Nato allies condemn Russia"s withdrawal from key cold war-era security treaty Nato allies have condemned a decision by Russia to withdraw from a key cold war-era security treaty (see earlier post at 08.22), saying they now intend to suspend its operation for “as long as necessary”. Most of Nato’s 31 allies have signed the treaty of conventional armed forces in Europe, which was aimed at preventing cold war rivals from massing forces at or near mutual borders. It was signed in November 1990, but not fully ratified until two years later. In a statement, Nato said: Allies condemn Russia’s decision to withdraw from the treaty on conventional armed forces in Europe (CFE), and its war of aggression against Ukraine which is contrary to the treaty’s objectives. Russia’s withdrawal is the latest in a series of actions that systematically undermines Euro-Atlantic security. Therefore, as a consequence, allied states parties intend to suspend the operation of the CFE Treaty for as long as necessary, in accordance with their rights under international law. This is a decision fully supported by all Nato allies. Russia’s foreign ministry announced earlier on Tuesday that Moscow had finalised its withdrawal. Russia said the US push for enlargement of Nato had led to alliance countries “openly circumventing” the treaty’s group restrictions, and added that the admission of Finland into Nato and Sweden’s application meant the treaty was dead. Closing summary The heads of the US treasury, defence and state departments called on Congress to fund $11.8bn in Ukraine aid as part of President Joe Biden’s supplemental spending request, according to a letter released on Tuesday. Senate Democrats blocked a Republican effort to win quick approval for a bill providing emergency aid to Israel that passed the US House of Representatives last week, but that provides no assistance for Ukraine. The US has accused Russia of financing a Latin America-wide disinformation campaign that feeds media contacts with propaganda aimed at weakening support for Ukraine and boosting anti-American and anti-Nato sentiments, Reuters reported. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been quoted as saying that Ukraine had deployed more western air defence systems, as it braces for a second full winter of Russian attacks on energy facilities. Ukraine is preparing for a renewed Russian assault on the eastern town of Avdiivka, after several recent unsuccessful attempts by Moscow’s forces to surround it, AFP reported. “The third wave will definitely happen. The enemy is regrouping after a second wave of unsuccessful attacks,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka military administration, said. The Netherlands sent its first five F-16 fighter jets to Romania on Tuesday for use in the training of Ukrainian pilots, Reuters reported. Russia formally withdrew from a landmark security treaty that limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the US for undermining post-cold war security with the enlargement of the Nato military alliance. Nato allies said that, as a consequence, they intended to suspend the operation of the treaty as long as necessary. G7 support for Ukraine in its war with Russia will not be affected by the intensifying Middle East conflict, Japan said as the group’s foreign ministers prepared to hold virtual talks with Kyiv during a meeting in Tokyo. Russia foiled an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Tuesday morning, shooting down drones over the Black Sea and the annexed Crimean peninsula, Moscow’s defence ministry said. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has thanked the Netherlands for sending F-16 fighter jets to a Romanian airbase where the planes will be used to train Ukrainian and Romanian pilots, and said he hoped they will reach Ukraine “as soon as possible.” “I am grateful to the Netherlands and prime minister Mark Rutte for leading the way in supporting Ukraine,” he said on social media. He said the movement of the planes marked a “milestone”. Senate Democrats block Republican bid to provide emergency aid to Israel and not Ukraine Senate Democrats have blocked a Republican effort to win quick approval for a bill providing emergency aid to Israel that passed the US House of Representatives last week, but that provides no assistance for Ukraine. “Time is of the essence and it’s imperative that the Senate not delay delivering this crucial aid to Israel another day,” Republican senator Roger Marshall said. Democrats objected, stressing the importance of providing aid to Ukraine as well as Israel, in addition to humanitarian aid, border security funding and money to push back against China in the Indo-Pacific that was in a $106bn funding request Joe Biden sent to Congress last month. “Our allies in Ukraine can no more afford a delay than our allies in Israel,” senator Patty Murray, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said. US says Russia has funded Latin America-wide anti-Ukraine disinformation drive The US has accused Russia of financing a Latin America-wide disinformation campaign that feeds media contacts with propaganda aimed at weakening support for Ukraine and boosting anti-American and anti-Nato sentiments, Reuters reports. “The Kremlin’s ultimate goal appears to be to launder its propaganda and disinformation through local media in a way that feels organic to Latin American audiences,” the state department said in a statement. On 20 October, the US released a declassified intelligence assessment, sent to more than 100 governments, that said Moscow is using spies, social media and Russian state-run media to erode public faith in the integrity of democratic elections. Tuesday’s statement said Russia uses media contacts in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay to spread disinformation. The “information manipulation campaign” has been coordinated by three Russian organizations, The Social Design Agency, the Institute for Internet Development, and Structura, said the statement. It called them “influence-for-hire” firms that have co-opted local media and influencers in Latin America. