Live: Russian paramilitary group Wagner claims to have taken area near Bakhmut

Issued on: 12/02/2023 – 10:45

9:45am: NATO’s Stoltenberg will not seek another extension of his term 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will end his term as planned in October, a spokesperson for the alliance said, after a newspaper reported a further extension was in the works.

“The mandate of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been extended three times, and he has served for a total of almost nine years,” NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said late on Saturday.

“The Secretary-General’s term comes to an end in October of this year and he has no intention to seek another extension of his mandate.”

Earlier, Welt am Sonntag reported Stoltenberg’s term was to be extended again as the alliance sought to maintain stability during the war in Ukraine.

9:35am: Neutral Austria slammed for granting visas to sanctioned Russian lawmakers

Austria has come under heavy criticism for granting visas that will allow sanctioned Russian lawmakers to attend a Vienna meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The issue highlights the delicate balancing act the European country has engaged in while trying to maintain its longstanding position of military neutrality during the war in Ukraine. The Austrian government has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago but also stressed the need to maintain diplomatic relations with Moscow.

Austria hosts several UN agencies and international organizations such as the OSCE, which was established during the Cold War as a forum for dialogue between East and West. Russia is one of the 57 nations in North America, Europe and Asia that participate in the Vienna-based organization. 

9:20am: Ukraine and US defence chiefs talk “priorities” ahead of allies’ meeting

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov discussed “priorities”, including air defence and artillery, for upcoming meetings of Kyiv’s allies in Brussels, both sides said late on Saturday.

After securing a promise of scores of modern battle tanks, including the US M1 Abrams, German Leopard 2 and British Challenger 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Kyiv officials have been urging allies to send fighter aircraft.

9:11am: Russia’s Wagner leader claims to have captured area near Bakhmut

The leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said Sunday that his troops had taken an eastern Ukrainian town a few kilometres from the key town of Bakhmut which Moscow has been trying to capture for months.

“Today, Wagner’s assault units took the town of Krasna Hora,” Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)