Zelensky Wants to Ban Religious Groups with Links to Moscow: Live Updates - The New York Times

Following a raid past week connected a Ukrainian Orthodox monastery that Kyiv said was perchance lodging Russian spies, Ukraine’s president asked lawmakers to walk authorities that would prohibition the cognition of spiritual organizations “affiliated with centers of influence” successful Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky projected the caller measures in his nightly code to Ukraine connected Thursday. His petition came aft a Nov. 22 raid by Ukrainian information services of the Monastery of the Caves, 1 of the holiest sites for Orthodox Christians successful Kyiv, successful hunt of saboteurs and weapons.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has precocious travel nether scrutiny from Ukrainian officials who fishy that galore priests are collaborating with Russia and interest that the religion is promoting pro-Russian views. That subdivision of the Eastern Orthodox Church followed spiritual leaders in Moscow up until this spring, erstwhile it publically broke allegiance with Russia over the war. Still, galore priests stay loyal to the Kremlin.

As of past month, Ukrainian officials person said, 33 priests had been arrested for assisting Russia since the penetration began successful February. Most of them were charged with gathering quality and feeding it to Moscow’s forces.

The Kremlin condemned past week’s raid, saying it was impervious that Kyiv is astatine warfare with the Russian Orthodox Church. Vladimir Legoyda, the spokesperson for the Russian Orthodox Church, called the determination “an enactment of intimidation” against the lone remaining instauration “where radical some successful Russia and Ukraine sincerely commune for peace.”

Mr. Zelensky said successful his code connected Thursday that the beingness of Moscow-affiliated spiritual groups allows Russia to “manipulate Ukrainians and weaken Ukraine from within.”

He projected respective measures, including an outright prohibition connected spiritual organizations affiliated with Russian “centers of influence” successful Ukraine and amping up nationalist information efforts “to place and antagonistic the subversive activities of Russian peculiar services successful the spiritual situation of Ukraine.”

“With these and different decisions, we warrant Ukraine’s spiritual independence,” Mr. Zelensky said.

Russia’s overseas curate connected Thursday defended Moscow’s attacks connected Ukraine’s vigor grid, calling infrastructure a morganatic subject people contempt warnings by the United Nations that specified strikes could magnitude to warfare crimes.

Sergei V. Lavrov, Russia’s overseas minister, spoke astatine a quality conference hours aft Ukrainian officials said that Russian attacks had again knocked retired powerfulness successful the confederate metropolis of Kherson, the latest specified battle successful a state wherever strikes connected infrastructure person near six cardinal radical crossed the state without power.

Drawing connected acquainted Kremlin themes framing the Ukraine warfare arsenic a conflict with the West, Mr. Lavrov said that Russia is hitting targets that are utilized to replenish Ukrainian forces with weapons provided by Western nations and that the Ukrainian forces trust connected to operate. He did not elaborate.

The Ukrainian subject has said that its forces person their ain autonomous vigor proviso and the strikes had nary interaction connected their warring capability. But the toll connected civilians is mounting: The strikes have knocked retired energy and h2o for millions of people successful Ukraine, and Ukrainian and Western officials person accused Russia of trying to marque beingness miserable for radical by striking residential areas, electrical transformers, powerfulness plants and different civilian targets.

“Heat, water, energy — for the children, for the elderly, for the sick — these are President Putin’s caller targets,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said astatine a gathering of NATO allies this week. “He’s hitting them hard. This brutalization of Ukraine’s radical is barbaric.”

Mr. Lavrov said that Russia utilized high-precision weapons against Ukrainian vigor facilities that enactment Kyiv’s combat operations and are utilized “to pump up Ukraine with Western weapons for it to termination Russians.”

He defended Russia’s strikes against Ukrainian areas that Moscow has illegally annexed and present considers its ain territory, specified arsenic the Kherson region, comparing its assaults to Stalingrad, which was leveled during 1 of the bloodiest battles of World War II erstwhile Soviet forces achieved a pivotal triumph against Nazi Germany.

“Stalingrad was our territory excessively and we person beaten Germans determination truthful overmuch that they ran away,” Mr. Lavrov said.

He besides dismissed arsenic “laughable” the thought that Moscow is trying to prosecute Kyiv successful cease-fire negotiations arsenic a mode to bargain clip and replenish its forces amid setbacks connected the battlefield. Ukraine’s overseas minister, Dmitry Kuleba, has warned that a cease-fire would let Russia’s “depleted penetration forces to instrumentality a interruption earlier returning for further aggression.”

“We person ne'er asked for immoderate negotiations,” Mr. Lavrov said. “But we person ever said that if idiosyncratic is funny successful uncovering a negotiated solution, we are acceptable to listen.”

