G7 vows to hold Putin to account for strikes; Nato chief welcomes air defence systems pledges

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeated that he wouldn’t negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after Russia hit his nation with the most intense barrage of air strikes since the first days of the invasion.

China said it was worried about the worsening situation in Ukraine after the latest strikes.

Key developments

• G7 leaders pledge to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’


• Russia’s atomic grab in Ukraine corners international monitors


• Biden condemns ‘utter brutality’ of Russian missile strikes


• Russian firms turn to Hong Kong in bid to avoid sanctions


• Senator urges freeze in arms sales to Saudis over tilt to Russia


• Putin escalates with civilian strikes as army struggles at front

On the ground

Infrastructure was damaged in a new missile attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, while the Dnipropetrovsk region was shelled by Russian forces overnight, local authorities reported on Telegram. At least 23 people were killed in Monday’s strikes, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

EU considers prosecutor to catch Russian sanctions evaders

The European Union is weighing handing new powers to its fledgling public prosecutor’s office amid concerns the bloc’s current system is failing to rein in rich Russians trying to evade sanctions.

New powers for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office would be conditional on separate plans to make sanctions evasion a crime under EU law, according to people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were confidential. Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg account for almost all of the €17.4-billion in Russian assets that have been frozen in the bloc so far.

Seven ships leave Ukrainian ports

Ships carrying 177,500 tonnes of agriculture products for Africa, Asia and Europe left Ukrainian Black Sea ports on Tuesday, according to the Infrastructure Ministry.

Ukrainian agricultural exports have risen to seven million tonnes since a deal — mediated by Turkey and the United Nations — in July.

G7 leaders say they’ll hold Putin to account

G7 leaders condemned Russia’s latest missile and zone attacks against Ukraine “in the strongest possible terms” and said indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constituted a war crime. They pledged to hold Putin and others responsible to account.

In a statement, the leaders condemned Russia’s “annexation” of Ukrainian territory and vowed that the move would never be recognised, as it was illegal. They also deplored Belarus’s “enabling the Russian war of aggression” by supporting Putin’s forces and allowing them to operate on its soil.

Putin hails UAE mediator role

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could play a “significant” role in efforts to reach a resolution in his war in Ukraine as he held talks with the Gulf nation’s ruler in St Petersburg.

“I am aware of your concerns about how the situation is developing in general and of your wish to help with resolving all controversial issues, including the crisis that’s happening now,” Putin said at the start of their meeting in St Petersburg. “I’d like to point out that it’s indeed a substantial factor that allows us to use your influence for moving toward resolving the situation.”

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that he and Putin had agreed on “the importance of engaging in dialogue to reduce tensions and arrive at a diplomatic solution”, in comments after the talks on Twitter.

Zelensky calls for new sanctions package against Russia 

Zelensky urged G7 countries in a video to impose a new sanctions package against Russia and said he wouldn’t negotiate with Moscow as long as Putin was in charge.

He called for blocking Russia’s energy sector to undermine its revenue from oil and gas, and “zero profit for the terrorist state”. He also called for international monitors to keep watch over the security situation on the border with Belarus.

“After the Russian strikes, all the murders, all the abuse of civilians and international law, your societies will not understand you if you do not cut off any prospects for this leader of terror,” Zelensky said. “One person is blocking peace — and this person is in Moscow.”

Ukraine needs more air defence systems, says Stoltenberg  

Ukraine urgently needs more air defence systems as deliveries from allies have made a difference despite Russia’s strikes on Kyiv and other cities, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.

The alliance chief welcomed pledges by the US and Germany to provide advanced air defence systems, noting those provided by Nato allies had helped Ukrainians shoot down incoming missiles. “Of course as long as not all of them are shot down, there’s a need for more,” Stoltenberg said, stressing they also needed more ammunition for the systems.

Speaking ahead of a gathering of Nato defence ministers in Brussels this week, Stoltenberg said allies were also considering increasing targets for weapons reserves as part of the alliance’s defence planning process.

