(Bloomberg) — The United Nations General Assembly condemned Russia’s annexation of parts of eastern Ukraine in a symbolic vote that nonetheless exceeded western expectations for how much support the measure would receive.
The General Assembly voted 143-5, with 35 nations including India and China abstaining, to approve the western-backed resolution, which opposed Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of the four regions. The vote was a strong indication of how isolated Russia has become over its invasion and decision to absorb parts of eastern Ukraine.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he expects allies who met in Brussels will come forward with more air defense capabilities for Ukraine after Kyiv renewed its pleas for such systems following Russia’s recent strikes on cities.
The Biden administration is considering a complete ban on Russian aluminum — long shielded from sanctions due to its importance in everything from automobiles and skyscrapers to iPhones — in response to Russia’s military escalation in Ukraine.
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Key Developments
- White House Weighs Retaliatory Ban on Russian Aluminum
- Putin Says All Infrastructure at Risk After Nord Stream Hit
- Russia Sends More Fuel to Army In Ukraine Amid Mobilization
- Oil Slumps as Key Inflation Metric Sparks Fresh Slowdown Fears
- Europe Gas Swings as Russian War Risk Counters Higher Stockpiles
- Poland Says Leak on Russian Oil Pipeline ‘Probably’ an Accident
- Europe’s ‘Accident’-Prone Energy Infrastructure Causes Concern
On the Ground
Russian forces focused on stopping Ukrainian counter-offensive actions, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. It reported 13 Russian air strikes and more than 40 multiple rocket launcher assaults, as well as 14 attacks on critical infrastructure in the southern Odesa and Mykolaiv regions with Iranian drones. Twelve of these UAVs were destroyed. Attacks by Russian forces killed 14 civilians in Ukraine on Oct. 11, while 34 people were wounded, according to deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko. Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down at least four Russian helicopters in the south early Wednesday.
(All times CET)
General Assembly Votes Overwhelmingly to Condemn Annexation (12:46 a.m.)
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the 143-5 vote denouncing the annexation of Ukrainian territory had a practical effect of showing that “Ukraine’s borders remain the same” in the eyes of the world.
She said the vote showed how the international community “soundly rejected the affront to territorial integrity, to national sovereignty, to peace and security.”
France Won’t Use Nuclear Weapons If Russia Does (9:53 p.m.)
France wouldn’t respond with nuclear weapons should Russia resort to deploying them tactically against Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron said.
“Our doctrine rests on the fundamental interests of the nation,” Macron said during a live interview on public broadcaster France 2. “They are defined clearly and wouldn’t be directly affected at all if, for example, there was a ballistic nuclear attack in Ukraine, in the region.”
Musk’s Starlink Gets a Thank-You From Ukraine (9:27 p.m.)
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s vice prime minister and chief of digital transformation, praised Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications system, saying it “quickly restored” connections severed when “over 100 cruise missiles attacked” Ukraine’s energy and communications infrastructure.
“You’re most welcome,” Musk responded. “Glad to support Ukraine.”
Ukraine Needs at Least $3 Billion a Month Next Year, IMF Says (8:28 p.m)
Ukraine will need at least $3 billion a month next year to finance its wartime economy, which means allies will have to step up with more support, the head of the International Monetary Fund said.
“Our current thinking is that the financing requirements” will be around $3 billion to $4 billion a month, Kristalina Georgieva said at a meeting in Washington to discuss global economic support for Ukraine, according to a draft text of her comments.
Developments in the war “could push financing needs beyond this range,” as the government seeks to maintain basic social services, repair infrastructure and import energy, Georgieva said. “This requires actions on the part of the authorities but importantly also the international community.”
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Zelenskiy Calls for IMF Loan of Up to $20 Billion (8:20 p.m.)
Speaking remotely to the same roundtable as the IMF’s Georgieva, President Zelenskiy said his nation is looking for a loan of as much as $20 billion from the Washington-based crisis lender as a main source of funds for closing the nation’s budget deficit.
Ukraine needs $38 billion to make up for the gap in its budget next year, he said. Ukraine also needs targeted credits of $2 billion to rebuild its electric energy infrastructure, Zelenskiy said by video to the officials assembled in Washington.
Georgieva said later that Ukraine’s non-financial program, announced in recent days and monitored by the IMF board, will be a bridge to the larger borrowing that Zelenskiy is seeking. The fund approved $1.3 billion for the nation under its new “food shock window” last week.
US’s Austin, Milley Say Allies to Respond to Ukraine’s Air-Defense Pleas (6:40 p.m.)
After a meeting in Brussels of the US-led Ukraine Contact Group, which coordinates arms deliveries and training, Austin commended Germany for sending its IRIS-T system in response to Ukraine’s pleas for air-defense systems.
“I have every confidence that countries will do whatever they can, if they can, to generate additional capabilities,” Austin said when asked about air defenses for Ukraine. He told reporters a number of the more than 50 allies at the table also pledged to provide munitions for those systems.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Ukraine was seeking an integrated missile defense system combining short, medium and long-range air defenses to deny airspace to Russian aircraft. He said the aim will be to bring the various systems together, train Ukrainians on them and make sure they can be linked to Ukrainian command and control. He added doing all of that will take time.
White House Weighs Retaliatory Ban on Russian Aluminum (5:47 p.m.)
The Biden administration is eyeing three options for action against Russian aluminum: an outright ban, increasing tariffs to levels so punitive they would impose an effective ban, or sanctioning the company that produces the nation’s metal, United Co. Rusal International PJSC, according to people familiar with the decision-making.
Such a move would have wide-reaching repercussions for the globally traded aluminum market, potentially forcing consumers in the US and other countries into a rush to find replacement metal. The globally traded aluminum price surged on the news of a possible ban.
