Ukraine Latest: More US Aid Set; G-7 Denounces Russian ‘Crimes’

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(Bloomberg) -- The Group of Seven said it would hold Russia accountable for “war crimes” after recent attacks on Ukrainian energy and water facilities. Foreign ministers of the leading industrial nations slammed the Kremlin’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” in a statement released after a two-day foreign ministers meeting in Muenster, Germany.

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The White House announced $400 million in security assistance for Ukraine, including refurbished Soviet-era tanks and air defense missiles. The Netherlands will supply €120 million ($118 million) in aid including €45 million for tanks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz he opposed the use of nuclear weapons in Europe, in his most direct remarks yet on the need to keep Russia’s war in Ukraine from escalating.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

  • Xi Tells Scholz China Opposes Nuclear Force in Message to Putin

  • Superyacht Seized in Spain as Sanctioned Owner Stops Fees

  • US Announces $400 Million in Tanks and Missiles for Ukraine

  • Ukraine Seeks IT Investment at Web Summit as War Rages Back Home

  • The Latest Russia Oil Mystery: Vostok Sale Announced Then Denied

  • US National Security Advisor Visits Kyiv in Show of Support

On the Ground

Ukrainian forces shot down eight Shahed drones and two Kalibr missiles during past 24 hours, Zelenskiy said Friday. The heaviest fighting occurred in Donbas, near Bakhmut and Soledar.

(All times CET)

Ukrainian Lines Holding in Donetsk, Zelenskiy Says (10:30 p.m.)

Fierce fighting took place this week in the Donetsk region towns of Bakhmut and Soledar and remain the most tense area of the front line, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Friday. “We hold our positions.”

Zelenskiy said that Russia has concealed its war losses from its people, and also lies to some foreign leaders “about its alleged readiness for negotiations.”

“When someone thinks about negotiations, he is not trying to deceive everyone around while sending thousands to death,” the president added said.

One Crop Vessel Left Ukraine Friday, Several Inbound Ships Cleared (8:22 p.m.)

One vessel carrying sunflower oil left the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk on Friday for Romania under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Joint Coordination Centre said in a notice.

Currently, there are only two vessels under the Initiative at the Ukrainian ports. On board inspections were concluded on seven inbound vessels, all of which were cleared to sail to Ukrainian ports.

Putin Allows Russian Co. to Buy Baker Hughes Assets (5:27 p.m.)

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing Russian company Oilfield Services Technologies LLC to buy Baker Hughes assets in the country, according to a decree published on Russia’s legal database on Friday.

Read more: Putin Allows Russian Co. to Buy Baker Hughes Assets

US Announces $400 Million in New Security Assistance (5:06 p.m.)

The Biden administration announced $400 million in new security assistance for Ukraine, including refurbished Soviet-era T-72 tanks and the HAWK air-defense missiles that Ukraine has been seeking. The package also includes more of the “Phoenix Ghost” drones that have been effective against Russian forces in the east.

The US and the Netherlands will split the cost of refurbishing 90 tanks in the Czech Republic, a Defense Department spokeswoman said. Some tanks will arrive before the end of the year.

The Netherlands said the total value of its package would be €120m, of which €45m will be used for the T-72 tanks.

Read more: US Announces $400 Million in New Security Assistance for Ukraine

Russia Seeks Sanctions Relief for Agriculture Bank: Reuters (3:44 p.m.)

Russia wants Western countries to ease curbs on state-owned agriculture lender Rosselkhozbank and clear the way for Russian grain exports, according to a Reuters report citing people it didn’t identify.

Moscow hasn’t publicly detailed its demands beyond calling on European nations to release Russian fertilizer stuck in ports and warehouses, and allowing it to resume exports of ammonia.

Slovak Premier Seeks Export Analysis on Russia Component Report (3:08 p.m.)

Slovakia’s premier said he’d ordered the government to analyze reports that his country had exported components to Russia that could be used for military purposes after the invasion of Ukraine started.

Read more: Slovak Premier Seeks Export Analysis on Russia Component Report

G-7 Creates ‘Mechanism’ to Defend Ukraine’s Key Infrastructure (2:30 p.m.)

The Group of Seven nations has agreed to coordinate assistance in repairing, restoring and protecting Ukraine’s energy and water facilities, which have been under a month of attacks from Kremlin troops.

In the statement following their meeting in Germany, the G-7 foreign ministers said they have established a “coordination mechanism to help Ukraine repair, restore and defend its critical energy and water infrastructure.”

Strengthening Ukraine’s “civilian resilience” will be a focus of an international conference in Paris planned for Dec. 13, they said, adding that the group “will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

G-7 Vows to Hold Russia Accountable for ‘War Crimes’ (2 p.m.)

The Group of Seven condemned Russia’s recent move to “terrorize” Ukraine’s civilian population with ongoing, “indiscriminate” attacks against energy and water facilities that have left much of the nation in the dark.

Those strikes “constitute war crimes, and we reiterate our determination to ensure full accountability for these and crimes against humanity,” G-7 foreign ministers said in a statement following their meeting in Muenster, Germany.

The statement also condemned “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” by the Kremlin. “Any use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences,” the G-7 said, without laying out specific steps. The group reiterated a call to Belarus “to stop enabling Russia’s war” and said the Belarusian regime risks “overwhelming additional costs.”

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