Europe is no longer in a “pre-war situation” with Russia but “an actual war”, the former head of MI6 has told Sky News. Listen to The World podcast while you scroll as our hosts ask: what is the endgame for Putin and Zelenskyy?
Wednesday 27 November 2024 19:49, UK
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says North Korea’s involvement in the war against Ukraine can “only be stopped globally”.
Pyongyang has sent 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine.
Today, a Ukrainian delegation visited South Korea, where defence minister Rustem Umerov says he discussed joint steps to strengthen security and stability between Kyiv and Seoul.
Posting on Telegram about the visit, Mr Zelenskyy said: “The agenda is clear. It includes everything related to Russia’s involvement of North Korea in the war against Ukraine – all aspects of this involvement.
“And the things we can do together. To defend our nations and to secure our regions together.
“The presence of not only missiles and shells from North Korea in Russia’s arsenals but also soldiers on the frontlines – this is the globalisation of war, initiated by Russia; and it can only be stopped globally.
“And upon minister Umerov’s return, I look forward to his report on the negotiations in Seoul.”
The rouble has plunged to its lowest rate against the dollar since the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today, the currency hit 110 against the dollar for the first time since 16 March 2022. Before the war, the rouble traded at around 75-80 against the US dollar.
It also fell beyond 15 to the Chinese yuan, also the lowest level since March 2022.
The drop comes after the US introduced sanctions against Russia’s third-largest bank Gazprombank, which handles the energy trade.
Russia’s central bank said on Wednesday it would stop foreign currency purchases in order to ease pressure on the financial markets.
The former head of MI6 says Europe is no longer in a “pre-war situation” with Russia, but “an actual war”.
Sir Richard Dearlove told tonight’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that he disagreed with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s assessment that Europe is in a pre-war era.
“I think we have to face up to the fact that the Russians think they’re in a state of war with us,” Sir Richard says.
“Donald Tusk has referred to it as a pre-war situation. I think he’s wrong. I think it’s an actual war.”
“We’ve seen already quite clearly some very aggressive moves on the part of the Russians in various European countries,” he adds.
Asked if Western leaders should pick up the phone to Vladimir Putin and opt for a policy of communication, Sir Richard says he has “always believed in having a dialogue with one’s opponents or enemies”.
“I think we’re in a very difficult situation, and Russia is probably better to have some sort of dialogue with them, than no contact at all. So I don’t rule that out,” he adds.
“But I think at the moment, I’m not sure Russia is in a mood or a situation where it’s going to be very easy to talk to Putin.”
Watch Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge live on Sky News at 7pm
The Slovakian prime minister has accepted Vladimir Putin’s invitation to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next May.
Slovakia is a member state of both NATO and the EU, but Robert Fico is a known Ukraine sceptic who has called for restoring relations with Russia after the war.
Last month he gave an interview with Russian state television during which he criticised EU governments for escalating the war by supplying weapons to Kyiv.
The Kremlin uses its annual VE Day celebrations to showcase its military power, while Russian propaganda leans heavily on the Soviet victory in the Second World War.
Posting on Facebook, Mr Fico said it was with “pleasure” that he accepted Putin’s invite.
Donald Trump has nominated Keith Kellogg to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
As we reported earlier, the retired general presented the president-elect with a plan to end the Ukraine war in July (see 15.20 post).
That plan involves telling Ukraine it will only get more US weapons if it enters peace talks with Russia.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: “Keith has a distinguished military and business career, including serving in highly sensitive national security roles in my first administration.”
He adds that the pair will “make America, and the world, safe again”.
Ukraine’s defence minister says he discussed joint steps to strengthen security and stability with Yoon Suk Yeol, the South Korean president, on a visit to Seoul today.
Posting on Telegram, Rustem Umerov said the presence of North Korean troops fighting for Russia against Ukraine “poses a serious threat” to Seoul.
“North Korean troops are gaining experience in conducting combat operations, which may create additional security challenges in the region in the future,” he said.
“We believe that our arguments about the need to increase cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Korea will lead to a tangible strengthening of security for our peoples and regions.”
Vladimir Putin has started his two-day trip to Kazakhstan, where the Kremlin says he will be discussing Moscow’s energy ties with Astana.
Whole blocks of the Kazakh capital were cordoned off ahead of the Russian leader’s arrival, with military helicopters and fighter jets patrolling the sky.
Kazakhstan, which has tried to distance itself from the war in Ukraine, is highly dependent on Moscow for exporting oil to Western markets and for imports of food and electricity.
A Kremlin foreign policy aide told journalists yesterday that Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev would sign a protocol extending an agreement on oil supplies during the trip.
Ukraine should consider lowering the military mobilisation age to 18, a senior US administration official has said.
The official noted that Ukraine is not mobilising or training enough new soldiers for its war with Russia and that there would be “real value” in lowering the age of conscription to 18.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed new laws in April that lowered the conscription age by two years, from 27 to 25.
The secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, told parliament last month that Kyiv will be calling up another 160,000 people to serve in its military.
The US official said the Joe Biden administration believes Ukraine will probably need more than an extra 160,000.
Nordic and Baltic states and Poland have jointly vowed to step up support for Ukraine in the coming months.
The support includes contributing to Ukraine’s defence industry and investing in making more ammunition available.
“We are committed to strengthening our deterrence, and defence, including resilience, against conventional as well as hybrid attacks, and to expanding sanctions against Russia as well as against those who enable Russia’s aggression,” the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Sweden said.
North Korea has transferred at least 100 ballistic missiles and more than 18,000 containers of munitions and other material to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine – and is planning more deliveries, a US diplomat has said.
Robert A Wood, US deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said the arms aid has been used by Russian forces to strike populated areas including Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
“The DPRK [North Korea] is preparing to transfer even more ballistic missiles,” he told a UN meeting in New York today.
“We also have information a large number of DPRK-origin, 170mm long range self-propelled artillery pieces and 240mm long range multiple rocket launchers are being introduced into the conflict,” Mr Wood said.
Russia, meanwhile, has transferred air defence systems to North Korea, he added, as well as “free and subsidised fuel”.
The US is calling on China to use its “influence and capacity” over Pyongyang to “prevent a further escalation of the conflict”, said Mr Wood.
The ambassador also called on UN members to “stand by Ukraine” as it continues to fight the Russian invasion.
“Our future is at stake. Russia’s war threatens our NATO allies, European security and the fundamental rights enshrined in the UN charter,” he said.
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