Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Norway, where he will meet the prime minister and other Nordic leaders on Wednesday, the Norwegian government said.

The Ukrainian leader is set to meet Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, with Norway’s further support for Ukraine set to be central to discussions, the government said.

“I warmly welcome Volodomyr Zelenskyy to Norway. Now I look forward to meeting and having conversations with him. Norway continues to support Ukraine’s defense struggle. We give Ukraine strong and long-term support in its struggle for freedom and democracy. It is also important for our freedom and security” Støre said in a statement, translated by Google. 

There will be a press conference after the meeting between the leaders.

Zelenskyy will also participate in the Nordic summit with Støre, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. After this meeting, there will be a press conference with Zelenskyy and the Nordic leaders.

Zelenskyy’s visit comes after his trip to Washington earlier this week, where he was trying to maintain support for Ukraine’s war efforts.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the overnight ballistic missile attack on Kyiv in which 53 people were injured, stating:

Russia denies targeting civilians in the war against Ukraine.

— Holly Ellyatt

Over 50 people have been injured in a large, overnight ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, city officials said early Wednesday.

A hospital and residential buildings were hit in the attack, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, with the latest update stating that 53 people were injured. Twenty of them, including two children, were hospitalized as a result of the strikes.

Windows and entrances of buildings were blown out in the blasts, and falling debris started some fires, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian Air Force said one of its anti-aircraft missile units shot down 10 ballistic missiles that targeted the capital at night, although the total number and type of missiles used was not yet known.

It’s unknown whether anyone has been killed in the latest strike on the capital, an attack that comes two days after the last ballistic missile strike on Kyiv. Russia denies targeting civilians in the war against Ukraine.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro Tuesday she believes that there are enough options on the table for the European Union to pass a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid facility for Kyiv at its summit on Dec 14-15.

The agreement will be closely tied to discussions over whether to begin formal talks over Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, she said.

“Following my conversations I had here in Brussels, I am confident that at this particular point there are enough options on the table for a discussion with leaders which would allow to balance the interests of all parties, answer partially the questions and concerns raised by the Hungarian government,” Stefanishyna said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to veto the aid package, which is supported by all the bloc’s other member states. Hungary may also obstruct the start of accession talks.

Orban has retained cordial ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the war, recently meeting with him at China’s Belt and Road Summit. Meanwhile, Hungary has seen escalating tensions with Ukraine over issues such as cross-border exports. Hungarian officials have frequently criticized EU policy on the war, arguing that isolating Russia and arming Ukraine was not the right approach.

The funding approval is particularly vital to Ukraine as it coincides with uncertainty over the future of funding from the U.S., its biggest donor, along with the onset of winter, fierce frontline fighting and increased Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.

“The busy job [negotiating] between the member states has brought us to understanding there are pretty many options on the table which makes me feel more positive that there is a way to find a solution and avoid failure to take any decision over the next days,” Stefanishyna said.

Ukraine understands the European Commission has safeguarding options that would secure financial support for 2024 at least, “but of course absence of this decision would lead to total uncertainty in terms of ability to ensure the sustainability of Ukraine’s budget,” she said.

It is also “not a very good signal to other partners, including those across Atlantic, that the EU is not able to form a strategic vision of supporting Ukraine throughout the complicated circumstances of war,” she added.

— Jenni Reid

The chief executive of Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, says the company’s IT infrastructure has been “partially destroyed” by a cyberattack earlier Tuesday.

CEO Oleksandr Komarov said on national television that the attack had “significantly damaged the [IT] infrastructure, limited access, we could not counter it at the virtual level, so we shut down Kyivstar physically to limit the enemy’s access,” according to comments translated by Reuters.

Kyivstar said earlier that it had been “the target of a powerful cyber attack” that had left mobile connections and internet access temporarily unavailable. It said law enforcement bodies were investigating “the circumstances and consequences of illegal interference in the activity of the network.”

It did not provide any detail on who it believed was behind the cyberattack but stated, “yes, our enemies are insidious. But we are ready to face any difficulties, overcome them and continue working for Ukrainians.”

— Holly Ellyatt

The Kremlin said Tuesday that it will be closely monitoring the upcoming meeting meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Speaking to reporters, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said the meeting, in which Biden and Zelenskyy are expected to discuss the prospect of a large chunk of additional funding for Ukraine, would not change the course of what Russia calls its “special military operation.”

“It is important to understand that tens of billions of dollars pumped into Ukraine did not help it gain any success on the field battle. Other tens of billions will be doomed to the same fiasco,” Peskov said, according to comments published by Tass.

Peskov said the meeting would be monitored “very carefully” nonetheless.

Russia is certainly hoping that additional aid for Ukraine is blocked as it hopes to outlast Ukraine and its allies’ ability to continue fighting as the war approaches its second anniversary. Intense negotiations are ongoing on Capitol Hill as the White House tries to get Republican lawmakers to back a $106 billion supplemental package of wartime funding for Ukraine, as well as Israel, and domestic border security.

— Holly Ellyatt

The upcoming meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not impact circumstances on the battlefield or Russia’s progress with its so-called “special operation,” according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

“The tens of billions of dollars pumped into Ukraine did not help it; the new tens of billions are doomed to the same fiasco,” he said in Google-translated comments carried by Russian state news agency Tass on Telegram.

Biden and Zelenskyy are set to meet at the White House later on Tuesday amid growing concerns over the U.S.’ willingness to extend further funding to Kyiv. Ukraine has depended on Western allies for support and weaponry throughout its defensive campaign to fend off an ongoing Russian invasion into its territory.

The U.S. president wants Congress to approve $106 billion in supplemental spending, of which more than $61 billion would be earmarked for Ukraine, with the remaining financing split between close Washington ally Israel, border enforcement and humanitarian aid.

— Ruxandra Iordache