Live blog: Biden warns Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Biden issues fresh warning to Russia

US President Joe Biden has warned Russia against using a nuclear weapon in the war with Ukraine, saying such an escalation would be a grave error.

Asked by reporters whether he thinks Russia is preparing a "dirty bomb" attack that it would then blame on Ukraine, Biden said: "Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon."

Doubts tops against Russia as it might use a dirty bomb in a "false flag" attack, possibly to justify the use of conventional nuclear weapons by Moscow as it finds itself on the back foot in eastern and southern Ukraine. "I'm not guaranteeing that it's a false flag operation yet. We don't know," Biden said.

UK's Sunak vows support to Ukraine 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a call that the UK's support for Ukraine would be steadfast and "as strong as ever under his premiership," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

"The Prime Minister said the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine would be as strong as ever under his premiership, and President Zelenskyy could count on his Government to stand in continued solidarity," the spokesperson said.

"Both leaders agreed on the need to continue to place pressure on Putin’s barbaric regime through continued economic sanctions ... (Sunak) said he hoped they would see each other in person soon," the spokesperson said.

Crimea's return to Ukraine will restore 'true peace'

Crimea's return to Ukraine will mean "the restoration of true peace", Ukrainian president has said.

Russia's potential for “aggression” will end when the Ukrainian flag returns to Crimea, which has been under illegal occupation since 2014, Zelenskyy said.

"The Russian potential for aggression will be completely destroyed when the Ukrainian flag will be back in its rightful place – in the cities and villages of Crimea," Zelenskyy told the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform in Zagreb, Croatia in a video.

Putin orders inspection into needs of Russian army

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to determine and report the needs of the country's military.

The effort should include not just material equipment, but social needs as well, such as help to soldiers' relatives, Putin said, speaking at the first meeting of a government coordination council on the needs of the Russian Armed Forces.

He also ordered a revision of the military's administrative system to help it solve issues of supplies more quickly and counteract economic sanctions.

Six injured in blast in Ukraine's occupied Melitopol: pro-Kremlin officials

Six people, including a child, were injured in a blast in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine, the pro-Moscow administration said. 

Andrei Zhidkov, head of the Russian-controlled city police, said a car loaded with homemade explosives blew up outside a local media company, wounding six civilians, including a 12-year-old.

Zhidkov put the blame on authorities in Kiev and said an investigation has been launched.

Ukraine alleges Russian dirty bomb deception at nuke plant

Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator said that Russian forces were performing secret work at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, activity that could shed light on Russia’s claims that the Ukrainian military is preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device.

Ukraine also dismissed Moscow’s claim as an attempt to distract attention from the Kremlin’s own alleged plans to detonate a dirty bomb, which uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste in an effort to sow terror.

Ukraine yet to receive 'single cent' for recovery plan

Ukraine has not received “a single cent” for its $17 billion recovery fund, President Zelenskyy has said.

Addressing a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction via video link, Zelenskyy said Russian missiles and Iranian drones have destroyed “more than a third” of his country’s energy sector.

He said Ukraine’s recovery plan is aimed at “critical immediate reconstruction... These are hospitals, schools, vital transport and energy infrastructure,” he told the conference, which was co-hosted by Germany and the EU in Berlin.

EU to provide $17.8B in funding to Ukraine next year

The European Union plans to provide $17.8 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine next year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, von der Leyen said the EU is planning to cover nearly one-third of Ukraine’s budgetary needs for the year 2023, and the rest will be covered by international partners.

“About a third of Ukraine’s budgetary needs should be financed by us, and this means €1.5 billion per month throughout the year,” von der Leyen said, but added that Kiev’s budget deficit may be more or less than projections due to the war.

Ukraine's president asks Italy for air defense systems: Italian newspaper

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has urged Italy for air defence systems.

"We need anti-aircraft defences, that's vital for us," Zelenskyy said in response to a question about whether he had any specific requests from Italy during an exclusive interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

He said that Ukraine wants refugees to return, rebuild the economy and children to return to school.

"For this we need weapons against attacks from the air and to ensure the safety of civilians. Italy produces anti-aircraft defence systems together with France, Germany. We hope they can help us," he said.

Ukraine urges refugees to stay abroad as winter power cuts loom

Refugees who fled in the wake of Russia's attack against Ukraine should stay abroad this winter due to blackouts created by Moscow's bombardment of critical energy infrastructure, a Ukrainian minister has said.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told Ukrainians currently sheltering abroad that they should wait until spring before returning to Ukraine.

Since October 10, Russia has launched waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Kiev says they have damaged up to 40 percent of the power system.

Italy commissioner approves contested gas terminal

A state-appointed commissioner gave the green light to a contested new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal considered crucial to Italy's plan to wean itself off Russian gas.

Its approval came as new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament her government's priority would be helping businesses and households cope with sky-high energy bills and investing in alternative sources.

The floating storage and re-gasification unit will be set up in the port of Piombino in Tuscany, despite opposition from environmental activists and locals, Commissioner Eugenio Giani told a press conference in Florence.

