???? Live: Russia’s Lavrov urges like-minded countries to ‘join forces’ against Western ‘blackmail’

Issued on: 19/04/2023 – 08:16Modified: 19/04/2023 – 08:31

7:04am: Russia launches drone attack on Odesa

Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa early Wednesday but there were no reports of casualties, authorities said.

“At night, the enemy carried out an attack by UAVs of the Shahed-136 type on the Odesa region,” Yuriy Kruk, head of the Odesa district military administration, said in a statement on Telegram.

Kruk said Ukraine’s air defences had destroyed most of the attacking drones but some civilian infrastructure had been hit.

“According to preliminary information, there were no casualties. Measures are being taken to contain the fire, units of the State Emergency Service and other structures are working on the spot.”

5:19am: ‘Join forces’ against Western ‘blackmail’, urges Russia’s Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Tuesday for like-minded countries to “join forces” against Western sanctions “blackmail,” as the longtime diplomat continued his tour of Latin America.

Discussing Russia’s war on Ukraine with Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil in Caracas, Lavrov referred to allies Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua as countries “that choose their own path.”

All are, like Russia, the subject of damaging economic sanctions, he pointed out.

“It is necessary to join forces to counter the attempts of blackmail and illegal unilateral pressure of the West,” Lavrov said.

4:28am: South Korea opens door for possible military aid to Ukraine

South Korea might extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if it comes under a large-scale civilian attack, President Yoon Suk Yeol said, signalling a shift in his stance against arming Ukraine for the first time.

In an interview with Reuters ahead of his state visit to the US next week, Yoon said his government has been exploring how to help defend and rebuild Ukraine, just as South Korea received international assistance during the 1950-53 Korean War.

“If there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war, it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support,” Yoon said.

It was the first time that Seoul suggested a willingness to provide weapons to Ukraine, more than a year after ruling out the possibility of lethal aid.

A key US ally and major producer of artillery ammunition, South Korea has so far tried to avoid antagonising Russia due to its companies operating there and Moscow’s influence over North Korea, despite mounting pressure from western countries for weapons supply.

• Key developments on Tuesday, April 18

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu that Russian and Chinese military cooperation is a “stabilising” force in the world and has helped to reduce the chances of conflict.

Footage from Russian TV showed a visit by President Vladimir Putin to the military headquarters in Russian-controlled Ukraine. The visit allegedly took place Monday, on the same day Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the frontline town of Avdiivka, according to his website.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, under fire from the United States for “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda,” also clearly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday.

And Poland said it had reached an agreement on restarting transit of Ukrainian grain through its territory as of this Friday.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)