Russia-Ukraine updates: S Africa asks exemption from Putin arrest

A meeting of finance chiefs and central bank governors of the Group of 20 leading economies has ended in India’s western state of Gujarat without a consensus because of differences between countries over the war in Ukraine.

Following two days of talks in Gandhinagar, there was no final communique. Instead, India, as the host nation, was forced to issue the G20 Chair’s Summary and Outcome Document.

India’s finance minister said the reason for the chair’s statement was “because we still don’t have a common language on the Russia-Ukraine war”.

According to the chair summary, China and Russia objected to paragraphs referring to the war, saying it was causing “immense human suffering” and “exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy”. The wording was taken from the previous declaration in Indonesia, where leaders had strongly condemned the war.

The Kremlin says Russia has halted its participation in a deal that allowed war-torn Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea to parts of the world struggling with hunger, dealing a blow to global food security after Moscow’s invasion last year sent prices soaring.

US weapons maker Lockheed Martin has raised its annual profit and sales outlook as conflicts such as the war in Ukraine stoke demand for military equipment.

But shares of the company were down around 2.5 percent over continued supply chain concerns and F-35 deliveries.

Lockheed’s weapons, such as the guided multiple launch rocket system and Javelin anti-tank missiles, made in conjunction with aerospace and defence firm RTX, have been used by Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

However, because of software upgrade issues, the US Pentagon is delaying final delivery acceptance for F-35 jets, management said, adding that the impact was about a $7m per jet payment delay, which could be rectified by year-end or early 2024.

There are a “number of ideas being floated” to help get Ukrainian and Russian grain and fertiliser to global markets after Moscow quit a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, the United Nations has said.

“There are a number of ideas being being floated,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, without giving details.

He added that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “will continue to explore all possible avenues to ensure that Ukrainian grain, Russian grain, Russian fertiliser are out on the global market”.

European, Latin American and Caribbean leaders have failed to agree on a statement holding Russia to account for the war in Ukraine, highlighting their differences over the crisis.

A joint communique issued after the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit expressed “deep concern” about the conflict but contained no mention of Russia.

Even this position – adopted after the first such summit in eight years – was rejected by one of the approximately 60 countries represented, understood to be Nicaragua.

Diplomats said that Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela had opposed language criticising Russia, and that other countries – while agreeing to support Ukraine’s sovereignty – had stressed that different crises and conflicts were also worthy of the world’s attention.

Residents and relatives gathered at a Bucha cemetery to give Ukrainian soldiers killed during Russia’s brutal occupation a proper burial, after their remains were retrieved from different mass graves and identified.

In March 2022, Russian forces brutally killed both civilians and military personnel before ending their occupation of Bucha and the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, which became synonymous with the horrors of Russia’s war.

Roman Shadlovskyi, who turned 27 two weeks before the Russians captured him, was among those identified. Other families are still awaiting the results of DNA tests so they can properly bury their loved ones.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive is far from a failure, but the fight ahead will be long and bloody, the top United States general has said.

“It is far from a failure … I think that it’s way too early to make that kind of call,” General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.

“I think there’s a lot of fighting left to go and I’ll stay with what we said before: This is going to be long. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be bloody.”

Ukraine says its forces recaptured 100sq km (37sq miles) of territory, but Russian President Vladimir Putin claims Kyiv’s counteroffensive has largely failed.

The African Union has expressed “regret” over Russia’s decision to suspend a deal allowing safe passage for grain cargo ships from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

“I regret the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for which the African Union had been an early advocate,” AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said on his official Twitter account.

I regret the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for which the @_AfricanUnion had been an early advocate.I urge parties to resolve any issues to resume the continued safe passage of grains&fertiliser from #Ukraine & #Russia to where it is needed, particularly in Africa.

— Moussa Faki Mahamat (@AUC_MoussaFaki) July 18, 2023

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked permission from the International Criminal Court (ICC) not to arrest Russia’s Vladimir Putin, because to do so would amount to a declaration of war.

Ramaphosa made the remarks in a legal response to a court case brought by the opposition Democratic Alliance to compel the government to arrest Putin should he set foot on South African soil. Ramaphosa’s response, which was filed on June 27th, was made public on Tuesday.

“South Africa has obvious problems with executing a request to arrest and surrender President Putin,” his affadavit stated. “Russia has made it clear that arresting its sitting President would be a declaration of war.”

South Africa is due to host a summit of the BRICS club of nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – next month, which all of the heads of states of those countries are scheduled to attend.

But the ICC has an arrest warrant out for Putin, accusing him of the war crime of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia. South Africa, as an ICC member, is obliged to arrest him should he turn up for the summit.

Private Russian lender Sovcombank says it will spin off a portion of its business to hold assets blocked as a result of Western sanctions after the plan won unanimous shareholder approval.

