Ukraine ticker: Zelenskyj attends European summit in Granada

9:28 am: Zelenskyj attends European summit in Granada

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced that he will participate in the summit of the new European Political Community (EPG) in Spain. Zelenskyj wrote on the X platform, earlier on Twitter, that he came to Granada.

This is the third meeting of the EPG, which includes the 27 EU countries and other European countries such as Great Britain, Ukraine and Turkey. “We will pay special attention to the Black Sea region, as well as our joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of navigation,” Zelensky X wrote on Twitter. As winter approaches, strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses is a priority.

8:46 am: More than 60 cities without power in Russia after drone strike

Ukrainian drone strikes have caused power outages in several cities in western Russia’s Kursk region, official sources said. Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit said on his Telegram channel that infrastructure items in Chudza, Korenovo and Glushkovo districts were hit. All three districts border Ukraine. According to the news channel “SHOT” on Telegram, two substations in Chudja and Glushkovo were attacked, resulting in a total blackout in 67 cities. Starovoit confirmed the blackout without giving specific numbers.

8:22 am: Russia’s defense minister inspects military base near Ukraine

According to official reports, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the training of soldiers for Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine in the south of the country. The authority posted pictures on its Telegram channel Thursday showing Shoigu recruiting and watching volunteers practice drones. The release also helped refute ongoing complaints about the soldiers’ unpreparedness for military operations in a neighboring country.

8:14 am: Hofreiter sees Taurus’ control as a “doomsday signal”.

According to Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter, the central government’s reluctance to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles is sending a “disastrous signal” to Moscow, which has long been debated. Hofreiter told Deutschlandfunk that indecision and heated discussions about weapons systems strengthened Russia’s confidence that it could win the war in the long run. “Until we send this signal that we are afraid, depressed, and unable to make quick decisions, this war will continue,” he warned.

7:06 am: Ukraine says it shot down Russian drones

Ukraine says it shot down several Russian drones overnight. As reported by the General Staff of the country’s armed forces, the air defense managed to intercept 24 out of 29 attack drones. However, no further information regarding the attack has been released.

4:01 am: Former EU Commission President Juncker says Ukraine “doesn’t deserve it”

Former EU President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned against Ukraine’s hasty accession to the EU. “Anyone who has anything to do with Ukraine knows that it is a country full of corruption at all levels of society,” Juncker said in an interview with “Augsburger Allgemeine”. “Despite efforts, it does not deserve to join; it needs massive internal reform processes.” The EU has had bad experiences with the rule of law with “so-called new members”. This must not happen again.

2:23 am: US sends confiscated ammunition to Ukraine

The US government says it has sent explosives seized from Iran to Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia. The munitions were first seized by the US military on a ship in the Gulf of Oman in December 2022, according to the responsible US Military Regional Command (CENTCOM) and the US Department of Justice. It said Iran wanted to send about 1.1 million rounds of ammunition to Houthi rebels in Yemen. This is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. As a result, the United States declared the munitions its property.

02:15 am: Ukrainian forces reported advancing in south and holding gains in east

Ukraine says it is advancing further south. “We have achieved some success west of Robotyn,” Oleksandr Stupun, a spokesman for the southern group, told state television. “In some areas we have advanced 100 to 600 meters.” Ukrainian troops will continue to expand their positions.

The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that troops repelled Russian attacks near Robotyn and Verbov. The Russian Defense Ministry spoke about the successes of its armed forces on the Eastern Front. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian forces have tried and failed to recapture territory near Andriyivka in the east, which Ukraine recaptured last month. Reports of the fight could not be independently verified initially.

1:15 am: London warns of attack on civilian ships

According to the British government, Russia may use sea mines against civilian shipping in the Black Sea. “Russia often prefers to avoid overtly sinking civilian ships, instead falsely blaming Ukraine for attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea,” a British Foreign Office report said, citing intelligence. “By releasing our assessment of this information, the UK seeks to expose Russia’s tactics to prevent such an incident.”

In July, Russia pulled out of an agreement that allowed safe transit of food to Ukraine, which has traditionally been the country’s most important export route.

00:01: Delegates from nearly 50 European countries are debating in Granada

Representatives from nearly 50 European countries will discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and other trouble spots on the continent this Thursday in Granada, southern Spain. It is the third summit of the European Political Community, an informal discussion platform on topics such as geopolitics, digitalisation and climate change.

Heads of State and Government of 27 EU countries and 20 other countries have been invited. It is unclear whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Granada. He participated in the summit in Moldova last June.