French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday where he said that France and Ukraine would issue proposals for a “common agenda” on additional military support by January. His visit came as air raid alerts were issued for all of Ukraine's regions. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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6:24pm: France and Ukraine to agree 'common' approach for military support, defence minister says
French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Wednesday on his first trip to Kyiv that Paris wants to work with Ukraine to find a “common agenda” on how France can support the war effort.
Presidents Zelensky and Macron have requested proposals for a “common agenda on French military support” for the month of January, Lecornu said at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov.
He said he discussed the "tactical and strategic situation" on the ground and "the needs of the Ukrainian army in the weeks to come" with Reznikov.
Lecornu also met Ukrainian President Zelensky during a working meeting at midday.
In mid-December, an international conference in support of Ukraine in Paris raised more than €1 billion in donations.
A ranking by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in December places France in 10th position for its military support to Kyiv, behind the United Kingdom, Poland and Germany. The majority is provided by the United States.
4:48pm: More than 1,450 Ukrainian POWs freed since Russian invasion, Zelensky says
Ukraine has secured the release of 1,456 prisoners of war since Russia invaded on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky told parliament in an annual address held behind closed doors on Wednesday.
Kyiv and Moscow have held a series of prisoner swaps throughout the war which is now in its eleventh month. Zelensky has said the release of prisoners of war is a priority.
Russia is thought to hold thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war, but the exact figures are not known.
3:03pm: 'Only a few civilians' left in Ukraine's Bakhmut, says Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that "only a few civilians" were left in the eastern frontline town of Bakhmut that has endured months of fierce fighting.
"Last year, 70,000 people lived there. Now only a few civilians are left there," Zelensky said on Facebook.
Following months of humiliating defeats Russian forces are now seeking to wrest control of the eastern region of Donetsk where Bakhmut has become the epicentre of fighting.
In Bakhmut, "there is no place that is not covered with blood. There is no hour when the terrible roar of artillery does not sound," Zelensky said.
"Still, Bakhmut stands," he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ukrainian army said Moscow's forces were continuing "offensive actions" in the direction of Bakhmut.
12:35pm: France's defence minister arrives in Ukraine to boost support
French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu minister arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday to discuss further military support for Ukraine, insisting the French government's backing is unflagging while efforts are made to reach an eventual negotiated end to Russia's invasion.
Lecornu arrived after a trip to Poland, where he announced a deal Tuesday to sell Poland two French-made military satellites. In Kyiv, Lecornu laid a wreath at a heroes' monument to pay homage to Ukrainians who have died defending their country against Russia’s invasion. He was scheduled to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and army officials.
While France has been less vocal about its military support for Ukraine than the United States and Britain, the country has sent a steady supply of weapons to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24. France also hosted two aid conferences for Ukraine this month. But many in Ukraine remain critical of the French government's response to the war because of President Emmanuel Macron's efforts to maintain contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and seek a negotiated solution.
11:30am: Kharkiv engineers begin reconnecting energy grid in freezing conditions
In the Kharkhiv region, it is only now – months of intense Russian bombardment down the line – that Ukrainian electrical engineers are beginning to reconnect the power grid amid freezing conditions. FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar, Elena Volochine and Abdelkader Dermas visited a village near the front line where barely a single home was left undamaged during the fighting.
11:20am: Ukraine aims to develop air-to-air combat drones, minister says
Ukraine has bought some 1,400 drones, mostly for reconnaissance, and plans to develop combat models that can attack the exploding drones Russia has used during its invasion of the country, according to the Ukrainian government minister in charge of technology.
In a recent interview with AP, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov described Russia’s war in Ukraine as the first major war of the internet age. He credited drones and satellite internet systems like Elon Musk’s Starlink with having transformed the conflict. Ukraine has purchased drones like the Fly Eye, a small unmanned aerial vehicle used for intelligence, battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance.
