Live: Negotiating with Moscow would be capitulation, Ukraine adviser says
Issued on: 20/11/2022 – 11:23Modified: 20/11/2022 – 11:26
The West’s attempts to persuade Ukraine to negotiate with Russia are ‘bizarre’ and would amount to capitulation given Ukrainian forces’ recent advances in the northeast and south of the country, a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Russia and Iran reached a deal to manufacture weaponised drones on Russian soil, The Washington Post reported. Read our live blog for the latest developments. All times are in Paris time (GMT + 1).
12:27pm: IAEA condemns attacks on Ukraine nuclear power station
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (), on Sunday condemned an attack on the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, demanding that those behind the explosions cease immediately.
12:18pm: Russian nuclear official says Ukraine is shelling Zaporizhzhia plant, TASS reports
The Zaporizhzhia plant, which is under Russian control, has come under Ukrainian shelling but no radiation leaks have been detected, the Russian TASS news agency reported, citing an official from Russian nuclear power operator Rosenergoatom.
Fifteen shells were fired at the plant’s facilities, TASS said on Sunday, citing Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom’s CEO.
“They shelled not only yesterday, but also today, they are shelling right now,” said the official, adding that any artillery attack at the site posed a threat to nuclear safety.
Ukrainian officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the report of shelling.
12:02pm: Repair work on water pipes near Kherson hampered by curfew, need for replacement parts
Teams of workers are trying to repair pipes near Kherson that bring to the city of Mykolaiv, pipes that were damaged amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their repair efforts – which include clearing mines in the area – must take place before a 5pm curfew, and Mykolaiv’s water company needs to buy expensive replacement valves. FRANCE 24’s Luke Shrago reports.
01:3310:07: Russia and Iran reach deal to manufacture drones, Washington Post reports
Russia has reached agreement with Iran to begin manufacturing hundreds of on Russian soil, The Washington Post reported, citing intelligence seen by US and other Western security agencies.
The Post said Russian and Iranian officials finalised the deal during a meeting in Iran in early November.
Russia and Iran are moving rapidly to transfer designs and key components that could allow production to begin within months, three officials familiar with the matter said, according to the newspaper.
9:38am: West’s attempts to persuade Kyiv to negotiate with Moscow are ‘bizarre’, top Zelensky adviser says
The West’s attempts to persuade to negotiate with Moscow, after a series of major military victories by Kyiv, are “bizarre” and amount to asking for its capitulation, a key adviser to the Ukrainian presidency told AFP.
“When you have the initiative on the battlefield, it’s slightly bizarre to receive proposals like: ‘You will not be able to do everything by military means anyway, you need to negotiate,” said Mykhaylo Podolyak.
This would mean that the country “that recovers its territories, must capitulate to the country that is losing”, he added, during an interview at his office in the presidency building in Kyiv.
US media recently reported that some senior officials were beginning to encourage Ukraine to consider talks, which President Volodymyr Zelensky has so far rejected without a prior withdrawal of Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory.
“Russia doesn’t want negotiations. Russia is conducting a communication campaign called ‘negotiations’,” the Ukrainian presidential adviser said.
“It will simply stall for time. In the meantime, it will train its mobilised forces, find additional weapons and fortify its positions,” he warned.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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