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said that the EU commissioner for justice, Didier Reynders, “presented a vision for the establishment of the special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine” during their meeting earlier. Kuleba said they discussed possible ways to use frozen Russian assets for reparations and the reconstruction of Ukraine. Shelling by Ukrainian forces killed six people in the city of Donetsk on Tuesday, a Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine said. Eleven people were injured, according to preliminary data, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the region, wrote on Telegram. These claims are yet to be independently verified. Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and his counterpart from Burkina Faso, Kassoum Coulibaly, have agreed to strengthen defence ties, Moscow said. Burkina’s military rulers have deepened cooperation with Moscow as the country looks to diversify its international allies after a coup last year. Russia, which has grown more isolated since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, has in recent months discussed greater military cooperation with Burkina Faso. Moscow has also pledged to deliver free grain to the African country, which is one of the world’s poorest, AFP reports. “Russian-Burkinabé relations are based solely on the principles of mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests, and in recent years they have gained positive dynamics,” Shoigu said, according to the ministry. Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy has told Reuters he will make non-interventionist foreign policy a central plank of his pitch to voters in the coming weeks. Reuters reports: In an interview, Ramaswamy said he would formally introduce a pledge on Tuesday in Miami, on the eve of the third Republican primary date, laying out non-interventionist foreign policy principles. If he does win the Republican nomination and later the 2024 general election against Democratic President Joe Biden, Ramaswamy said, he would require all political appointees to sign the pledge, and he would eventually ask other elected officials to sign on as well. “This will be specifically … a litmus test for anybody who is an appointee in my administration and a clear signal to our own supporters,” said Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old tech entrepreneur who is polling a distant fourth in the Republican primary. Ramaswamy’s introduction of the pledge comes after weeks of sparring with fellow Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, over foreign policy. Ramaswamy has said Haley, who ranks third in most Republican primary polls, risks dragging America into a bloody conflict thanks to her aggressive foreign policy stances. Haley favours sending military aid to Ukraine and Israel, positions which Ramaswamy opposes. Poland has signed a deal worth more than £4bn with defence firm MBDA for a ground-based air defence system, the British government has said. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the partnership would help bolster European security amid the war in Ukraine. The air defence system would be able to launch missiles at air threats such as cruise missiles and fighter jets at ranges of more than 40 kilometres, the MoD said. Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, said: This is another crucial step forward for our historic defence ties with Poland, supplying next generation air defence capabilities to act as a clear deterrent to our adversaries. Ukrainian Premier League’s Dnipro-1 and FC Oleksandriya played the longest match in the league’s history on Monday night, with the game ending four hours and 36 minutes after kick-off after multiple air raid warnings. BBC Sport reports: The match on Monday evening, played at the Dnipro Arena in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, kicked off 15 minutes late because of an air raid siren. The home side took the lead in the 34th minute but the players were marched off the pitch again early in the second half. Oleksandriya scored soon after the restart – only for it to be chalked off by VAR after an hour’s delay caused by another siren. With one minute left of normal time, the match was postponed for a further hour and a half following another air raid warning. The 1-0 win in the game, which kicked off at 17:15 local time and ended close to 22:00, leaves Dnipro-1 in second place in the Ukrainian Premier League. Here are some of the latest images from the newswires: We have more on the news that the Netherlands has sent its first five F-16 fighter jets to a Romanian airbase, where the planes will be used to train Ukrainian and Romanian pilots (see earlier post at 11.41). In a statement, the Dutch defence ministry said “the planes will only fly in Nato airspace”. “The Romanian training centre will first use the planes for a refresher course for hired instructors. This will be followed pilot training,” it said. The planes will be maintained by its US-based manufacturer Lockheed Martin, who will also provide the training, AFP reports. Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday it was planning to launch a digital platform aimed at providing Russian speakers with access to independent news. After invading Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has intensified a historic crackdown on dissenting voices and ramped up propaganda. All the main independent media outlets, including Dozhd TV, have been shut down or suspended their operations in Russia. Reporters Without Borders said it had signed a contract with global satellite operator Eutelsat to launch a digital platform called Svoboda, which means freedom in Russian, AFP reports. The platform, which is expected to be launched in the coming weeks, will feature “news programs to offer a comprehensive and objective view of global events”, said the Paris-based media watchdog, known by its French acronym RSF. Christophe Deloire, the secretary general of RSF, called the project “an ambitious initiative that intends to reverse the logic of propaganda”. “It will allow independent media outlets to broadcast toward human beings that do not enjoy their right to information,” Deloire added. As reported earlier, Nato allies have condemned a decision by Russia on Tuesday to withdraw from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, a key post-cold war agreement, and said they would suspend its operation in response. The United States said it would suspend treaty obligations as from December. Russia’s war against Ukraine and its withdrawal from the treaty “fundamentally altered” circumstances related to it and transformed participants’ obligations, the White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said. Russia suspended participation in the treaty in 2007 and halted active participation in 2015. Sullivan said that despite Moscow’s continued disregard for arms control, the US and its allies would remain committed to effective conventional arms control. Top US officials press Congress to pass Ukraine aid The heads of the US treasury, defence and state departments called on Congress to fund $11.8bn in Ukraine aid as part of President Joe Biden’s supplemental spending request, according to a letter released on Tuesday. “This funding benefits from an unprecedented level of robust oversight and transparency, and is bolstered by significant budget support from the European Union, other G7 partners, and the International Monetary Fund,” the secretaries, along with the USAid administrator, wrote to congressional leaders. In October, the Biden administration submitted a $106bn request to Congress for military and humanitarian aid for Israel and Ukraine and humanitarian assistance for Gaza, insisting lawmakers had an obligation to support US allies standing up to tyranny and aggression worldwide. Summary of the day so far... Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been quoted as saying that Ukraine had deployed more western air defence systems, as it braces for a second full winter of Russian attacks on energy facilities. Ukraine is preparing for a renewed Russian assault on the eastern town of Avdiivka, after several recent unsuccessful attempts by Moscow’s forces to surround it, AFP reported. “The third wave will definitely happen. The enemy is regrouping after a second wave of unsuccessful attacks,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka military administration, said. The Netherlands sent its first five F-16 fighter jets to Romania on Tuesday for use in the training of Ukrainian pilots, Reuters reported. Russia formally withdrew from a landmark security treaty that limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the US for undermining post-cold war security with the enlargement of the Nato military alliance. Nato allies said that, as a consequence, they intended to suspend the operation of the treaty as long as necessary. G7 support for Ukraine in its war with Russia will not be affected by the intensifying Middle East conflict, Japan said as the group’s foreign ministers prepared to hold virtual talks with Kyiv during a meeting in Tokyo. Russia foiled an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Tuesday morning, shooting down drones over the Black Sea and the annexed Crimean peninsula, Moscow’s defence ministry said. Ukraine bolstering defences as it braces for winter attacks on energy facilities Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said that Ukraine had deployed more western air defence systems, as it braces for a second full winter of Russian attacks on energy facilities, AFP reports. Kyiv has said it is bolstering defences to protect key infrastructure ahead of winter. Systematic strikes by Moscow’s forces last year targeted Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving thousands without heating or electricity in freezing temperatures for long periods. “I received reports on the receipt of ammunition, hardware and equipment over the past day,” Zelenskiy said on social media. “Additional Nasams (national advanced surface-to-air missile systems) systems from partners have been put on combat duty. Timely reinforcement of our air defence before winter,” he added. As Antony Blinken and his G7 counterparts began two days of talks in Japan, the US secretary of state said it was vital for the group to show unity over Gaza, as it has over Russia’s war in Ukraine, and prevent existing differences from deepening, the Associated Press reports. “This is a very important moment as well for the G7 to come together in the face of this crisis and to speak, as we do, with one clear voice,” Blinken told Japan’s foreign minister, Yōko Kamikawa, shortly after talks with the prime minister, Fumio Kishida. Russia likely ready to launch new assault on Avdiivka, says head of town"s military administration Ukraine is bracing for a renewed Russian assault on the eastern town of Avdiivka, after several recent unsuccessful attempts by Moscow’s forces to surround it, AFP reports. “The third wave will definitely happen. The enemy is regrouping after a second wave of unsuccessful attacks,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka military administration, said on Tuesday. Barabash said Russia was likely “ready” to launch its next full-scale assault on the city, but weather conditions were currently unfavourable. Despite coming under daily artillery fire, about 1,500 of the city’s 30,000 pre-war residents remain, living mainly in basements converted into bomb shelters. Russia’s military has focused on the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after abandoning the initial aim of capturing Kyiv in the early days of the February 2022 invasion. Russian forces captured the devastated town of Bakhmut in May after months of battles and since mid-October have focused their assaults on Avdiivka, a potential gateway to Donetsk, held by Russian forces and their allies since 2014.