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Live: Kyiv mayor reports explosions in centre of Ukraine’s capital
01:45The mayor of Kyiv reported multiple explosions in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday, the first such blasts in weeks. The explosions come a day after countries that gathered at an aid conference in Paris pledged around €1 billion to help war-hit Ukraine this winter. Follow our live blog for the latest news and analysis. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
9:51am: FRANCE 24 team returns from Mykolaiv region in Ukraine
Back from Ukraine, FRANCE 24 Chief Foreign Editor Rob Parsons recounts the difficulties faced by inhabitants weathering icy conditions without power.
“Many of the villages in the Mykolaiv region haven’t had electricity for the 9 months,” says Parson. Ukrainian electricians are trying to restore precious infrastructure in impossible conditions, all while navigating carefully on mined terrain.
04:389:28am: Don’t undermine EU with foreign policy vetoes, Scholz warns member states
The European Union is united in its support for Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the German parliament, adding, with apparent reference to Hungary, that attempts to undermine the bloc’s values by blocking foreign policy measures would fail.
“Anyone who thinks he can undermine the values of the EU, to which every member state has committed itself, by blocking its foreign and security policies, will fail in that attempt,” he told legislators on Wednesday.
Hungary earlier this week dropped its objections to an EU loan to Kyiv after the partial unfreezing of financial supports for Budapest that had earlier been frozen over rule of law concerns.
>> Showdown between Brussels and Budapest: The battle over Hungary’s EU funds
9:14am: Ukraine shot down ‘all’ 13 drones in Kyiv attack, says Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukrainian air defence systems had shot down 13 Iranian-made kamikaze drones that targeted the capital Kyiv earlier in the day.
Russia “started this morning with 13 Shaheds … all 13 were shot down by our Ukrainian air defence systems”, Zelensky said in a video address on social media, referring to Iranian-made suicide drones that Moscow has been accused of deploying against targets in Ukraine.
“Thankfully, the authorities are saying there are no casualties,” says FRANCE 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg, who brings us the latest from the ground in this report:
02:576:30am: Blasts heard in central Kyiv
The mayor of Kyiv is reporting multiple explosions in the Ukrainian capital, the first such blasts in weeks.
Vitaly Klitschko wrote in a post on Telegram that there were explosions in a central district of the capital that is home to many government agencies and buildings. He said municipal teams were in place and more details were expected.
In a separate post, Klitschko said air-defence systems had shot down 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones aiming for Kyiv.
01:451:42am: US finding grid equipment for Ukraine at home and abroad
As Washington sends Ukraine US-sourced power equipment to help the country’s grid recover from Russian attacks, it is also scouring for those supplies worldwide, US officials said on Tuesday.
The Biden administration this week shipped the first portion of $53 million in power equipment aid it announced last month. The open market value is likely to be higher because utilities and manufacturers provided many items at cost and paid transportation costs.
“They were really quite forthcoming,” an energy department official said about the suppliers, but noted that not all US equipment is compatible with Ukraine’s grid.
9:41pm, December 13: Zelensky says swath of Ukraine contaminated with mines
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called for long-term help in clearing the nation of mines and other unexploded ordinance, which he said now cover an area roughly the size of Cambodia.
In a video address to New Zealand’s parliament, Zelensky described Russia’s nearly year-old invasion as an “ecocide” that would have lasting impact and implored Wellington and others to step up aid.
“As of now, 174,000 square kilometres (67,000 square miles) of Ukrainian territory are contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance,” Zelensky told lawmakers.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
© France Médias Monde graphic studio
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