Live blog: US sending Ukraine $300M aid for 'pressing' needs – White House

Tuesday, March 12 ,2023

1807 GMT –– US President Joe Biden has ordered $300 million in urgent military aid for Ukraine as Congress continues to block a much larger package of assistance, the White House said.

"Today, on behalf of President Biden, I'm announcing an emergency package of security assistance and $300 million worth of weapons and equipment to address some of Ukraine's pressing needs," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.

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1733 GMT –– Brussels finalises framework for Ukraine-EU talks

The European Commission said it had proposed frameworks for accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova to member states, edging them forward on their quest to join.

"The negotiating frameworks establish the guidelines and principles for the accession negotiations with each candidate country," the commission said.

"It is now for the Council (EU member states) to begin their internal deliberations on these texts."

1707 GMT –– Russia says repelled all attacks from Ukraine

Russia said it had repelled all attacks by pro-Ukrainian militias who claimed to have crossed into its territory earlier and captured a village.

"Through the self-sacrificing actions of Russian servicemen, all attacks by Ukrainian terrorist formations have been repelled," the defence ministry said.

1656 GMT –– French PM warns of 'tipping point' in Ukraine

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told parliament that Ukraine's fight against Russia had hit a "tipping point", warning of "real, tangible dangers" for France should Russia defeat Kiev's forces.

Attal issued a stark view of the risks of failing to support Ukraine ahead of a symbolic vote in parliament on President Emmanuel Macron's Ukraine strategy, as domestic tensions rage in the run-up to June's European Parliament elections.

"Ukraine is watching us, waiting for the confirmation and signal of our unity behind them," Attal told lawmakers as he opened the debate. He added that "we are at a tipping point" in the conflict and that a Russian victory had "real, tangible dangers" for "everyday life for the French people".

1639 GMT –– Denmark earmarks over $300M for artillery to Ukraine

Denmark's government announced that the Nordic country would donate $337 million (2.3 billion kronor) to pay for artillery pieces, mortars and ammunition for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

It said the donation will pay for French-made Caesar artillery systems, mortars and ammunition to go with them and will be financed through a fund set up for Ukraine, valued at 69.1 billion kroner.

"Artillery systems and mortars are highly sought after by Ukraine", Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement. "These donations are being made in cooperation with our allies and are an important signal that on a broad front we are supporting Ukraine."

The Caesars are financed in cooperation with France, while 155mm shells to go with them are funded jointly with Estonia and the Czechia, the government said.

1603 GMT –– Moscow summons Swiss ambassador over frozen assets plan

Russia summoned the Swiss ambassador for a dressing down after lawmakers in Bern backed moves towards allowing Ukraine to use frozen Russian assets.

Swiss lawmakers last week approved a series of motions that could pave the way for the government to work on an international basis to see how billions of dollars of Russia's frozen assets could be used for reparations to Ukraine.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Switzerland's envoy Krystyna Marty Lang to condemn the move, which Moscow said "grossly violates the fundamental principles and norms of international law."

1555 GMT –– EU-frozen Russian assets to generate 15-20B until 2027: EU official

Russian assets, frozen in the European Union after Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine, are likely to generate between 15 billion and 20 billion euros in after-tax profits until 2027, depending on the evolution of global interest rates, a senior EU official said.

Part of the profits, as well the tax on the gross amount, is likely to be transferred from the EU to Kiev on a regular basis, but some of the money will have to stay in the West to build a buffer against the expected Russian retaliation which could destabilise the global financial system, the official said.

Some 70 percent of all Russian assets immobilised in the West is held in the Belgian central securities depository Euroclear, which has the equivalent of 190 billion euros worth of various Russian central bank securities and cash.

"We want to help Ukraine, but we will also have to ensure that there is no breach of financial stability," said the EU official, who is close to negotiations on the use of the assets.

"The moment the war ends and all settlements can be made, all the money that was provisionally retained will also be transferred to Ukraine. But we need a significant amount in Euroclear...because Euroclear will face a lot of claims," the official said.

1554 GMT –– EU nears deal on $5.4B military aid package for Ukraine: FT

European Union countries are set to agree on a new $5.46 billion (5 billion euro) top-up to a fund used to finance military shipments to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported citing four officials briefed on the discussions.

1553 GMT –– Ukraine breaks up pro-Kremlin 'informational sabotage' network

Ukrainian Security Service said it has uncovered one of the largest networks in the country allegedly spreading pro-Russian "informational sabotage", coordinated by a cleric of the minority Moscow-linked church.

