Russia’s war on Ukraine latest news: Millions without heat or power
Millions of Ukrainians were still without heat or power on Friday after the most devastating Russian air strikes on its energy grid so far, with residents warned to brace for further attacks and stock up on water, food and warm clothing. CONFLICT
* NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said there would be no lasting peace in Ukraine if Russia won the war, adding that the Western military alliance would not back down its support for Kyiv. * NATO forces took part in drills in northern Poland’s Suwalki Gap, a strip of land between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, and of crucial significance to the security of the alliance’s eastern flank.
* Germany said it was discussing with allies Poland’s request that German Patriot air defence units be sent to Ukraine, after NATO’s chief suggested the military alliance might not oppose such a move. * Russia’s latest barrage killed 11 people and shut down all of Ukraine’s nuclear plants for the first time in 40 years.
* Viewed from space, Ukraine has become a dark patch on the globe at night, NASA satellite images showed. * The war’s first winter will now test whether Ukraine can press on with its campaign to recapture territory, or whether Russia’s commanders can halt Kyiv’s momentum.
* More than 15,000 people have gone missing during the war in Ukraine, an official at the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) said. ECONOMY/AID
* British foreign minister James Cleverly pledged millions of pounds in further support for Kyiv during a visit to Ukraine to ensure the country has the practical help it needs through the winter, his office said. * Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has said more Western support is needed to help it meet growing reconstruction costs following the escalation of Russian missile attacks.
* Ukraine’s grain exports have gotten off to a slower start after a U.N.-brokered deal was extended last week to help ease global hunger, and one Ukrainian envoy put part of the blame on Russia’s reluctance to speed up ship inspections. OIL
* European government representatives will resume talks over the level of a price cap on Russian oil on Friday evening, a diplomat told Reuters. * Russia does not plan to supply oil and gas to countries supporting a price cap on Russian oil, the Kremlin said, but will make a final decision once it analyses all the figures.
QUOTE: “There is no split, there is no schism among Europeans and we have to preserve this. This is our mission number one this year,” Zelenskiy said. (Compiled by Kim Coghill; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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