Relations between Russia and UAE at unprecedented high, Putin says on rare visit Relations between Russia and the United Arab Emirates are at an unprecedented high, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the United Arab Emirates president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Wednesday. Russia and the UAE cooperate in Opec+ and are involved in major oil and gas projects, Reuters reported. Putin said in televised comments that the situation in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be among the topics of discussion. Putin is visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia on a rare trip abroad. He will also hold talks with the Saudi Arabian crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to discuss oil, Opec+ and the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. Evening summary The time in Kyiv is 6pm. Here is a roundup of the day’s headlines: The US justice department has filed war crime charges against four members of the Russian military accused of abducting and torturing an American during the invasion of Ukraine in a case that’s the first of its kind. The four Russians are accused of kidnapping the American from his home in a Ukrainian village in 2022. The American man was beaten and interrogated while being held for 10 days at a Russian military compound, before eventually being evacuated with his wife, who is Ukrainian, US authorities said. Relations between Russia and the United Arab Emirates are at an unprecedented high, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Wednesday. Russia and the UAE cooperate in Opec+ and are involved in major oil and gas projects, Reuters reported. Putin said in televised comments that the situation in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be among the topics of discussion. Russia launched 48 attack drones overnight on Ukraine, Ukraine’s air force said on Wednesday, adding that its air defence systems destroyed 41 of the drones before they reached their target. The air force said all of the attack drones were Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones, Reuters reported. It did not say what happened to the drones that were not downed or whether there was any damage from the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukrainians on Wednesday that Kyiv would defeat Russia and win a fair peace “against all odds” as the future of vital US military and financial aid hung in the balance. Zelenskiy delivered his defiant message in an unusual early-morning video that showed him walking through Kyiv on his way to pay his respects to fallen soldiers on what Ukraine marks as Armed Forces Day, Reuters reported. “It has been difficult, but we have persevered,” said Zelenskiy, who filmed himself on a mobile phone as he walked from his office down the central Hrushevskoho street towards central Kyiv’s “wall of remembrance”. Volodymyr Zelenskiy will join a video summit of G7 leaders on Wednesday, the host Japan said, hours after the Ukrainian president unexpectedly skipped a virtual meeting with US senators at the last minute. Almost two years after Russia’s invasion, the signs are growing that western support for Ukraine is fraying just as a counteroffensive struggles and as president Vladimir Putin’s oil revenues rebound. Russian television has shown footage of what it says is a US-built Bradley infantry fighting vehicle captured on the frontline in Ukraine’s Luhansk region after it was immobilised by Russian fire and abandoned by its Ukrainian crew. The presenter of the primetime show on the main Russia 1 channel suggested that the capture of a working Bradley, one of several dozen that Washington has supplied to Ukraine this year, would enable Russian forces to identify its vulnerabilities. Britain on Wednesday announced 46 new sanctions against individuals and groups from different countries it said were involved in Russia’s military supply chains and helping sustain its invasion of Ukraine. Those sanctioned included entities operating in China, Serbia and Uzbekistan, Britain’s foreign ministry said. British police said they had issued an alert to financial institutions and other members of the UK-regulated sector to warn that Russia was trying to obtain sanctioned goods through intermediary countries. The National Crime Agency, which issued the alert, said Russia was using complex supply chains and alternative supply routes to acquire sanctioned products, Reuters reported. Ukraine’s SBU agency was responsible for the killing of the former Ukrainian lawmaker Illia Kyva in Russia, a Ukrainian source told Reuters on Wednesday on condition of anonymity. Kyva was a member of Ukraine’s parliament before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but had been in Russia throughout the war. Charities and NGOs supplying military aid to Ukraine’s armed forces are facing delays of several weeks to critical supplies of drones, electronics and pickup trucks due to border protests by Polish truckers, three industry sources told Reuters. Thousands of trucks carrying commercial goods have been backed up for weeks at Poland’s border crossings with Ukraine because of the protests, which began on 6 November. Hauliers in Slovakia began a similar blockade on 1 December. Volodymyr Zelenskiy cancelled a planned address to US senators on Tuesday, with the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, announcing the president would not be able to attend the classified briefing because “something