Kiev officials claimed that Moscow planned to step up its informational war this spring, spreading disinformation in an attempt to divide Ukrainian society in the third year of its invasion. The SBU agency said it has exposed 15 members of the network linked to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), detaining four of them, including the cleric of a Kiev-based temple of the minority Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

"It is one of the largest FSB networks that has been operating in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion," SBU said on its Telegram channel.

1500 GMT –– Ukrainian drone hits city administration building in Russia's Belgorod

A Ukrainian drone hit the town hall building in the Russian city of Belgorod, injuring four people, the region's Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

"As a result of the explosion, windows were broken in the building, the facade was damaged. All emergency services are working on site," Gladkov said in a statement on Telegram.

Of the injured, two were hospitalised, one with shrapnel wounds and another with contusion, while the two others got medical assistance on site, he added.

1101 GMT — Russian military plane crashes with 15 aboard: ministry

Russia has said that a military cargo plane with 15 people on board had crashed while taking off from an airfield northeast of Moscow for a scheduled flight.

"An Il-76 military transport aviation plane crashed in the Ivanovo region while taking off to perform a scheduled flight. On board were eight crew members and seven passengers," the defence ministry said in a statement.

1043 GMT — Fighting ongoing in Russian border regions: pro-Kiev group

Combat between Russian volunteer groups fighting for Ukraine and Moscow's forces is ongoing in two Russian border regions, a representative of the Freedom of Russia Legion told AFP.

Alexei Baranovsky said that units from his group were battling Russian forces in the Belgorod and Kursk regions, claiming that Russian forces had "lost several armoured vehicles".

He added that the group was planning to expand their operations to other Russian regions.

1010 GMT — EU to mull measures against Iran over possible missile transfers to Russia

European Union leaders are ready to respond with new and significant measures against Iran amid reports that Tehran may transfer ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, draft conclusions of a summit to be held next week said.

"The European Council calls on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," said the draft text, seen by Reuters.

"Reports that Iran may transfer ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine are very concerning," the draft conclusions of the March 21-22 summit said.

"The European Union is prepared to respond swiftly and in coordination with international partners, including with new and significant measures against Iran."

0804 GMT — Ukraine-based Russian armed groups claim incursion into Russia

At least two Ukraine-based armed groups purporting to be made up of Russians opposed to the Kremlin launched an incursion across Russia's western border, according to their social media pages.

The Freedom of Russia Legion and the Siberian Battalion both announced on their Telegram pages that they had launched attacks on Russia from Ukraine.

"We will take our land from the regime centimetre by centimetre," the Freedom of Russia Legion said in its Telegram post.

Russian officials could not be immediately reached for comment on the claims.

0631 GMT — Vatican says end to Russian aggression is first condition for Ukraine peace

The first condition for any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine is that Russia should halt its aggression, the second in command to Pope Francis has said in a newspaper interview.

Ukraine's foreign ministry summoned the papal nuncio on Monday to express "disappointment" with previous comments by Francis that Ukraine should "show the courage of the white flag" and open talks with Russia to end the two-year-old war.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, told Corriere della Sera daily on Tuesday that the Vatican was pressing for a ceasefire and "first of all it should be the aggressors who stop firing."

0156 GMT — Russia says destroyed Ukraine-launched drone

Russia's air defence systems have destroyed a Ukraine-launched drone flying towards Moscow, Mayor Sergein Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app there were no casualties and no damage at the site in the Ramensky district where the drone debris fell.

0051 GMT — Ukraine needs over $1B to rebuild its scientific infrastructure: UN

Ukraine will need more than a billion dollars to rebuild the scientific infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed during two years of Russia’s war on its neighbour, the United Nation's cultural and scientific agency said.

UNESCO said in a report that more than 1,443 scientific facilities, many attached to the country's universities, have been damaged or destroyed, along with 750 pieces of vital technical equipment, most of which are beyond repair.

The war, now in its third year, has also depleted the science sector of funds and dispersed Ukraine's scientists, displacing many within the country and sending others into exile.

The situation around the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants, near the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine's southeast, is of particular concern, the report said. The institute's essential equipment for monitoring the nuclear industry has been stolen or destroyed, representing a safety threat in the region and beyond.

"We must protect and support [scientific] research in Ukraine," UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said. She added: "Scientists, engineers and other experts will be essential to the country's recovery."

0033 GMT — Ukraine drones attack Russia's Oryol fuel facility: governor

Ukraine has launched a drone attack at a fuel and energy facility in Russia's Oryol region, the governor of the central Russian region said, adding that drone debris crashed into the complex.

"There were no casualties," Governor Klychkov said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia's RIA state news agency cited emergency services as saying that one petroleum tank was on fire as a result of the attack.

For our live updates from Monday, March 11, click here.