Live blog: White House warns Russia could win if aid to Ukraine dries up

Monday, December 8, 2023

2040 GMT — The White House has warned that US aid for Ukraine will run out by the end of the year, and Russia could win the war if Congress fails to agree on fresh funding.

President Joe Biden's budget director, Shalanda Young, said in a blunt letter to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that if military assistance dries up, it would "kneecap" Kiev's fight against Russia.

"There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money — and nearly out of time," wrote Young.

"I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine," she added.

"Cutting off the flow of US weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories."

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1337 GMT — Ukraine is changing its war tactics — Zelenskyy's aide

Ukraine was changing its war tactics, moving to defence in some areas and continuing offensive operations in others, a senior Ukrainian official says.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in a post on the X social media platform that the government was focused now on increasing domestic arms production and speeding up talks with partners to boost military supplies.

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1549 GMT — No country has the right to invade any other: Lula

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that no country has the right to invade any other as he urged peace between Russia and Ukraine.

1548 GMT — Putin blames Nord Stream blasts for disruption of Russia-Germany relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that cooperation between Moscow and Berlin had been disrupted by blasts in September 2022 affecting Nord Stream pipelines that had pumped Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Accepting the credentials of more than 20 new ambassadors, including those of Germany and Britain, at a ceremony in the Kremlin, Putin also said he hoped that relations between Moscow and London would improve.

Russia's relations with Western countries are at their lowest level since the depths of the Cold War following Putin's decision in February 2022 to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, prompting sweeping Western economic sanctions. Russia has blamed the United States, Britain, and Ukraine for the pipeline blasts. They all denied any involvement.

1505 GMT — Six Nepalis killed fighting for Russia, one captured in Ukraine

Nepal said that six citizens had been killed while serving as mercenaries in the Russian army and another had been captured in Ukraine, confirming that Nepalis are fighting for Moscow.

Kathmandu urged Moscow to stop the use of Nepali mercenaries and send any men serving back home.

Nepal's foreign ministry said it had received information on the death of the "six Nepali citizens while serving in the Russian army", and named another citizen "being held in Ukraine after being recruited into the Russian army". It did not specify where, how or when the six were killed.

1337 GMT — More than 7M tonnes of cargo transported via alternative grain corridor

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that more than 7 million metric tonnes of cargo were transported via an alternative grain corridor after Russia withdrew from the deal allowing safe Black Sea exports of Ukrainian grain.

"Our 'grain corridor' also works. Exceeded the mark of 7 million tons of cargo," Zelenskiy said on Telegram messenger.

1243 GMT — Bulgarian president vetoes supply of armoured vehicles to Ukraine

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev vetoed the supply of armoured vehicles to Ukraine, local media reported.

Radev argued that the armoured vehicle could be used for protecting Bulgaria's borders or for assisting citizens during disasters in remote areas.

“I am guided by the conviction that the safety, health and lives of the Bulgarian citizens should be a top priority,” he was quoted as saying by the BTA news agency.

The agreement on the provision of armoured vehicles from the Bulgarian inventory to Ukraine was signed in Sofia on Aug. 8 and in Kiev on Nov.13. On Nov. 22, in the first and second reading, the Bulgarian parliament approved the provision of the vehicles with its available armament to Ukraine

0954 GMT — Russian general killed in Ukraine: Russian governor

A Russian general has died while deployed in Ukraine, the governor of Russia's Voronezh region has said, the latest high-ranking Russian military figure to die during the 21-month offensive.

"A piercing pain. Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps of the Northern Fleet, died in the line of duty in a special operation zone," Voronezh governor Alexander Gusev said on Telegram, using the Russian term for its offensive in Ukraine.

0747 GMT — Ukraine targets Russian oil depot in Luhansk

Ukraine's forces attacked an oil depot in Russia-controlled Luhansk last night using combat drones, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing Russian-backed authorities in the Ukrainian region.

A fire that broke out after the attack has been extinguished and there was no information about casualties, RIA reported.

0722 GMT — First lorries pass through new Ukraine crossing at Polish border

The first 30 lorries passed through the newly opened Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv crossing on the Ukrainian-Polish border, which Kiev expects will unblock main land corridors amid protests by Polish drivers, Ukraine's border service said.

Those protests, over what Polish truckers see as unfair competition from their Ukrainian peers, started on Nov. 6, with four border crossings now under blockade.

Polish hauliers' main demand is to stop Ukrainian truckers from having permit-free access to the EU, something that Kiev and Brussels say is impossible.

"As of the morning of December 4, border guards cleared 30 heavy vehicles with a total permissible weight of more than 7.5 (metric) tons for departure from Ukraine at the Uhryniv checkpoint," the service said on Telegram.

0523 GMT — Ukraine faces tens of Russian drone, missile attacks

Russia launched 23 drones and a cruise missile overnight on Ukraine, Ukraine's air force has said, adding that its air defence systems destroyed the missile and 18 of the drones before they reached their targets.

The anti-aircraft defence was deployed in at least nine regions of Ukraine, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

The air force did not provide details on what happened to the drones that were not destroyed or whether there was any damage as a result of the attack.

0239 GMT — Ukraine builds landmark ecocide case against Russia

A Ukrainian prosecutor conducting a world-first war crimes investigation into allegations of Russian ecocide.

The case, which Kiev plans to take to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in some form, is the latest in a string of investigations and challenges that Ukraine hopes will hold Russia accountable — and make it pay — for its invasion.

The investigation in the southern Kherson region stems from the extensive flooding caused after the Kakhovka dam was partially destroyed on June 6 in a series of early morning blasts.

Dozens were killed as entire villages became submerged and the United Nations says there was $14 billion of destruction.

Ukraine says Russia blew up the dam and that the extent of the environmental damage constitutes a war crime.

To build its case, it has dispatched a hundreds-strong team of ecological investigators.

"We're going to use every possible method to gather evidence," Ignatenko, 32, told AFP.

Donning a military t-shirt and scrawling in a notebook, he called the hundreds working on the case "pioneers."

Russia has blamed Ukraine for the dam's destruction. Both sides have denied responsibility.

0000 GMT — NATO should be prepared for 'bad news' from Kiev — Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the military alliance should be prepared for “bad news” from Ukraine as it continues to face Russia’s offensive.

"Wars develop in phases," Stoltenberg said in an interview over the weekend with German public broadcaster ARD, noting: “We have to support Ukraine in both good and bad times .”

"We should also be prepared for bad news," he added, without elaborating.

Stoltenberg defined the war between Russia and Ukraine as "a war of attrition, a battle for efficiency, a battle for logistics."

The ramping up of production by NATO members of ammunition “is vital. We are working hard to ensure that this happens," he added.

Saying that a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin would not only be a tragedy for Ukraine but also dangerous for the West, Stoltenberg noted that it would be in "our interest" to ensure that Ukraine wins.

1605 GMT — Ukraine says two dead in south after Russian attacks

Ukraine said at least two people were killed and seven others wounded by Russian shelling in the Kherson region Sunday, while air defences downed 10 Russian drones overnight.

Kherson was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November 2022 but has since faced relentless shelling by Russian forces from the opposite bank of the adjoining Dnipro river.

Officials said a 78-year-old man was killed Sunday morning when the village of Sadove was bombarded, while a woman in Kherson city was killed by shelling in a street.

Sadove lies just east of Kherson city, close to the Dnipro river that marks the front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

For our live updates from Sunday (December 2), click here.