came up at the last minute”. The Ukrainian president had been expected to speak to senators over Zoom. The news came a day after the White House sent an urgent warning that Kyiv’s war efforts to defend itself from Russia’s invasion may grind to a halt without further US military and economic assistance. The Biden administration is urging Congress to approve billions of dollars in support for Ukraine. Hungary’s ruling party has submitted a resolution to parliament calling on the government to not support the start of talks on Ukraine’s EU accession. The moves comes as the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is stepping up pressure on Brussels before a crucial EU summit next week, Reuters reported. Sweden has signed a defence cooperation agreement with Washington that will allow the US access to all military bases across the Scandinavian country, saying the deal will bolster regional security. The Swedish defence minister, Pal Jonson, said the deal, signed in Washington on Tuesday, “will create better conditions for Sweden to be able to receive support from the United States in the event of a war or crisis”, AP reported. That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the live blog for today. Thanks for following along. Ukraine’s SBU agency was responsible for the killing of the former Ukrainian lawmaker Illia Kyva in Russia, a Ukrainian source told Reuters on Wednesday on condition of anonymity. Kyva was a member of Ukraine’s parliament before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but had been in Russia throughout the war. US charges four Russian soldiers with war crimes – reports The US has charged four Russian soldiers with war crimes carried out against an American citizen during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to reports. NBC News, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported earlier on Wednesday that the attorney general, Merrick Garland, was expected to announce war crimes charges related to Ukraine at a news conference in Washington at 10am. Responding to newly announced UK sanctions against individuals and groups from different countries it said were involved in Russia’s military supply chains and helping sustain its invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese embassy in the UK has said: UK sanctions against individuals and groups alleged to be involved in Russia’s military supply chains violate international law. China has maintained an objective, fair position on Ukraine. The UK is urged to correct its mistakes and withdraw the sanctions. Any action that harms China’s interest will be met with a firm response from China. Britain’s National Crime Agency has issued a warning to banks and the finance industry that Russia may seek to circumvent sanctions through intermediary countries. The NCA said: Sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine have had a significant impact on its ability to purchase products, including military supplies, on international markets. However, in an effort to circumvent these controls, Russia is using complex supply chains and alternative supply routes to acquire sanctioned products. A German government spokesperson has said that Ukraine will be “top of the list among priorities to be discussed in upcoming EU budget talks. Afternoon summary It is just coming up to 3pm in Kyiv. Here is a roundup of the day’s headlines so far: Relations between Russia and the United Arab Emirates are at an unprecedented high, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Wednesday. Russia and the UAE cooperate in Opec+ and are involved in major oil and gas projects, Reuters reported. Putin said in televised comments that the situation in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be among the topics of discussion. Russia launched 48 attack drones overnight on Ukraine, Ukraine’s air force said on Wednesday, adding that its air defence systems destroyed 41 of the drones before they reached their target. The air force said all of the attack drones were Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones, Reuters reported. It did not say what happened to the drones that were not downed or whether there was any damage from the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukrainians on Wednesday that Kyiv would defeat Russia and win a fair peace “against all odds” as the future of vital US military and financial aid hung in the balance. Zelenskiy delivered his defiant message in an unusual early-morning video that showed him walking through Kyiv on his way to pay his respects to fallen soldiers on what Ukraine marks as Armed Forces Day, Reuters reported. “It has been difficult, but we have persevered,” said Zelenskiy, who filmed himself on a mobile phone as he walked from his office down the central Hrushevskoho street towards central Kyiv’s “wall of remembrance”. Volodymyr Zelenskiy will join a video summit of G7 leaders on Wednesday, the host Japan said, hours after the Ukrainian president unexpectedly skipped a virtual meeting with US senators at the last minute. Almost two years after Russia’s invasion, the signs are growing that western support for Ukraine is fraying just as a counteroffensive struggles and as president Vladimir Putin’s oil revenues rebound. Britain on Wednesday announced 46 new sanctions against individuals and groups from different countries it said were involved in Russia’s military supply chains and helping sustain its invasion of Ukraine. Those sanctioned