British PM Rishi Sunak visits Kviv amid Russia- Ukraine conflict

In his first visit to Kyiv, Sunak pledged to continue the firm support for Ukraine that was a focus of policy under his predecessors.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shakes hands with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his welcome, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 19, 2022 | Reuters

Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his first visit to Kyiv, pledging to continue the firm support for Ukraine that was a focus of policy under his predecessors.

Funeral in Poland

One of the men killed by a missile that hit a southeastern Polish village this week was buried on Saturday, the first of two funerals this weekend following a blast that raised fears that the war in Ukraine could spiral into a wider conflict.

Russian Missile Strikes

Russia’s surge in missile strikes in Ukraine is partly designed to exhaust Kyiv’s supplies of air defenses and finally achieve dominance of the skies above the country, a senior Pentagon official said.

Russian missile strikes have crippled almost half of Ukraine’s energy system, the Ukrainian government said on Friday, and authorities in the capital Kyiv warned that the city could face a “complete shutdown” of the power grid as winter sets in.

Conflict

* Hundreds of people were detained or went missing in Ukraine’s Kherson region while it was under Russian control, and dozens may have been tortured, Yale University researchers have concluded in a report backed by the U.S. State Department. Russia has denied its forces have committed abuses.

* Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday that Ukraine had executed more than 10 Russian prisoners of war. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which has vowed to investigate any alleged abuses by its forces.

* Ukrainian forces have repelled about 100 attacks in eastern Donetsk region in the past 24 hours, with no letup in the fighting, Zelenskiy said on Friday.

Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.

Diplomacy

* Peace in Ukraine will only be possible if the country’s 1991 borders are restored, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

* Russia said on Friday it hoped to clinch a prisoner swap with the United States to return convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death”, in an exchange that would likely include U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner. -Reuters

(Compiled by Simon Cameron-Moore and Frances Kerry)

Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.