Latest news about the war in Russia and Ukraine

Pope Francis joins other religious leaders at the Colosseum in Rome to promote peace and what they call a “nuclear nightmare” amid growing fears that nuclear weapons could be used in Russia’s war against Ukraine. I made a petition to put an end to it.

A ceremony in an ancient Roman arena capped off a meeting promoting world peace. The Sant’Egidio Community, a Catholic charity with close ties to the Vatican, held his three-day event in the Italian capital.

In his address to the participants, Pope John XXIII said that just 60 years ago, during the Cuban Missile Crisis between the United States and Russia, he urged government leaders to save the world from a nuclear catastrophe. rice field.

“Sixty years later, these words still impress me with their timeliness,” Francis said. “I own them.”

“Today peace is seriously violated, attacked and trampled. This is happening in Europe, on the very continent that has endured the horrors of two world wars in the last century,” lamented His Holiness.

— Associated Press

A group of 30 progressive Democrats in Congress signed a letter calling on President Joe Biden to engage directly with Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The two-page letter signed by Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-California), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) and others , which asks for an update. Diplomatic pressure, including direct talks with the Kremlin.

“If there is a way to end the war while preserving a free and independent Ukraine, it is the responsibility of the United States to pursue all diplomatic avenues to support a solution acceptable to the Ukrainian people,” the letter said. is written.

“Such a framework includes mobilizing the international community to end hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief, and to establish security guarantees for a free and independent Ukraine that are acceptable to all parties, especially Ukrainians. It will probably include incentives to let

— Amanda Macias

US Secretary of State Antony Brinken met with his Ukrainian counterpart and reaffirmed US support amid false Russian claims that Kyiv was preparing to use a “dirty bomb”.

“He noted our commitment to working with allies and partners to continue to meet Ukraine’s security assistance needs on the battlefield,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The Kremlin said earlier this week that Ukraine planned to use so-called “dirty bombs” on its own territory to accuse Russia and further escalate the conflict. It denounces the allegations as “a pretext for aggression.”

— Amanda Macias

Brittney Griner’s attorney Maria Blagovolina said the basketball star must decide whether to make a last-ditch effort to appeal her sentence, but today’s decision has left her hopeless.

Griner has about eight years left on his sentence, but he can appeal to Russia’s Supreme Court of Appeal, the Court of Cassation. It is not clear whether her lawyers will appeal again.

“I think we should use all legal means available to us, but that’s her decision,” Bragobolina told reporters outside the courtroom. She added that the two-time Olympic gold medalist was disappointed to hear the decision from a panel of three judges.

“She had hope, but today it’s gone,” Bragovorina said.

— Amanda Macias

A Russian court has dismissed the appeal of US basketball star Britney Griner after she was convicted of drug charges earlier this year and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Read the full text here.

— Sam Meredith

At the appeal hearing of US WNBA star Britney Griner, Russian prosecutors ruled that a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession and smuggling was “fair,” according to Reuters, in a trial presiding over her case. told the officer.

Griner, who was convicted of drug charges earlier this year, was seen listening to a live translation of the proceedings from a detention center outside Moscow via video link.

Griner’s lawyer said her nine years in prison was too long and asked the court to acquit her, according to Reuters.

A lawyer for Griner told NBC News before the hearing that the two-time Olympic gold medalist was “pretty pessimistic” that a judge would overturn the court’s original verdict.

— Sam Meredith

In his first speech as British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said the Ukraine war must be successfully ended.

From outside 10 Downing Street: “I understand how difficult this moment is after spending billions of pounds to fight Covid after all the chaos that has been created in the midst of a terrible war. .

“I fully understand how difficult things can be,” he added.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Mr Sunak on becoming Britain’s new prime minister and said via Twitter that he looked forward to working with him on common challenges such as the war in Ukraine. rice field.

— Sam Meredith

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday for the first time since the Russian invasion began on February 24.

Steinmeier emphasized his support for Ukraine after facing criticism from Kyiv for its role in bringing closer economic ties between Russia and Germany.

“My message to the Ukrainian people: Germany can be counted on.

In the months after the war began, Steinmeier expressed his regret over working with Russia, stating in early April: , and our partner warned us about it. Nord Stream 2 is a multi-billion dollar Baltic pipeline project that could have channeled more Russian gas to Germany. The project was suspended for several days leading up to the Russian invasion.

— Natasha Turak

Soldiers remaining in occupied Kherson are being encouraged to join a new local militia supported by Russia to fight Ukrainian forces that are slowly reclaiming land.

Russian officials are urging civilians to leave the territory as Ukrainian forces approach, saying 25,000 residents left last week.

It is not clear whether the men remaining in Kherson are being forced to fight on the Russian side, but using civilians to serve in the armed forces of an occupying country is considered a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Kherson is one of four territories in eastern Ukraine illegally annexed by Russia in late September.

— Natasha Turak

Russia is set to raise accusations at the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Ukraine is planning a “dirty bomb” attack, telling UN Secretary-General António Guterres that “this heinous crime will not happen”. I asked them to do everything in their power to make it happen.

In a letter to Mr. Guterres and the Security Council, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said, “We regard the use of the ‘dirty bomb’ by the Kyiv regime as an act of nuclear terrorism.”

“We urge the West to use its influence over the Kyiv regime to abandon its dangerous plans that threaten international peace and security,” he wrote. “We urge the UN Secretary-General to do everything in his power to prevent this heinous crime from taking place.”

As Ukrainian forces strategically march into the Russian-occupied Kherson province, Russian officials called their Western counterparts on Sunday and Monday to accuse Ukraine of using so-called “dirty bombs” laced with nuclear material. Moscow suspects it is planning

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Ukraine for planning such an attack. The West also rejected Russia’s allegations as a pretext to escalate the eight-month-long war that began in February when Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine.

Russia has told its council counterparts that it will raise the issue at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, the diplomat said.

— Reuters

The International Atomic Energy Agency will visit two Ukrainian nuclear facilities at the request of Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleva to disprove Russia’s claims that Ukraine plans to use “dirty bombs”. .

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement: “The IAEA inspected one of these sites a month ago and the findings were all consistent with Ukraine’s declaration of safeguards.” No nuclear activity or material was found.”

Both sites are under the watch of the United Nations Nuclear Observatory and receive regular visits from IAEA regulators, according to the agency. The IAEA said the purpose of the upcoming visit is to detect undeclared nuclear activity or material that could be consistent with Russia’s “dirty bomb” claims.

— Rocio Fabro

The World Bank has distributed another $500 million to Ukraine to cover its critical spending needs.

The financing provided by its lending arm, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, was backed by a $500 million loan guarantee from the UK announced on Sept. 30, the bank said.

In total, banks said they had approved $13 billion in emergency loans to Ukraine, of which $11.4 billion had been distributed.

A September report by the World Bank, the Ukrainian government and the European Commission estimated that reconstruction and recovery costs totaled $349 billion as of June 1.

— Natalie Tam