Russia-Ukraine war live: Moscow accuses US of fighting proxy war as new military aid announced for Kyiv | World news

The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the pinnacle of the European Fee, Ursula von der Leyen, will maintain a summit with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy early subsequent yr, in keeping with an EU spokesperson.

The summit will happen on 3 February however its location has not but been decided.

The theme of the EU-Ukraine summit will in all probability be how the bloc can proceed to assist Ukraine towards Russia, officers stated.

The Fee and the council of EU leaders can even assess Ukraine’s path to EU membership.

Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has visited military models combating in Ukraine, state media cited the ministry as saying.

Shoigu visited Russian models deployed to the “space of the particular navy operation”, the state-owned information company Ria reported, utilizing Moscow’s time period for the battle in Ukraine. It didn’t specify the place the go to befell.

At yesterday’s end-of-year convention of Russia’s high navy brass and President Vladimir Putin, Shoigu proposed increasing the scale of the armed forces by greater than 30%, from 1.15 million to 1.5 million troopers.

It was crucial “to ensure the fixing of issues associated to Russia’s navy safety”, he instructed the Russian president on Wednesday. He additionally proposed elevating the age vary for obligatory navy service to cowl Russian residents aged 21-30.

Talking on the finish of the convention, Putin stated he agreed together with his defence minister’s proposals.

Hi there everybody. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong right here once more, taking up the stay weblog from Tom Ambrose to carry you all the most recent from the Russia-Ukraine struggle. Be happy to drop me a message you probably have something to flag, you possibly can attain me on Twitter or via email.

The time in Kyiv is almost 1pm. Here’s a roundup of the day’s tales to this point:

• The Kremlin stated US provides of Patriot missile methods to Ukraine, introduced in the course of the go to of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to Washington on Wednesday, wouldn’t contribute to settling the battle between Moscow and Kyiv, and wouldn’t forestall Russia from reaching its targets. In a name with reporters, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated there had been no indicators of readiness for peace talks throughout Zelenskiy’s go to, and this was proof the US was combating a proxy struggle with Russia “to the final Ukrainian”.

• In an tackle to US congress made 12 days earlier than Republicans take the Home, Zelenskiy – who was within the US on his first international go to since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 300 days in the past – emphasised that US support will assist Ukraine to safe a victory that can make the world safer. He began by saying that the US, Europe and Ukraine had collectively “defeated Russia within the battle for minds of the world”.

• Zelenskiy was additionally blunt about wanting extra support, saying that whereas he was grateful for commitments to this point, it was not sufficient. He additionally known as on the US to position additional sanctions on Russia, and produce the individuals behind the struggle to justice. He used the phrases bipartisan repeatedly, and bicameral, at the very least as soon as, and sought to guarantee Republican and Democrat lawmakers that support for Ukraine was worthwhile, and that the US was a accountable steward of help.

• A former Russian deputy prime minister and a pro-Moscow official have been injured when Ukrainian forces shelled the jap metropolis of Donetsk on Wednesday, Russian information companies stated. Donetsk, managed by pro-Moscow troops, is within the industrial Donbas area, the centre of current bitter combating between Russia and Ukraine.

• The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, stated that current navy manoeuvres weren’t geared toward Ukraine and dismissed “conspiracy theories” about deployments of Belarusian armed forces on the border. Talking at a convention of navy leaders marking the top of snap navy inspections held this month, Lukashenko additionally stated he couldn’t rule out “aggression” towards Belarus on the a part of unspecified “neighbours”.

• Russia’s Rosatom state nuclear power firm stated that talks with the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company chief, Rafael Grossi, a couple of protected zone round Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant would proceed. In a press release posted on Telegram, Rosatom stated “approaches to the creation of a nuclear and bodily security safety zone on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant have been mentioned” and that there was “vital closeness” between the 2 sides’ positions.

• The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has known as for Europe to scale back its reliance on the US and develop its personal defence capabilities whereas taking a extra assertive function inside Nato. Chatting with reporters on his return to Paris from a summit in Amman, Jordan, Macron confused that he doesn’t see his push to develop European defence as a substitute for Nato.

• The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has pledged to give his army anything it asks for, promising no monetary limits on what the federal government would offer by way of tools and {hardware}. Talking in Moscow after assembly with Russia’s high navy officers, Putin stated there have been no “funding restrictions” for the navy.

• Putin additionally acknowledged that the call-up of 300,000 reservists he ordered in September had not gone easily, the most recent in a collection of current feedback during which he has admitted the challenges his military is dealing with. “The partial mobilisation that was carried out revealed sure issues, as everybody properly is aware of, which ought to be promptly addressed,” he stated.

• The UN will allocate an extra $20m from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to assist greater than 300 civil society organisations and volunteer teams. “These teams have at all times been the spine of the humanitarian response in Ukraine and much more for the reason that struggle began in late February,” said Denise Brown, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

• In an amazing vote of 93-2, the US Senate confirmed the appointment of Lynne M Tracy as the brand new US ambassador to Russia on Wednesday. Tracy, a profession diplomat of the US international service, “can be tasked with standing as much as [Vladimir] Putin”, the Related Press quoted the Senate majority chief, Chuck Schumer, as saying.

That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, in the intervening time. My colleague Léonie Chao-Fong can be alongside shortly to proceed bringing you all the most recent information from Russia’s struggle on Ukraine.

The Kremlin on Thursday stated US provides of Patriot missile methods to Ukraine, introduced in the course of the go to of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to Washington on Wednesday, wouldn’t contribute to settling the battle between Moscow and Kyiv, and wouldn’t forestall Russia from reaching its targets.

In a name with reporters, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated there had been no indicators of readiness for peace talks throughout Zelenskiy’s go to, and this was proof the US was combating a proxy struggle with Russia “to the final Ukrainian”.

Andrew Roth

The Christmas village in Moscow’s Gorky Park is decked out as in some other yr – quaint wood huts with icicles and snow-lined fir timber festooned with baubles and white lights.

However this yr, there are new ornaments. Glowing in fluorescent lights are three letters: Z, V, and O, all symbols of the struggle Russia is waging towards Ukraine and which looms closely as the top of the yr approaches.

As Russia has launched missiles to plunge Ukraine into darkness as winter takes maintain, leaving many struggling to outlive, the Kremlin continues to be searching for symbols and a trigger to unite Russians across the battle. But few have caught.

“Town introduced them and positioned them right here,” stated a cashier in a close-by reward store, which trades within the hipster T-shirts and canvas baggage that Gorky Park markets as a logo of city type. Requested what she thought, she stated: “I want they hadn’t.”

There’s extra. By the park entrance, a Z is adorned within the colors of the ribbon of Saint George, one other image generally used to assist the struggle, and likewise a shiny signal within the Russian tricolour that reads: “We’re collectively.”