Russia-Ukraine war: Putin’s forces ‘deteriorating’ as drones hit Crimea

Moscow’s continuing war in Ukraine will test its relationship with both Iran and Israel, according to Kimberly Kagan, the president for the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky cancelled a planned visit to Israel today after news of his apparent trip was leaked to Israeli media over the weekend, according to reports.

Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel cited diplomatic sources as saying the Ukrainian president was still due to visit the country, but no date had been set.

“If President Zelensky comes, he will be welcomed with open arms,” an Israeli official was reported as saying. A Ukrainian diplomat previously told The Times that Mr Zelenskyy was “very disappointed” by the leak.

As fierce fighting ensued across much of eastern and southern Ukraine, Maryam Zakir-Hussain maps out where Ukraine’s frontline currently stands:

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that the war in Israel and Gaza is “taking away the focus” from Russia’s full-scale invasion as he denied suggestions that the conflict in eastern Europe had reached a stalemate.

Speaking at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday alongside European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Zelensky said Russia wanted the focus on Ukraine to be “weakened” but added that “everything is [still] in our power”.

Mr Zelensky has offered to visit Israel, though he has admitted it is “difficult” because it depends on “what’s happening on the battlefield” in Ukraine, which he said remains “hot”.

My colleague Tom Watling has more here:

Nato has announced the formal suspension of a key Cold War-era armed forces treaty in the wake of Russia withdrawing from the deal.

The alliance said that members who signed the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe are now freezing their participation in the pact.

The U.S. Department of Commerce on Tuesday issued an order temporarily suspending the exports of three companies accused of sending electronics to Russia in aid of that nation’s war effort, the department said.

Details of which companies have been suspended have not been released yet.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out holding a presidential vote in the spring and urged his countrymen to avoid political divides, saying they must concentrate all resources on fighting Russia.

Mr Zelensky, who was elected for a five-year term in March 2019, had previously avoided definitive statements on the question. His associates had said he was pondering various possibilities.

“Now, in wartime, when there are so many challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to throw the topic of elections into society in a light-hearted and playful way,” he said, adding that “the waves of any politically divisive things must stop”.

“We must realise that now is the time of defence, the time of the battle that determines the fate of the state and people, not the time of manipulations, which only Russia expects from Ukraine,” he said.

“I believe that now is not the right time for elections.”

Ukrainian legislation bans elections during martial law which has been in place since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

The country would need to amend the law if it decided to hold the vote.

On Tuesday, US Senate Democrats blocked a Republican effort to win quick approval for a bill that provides emergency aid to Israel but no assistance to Ukraine.

The original bill passed through the House of Representatives last week.

Republican Senator Roger Marshall said: “Time is of the essence and it’s imperative that the Senate not delay delivering this crucial aid to Israel another day,” he said.

Democrats objected, stressing the importance of providing aid to Ukraine as well as Israel, in addition to humanitarian aid, border security funding and money to push back against China in the Indo-Pacific that was in a $106 billion funding request President Joe Biden sent to Congress last month.

As fierce fighting ensued across much of eastern and southern Ukraine, Maryam Zakir-Hussain maps out where Ukraine’s frontline currently stands:

Ukraine has deployed new western air defence systems as it braces for a second winter of Russian attacks on its energy grid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the deployment of additional Nasams mobile surface-to-air missile launchers.

“I received reports on the receipt of ammunition, hardware and equipment over the past day,” he said on social media

“Additional Nasams systems from partners have been put on combat duty. Timely reinforcement of our air defence before winter.”