Russia Running Low on Precision Guided-Munitions, Official Says (4:39 p.m.)
Russia has apparently depleted a significant portion of its precision-guided munitions because Moscow is increasingly using old Soviet munitions with indiscriminate precision on the battlefield, a senior NATO official said.
Such munitions have wider targeting margins, making it more likely they’ll hit civilian casualties, the official said, adding that Russia used a combination of both modern and older munitions in its latest round of strikes. The official also said Russia’s new military commander, General Surovikin, will have to contend with an increasingly factional ministry of defense that’s poorly resourced to reach the Kremlin’s strategic objectives.
Erdogan Likely to Propose Ukraine Mediation Plan, Kremlin Says (4:32 p.m.)
“The Turks are offering their mediation,” state news service Tass reported Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, as saying. “If any negotiations or contacts take place, then they’ll likely be on their territory, in Istanbul or Ankara.”
Turkey, along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, has been involved in mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine that led to a major prisoner exchange last month. The three countries have refused to adopt Western sanctions on Russia and have maintained ties with both sides during the war.
Ukrainians Should Turn Down the Heat, Prime Minister Says (3:36 p.m.)
Households should prepare for indoor temperatures to fall to 16 degrees Celsius (61 Fahrenheit) after the government switches central heating on, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during a government meeting in Kyiv.
“This is a necessity – and our contribution to victory,” Shmyhal said, without specifying whether heating will go on in mid-October, as it did in previous years.
Ukraine Taps Iconic French Tune in Plea for Heavy Weapons (3:22 p.m.)
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry tapped French pop culture in a plea for more heavy weapons from President Emmanuel Macron’s government. In a video posted to Twitter, the ministry interspersed images of roses, chocolates and a romantic backdrop of Paris with footage of long-range artillery fire. Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s 1967 sultry hit, “Je t’aime… moi non plus,” played in the background.
“Romantic gestures take many forms, but if you really want to win our hearts, nothing beats 155 millimeter, highly mobile self-propelled artillery,” the clip said, a reference to Macron’s pledge to send six more Caesar howitzers among other heavy weaponry. “Merci beaucoup France, please send more.”
Russia’s Budget Surplus Shrinks as Ukraine War Drags On (3:13 p.m.)
Russia’s budget surplus more than halved in September, as revenue failed to keep up with increases in spending during an increasingly costly and protracted war in Ukraine.
The fiscal surplus shrank to 55 billion rubles ($850 million) in the first nine months, from 137 billion reported in the year through August, according to preliminary data reported by the Finance Ministry on Wednesday.
Putin Says All Infrastructure at Risk After Nord Stream Hit (2:29 p.m.)
The Russian leader said any energy infrastructure in the world is at risk after the explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
The attacks were an act of terror that set “the most dangerous precedent,” the Putin told a Moscow energy forum on Wednesday. “It shows that any critically important object of transport, energy or utilities infrastructure is under threat” irrespective of where it is located or by whom it is managed, he said.
Putin blamed the sabotage on the US, Ukraine and Poland, calling them “beneficiaries” of the blasts that caused major gas leaks in the Baltic Sea. The US and its allies have rejected those allegations and suggest Russia may have been behind the underwater blasts.
NATO Members to Back German Anti-Missile System Proposal (1:40 p.m.)
At least 13 alliance members are poised to sign a letter of intent backing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s proposal for a joint European anti-missile shield, Der Spiegel reported. The plan, announced by the German leader in a speech in Prague in August, may attract more members as NATO defense chiefs meet in Brussels.
The system, which would likely use Israel’s Arrow 3 air-defense system, would significantly broaden the region’s protection against potential missile attacks, Spiegel said. The German military currently relies on US Patriot missiles.
Dutch Minister Calls for Increased Defense Output (1:09 pm)
Securing the defense industry’s sustained production will remain a high priority over the coming years as stocks are depleted by the war in Ukraine, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said. “We have to deliver now, but we also have to produce more,” she told reporters in Brussels.
The Dutch government will send €15 million worth of additional anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. “We need to show Putin that if he attacks more, the only result will be that we’ll help even more,” Ollongren said.
Kremlin Wants UAE to Continue Mediation Efforts on Ukraine (11:45 a.m.)
Moscow said it would like the UAE to continue its efforts to help mediate the conflict with Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hailing what he called the “important role” played by the Gulf state in negotiating prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian and UAE leaders discussed the tensions at length in talks Tuesday in St. Petersburg, he said, with the Emirati leader conveying Kyiv’s positions on key issues. They also discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, where fighting has raised fears of a possible accident.
NATO Chief Urges More Air Defense for Ukraine (11:20 a.m.)
Stoltenberg urged alliance members to scale up supplies of air defense systems to Ukraine in the wake of what he called “horrific, indiscriminate attacks against Ukrainian cities,” civilians and energy facilities. The Nato chief, speaking to reporters at the start of a two-day meeting of defense ministers in Brussels, said more air defense will be the top priority in discussions on how to boost support for Ukraine.
The strikes show “the urgent need for more air defense for Ukraine,” he said. “Allies have provided air defense but we need even more. We need different types of air defense, short range, long range, air defense systems to take ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, different systems for different tasks.”
Poland Says Pipeline Leak Likely an Accident (11:03 a.m.)
Polish authorities are assuming a leak in a pipeline bringing Russian oil to Europe is probably an accident. Investigations continue, but Mateusz Berger, Poland’s top official in charge of strategic energy infrastructure, said he has no reason to think it was an act of sabotage.
“I prefer to assume it was probably an accident,” Berger said. “It’s not the first case of leakage and it surely can’t be compared to the explosion on Nord Stream.”
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