“And the next stage, now that we are more or less equipped with reconnaissance drones, is strike drones,” Federov said. “These are both exploding drones and drones that fly up to three to 10 kilometers and hit targets.” He predicted “more missions with strike drones” in the future, but would not elaborate. “We are talking there about drones, UAVs, UAVs that we are developing in Ukraine. Well, anyway, it will be the next step in the development of technologies,” he said.
11:10am: Russia did not consult OPEC+ over oil cap response, Kremlin says
Russia did not consult with OPEC+ on its response to a Western price cap on Russian oil, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, stating that it was Russia's sovereign right to respond as it sees fit to such "illegal measures".
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday delivered Russia's long-awaited response to the cap, signing a decree that bans the supply of crude oil and oil products from February 1 for five months to nations that abide by it.
Peskov said contacts between Russia and the OPEC+ group of leading global oil producers, which includes Russia, were ongoing on other issues.
11:10am: Kremlin says Ukraine peace plans must accept annexation of four Ukrainian regions
The Kremlin on Wednesday said that peace proposals to end the conflict in Ukraine must take into account what it called "the new reality" of four Ukrainian regions having joined Russia.
Russia declared Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia part of its territory in September after referendums condemned by Ukraine and Western countries. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions.
10:40am: Ukraine issues air raid alerts across all regions
Air raid sirens sounded across all of Ukraine’s regions on Wednesday, officials said.
Ukrainian social media reports said the nationwide alert may have been declared after Russian jets took off from where they were stationed in Belarus. FRANCE 24 was unable to immediately verify that information.
10:00am: 'A bit of pressure' on French defence minister ahead of Kyiv visit
"French Defence Minister [Sébastien Lecornu] is expected in Kyiv for the first time today; he will meet his Ukrainian counterpart," FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar reports from Kyiv.
"Today he is expected to visit a monument to pay tribute to those who have died in the war, and his visit com[es] off the back of comments by French President Emmanuel Macron pledging to increase France's military support for Ukraine well into 2023, including more deliveries of those Caesar cannons," says Hilliar.
"So [there's] a bit of pressure on the French defence minister to make some sort of announcement to show his support for Ukraine, to perhaps announce some sort of boost to France's military support for the country."
9:43am: Top Putin aide visits Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
One of President Vladimir Putin's most powerful Kremlin aides has visited the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in a part of southern Ukraine Russia says it has annexed, a Moscow-installed official in the region said.
Sergei Kiriyenko, a Kremlin official responsible for overseeing Russia's domestic politics and a former head of the country's state nuclear corporation, discussed the safety of the plant, according to Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed local official.
"Sergei Kiriyenko visited the nuclear power plant – he checked the safety of the facility and the working conditions of Rosatom employees," Rogov said on Telegram.
9:00am: Ukraine fighting intensifies as Russia fires rockets into Kherson city
Russian forces fired 33 rockets at civilian targets in the Ukrainian city of Kherson in the 24 hours to early Wednesday, Ukraine's military said, as fighting intensified with Russia deploying more tanks and armoured vehicles on front lines. "There has been very little change in terms of the front line but pressure from the enemy has intensified, both in terms of the numbers of men and the type and quantity of equipment," said Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its morning report that Russia forces were attacking populated areas on the right bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson with mortars and artillery. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Russian forces abandoned Kherson last month in one of Ukraine's most significant gains in the 11-month war, but fighting has entered a slow, grinding phase as bitter winter weather has set in.
8:16am: Russian rouble slips again as volatile year-end trade continues
The rouble weakened on Wednesday, sliding past the 71 mark against the dollar, as sanctions on Russian oil and their probable impact on export revenues put pressure on the Russian currency.
The rouble lost about 8% against the dollar last week and is on course for a hefty monthly decline after an oil embargo and price cap came into force. The finance ministry has said the recent slump is related to recovering imports.
At 0705 GMT, the rouble was 1.1% weaker against the dollar at 71.19, moving in the direction of the almost eight-month low of 72.6325 struck last week.
7:51am: Gazprom to ship 42.3 mcm of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Thursday
Russia's Gazprom said that it will ship 42.3 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday, a volume broadly in line with recent days.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AFP and AP)