Sovcombank, one of Russia’s 13 official “systemically important” credit institutions, has been starved of access to some markets by restrictions imposed on Russia and its financial sector over the invasion of Ukraine.

The bank said it was taking advantage of a new Russian law that allows sanctioned banks to transfer blocked assets, or liabilities towards so-called unfriendly investors – those from countries that imposed sanctions – to a separate entity.

“This will allow the bank to simplify its work with blocked assets and debts to unfriendly creditors, as well as lowering the effect from creating reserves with regard to blocked assets, and will have an insignificant impact on capital, liquidity and ratios,” First Deputy Chairman Sergei Khotimsky said in a statement.

Russia’s decision to pull out from the grain deal is an “escalation of the weaponisation of hunger”, Canada said.

In a statement, the Canadian government said, “This is a grave escalation of the weaponisation of hunger by the Russian Federation, which previously obstructed the operations of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI)”.

“Canada calls on the Russian Federation to immediately renew its participation in the agreement to avoid any further shocks to global food systems already strained by its war of aggression against Ukraine.”

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said athletes from Russia and Belarus should not be punished for the actions of their governments.

Asked about the participation of Russians and Belarusians at next year’s Paris Games, IOC President Thomas Bach said, “We have a mission to unite all the athletes of the world in a peaceful competition. We have the responsibility not to punish athletes for the acts of their governments.”

A cargo insurance facility providing cover for Ukraine grain shipments has been suspended after Russia quit the Black Sea grain export agreement.

The marine cargo and war facility provided insurance of up to $50m per cargo from underwriters led by the Lloyd’s of London insurer Ascot.

“It is currently on pause. It is suspended effectively due to the agreement not being extended,” said David Roe, head of UK cargo at Marsh, which acted as the facility’s broker.

The US will announce a new pledge to buy $1.3bn worth of military aid for Kyiv in the coming days, two anonymous US officials told the Reuters news agency.

One official said that the weapons package is expected to include air defences, counter-drone systems, exploding drones, and ammunition.

Additionally, Ukraine will get many counter-drone systems made by Australia’s DroneShield Ltd alongside radars, sensors and analysis systems.

Washington uses funds in its Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) programme, allowing President Joe Biden’s administration to buy weapons from industry rather than pull from stocks.

In the 2023 fiscal year, from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023, the Pentagon has provided more than $10.8bn in security assistance for Ukraine under the programme.

Click here for a roundup of the key events from day 510 of the war.

KEEP READING

• After ending deal, Russia warns against Black Sea grain shipments
• Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says Russia blackmails world with food access
• Russia launches wave of air attacks on southern, eastern Ukraine
• As Russia exits grain deal, which countries will be affected?

Russia’s parliament extends the maximum age at which men can be mobilised to serve in the army by at least five years, up to 70.

The law allows men who have completed their compulsory service without any further commitment to be mobilised up to the age of 40, 50 or 55, depending on their category, the State Duma or lower house of parliament said on its website.

Russia also maintains a “mobilised reserve” of men signed up for periodic military training and a stipend after their compulsory or professional service ends.

The new law means that those from this reserve with the highest ranks can now be called back into service up to the age of 70 rather than 65, other senior positions up to 65, junior officers up to 60 – and all others up to the age of 55 rather than 45.

Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu has previously said he plans to increase combat personnel to 1.5 million from 1.15 million.

Several Group of 20 (G20) members condemned Russia for quitting the Black Sea grain deal during a two-day summit in Gandhinagar, India’s finance minister said.

“Several members condemned it, saying that shouldn’t have happened … passing through the Black Sea shouldn’t have been stopped or suspended,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters.

But finance ministers from the G20 nations have not reached a common language on the war in Ukraine, Sitharaman said.

Most Western countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and France, had pushed for a firm condemnation of Russia and the war in Ukraine, while Russia and China had opposed any such move, an Indian government official added.

India has adopted a neutral stance over the war in Ukraine and has declined to blame Russia and urged for a diplomatic solution while at the same time increasing purchases of discounted Russian oil.

US aid chief Samantha Power pledged $250m in funding to help Ukrainian farmers deal with blocked Black Sea grain shipments.

Power said the investment focused on Ukraine’s agriculture sector would aim to boost agricultural infrastructure and expand other export routes.

She also called on other governments and the private sector to match Washington’s investment with another $250m to help farmers “under attack” from Russia’s policies.

“We have a collective interest in ensuring that Ukrainian farmers stay in business,” Power said during a briefing with Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov during a visit to the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

President Zelenskyy says his meeting with senior Ukrainian staff members on Tuesday focused on the Black Sea grain deal and port security.

On Twitter, Zelenskyy added that officials also gave reports from the front line.

The number one issue on the agenda of today's Staff meeting is grain exports by sea and port security. Deputy Prime Minister Kubrakov and Naval Forces Commander Neizhpapa reported on supply logistics and the protection of the coastal region.

There were reports by Minister…

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 18, 2023