Russia has destroyed over a third of Ukraine's energy sector - Zelenskyy

President Zelenskyy has told a conference on Ukraine reconstruction that Russian rockets and Iran-made drones had destroyed more than a third of his country's energy sector.

Zelenskyy also told the conference in Berlin via video link that Ukraine had yet to receive "a single cent" towards a fast recovery plan worth a total $17 billion.

"Russia is destroying everything so that it is harder for us to get through the winter," Zelenskyy told the conference, which was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and other senior politicians and officials. 

Seven civilians killed in Ukraine's Bakhmut on Monday: governor

Seven civilians have been killed and three injured in the Ukraine city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, the regional governor said.

Three bodies of civilians killed earlier were also discovered in two places in the region, which has been at the centre of intense fighting with the Russian army for months, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian army said Russian troops were on the offensive in the Donetsk region towards the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.

Five injured in blast in Russian-held city of Melitopol in Ukraine: pro-Moscow officials

Five people were injured in a blast in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine, the pro-Moscow administration said. 

"A car exploded near the ZaMedia media group building in Melitopol", damaging it and nearby residential homes, the local pro-Moscow administration said on Telegram, adding that "five people were slightly injured, including employees of the media group. One was hospitalised."

German president arrives in Kiev for surprise visit

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Kiev, his spokesperson told AFP news agency, confirming his surprise visit to Ukraine.

The trip is his first to the country since Russia attacked Ukraine in February, and came six months after Steinmeier, then under heavy fire for his years-long detente policy with Moscow, was snubbed by Kiev.

The president also had to abort a trip at the last minute last week over security reasons, sparking criticisms from Germany's opposition. 

World must not waste time but swiftly start work on Ukraine's reconstruction - EU

The world must not squander time but help Ukrainians rebuild their country swiftly, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said, adding the EU was ready to coordinate the reconstruction measures with a secretariat.

"We have no time to waste, the scale of destruction is staggering. The World Bank puts the cost of the damage at 350 billion euros ($345 billion)," she told a reconstruction conference for Ukraine in Berlin.

Von der Leyen said an international coordination platform for the reconstruction needed to launch "as soon as possible, preferable before the end of the year or early at the beginning of next year", adding the EU's executive Commission was ready to provide the secretariat to it. 

US considers HAWK air defence equipment for Ukraine - officials

The United States is considering sending older HAWK air defence equipment from storage to Ukraine to help it defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, two US officials told Reuters news agency.

The HAWK interceptor missiles would be an upgrade to the Stinger missile systems - a smaller, shorter-range air defence system - that the United States has already sent to blunt Russia's offensive.

The Biden administration would use the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to transfer the HAWK equipment, which is based on Vietnam-era technology but has been upgraded several times.

IAEA prepares to study Russia's 'dirty bomb' claims in Ukraine

The UN nuclear watchdog is preparing to send inspectors in the coming days to two Ukrainian sites at Kiev's request, it said, in an apparent reaction to Russian claims that Ukraine could deploy a so-called dirty bomb, which Ukraine denies.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's announcement followed statements by a senior Russian officer that two institutes in Ukraine linked to the nuclear industry were engaged in preparations to produce such a bomb. "Dirty bombs" are laced with nuclear material.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine," the IAEA said in a statement, adding that both were already subject to its inspections and one was inspected a month ago.

Kiev downed 70% of Russia's 'Iran-made drones' — Ukraine intelligence

Ukraine's forces have shot down more than two-thirds of the approximately 330 Shahed drones that Russia has fired through Saturday, the head of Ukraine’s intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov has said. 

Budanov said Russia's military had ordered about 1,700 drones of different types and is rolling out a second batch of about 300 Shaheds. Russia and Iran deny the allegations. 

“Terror with the use of ‘Shaheds' can actually last for a long time,” he was quoted as saying in the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, adding: “Air defence is basically coping, 70 percent are shot down."

Ukraine asks Israel to stand against Russia in the fight

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has called on Israel to join the fight against Russia and repeated a request for Israeli air defence systems.

"Isn't it time for your state to choose who you are with as well?" Zelenskyy said in a video speech at a conference for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

"Is it with the democratic world, which is fighting side by side against the existential threat to its existence? Or with those who turn a blind eye to Russian terror, even when the cost of continued terror is the complete destruction of global security," he said.

Ukraine managed to defend country against Russia — Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s president has said that Kiev has been able to defend the independence of the country in the eight months of the conflict with Russia.

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy marked the eight-month anniversary of the attacks and noted that the Ukrainian forces are advancing in the partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions and also intend to retake the Zaporizhzhia region and the annexed Crimea.

“Ukraine is breaking the so-called second army of the world,” Zelenskyy said. “Now Russia can only be a beggar. It is begging for something in Iran, trying to squeeze something out of Western states, inventing various tales about Ukraine, intimidating, deceiving.”

Zelenskyy warned that the coming winter “will be the most difficult in history.”

For live updates from Sunday (October 24), click here