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

On the grain deal, which expires on Monday, Putin reiterated to Ramaphosa that commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had not yet been fulfilled, the Kremlin said.

0300 GMT — Trump slams Biden's 'reckless escalation' in Ukraine

Former US president Donald Trump has criticised President Joe Biden's executive order on mobilising reserve troops for deployment in Europe.

"Biden's decision to mobilise reserve forces proves that his reckless escalation in Ukraine is straining the US military to the point of disaster," Trump said in a statement.

Stating that Biden "confessed" last week that US military ammunition was badly depleted and nearing exhaustion, Trump argued that the US reserves were forced to support Biden's "calamitous" policy in Europe while its own borders were vulnerable.

He reiterated that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if he becomes president, and said, "Not one American mother or father wants to send their child to die in Eastern Europe."

0024 GMT — Zelenskyy warns of Russian efforts to halt Kiev's troops

Zelenskyy has warned Ukrainians that Russia was throwing all its resources into a campaign to stop Kiev's troops from pressing their counter-offensive and a top general reported new progress on the southern front.

"We must all understand very clearly, as clearly as possible, that Russian forces in our southern and eastern lands are doing everything they can in order to stop our soldiers," Zelenskyy said in his new video address after chairing a meeting with top commanders.

"And every thousand metres we advance, every success of every combat brigade deserves our gratitude."

0020 GMT — Ukrainian troops 'systematically moving enemy out of positions'

General Oleksander Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces in the south, has said after a meeting with Ukraine's top commanders that his troops were "systematically moving the enemy out of their positions".

Enemy losses over the past 24 hours were equivalent to at least 200, he wrote on Telegram.

"In the south, the situation is very difficult in advancing towards Berdiansk," military analyst Serhiy Hrabskyi told Ukrainian NV radio, referring to a port on the Sea of Azov.

Russia's Defence Ministry, in its daily report, said its forces had repelled 16 Ukrainian attacks on the eastern front, including near the long-contested town of Maryinka and in the strategic village of Klishchiivka, on Bakhmut's southern fringe.

For our live updates from Friday (July 14), click here.