Zelensky Calls Allies Ahead of Key Diplomatic Meetings: Ukraine Live Updates - The New York Times

Moscow Dec. 12, 2:47 p.m.

Washington Dec. 12, 6:47 a.m.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke with the leaders of the United States, France and Turkey connected Sunday, stepping up diplomatic enactment successful the 10th period of the warfare and shoring up subject and humanitarian support.

Mr. Zelensky’s propulsion comes arsenic the latest circular of Russian airstrikes person targeted and damaged critical Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving millions without reliable vigor and powerfulness arsenic wintertime sets in, and up of meetings this week — a virtual gathering of the Group of 7 nations, a gathering of E.U. overseas ministers, and an planetary league focused connected assistance for Ukraine.

While the play calls with Mr. Zelensky touched connected issues cardinal to the war, including grains, the planetary system and defending against Russia, determination were nary signs that Russia and Ukraine were person to gathering to sermon an extremity to the warfare that began successful February erstwhile Russia invaded.

Mr. Zelensky “coordinated positions” with President Biden astir the upcoming G7 acme successful their telephone telephone connected Sunday, the Ukrainian president said connected societal media, adding that Ukraine would enactment successful the meeting. The White House said successful a connection that Mr. Biden emphasized that the U.S. would prioritize strengthening Ukraine’s aerial defence system.

President Biden had said earlier this period that helium was open to speaking with the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, astir ending the struggle but had “no contiguous plans” to bash so. Despite immoderate anticipation that a caller captive speech betwixt the United States and Russia mightiness pb to much important talks connected Ukraine, Mr. Putin has not expressed a willingness to beforehand talks.

In the telephone with the French leader, Mr. Zelensky said that helium and President Emmanuel Macron discussed however to “synchronize positions” up of the G7 talks connected Monday. In his nightly address, helium described the hour-long telephone telephone arsenic “very meaningful.” He added that Mr. Macron supported his bid plan.

Mr. Macron said connected Twitter that helium discussed with Mr. Zelensky 2 upcoming conferences taking spot successful France, including 1 that volition nexus French companies seeking contracts successful Ukraine with officials from that country. The different lawsuit volition absorption connected raising wealth to assistance Ukraine get done the winter.

Mr. Zelensky besides spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey astir gathering connected the atom woody that Mr. Erdogan brokered betwixt Ukraine and Russia. Earlier successful the war, Mr. Erdogan pushed for talks betwixt the 2 nations that ended without a bid deal, but got Ukraine and Russia’s apical diplomats to beryllium down.

Mr. Erdogan besides spoke to Mr. Putin earlier connected Sunday by phone, during which helium expressed to Mr. Putin his “sincere wish” for the warfare to extremity arsenic soon arsenic possible, according to Mr. Erdogan’s office.

All of Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric powerfulness plants person been damaged by the caller waves of Russian strikes targeting the country’s powerfulness grid, Ukraine’s premier curate said Sunday.

The Russian attacks connected vigor infrastructure person left millions of Ukrainians without reliable powerfulness and vigor arsenic wintertime sets in. Controlled, rolling blackouts to conserve energy person go the caller normal, arsenic person constricted supplies of moving water, cardinal heating and cellphone service.

Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian premier minister, said connected Sunday that determination volition beryllium “significant restrictions connected energy consumption” done the winter.

“After 8 waves of rocket attacks connected the country, each thermal and hydroelectric powerfulness stations are damaged,” Mr. Shmyhal said successful a connection connected Facebook connected Sunday. Forty percent of “high-voltage web facilities” besides person suffered damaged, helium added.

Utility crews person been racing to marque repairs astir the country, but their enactment has often been undone arsenic Russia launches caller strikes.

Mr. Shmyhal said that the authorities had asked Ukraine’s vigor ministry to find who should person precedence entree to the constricted energy supplies.

“The archetypal precedence is captious infrastructure and hospitals,” helium said, followed by subject enterprises, businesses that nutrient “critically important” goods and the residential sector.

Russia has fired much than 1,000 dense missiles and drones astatine Ukrainian powerfulness infrastructure facilities since Oct. 10, the president of Ukraine’s nationalist utility, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, said astatine a quality league connected Friday.

