Live blog: Time to seek political solution to Russia-Ukraine war – Italy

Saturday, December 23, 2023

1741 GMT — The Italian defence minister has said that the time has come to find a political solution to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, local media reported.

"The war has been going on for almost two years now and I think that, alongside and in parallel with military engagement and support for Ukraine, it is important to take paths that lead to a political solution," Guido Crosetto said in his visit to the Italian troops deployed in Poland, according to the official ANSA news agency.

Stressing that the pre-war status quo should be restored, the defence minister said: "What could not be done with weapons must be done in another way."

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1510 GMT — Ukraine sanctions 134 companies, 51 individuals as war continues

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sanctioned more companies and individuals as the war with Russia continued.

According to a decree, published on the presidential website, the sanctions are imposed on 134 entities and 51 people, mostly Internet providers, several farms and agricultural enterprises, the Favorit Group trading house and the Spectrum research centre.

Sanctions are also imposed on Leonid Blavatnik, a British citizen with Ukrainian roots, who was once called one of Ukraine's richest entrepreneurs, and Vadim Ermolayev, a Greek Cypriot, who ranks among the hundred wealthiest Ukrainian businessmen.

The sanctions are introduced for a period of 3 to 10 years and suggest freezing assets and banning any operations with them.

1415 GMT — Russia suspends part of payments to global chemical weapons watchdog

Russia announced that it would withhold a part of its payments to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), claiming that the money would be used to fund the "illegitimate" Investigation and Identification Group set up by the US and its satellites to promote "illegal activities in the interests of the collective West."

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in a statement posted on the ministry's official website, however, confirmed that Russia will wire its regular payment to the organization's budget, which she said is an obligation of each of its member states.

"However, Russia, together with some of our partners, will continue to withhold part of its contribution, which is allocated by the OPCW Technical Secretariat to finance the illegitimate Investigation and Identification Group created by the US and its satellites to promote illegal activities in the interests of the collective West," she stressed.

1315 GMT — Polish farmers unblocked key border crossing: Ukraine

Protesting Polish farmers have unblocked the key border crossing of Shehyni-Medyka between Poland and Ukraine, Kiev's economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

"An important improvement in the situation on the western border," Svyrydenko said.

1217 GMT — Russia calls latest US sanctions 'attempt to intimidate Moscow's trade partners'

Anatoly Antonov, Russian ambassador to the US, pointed out in a comment on the embassy's Telegram account that the majority of the latest restrictions are directed against organisations in third countries.

"Most of the decisions announced by the US Treasury Department are directed against organisations in third states. Under the guise of geopolitical slogans, there is a desire to intimidate our partners and force them to cut off mutually beneficial ties with the Russian Federation," he stressed.

Antonov also questioned the US inability to understand that "their reckless actions strengthen the artificial division of the world market" and harm their interests. "They (the US) undermine the status of the dollar jurisdiction in the eyes of the Global South, and their satellites," he noted.

0202 GMT — Ukraine claims to have downed three Russian Su-34 jets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and military officials have said the country's forces shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft on the southern front, hailing it as a success in the 22-month-old war.

"Today at noon in the southern sector — minus three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers!" Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat described it on national television as a "brilliantly planned operation." "There haven't been Su-34s for some time in our positive statistics," he said, citing the model as one of Russia's most modern aircraft for bombing and other assaults.

For our live updates from Friday (December 22), click here.