Sunday, November 12, 2023

2142 GMT — Germany's defence minister has announced Berlin would double its 2024 military aid for war-torn Ukraine, which is struggling to oust Russian troops, to $8.5 billion (8 billion euros).

"This is a strong signal to Ukraine, showing we are not giving up on it" when international attention is focused on the Hamas-Israel war, Boris Pistorius told television channel ARD.

Ukraine has consistently demanded greater military aid from its Western allies, but a counteroffensive launched this year has failed to drive out Russian forces entrenched in the south and east of the country.

The increased money is a response to this year's experience, "which showed that planned amounts were quickly exhausted", Pistorius said.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government reached an agreement to double the initial aid package, mainly made up of military equipment, and the decision is due to be formally approved in a vote by lawmakers.

Germany has been one of Ukraine's main backers since Russia unleashed its full-scale military operation in February last year, supplying 22 billion euros in humanitarian, financial and military aid.

More updates 👇

1916 GMT — Ukraine 'must be prepared' for Russian winter strikes on infrastructure: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine should get ready for winter, fearing Russia will pick up its campaign of systematic strikes on power facilities.

"We must be prepared for the possibility that the enemy may increase the number of drone or missile strikes on our infrastructure," Zelenskyy said in his daily address. "All our attention should be focused on defence... on everything that Ukraine can do to make it easier for our people to get through this winter."

1846 GMT -- Ukraine delegation lands in US for talks: presidency

Presidential aide Andriy Yermak said he had arrived in the United States with a delegation headed by the economy minister for talks on cooperation and support to his war-torn country.

"I will have meetings in the White House, Congress, think tanks, and with representatives of civil society organisations," Yermak said, adding the delegation led by Yulia Svyrydenko would discuss "the President's formula for peace, strengthening Ukraine's defence, comprehensive deepening of cooperation and many other important topics."

1226 GMT — Ukraine says three Russian officers killed in occupied Melitopol

Ukraine has said a blast triggered by "local resistance movements" in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol the previous day killed Russian military officers at a headquarters of the occupation authorities.

Melitopol, with a pre-war population of around 150,000 people, was captured early after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year and now lies some dozens of miles behind the frontline further north.

"At least three officers of the Russian guard were eliminated" as a result of the "revenge action, carried out by representatives of the local resistance movement," the intelligence service of Ukraine's defence ministry said on Telegram.

AFP was not able to independently confirm the claims.

1226 GMT — Russia ramps up attacks on key cities in eastern Ukraine

Russian forces have ramped up attacks in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to gain ground near two key front line cities, Ukrainian military officials have said.

Moscow's troops have begun a push to regain territory near Bakhmut, the eastern mining city that was the site of the war’s bloodiest battle before falling into Russian hands in May, the head of Ukraine’s ground forces wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian troops had recaptured the heights over Bakhmut and made some advances to the city’s west, north and south since Kiev launched its summer counteroffensive.

“Toward Bakhmut, the Russians have become more active and are trying to recapture previously lost positions... Enemy attacks are being repelled,” Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote in a Telegram update.

0928 GMT — Ukraine 'retakes' village bordering Russia in Kharkiv region

Ukraine has claimed that it retook control of a village in the country’s Kharkiv region bordering Russia.

Border guards raised a blue-yellow flag in the settlement of Topoli bordering Russia in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said in a statement.

The statement further said that Topoli is located in the “gray zone” on the frontline between Ukraine and Russia.

Russian officials have not yet commented on the claim, and independent verification of Ukraine’s claim is difficult due to the ongoing war.

0617 GMT —Ukraine says it has enough resources to overcome winter

Ukraine will have enough energy resources to get through the coming winter, but an expected surge in Russian attacks may disrupt the supply networks, Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko has said.

"We have enough energy resources, in this regard, we feel at peace," Galushchenko told Ukraine's public television. "The question is how much future attacks can affect supplies."

In the past few weeks, Russia attacked Ukrainian infrastructure 60 times, Kiev said on Wednesday, raising concerns that Moscow may have already started targeting the power grid for a second winter at war.

Last winter, thousands of Russian drones and missiles hit power infrastructure, causing sweeping blackouts.

0001 GMT — Germany set to double its Ukraine military aid under Scholz plan

German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed to double German military aid for Ukraine next year to $8.54 billion, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

If approved by the parliament in Berlin, where Scholz's parties hold a majority, the boost would lift Germany's defence spending beyond the 2 percent of gross domestic product target pledged by all North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, the report added.

Lawmakers of Scholz's Social Democrats, the Free Democrats and the Green party agreed on the increase in negotiations over the proposed 2024 federal budget this week, Bloomberg News reported.

Germany's Ministry of Defense could not be immediately reached for comment.

A European Union plan to spend up to $21.4 billion on military aid for Ukraine was met with resistance from EU countries.

0157 GMT — Latvia says West must arm Ukraine to keep Russia threat from growing

Latvia's president says Russia is planning for a long war in Ukraine, and he has a message for countries wavering on continuing military support to Kiev: Keep supplying arms, or the Ukrainians will lose, and Russia will have a green light for threatening others in the future.

Edgars Rinkevics said in an interview with The Associated Press that "it is important to actually fight for international peace, and peace in Europe, because if we stop Russia in Ukraine, then Russia is not going to be able to challenge other countries."

He said it is important for the West to support both Ukraine and Israel against attacks on "our values" and the international order.

For our live updates from Saturday (November 11), click here.