Presidential Press Service of Ukraine | via Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s armed forces are preparing a “countermeasure” to Russia’s advances that will surpass previous ones. Zelensky made the comment during his nightly address to the nation and after a meeting he had with the general staff of the Armed Forces. “We are analyzing the intentions of the occupiers and preparing a countermeasure – an even stronger countermeasure than it was,” he said, speaking in Ukrainian. Zelensky did not specify what the countermeasures would look like. But since September, Ukraine has recaptured large parts of the country seized by Russian forces earlier this year, including the key cities of Kharkiv and Kherson. —Christina Wilkie
American prisoner Paul Whelan has been missing in Russia for over a week
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and charged with espionage, stands inside a dock during his sentencing hearing in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020. Maxim Semetov | Reuters The White House said US officials were still working to locate and contact US detainee Paul Whelan, a former Marine imprisoned in Russia. “Our embassy in Moscow is working to fully understand Paul’s condition and why his family has not heard from him,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said. “It’s a concern. We’re all concerned — we’re very concerned about Paul and Brittney Griner as well,” she said, referring to the American basketball player who is also being held in Russia. Whelan had been out of touch for more than a week after missing a scheduled call with his family on Thanksgiving, and another just before that, according to his brother, David Whelan. “It’s incredibly unusual for Paul to miss trying to go home on a holiday like Thanksgiving,” David said. Since then, American diplomats and the Whelan family have been trying to find out where he is and in what condition. Whelan was convicted of espionage in a Russian court in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The White House says it offered to swap prisoners with Russia, but talks stalled earlier this year. —Christina Wilkie
EU calls for specialized tribunal to investigate war crimes in Russia
A Russian ballistic weapon lies in the middle of a Ukrainian farmer’s field. Russia’s disruption of Ukrainian trade appears to be cutting a staggering 45.1% of Ukraine’s GDP this year, according to the World Bank. Anastasia Vlasova | News Getty Images | Getty Images The European Union has proposed setting up a UN-backed tribunal to investigate possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine and the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild the war-torn country. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message that the EU would work with international partners to get “the widest possible international support” for the court, while continuing to support the International Criminal Court. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, his military forces have been accused of abuses ranging from killings in the Kiev suburb of Bukha to deadly attacks on civilian facilities, including a March 16 theater bombing in Mariupoli. An Associated Press investigation found it likely killed nearly 600 people. Investigations into war crimes committed during the war in Ukraine are ongoing across Europe, and the Hague-based International Criminal Court has already launched an investigation. But because Russia does not accept the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, the European Commission said it presented the 27 EU countries with two options to hold the Kremlin accountable: either a “special independent international court based on a multilateral treaty or a specialized court embedded in a national judicial system with international judges — a hybrid court’. — Associated Press
Europe worried about Turkish hub to hide ‘made in Moscow’ gas
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Federal Medical-Biological Service, in Moscow, Russia, November 9, 2022. Sergey Bobylev | Sputnik | Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to make Turkey a hub for his country’s natural gas could allow Moscow to mask its exports with fuel from other sources, but that may not be enough to convince Europeans to buy , analysts and sources said. Russia supplied 40% of the European Union’s natural gas market until Moscow on February 24 sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what it calls a “special military operation”. Since then, the West has imposed sweeping sanctions, including on Russian oil and gas, reduced purchases of Russian-sourced fuel and sought alternatives. After explosions – the cause of which is under investigation – destroyed Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline system to Europe under the Baltic Sea, Putin in October proposed a gas hub in Turkey, building on a southern route for exports. Without being specific, Putin said a hub could be set up in Turkey relatively quickly and predicted that customers in Europe would want to sign contracts. So far there have been no public commitments to do so, and analysts say it will take investment as well as time. — Reuters
Ukraine’s foreign minister is pushing NATO to start its accession process
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba gives a press statement at the end of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Bucharest, Romania, November 30, 2022. Daniel Mihailescu AFP | Getty Images Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has pushed NATO to begin formally considering Ukraine’s application to join the military alliance, even with the country at war. “We will become a member state of NATO, but that does not mean that nothing should be done between now and when we become a member of NATO. Therefore, I am talking about the need to start a discussion on how to deal with our application. There it is a certain process. And we shouldn’t just sit still and do nothing until we win.” So far, NATO member states have strongly resisted Ukraine’s calls, even as the alliance sends hundreds of millions of dollars worth of defensive weapons to the country In June, NATO began fast-tracking the membership applications of Finland and Sweden. As of late November, 28 of the alliance’s 30 member states had ratified the applications. Turkey and Hungary did not. —Christina Wilkie
Clothing retailer H&M is closing its last stores in Russia
The world’s second largest clothing retailer H&M has closed its stores in Russia for the last time, Reuters reports. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, H&M operated about 170 stores across Russia, but closed them shortly after Russian troops invaded the country. The stores reopened in August to sell excess stock, but are now closed for good. H&M is one of dozens of global retailers that promised to exit the Russian market shortly after the invasion in February, but then took months to wind down operations. H&M told investors that the shutdown of its Russian operations cost the Swedish company about $200 million. —Christina Wilkie
Blinken says Russia will continue to attack Ukraine until its military is defeated
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a press conference during a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, with the Foreign Ministers of Finland, Sweden and Ukraine, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the Palace of the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest, on November 30, 2022. Andrei Pungovschi | AFP | Getty Images US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Russia is not seeking a diplomatic solution to its war with Ukraine, but will continue to attack the country again and again until its own military is defeated. “Russia’s savage attacks on Ukrainian civilians are the latest evidence that President Putin is not currently interested in meaningful diplomacy,” Blinken told a meeting of NATO ministers in Bucharest. “In addition to erasing Ukraine’s independence, [Putin] it will try to force Ukraine into a frozen conflict, lock in its gains, rest and recuperate, and then, at some point, strike again.” Blinken’s statement represents one of the Biden administration’s two competing views on the way forward in Ukraine. The opposing view is supported by the nation’s top military adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who shared it in a recent interview with CNBC. “We’ve seen the Ukrainian military fighting the Russian military to a standstill,” Milley said during a Nov. 10 appearance on Squawk on the Street. “What the future holds is not known with any degree of certainty, but we believe there is some potential here for some diplomatic solutions.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that negotiations cannot begin until Russia returns Ukrainian territory it has seized or annexed, including Crimea. —Christina Wilkie
National Security Adviser to Brief US Senators on Ukraine Funding
Former State Department Director of Policy Planning Jake Sullivan speaks during a hearing on Iran before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017. Jose Luis Magana | AP National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will hold a special briefing for senior US senators on Capitol Hill where he will make the case for continuing to fund Ukraine’s defense against the ongoing Russian invasion, Punchbowl News reports. In attendance will be a bipartisan group of senators who lead key committees with jurisdiction over government funding, intelligence, defense and foreign relations. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The meeting comes as the Biden administration…