Moldova to curb power use

Moldova urged its citizens to save power between 7am and 10am and then from 6pm to 11pm as Ukraine was forced to stop power deliveries to the neighbouring country. Moldova will now have to start using stored gas, already at low levels, to produce electricity, Deputy Premier Andrei Spinu said on Facebook.

G7 will stand with Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’

Ukraine’s allies would support it “for as long as it takes” despite Russia’s recent steps to escalate its war there, the G7 nations said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We reassured President Zelensky that we are undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the group said. “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

White House sees no indication of Russian nuclear strike plans  

The White House said it had seen “no indication” that Putin had decided to use weapons of mass destruction, despite President Joe Biden’s warning last week that the Russian leader was “not joking” about a nuclear strike.

US intelligence as of Tuesday morning had not seen evidence that Putin was set on nuclear weapons “at any level,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN.

The US also had “seen nothing that would give us reason to change our own strategic deterrent posture when it comes to protecting our interests over in Europe”, he added.

Kyiv’s power issues fixed, no blackout plans, says mayor

Kyiv’s emergency services had fixed the capital’s electricity issues after Russia’s missile attacks on Monday and the city no longer planned to limit electricity supply to its inhabitants, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel. This statement followed a warning from the power company earlier Tuesday that the city would face scheduled outages to ease pressure on the grid.

“As of today I have information that we have already stabilised the situation and as of today there won’t be any blackouts,” he said in an interview with local TV channels.

Other large Ukrainian cities, including Lviv and Dnipro, were still experiencing power issues.

Russia ready to consider Putin-Biden meeting, says Lavrov 

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was ready to consider “any proposals” for an end to the war in Ukraine, including a meeting between Putin and US President Joe Biden. However, he downplayed the chances for any diplomatic solution.

“We are ready to listen to any proposals but we can’t say in advance that a specific process will definitely yield results,” he said on state TV. “We need to know exactly what’s on the table.”

China expresses concern about Ukraine after Russian missile strikes

“We are concerned about the development of the current situation and call on relevant parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The comments are the latest sign China is worried about Russia’s protracted conflict in Ukraine, although it has refrained from openly criticising Moscow.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy system continue 

A power and thermal plant in the Vinnytsia region in central Ukraine was shelled by drones, the Ladyzhynska facility said on its Facebook account. Energy equipment was damaged.

One-third of the city of Lviv suffered power cuts following the latest missile strikes, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram.

Remains of Ukrainian forces killed in explosion returned 

Ukraine reclaimed 62 bodies of its soldiers, including those killed in an explosion in Olenivka in the Donetsk region in late July, according to Oleg Kotenko, the commissioner for missing persons. “We brought back those who were in hell,” Kotenko said.

Olenivka was one of the places where Ukrainian prisoners of war, particularly from Mariupol, were kept. An explosion there killed at least 50 soldiers and injured more. Ukraine asked for the return of its soldiers and conducted difficult negotiations with the Russians, who publicly declined to let Ukrainian authorities, the Red Cross or other humanitarian organisations visit Olenivka.

Ukraine’s iron ore maker Ferrexpo halts operations 

One of  Ukraine’s largest iron-ore producers, Ferrexpo, suspended operations due to limited power supplies, the company said in a filing to the London Stock Exchange.

The company’s core assets are located in Ukraine’s Poltava region, which was among the targets in Monday’s strikes on electricity and other infrastructure. The company said that it had a sufficient volume of its products, either in transit and/or in stockpiles, to meet its expected sales volumes, subject to logistics corridors remaining available.

Ukraine’s cities recover after missile strikes 

Ukraine’s regions are recovering after Monday’s missile strikes, with water and electricity supply resuming in the cities of Lviv in the west and Poltava in the centre of the country, according to local government administrations.

Wheat prices rise amid fresh fears  

Wheat traded near the highest level in more than three months, deepening fears over the outlook for grain supplies from a country once known as the breadbasket of Europe.

Ships are still moving normally from Ukraine despite the missile strikes, according to the UN. However, there is a long backlog of vessels waiting to be inspected in Istanbul. DM