Live: Kremlin denies reports Russian forces are set to leave Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

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The Kremlin on Monday denied reports that Russian forces were planning to leave the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have repelled Russian attacks in the Donetsk region including in the areas of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).

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10:51am: Kremlin denies reports that Russian forces planning to leave Zaporizhzhia plant

The Kremlin’s spokesman on Monday denied reports that Russian forces were planning to leave the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, telling reporters they should not look for signs where there were none.

10:43am: Ukraine has repelled Russian attacks in Donetsk, military authority says

Ukrainian forces have repelled Russian attacks in several areas, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, over the past 24 hours, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in its daily update on Monday.

The General Staff added that Ukrainian forces on Saturday had destroyed six units of military equipment of various types and that about 30 servicemen had been injured in the area of the occupied Enerhodar city, where many of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant’s workers live.

9:50am: Kyiv mayor says residents should expect power cuts to continue into spring

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has reverted to a schedule of rolling blackouts that stick approximately to a planned schedule, FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports, and city authorities have promised that no one will lack power for more than five consecutive hours. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said residents should expect power cuts to continue into spring amid ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s grid.


 

9:43am: Kremlin says it welcomes Vatican offer to mediate but Ukraine’s stance prevents it

The Kremlin said on Monday that it welcomed a Vatican offer to provide a negotiating platform to resolve the Ukraine conflict, but that Kyiv’s position made this impossible.

Pope Francis reiterated 10 days ago that the Vatican was ready to do anything possible to mediate and put an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa.

7:50am: Russia and US have ‘channels’ for managing nuclear arms risk, US diplomat says

Russia and the United States have ways to manage nuclear risks at the level of intelligence agencies, the chargé d’affaires of the US embassy in Moscow, Elizabeth Rood, told Russia’s state news agency, adding that for now there are no meetings scheduled.

Earlier this month, CIA director William Burns met Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russian foreign intelligence, and warned him about the consequences of any Russian use of nuclear weapons in its war in Ukraine, the White House said. Russia has said the issues discussed were “sensitive” and declined to comment on them. 

Russia said after Naryshkin’s meeting with Burns that Moscow was open to more high-level talks with the United States, but the Kremlin dismissed the idea of a summit between President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden as “out of the question” for now.

Officials from the two countries were set to meet in the Egyptian capital of Cairo from November 29 to December 6 to discuss resuming inspections under the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, but Moscow has played down the prospect of a quick breakthrough. 

6:56am: US and Russia discussing release of basketball star Griner, Russian media reports

The US and Russia are discussing the release of basketball star Brittney Griner and ex-marine Paul Whelan through special channels, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Monday, citing a top US diplomat.

Elizabeth Rood, chargé d’affaires of the US embassy in Moscow, was quoted as saying that the United States had submitted a serious proposal for consideration but it had not received a “serious response” back from Russia.

Russia and the US have been discussing a deal that could see Griner, who is facing nine years in jail in Russia on drug charges, return to the United States in exchange for convicted Russian weapons trafficker Viktor Bout.

12:43am: Ukraine warns of more Russian attacks as fighting rages in Donetsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia would surely launch new missile attacks on his country and warned defence forces and citizens to prepare to withstand another week of strain on the power grid as snow fell in Kyiv.

City authorities said workers were close to completing restoration of power, water and heat after days of Russian attacks, but high demand meant some blackouts had been imposed.

“We understand that the terrorists are planning new strikes. We know this for a fact,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address late on Sunday. “And as long as they have missiles, they, unfortunately, will not calm down.”

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on Sunday that Russian troops had shelled a dozen villages in the eastern region of Donetsk, including the main targets of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.

11:55pm, November 27: UK Prime Minister Sunak vows to maintain military aid to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to promise on Monday to maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine next year, and to confront international competitors “not with grand rhetoric but with robust pragmatism”.

British government support for Ukraine has remained unchanged, despite turmoil in recent months as Boris Johnson was succeeded as prime minister by Liz Truss and then Sunak.

Earlier this month, Sunak visited Kyiv to offer further support to Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces.

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(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

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