Mr. Lavrov besides accused NATO of stirring up tensions elsewhere successful the world, including with China, and of trying to resistance India into what helium called “an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese alliance.” India and China person some called for de-escalation aft Russian strikes.

BRUSSELS — European Union ambassadors trying to scope an statement connected a apical terms for Russian lipid continued to speech into Thursday evening, contempt expectations that a woody was wrong reach.

The negotiations implicit the terms headdress connected Russian lipid sales, a argumentation led by the Group of 7 industrialized nations and different adjacent allies of Ukraine, person been going connected for much than a week astatine the spot of the European Union.

Negotiators from the 27 E.U. subordinate nations request to hold connected a terms unanimously. The latest discussions were astir a terms constituent of $60 per barrel, respective diplomats and officials said. That is little than what was primitively suggested by the G7, a triumph for hard-line pro-Ukraine nations similar Poland that wanted a little terms to bounds Russian lipid revenues.

A near-total embargo connected Russian lipid comes into unit connected Dec. 5 successful the European Union. E.U. insurers and tankers — which comprise fractional the planetary fleet — would nary longer beryllium allowed to connection their services to transport Russian oil. It would not use to buyers of Russian oil, similar China and India, if they vessel and insure the cargoes with companies from countries extracurricular of the radical imposing the cap.

Fearing a planetary lipid crunch, the United States championed the terms headdress policy, which would licence European tankers and insurers to proceed facilitating Russian lipid exports arsenic agelong arsenic the lipid they are transporting oregon insuring is sold astatine oregon beneath the capped price.

The payment of this approach, according to its promoters, is that Russia loses immoderate gross arsenic the headdress is acceptable little than what its lipid typically fetches connected the market, but it has an inducement to proceed selling its crude due to the fact that the terms is inactive precocious capable to make captious income. A headdress would besides forestall the terms of Russian lipid from rising supra a definite constituent if planetary prices were to rally.

Russian oil, besides known arsenic Urals crude, has ranged successful terms betwixt $60 and $65 per tube implicit the past week, trading astatine a important discount to different types of oil.

Poland and a fistful of allies had been the past holdouts successful the E.U. negotiations. They were pushing for arsenic debased a terms arsenic imaginable to bounds the lipid gross that helps concern the warfare successful Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic a predominant revision of the terms and much sanctions against Russia.

By Thursday evening, those points had seemingly been secured and E.U. diplomats entered what they hoped would beryllium their past circular of talks earlier sealing a deal. But Poland asked for an extension, respective E.U. diplomats and officials said.

Wally Adeyemo, the lawman U.S. Treasury secretary, said connected Thursday that helium was encouraged by signs that the European Union was coalescing astir a price. “My presumption is that we’re going to get this woody done,” Mr. Adeyemo said astatine an lawsuit sponsored by Reuters, adding that helium was optimistic that Poland would backmost an statement that the remainder of its allies would past ratify.

Polish diplomats expressed optimism that an statement was wrong reach, portion others complained that the process had already dragged retired excessively agelong and threatened to marque Ukraine’s European allies look fragmented.

Alan Rappeport contributed reporting.

WASHINGTON — President Biden connected Thursday said helium would speech with President Vladimir Putin if the Russian person expresses a tendency to extremity his penetration of Ukraine, but Mr. Biden said helium would lone bash truthful successful consultation with NATO allies.

“I’m prepared if he’s consenting to speech to find retired what he’s consenting to do,” Mr. Biden said during a quality league astatine the White House pursuing a three-hour gathering with President Emmanuel Macron of France. “But I’ll lone bash it successful consultation with my NATO allies. I’m not going to bash it connected my own.”

Mr. Biden, who has backed Ukraine’s thrust to triumph the warfare outright, made the connection aft condemning Mr. Putin for the invasion, calling the Russian president’s actions “sick.”

After their backstage meeting, Mr. Biden and Mr. Macron lavished praise connected each other, playing down tensions astir the handling of the nine-month warfare successful Europe and French choler implicit what they spot arsenic unfair economical policies by the Biden administration.

In the quality conference, Mr. Biden acknowledged that France and the United States occasionally person “some flimsy differences, but ne'er successful a cardinal way.” And helium stressed the unity being shown by the 2 countries opposing Russia’s penetration of Ukraine.

“Today, we reaffirm that, arsenic I said, we’re going to basal unneurotic against this brutality,” Mr. Biden said. “And we’ll proceed beardown enactment for the Ukrainian radical arsenic they support their homes and their families and their nurseries, their hospitals, their sovereignty, their integrity, and against Russian aggression.”

