Dec 13 (Reuters) – Global economic powers pledged to beef up Kyiv’s military capabilities with a focus on air defence, as Russian missiles, artillery and drones hammered targets in Ukraine with no end in sight to Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two.
DIPLOMATIC FLURRY
* Ukraine’s allies will meet in Paris on Tuesday to provide urgent aid to help the country get through winter.
* White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States would have engagement with Russia this week.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold talks to discuss the events of 2022 in late December, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported.
* The Group of Seven (G7) economic powers said they would keep working together to bolster Ukraine’s military capabilities, with an immediate focus on air defence systems, according to a leaders’ statement released by Britain.
* European Union foreign ministers agreed to put another 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) into a fund that has been used to pay for military support for Ukraine. They will also try to agree further sanctions on Russia and Iran.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the G7, asking allies for natural gas for winter heating and long-range weapons. He also sought support for his idea of convening a special Global Peace Summit.
[1/6] An emergencies ministry member walks at a local market hit by shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
CONFLICT
* Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian artillery had hammered nearly 20 front-line settlements around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Moscow seeks to capture but which is now largely in ruins due to incessant bombardment.
* At least two people were killed and five wounded in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson after what the regional governor said was “massive shelling” by Russian forces.
* Ukraine’s Emergency Measures service said three explosives experts had been killed and two seriously injured on Monday during demining operations in the town of Kostyantynivka – near the major town of Kramatorsk – in Donetsk region.
* Reuters could not independently verify the reports of the attacks or deaths.
* Russia is turning to decades-old ammunition with high failure rates, a senior U.S. military official said.
* A Russian-appointed deputy governor of Ukraine’s Kherson region, Vitaly Bulyuk, was injured when his car exploded, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.
* The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council said he expected another wave of refugees from Ukraine in Europe over the winter, because of “unliveable” conditions.
Compiled by Frank Jack Daniel and Stephen Coates; Editing by Bradley Perrett
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