included entities operating in China, Serbia and Uzbekistan, Britain’s foreign ministry said. British police said they had issued an alert to financial institutions and other members of the UK regulated sector to warn that Russia was trying to obtain sanctioned goods through intermediary countries. The National Crime Agency, which issued the alert, said Russia was using complex supply chains and alternative supply routes to acquire sanctioned products, Reuters reported. Charities and NGOs supplying military aid to Ukraine’s armed forces are facing delays of several weeks to critical supplies of drones, electronics and pickup trucks due to border protests by Polish truckers, three industry sources told Reuters. Thousands of trucks carrying commercial goods have been backed up for weeks at Poland’s border crossings with Ukraine because of the protests, which began on 6 November. Hauliers in Slovakia began a similar blockade on 1 December. Volodymyr Zelenskiy cancelled a planned address to US senators on Tuesday, with the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, announcing the president would not be able to attend the classified briefing because “something came up at the last minute”. The Ukrainian president had been expected to speak to senators over Zoom. The news came a day after the White House sent an urgent warning that Kyiv’s war efforts to defend itself from Russia’s invasion may grind to a halt without further US military and economic assistance. The Biden administration is urging Congress to approve billions of dollars in support for Ukraine. Hungary’s ruling party has submitted a resolution to parliament calling on the government to not support the start of talks on Ukraine’s EU accession. The moves comes as the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is stepping up pressure on Brussels before a crucial EU summit next week, Reuters reported. Sweden has signed a defence cooperation agreement with Washington that will allow the US access to all military bases across the Scandinavian country, saying the deal will bolster regional security. The Swedish defence minister, Pal Jonson, said the deal, signed in Washington on Tuesday, “will create better conditions for Sweden to be able to receive support from the United States in the event of a war or crisis”, AP reported. Six children will be returned to Ukraine from Russia under a deal brokered by Qatar, according to a Qatari official. The children are en route to Ukraine via Moscow, the source said. This is the second phase of a Qatar-mediated return of children, after four minors were returned in October. The British foreign secretary, David Cameron, has told the House of Lords there will be no reduction in UK military support for Ukraine in 2024. The update comes after the White House warned that “it is weeks away from running out of money to support Kyiv’s defence against Russia’s invasion”. At least two people were killed and one wounded after Russian forces struck the southern city of Kherson, the head of the office of the Ukrainian presidency said. Regional prosecutors opened a war crimes investigation into one of the strikes, which occurred at about 9am and killed a 48-year-old man and a woman who had not yet been identified. Russia claims it downed dozens of Ukrainian drones on Tuesday. Russian air defence systems destroyed or intercepted 41 Ukraine-launched drones, the Russian defence ministry has said. Ukraine’s military shot down 10 out of 17 attack drones launched on Tuesday by Russia, Ukrainian authorities said. The governor of Ukraine’s western Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyy, said three drones had struck an unspecified infrastructure target, causing a fire, but damage had been minimal and no casualties had been reported. My colleague Rachel Hall will be with you for the next hour or so. Charities and NGOs supplying military aid to Ukraine’s armed forces are facing delays of several weeks to critical supplies of drones, electronics and pickup trucks due to border protests by Polish truckers, three industry sources told Reuters. Thousands of trucks carrying commercial goods have been backed up for weeks at Poland’s border crossings with Ukraine because of the protests, which began on 6 November. Hauliers in Slovakia began a similar blockade on 1 December. The protesters want to end Ukrainian truckers’ permit-free access to the EU, saying Ukrainian drivers are undercutting their prices. Kyiv says the volume of wartime traffic makes a truck permit system impractical. While the protesters say they allow humanitarian and military aid through, many resources required by Ukraine’s armed forces are bought by civilian organisations and transported on commercial trucks, which are not allowed to pass the blockade. Ukraine’s government has much smaller financial resources to fund its military than Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. As a result, the armed forces have relied heavily on hundreds of millions of dollars of auxiliary supplies of items like drones, vehicles and body armour from Ukrainian charities throughout the war. British police said they had issued an alert to financial institutions and other members of the UK regulated sector to warn that Russia was trying to obtain sanctioned goods through intermediary countries. The National Crime Agency, which issued the alert, said Russia was using complex supply chains and alternative supply routes to acquire sanctioned products, Reuters reported.