Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin ‘dragging Asia into war’ as North Korea troops join marine and air forces
Pyongyang is said to have dispatched between 10,000-12,000 troops to aid Putin’s forces
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Your support makes all the difference.Vladimir Putin is “dragging Asia” into the war in Ukraine with the use of Chinese-made drones and North Korean troops, the German foreign minister has said.
On a visit to Beijing, Annalena Baerbock stressed the responsibility of permanent members of the UN Security Council, such as China, not to further fuel conflicts with their support.
“Drones from Chinese factories and North Korean troops attacking peace in the centre of Europe violate our core European security interests,” Ms Baerbock said after meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky revealed North Korean soldiers deployed to fight for Russia have been killed.
Pyongyang is said to have dispatched between 10,000-12,000 troops to aid Putin’s forces.
A Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson told Radio Free Europe an additional 2,000 North Korean troops have been assigned to Russia's Marine and airborne units fighting on the front.
Meawhile on the frontlines, Moscow's troops have been capturing village after village in Ukraine's east, part of a drive to fully seize the industrial Donbas region, while Russian airstrikes continue to target a hobbled Ukrainian energy grid as winter sets in.
German aid to Ukraine will include air defence systems, spokesperson says
German military aid to be delivered to Ukraine in December includes IRIS-T air defence systems, Leopard 1 tanks and armed drones, a defence ministry spokesperson has said.
“Winter is just around the corner, so there will also be winter equipment, as well as hand-held weapons and warming devices,” the spokesperson said just hours after Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the deliveries during a surprise trip to Kyiv.
A government spokesperson said the deliveries were part of a military aid package already announced by Berlin in October.
Why is Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy grid with missile attacks?
Why is Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy grid with missile attacks?
Moscow unleashes second major strike on power sector in two weeks in what Ukrainian president Zelensky calls ‘vile escalation’
Ukraine’s process of joining EU marked by ‘sense of urgency’, new European Council chief says
Ukraine’s process of joining the EU is marked by a “sense of urgency”, new European Council president Antonio Costa has said, during a vist to Kyiv.
Mr Costa, the former Portuguese premier, visited Ukraine along with the new EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and the bloc’s head of enlargement Marta Kos, on the day they all took office.
The EU has “stood with you since the very first day of this war of aggression, and you can count on us to continue to stand with you”, Mr Costa said, in remarks alongside Volodymyr Zelensky, adding: “These are not just words.”
Mr Costa said Ukraine’s process of joining the EU was marked by “a sense of urgency” and that the bloc could take steps to integrate Ukraine before its entry, such as coordinating mobile phone roaming rules and letting some goods into the single market.
“We cannot manage this process as business as usual because it is a geopolitical choice,” he said.
Pictured: Zelensky and Scholz visit memorial for Ukrainian and foreign fighters in Kyiv
Putin signs off record Russian defense spending as top EU officials visit Kyiv
Putin signs off record Russian defense spending as top EU officials visit Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved budget plans, raising 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine
Kremlin says Georgia protests have signs of attempted Ukraine-style revolution
The Kremlin has said that a wave of pro-EU protests in Georgia resembled an attempted Ukraine-style "Orange Revolution" and that the authorities were trying to stabilise the situation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that some of the protesters had clearly broken the law by attacking police, but that Russia would not interfere in the situation.
More than 200 people have been detained after four nights of protests in the Georgian capital following the government's decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union after the block criticised the country's parliamentary election.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament for the fourth night on Sunday. Some protesters threw fireworks at police who responded by deploying tear gas and water cannon. Georgia’s Interior Ministry said Monday that 224 protesters were detained on administrative charges and three arrested on criminal charges. So far, 113 police officers needed medical treatment while three others were hospitalized.
Zelensky criticised Scholz for call with Putin earlier this month
German chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Vladimir Putin for the first time in nearly two years, earlier this month.
The German leader urged Mr Putin to pull his forces out of Ukraine and begin talks with Kyiv that would open the way for a “just and lasting peace”, the German government said at the time.
The move was swiftly criticised by Mr Zelensky, who said the call had opened a “Pandora’s box” by undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader.
“Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words,” said Mr Zelensky in an evening address on 15 November. “And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted: it is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation and to conduct ordinary negotiations.”
Today, Mr Scholz made an unexpected visit to Kyiv and promised military aid worth €650 million (£538mn).
More than 160 clashes on the frontlines in past day, Ukraine Army says
There have been 165 combat clashes on the frontlines in the past day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
The General Staff also reported that Russian forces carried out 18 airstrikes on the Ukrainian positions and settlements, dropped 25 glide bombs, and deployed 1,635 kamikaze drones.
Asia being dragged into Ukraine war, German foreign minister warns
Vladimir Putin is dragging Asia into the war in Ukraine with the use of Chinese-made drones and North Korean troops, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said during a visit to Beijing.
She stressed the responsibility of permanent members of the UN Security Council, such as China, not to further fuel conflicts with their support.
"Drones from Chinese factories and North Korean troops attacking peace in the centre of Europe violate our core European security interests," Ms Baerbock said after meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
ICYMI: UK Cabinet minister ‘can’t predict’ whether Ukraine will become part of Nato
A Cabinet minister has said he “can’t predict” whether Ukraine will become part of Nato, but added that the country has “got to be free to make its choices”.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the UK does not want to see “Ukraine coerced into accepting a deal” it does not want after Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that territory under his control should be taken under the “Nato umbrella” to try to stop the “hot stage” of the war with Russia.
He said Ukraine could then get back the other parts of its territory “diplomatically”.
Mr McFadden told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “I don’t know whether Ukraine will be part of Nato or not in the future, I can’t predict that.
“What I do know is that I want the country to be free to make decisions about its own future.”
He added that any application would “have to be considered properly by Nato in the future”.
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