For his part, Mr. Macron said that France would proceed to enactment Ukraine and let its leaders to acceptable their ain presumption for ending the war.

“We volition ne'er impulse Ukrainians to marque a compromise which volition not beryllium acceptable for them,” helium said successful English. He added, “If we privation a sustainable peace, we person to respect Ukrainians to determine the infinitesimal and the conditions successful which they volition negociate astir their territory and their future.”

For the past fewer weeks, Russia has bombarded Ukraine’s vigor infrastructure successful a bid to crook acold and acheronian into weapons of war. How effectual that strategy volition beryllium could beryllium connected the severity of the looming winter.

Though determination are variations crossed the country, Ukraine typically experiences frigid winters. Mean temperatures betwixt December and March scope from 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 Celsius), to 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2 Celsius), according to the World Bank Group. It tin get acold colder: The lowest somesthesia Ukraine’s upwind observatory has connected grounds is -42 degrees Fahrenheit (-41 Celsius) successful January 1935 astatine a presumption successful the Luhansk portion successful the country’s east.

On Thursday, erstwhile the daytime somesthesia successful the capital, Kyiv, hovered astir freezing, the city’s politician suggested residents see a impermanent evacuation. “I entreaty to the radical of Kyiv — who can, who person relatives, acquaintances successful the suburbs, successful backstage houses wherever you tin unrecorded temporarily — to see specified options,” the mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said astatine a information forum.

It was the latest motion that Ukrainian officials, who person been racing to restore energy supplies and the moving h2o and net entree that beryllium connected them, are good alert of the looming occupation arsenic wintertime begins to bite. They person appealed for assistance from the United States and Europe and are preparing centers wherever civilians tin stitchery to find warmth, airy and net access.

In a code this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine attempted to rally the colonisation to face the situation.

“We volition walk this situation of warfare arsenic good — this winter, this Russian effort to usage the acold against people,” helium said.

Winter besides alters the conditions connected the battlefield, for soldiers and equipment.

The deficiency of foliage makes it much hard to conceal artillery and troops, some from observers connected the crushed and from drones, which person been wide utilized by some sides successful the conflict. In caller weeks, muddy conditions whitethorn person contributed to a slowdown successful operations arsenic subject vehicles had trouble maneuvering crossed unfastened countryside, but that could alteration arsenic temperatures autumn and the crushed freezes.

Daily beingness for soldiers living successful trenches arsenic extortion against force shelling is overmuch harder successful mud and cold, with ft infections a peculiar problem.

Norway and Canada person some said they would supply wintertime covering to Ukraine arsenic portion of their subject aid. And determination are credible reports that the recently mobilized Russian soldiers sent to the beforehand person not been adequately equipped to woody with winter, said Ben Barry, a elder chap for onshore warfare astatine the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“The astir important happening is that the demands of surviving and warring successful acold oregon bedewed upwind confers an vantage connected the broadside with the champion leadership, morale, instrumentality and training,” helium said. “So Ukraine has an vantage successful this area.”

Four lion cubs orphaned during the warfare successful Ukraine person arrived astatine the Minnesota carnal sanctuary that volition beryllium their caller imperishable home.

The cubs — named Taras, Stefania, Prada and Lesya — were transported to The Wildcat Sanctuary successful Sandstone, Minn., this week. Bred for the exotic favored trade, the cubs were calved aft the penetration began and scope successful property from 4 months to 6 months.

But the 4 young cats were abandoned arsenic the warring escalated. They were taken successful by carnal shelters successful Odesa and Kyiv earlier spending the past period successful a Polish zoo portion arrangements were made for their determination to the United States.

“After their agelong journey, each 4 cubs were merged and were seen cuddling up unneurotic for a much-deserved rest,” Tammy Thies, the laminitis of The Wildcat Sanctuary, said successful a statement.

The 4 cubs came from 2 antithetic litters: 3 were calved successful Odesa and 1 successful Kyiv. It was unclear what happened to their parents.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare, a nonprofit carnal assistance enactment that helped coordinate the relocation effort, estimates that 200 lions are presently kept arsenic pets successful Ukraine. But Ukrainians fleeing their homes person sometimes had nary prime but to leave beloved pets behind.

“As the warfare rages on, they look progressively grim outcomes,” Meredith Whitney, a programme manager astatine the organization, said successful a statement.

Once their last permits were issued this week, the cubs were flown from Poland to Chicago, past driven 8 hours to the sanctuary astir 80 miles northbound of Minneapolis.

The young lions volition person indoor “bedrooms” and entree to a ample outdoor situation afloat of caves and toys wherever they tin roam freely, according to the sanctuary.