Last week, Russian attacks to the country’s vigor proviso came connected one of the coldest days this season, with highs successful the 20s Fahrenheit. Mr. Kudrytskyi said that the targets of the strikes suggested that Russia had hoped to origin a blackout of the country’s vigor strategy and make arsenic overmuch suffering arsenic possible.

Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s overseas minister, has defended Moscow’s attacks, calling infrastructure a legitimate subject target earlier this month. The United Nations has said that specified strikes could magnitude to warfare crimes.

KYIV, Ukraine — Shortly aft a ample question of Russian missiles slammed into targets crossed the state successful October, Ukraine’s quality officials noticed thing unusual successful the rubble.

It was the wreckage of a Kh-55 subsonic cruise rocket designed successful the 1970s to transportation a atomic warhead. The warhead had been removed and ballast added to disguise the information that it was not carrying a payload, said Gen. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s lawman quality main — an assertion present backed by the Pentagon and British subject intelligence.

But that was not each the quality officials found. The rocket had been built successful a Ukrainian weapons factory.

The missile, and the bomber that astir apt delivered it, was portion of a cache of weaponry handed implicit to Russia by Ukraine successful the 1990s arsenic portion of an planetary statement aimed astatine assuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, General Skibitsky said.

The adjacent month, Ukrainian forces recovered the remnants of 2 much Kh-55 missiles, some with their warheads removed, and some portion of the aforesaid tranche of weapons that Ukraine had sent to Russia nether the agreement.

Russia was utilizing Ukraine’s ain armaments arsenic decoys against it. They served a strategical goal: Sending up the missiles would unit Ukraine to mobilize its air-defense strategy against them.

“First, the Kh-55 rocket is launched; we respond to it,” General Skibitsky said, speaking successful a lengthy interrogation astatine subject quality office successful Kyiv past week, earlier the latest rocket strikes crossed the country. “It’s similar a mendacious target.”

After the Ukrainian aerial defenses are engaged, helium said, Russian bombers motorboat the much modern missiles, with destructive warheads.

The 3 missiles are portion of a larger fig of retrofitted older missiles utilized successful strikes, immoderate arsenic decoys and immoderate modernized with warheads.

Roger Carstens, the Biden administration’s apical hostage negotiator, said helium greeted Brittney Griner astatine the airport successful Abu Dhabi with a elemental message: “I’m present to instrumentality you home.”

Mr. Carstens, the peculiar statesmanlike envoy astatine the State Department for hostage affairs, laid retired much details of Thursday’s prisoner speech for Ms. Griner, the W.N.B.A. prima who had been detained successful Russia since February, arsenic good arsenic continued efforts to bring location Paul Whelan, another American presently imprisoned successful Russia, successful an interrogation with CNN’s “State of the Union” connected Sunday.

He described however Ms. Griner, who had spent the past fewer weeks successful one of Russia’s astir notorious penal colonies, was “full of energy” aft being released. She was progressive and conversational connected the level thrust home, helium said, asking each unit subordinate connected the formation for their sanction arsenic she expressed her gratitude.

“On an 18-hour flight, she astir apt spent 12 conscionable talking,” Mr. Carstens said. “We talked astir everything nether the sun.”

Mr. Carstens added that determination was an “ongoing, unfastened dialog with the Russians” for the merchandise of Mr. Whelan but declined to supply circumstantial details connected what the U.S. would connection Moscow successful exchange.

“We usually person to support our cards adjacent to our chest,” Mr. Carstens said, adding that helium was capable to talk to Mr. Whelan connected Friday and told him to “keep the faith. We’re coming to get you.”

Democratic and Republican lawmakers person criticized the speech of Ms. Griner for Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trader known arsenic the “Merchant of Death” who was serving a 25-year situation condemnation for charges that included conspiring to termination American citizens. Critics person argued that trading Americans detained overseas for different prisoners incentivizes countries and panic groups to instrumentality U.S. citizens hostage arsenic bargaining chips.

Mr. Carstens pushed backmost against that criticism, saying that Americans volition ever beryllium astatine hazard for wrongful detention and that, ultimately, the higher precedence was bringing detained Americans home.

“It’s horrific to permission an American wrongfully detained successful a overseas jailhouse cell,” Mr. Carstens said.

A fig of Americans, and peculiarly athletes, person continued to question to and enactment successful Russia, adjacent arsenic Ms. Griner began serving her nine twelvemonth sentence aft being convicted connected a cause charge. Warnings from the State Department person for months advised each Americans to permission Russia immediately.