WAR IN UKRAINE: August 19, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 177
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and UN chief Guterres have met Turkish President Erdogan in the western city of Lviv. Under extremely heavy security, the meeting marked the first time Zelensky has met a foreign leader outside of Kyiv since the commencement of hostilities almost six months ago. The visit of Erdogan is a powerful message of support from such a powerful country,” Zelenskyy said in a statement, adding that they would discuss cereals exports and Zaporizhzhia. The talks ended with no major takeaway and just hours after their conclusion, air raid sirens were triggered in Lviv just around midnight.
A significant portion of the trilateral talks in Lviv had to do with the rapidly deteriorating situation at the nuclear power plant near Zaporyzhzhia. Russian forces are firing from the plant, storing weapons and ammunition on site and intimidating Ukrainian plant workers. Mr. Erdogan didn’t mince words when he said: “While continuing our efforts to find a solution [to the conflict], we remain on the side of our Ukraine friends. We are worried. We don’t want another Chernobyl.”
On the sidelines of the Lviv talks, Turkey and Ukraine signed a document agreeing to help rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure, including roads and bridges. The work starts on bridges near Kyiv, Turkish sources told me. Of all the major foreign business groups in Ukraine, Turkish companies remained in the most numbers and the most active I’ve been told. Al thought the war-induced economic downturn has taken its toll: one major Turkish construction firm with a big presence in Ukraine has been forced to draw down its staff numbers by several thousand.
Wednesday night was reported to be one of the most tragic for Kharkiv. Russian forces have been continuing shelling the city with at least ten people reported killed and 18 injured overnight. Local officials say seven people were killed in attacks on Wednesday evening. Another three people died in a pre-dawn rocket attack on the city this morning, according to local emergency services cited by Reuters. The agency said a tram depot and a dormitory were hit.
A Ukrainian TV host has crowdfunded a gift to help Ukraine’s armed forces beat back Russia’s invasion – usage rights to a radar satellite that can see through clouds. TV star Serhiy Prytula and Finnish satellite company ICEYE OY confirmed the deal in separate statements. “The contract signed with the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation will initially provide the Government of Ukraine with the full capabilities for one of ICEYE’s satellites already in orbit,” the company said. “In addition, ICEYE will provide access to its constellation of SAR satellites, allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to receive radar satellite imagery on critical locations with a high revisit frequency,” it said on its website - Al Jazeera
Europe can't decide if it wants to punish ordinary Russians for Putin's war. Analysis by CNN’s Luke McGee here
For weeks Ukraine's armed forces have been talking of launching a counter-offensive in the south, and now a senior military officer has told the BBC they aim to recapture the city of Kherson within weeks. Instead of a major full-scale attack, they are expected to adopt a different strategy, with a role for small drone units. Read the report here
New figures suggest that the US is still by far the biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine.
The Kiel Institute for the World Economy says Washington committed to spending more than $25bn between 24 January and 1 July.
The UK has committed the second largest amount, with Poland and Germany third and fourth in the list - BBC