Live blog: Türkiye's Erdogan to speak with Putin, Zelenskyy

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Türkiye's Erdogan to speak with Putin, Zelenskyy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to speak with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on Wednesday, according to presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin. 

Speaking in a televised interview, Kalin said Türkiye is continuing its "intense diplomacy with both sides" amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“Indeed, our relevant ministers, foreign and defence ministers, and other colleagues are keeping talks with their counterparts from both sides," Kalin added.

He also said Türkiye has been the only country to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiation table "meaningfully."

More Russian drone attacks feared after deadly Ukrainian strike

The possibility of new and intensified drone attacks from Russia has been raised after a Ukrainian airstrike killed at least 63 Russian soldiers in the region of Donetsk.

Ukrainian news media reported that Kiev received information that Moscow is "planning a prolonged attack" by Iranian-made drones in retaliation to the incident over the weekend.

For the Russian military, the so-called, Shahed drones from Iran, also known as "exploding drones" are a cheap weapon that can be mobilised in retaliation against Ukraine. 

According to reports over the weekend, Ukrainian forces fired rockets from a US-provided HIMARS multiple launch system, killing at least 63 Russian soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago.

Russia: US-made military equipment destroyed

US-made HIMARS installations, which reportedly launched shelling into Ukraine’s Donetsk region, have been destroyed in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, according to Russian defence ministry.

It was unclear if it was the exact same multiple rocket launcher that was used in the deadly strike that killed over 63 Russian soldiers over the weekend.

READ MORE: As Ukraine conflict rages, Zelenskyy embarks on US trip to meet ally Biden

Soldiers' widows group calls on Putin to order major mobilisation for Ukraine war

A little known patriotic group which supports the widows of Russian soldiers has called on President Putin to order a large-scale mobilisation of millions of men and to close the borders to ensure victory in Ukraine.

"We ask our President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, to allow the Russian Army to carry out a large-scale mobilisation," the Soldiers' Widows of Russia group said in a post on Telegram.

"We ask our President, our Supreme Commander-in-Chief, to prohibit the departure of men of military age from Russia. And we have a full moral right to do this: our husbands died protecting these men, but who will protect us if they run away?"

After ordering what Putin cast as a "partial mobilisation" on September 21, Russia's first since World War Two, around 300,000 additional men were drafted, though several hundred thousand more Russian men fled abroad to avoid being called up.

UK’s Sunak promises long-term support to Ukraine after drone attacks

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Ukrainian president can count on Britain for support over the long run following recent drone attacks, according to Sunak's office.

"The leaders discussed the abhorrent drone attacks on Ukraine in recent days," the spokesperson said in a statement issued after the two leaders spoke.

"The Prime Minister said Ukraine could count on the UK to continue to support it for the long term, as demonstrated by the recent delivery of more than 1000 anti-air missiles."

France’s Macron says Ukraine needs support more than ever

French President Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed his statement that Ukraine "needs our support more than ever", as he hosted Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Paris, with Sweden having taken over the rotating presidency of the European Union.

READ MORE: Ukrainian air force says it shot down 45 Russian drones

Putin orders screening of Ukraine assault documentaries

President Putin has ordered his government to ensure that by February, the screening in cinemas of documentary films dedicated to his assault on Ukraine and the fight against "neo-Nazi" ideology.

Putin ordered the defence ministry to render assistance to Russian filmmakers who will produce documentaries dedicated to "the heroism of the participants of the special military operation", the Kremlin said, using the official term for the military operation.

Criticism of the offensive in Ukraine is now punishable with jail time, while words such as "war" and "invasion" are banned.

Ukraine to speed up moves to clean, green energy after Russian attacks - PM

Ukraine’s government plans to accelerate the country's transition to clean and green energy as it tries to strengthen the national power network against Russian attacks, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russian forces since February, faces an energy shortage and blackouts following Russian missile and drone strikes, which Ukrainian officials say have damaged about 40 percent of the national energy infrastructure.

"We will use the potential of renewable energy - solar, wind, hydrogen generation, hydrogen technologies - more actively. The Russian attacks push us towards fundamental reform — building a decentralised energy system. It will be less vulnerable to enemy attacks," Shmyhal was quoted as saying.

READ MORE: US military equipment arrives in Ukraine amid tensions with Russia

Russian fury grows over strike that killed dozens of troops in eastern Ukraine

Russian nationalists and some lawmakers have demanded punishment for commanders they accused of ignoring dangers as anger grew over the killing of 63 Russian soldiers in one of the deadliest strikes of the Ukraine conflict.

Russian critics said the soldiers were being housed alongside an ammunition dump at the site in Makiivka, the twin city of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, which the Russian defence ministry said was hit by four rockets fired from US-made HIMARS launchers.

Ukraine and some Russian nationalist bloggers have put the Makiivka death toll in the hundreds, though pro-Russian officials say those estimates are exaggerated. Rallies to commemorate the dead were held in several Russian cities, including Samara, where some came from, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Ukraine: Russia plans tactical shift using more drones

Russia is preparing to step up its attacks on Ukraine using Iranian-made exploding drones, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as Moscow looks for ways to keep up the pressure on Kiev.

“We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack by Shaheds (exploding drones),” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address late on Monday.

He said the goal is to break Ukraine’s resistance by “exhausting our people, (our) air defence, our energy,” more than 10 months after Russia attacked its neighbour.

Reinsurers cut Russia, Ukraine from policies on Jan 1: broker

Reinsurers are excluding Russia, Ukraine and Belarus from policies offered to their insurance clients and cutting back their exposure to US hurricanes, a report from reinsurance broker Gallagher Re showed.

Some insurers have already backed away from providing cover in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus due to risk of sanctions or of steep losses.

Without reinsurance, insurers are likely to be even more reluctant to provide cover for Russia or Ukraine, industry sources say. Ship insurers have already said they are pulling out as a result.

NATO countries to discuss defence spending target: Stoltenberg

NATO countries will discuss their defence spending targets in the coming months as some of them call for turning a 2 percent target into a minimum figure, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the German news agency DPA.

"Some allies are strongly in favour of turning the current 2% target into a minimum," DPA quoted Stoltenberg as saying in an interview published.

He did not say which NATO countries were calling for a more ambitious target, according to DPA. The NATO chief said he aimed to reach an agreement no later than NATO's next regular summit, which will be in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, on July 11-12. 

Ukraine, EU to hold summit on February 3 in Kiev

Ukraine and the European Union will hold a summit in Kiev on February 3 to discuss financial and military support, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said in a statement.

Zelenskyy discussed details of the high-level meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in his first phone call of the year, the statement said.

"The parties discussed expected results of the next Ukraine-EU summit to be held on February 3 in Kiev and agreed to intensify preparatory work," the statement read.

The leaders talked about the supply of "appropriate" weapons and a new 18 billion euro ($19 billion) financial assistance programme to Ukraine, with Zelenskyy pushing for the first tranche to be sent this month, it said. 

Eastern Ukraine ice arena destroyed in Russian attack

A Russian missile attack destroyed an ice arena in the town of Druzhkivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Ukraine's ice hockey federation said, following earlier reports of a missile hitting the town and injuring two people.

"So it is that since the start of the war, the Russian occupiers have destroyed five ice stadiums," the federation said on its Telegram channel, naming them as the Druzhba venue in Donetsk, arenas in Mariupol and Melitopol, the Ice Palace in Sievierodonetsk and now the Altair arena in Druzhkivka.

For live updates from Monday (January 2), click here.