This was CNBC's live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Friday that the Russian military "does not stop trying to surround" the shattered eastern stronghold of Avdiivka.
The industrial hub of Avdiivka, which is regarded as the gateway to Donetsk, has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
The update from Ukraine's General Staff reported a series of Russian assaults in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions over the last 24 hours.
Separately, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said via social media that Russian combat losses had climbed to nearly 310,000 since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in February last year. The figures could not be independently verified by CNBC.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov and other key figures at the southern military grouping's headquarters to discuss the Ukraine war.
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UK failing to clamp down on Russian sanctions circumvention in Central Asia, report finds
Money Report
The U.K.'s failure to clamp down on Russian sanctions circumvention in Central Asia represents a "real and significant threat" to Western efforts to stifle Moscow's economy in the wake of its war in Ukraine, a new report by British members of parliament found Friday.
The cross-parliamentary report, entitled "Countries at crossroads: UK engagement in Central Asia," said that the government's failure to prosecute money-laundering crimes was effectively facilitating kleptocratic regimes in Central Asia.
It added the shortcomings were particularly pressing given Russia's efforts to skirt sanctions via countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
— Karen Gilchrist
Russia says it thwarted Ukrainian attempt to forge bridgehead on River Dnipro's east bank
Russia said Friday that its military had intercepted an attempt by Ukrainian forces to forge a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the River Dnipro and nearby islands, according to a statement from its defense ministry.
The ministry said in its weekly update that the assault killed 505 Ukrainian servicemen, while also destroying 18 field artillery guns, 15 boats and 25 vehicles.
CNBC could not independently verify the claims.
"On 9 November, personnel from a motorized rifle company in the Russian military grouping 'Dnipro' under the command of Senior Lieutenant Zolto Arsalanov destroyed servicemen from a unit of Ukraine's 36th Marine Infantry brigade as they were trying to gain a foothold on the left bank of the Dnipro River," the statement said.
— Karen Gilchrist
Lord Ricketts: Russia condemnation and support for Israel difficult to square
Peter Ricketts, former national security advisor for the U.K., discusses the prospect of an Israel-Hamas cease-fire, and how the conflict is impacting western intervention in the Ukraine war.
Germany pledges to meet NATO spending target
Germany on Friday pledged to increase regular defense budget outlays to meet its NATO spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, according to Reuters.
Speaking a day after Berlin said its military would become the "backbone" of European security, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the government would incorporate higher spending into its medium-term financing plans.
— Karen Gilchrist
UK's Ministry of Defence trains 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers
Britain has trained 30,000 Ukrainian men and women to become soldiers since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said in a statement Friday.
Dubbed Operation Interflex, the program has provided volunteer recruits with little to no previous military experience the skills "to survive and be effective in frontline combat."
Launched in June 2022, the MOD said it was the largest military training program of its kind on British soil since World War II, and takes the number of Ukrainian troops trained in the U.K. since 2014 to 52,000.
— Karen Gilchrist
Biden to meet Xi on Wednesday in San Francisco Bay area, U.S. officials say
President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping face-to-face for the first time in a year on Wednesday, according to senior U.S. officials, in high-stakes diplomacy aimed at curbing tensions between the world's two superpowers.
The closely watched interaction, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the San Francisco Bay area, could last hours and involve teams of officials from Beijing and Washington.
It is expected to cover global issues from the Israel-Hamas war to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea's ties with Russia, Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific, human rights, fentanyl, artificial intelligence, as well as "fair" trade and economic relations, the officials said.
— Reuters
Russia says it's time for Ukraine to realize it can't win on the battlefield
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that Ukrainian officials must realize they will not be able to defeat Russian forces on the battlefield, according to state news agency Tass.
"It is time for them [Ukrainian authorities] to realize that they will not be able to win on the battlefield. The sooner they realize this, the sooner the conditions for a peaceful settlement will be created," Peskov was quoted as saying.
The comments come shortly after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba rejected calls for talks with Russia.
"Those who argue that Ukraine should negotiate with Russia now are either uninformed or misled, or they side with Russia and want Putin to take a pause before an even larger aggression," Kuleba said via social media on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said Kyiv will not participate in negotiations until Russia has withdrawn all its forces from areas it occupies in Ukraine.
— Sam Meredith
Ukraine says Russian forces trying to surround eastern stronghold of Avdiivka
Ukraine's General Staff said in a Google-translated morning update on Friday that the Russian military "does not stop trying to surround" Avdiivka in the east of the country, adding that Ukrainian forces had repelled a flurry of Russian assaults.
The update said 69 combat clashes had taken place along the contact line over the past 24 hours.
CNBC could not independently verify the report.
"In total, the enemy carried out 2 missile and 26 air strikes, launched 62 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of the Ukrainian troops and populated areas," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
It noted that Ukrainian forces had beaten back a series of attacks in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
"The enemy does not stop trying to surround [the city of] Avdiivka ." The Russian troops carried out assaults south-east of the Donetsk region, where nine attacks were repelled, according to the update.
— Sam Meredith
Hungary's Orban says EU must not start membership talks with Ukraine
Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that the European Union must not start membership talks with Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing an interview with state radio.
Orban, often a thorn in the side of his country's EU allies, reportedly said the "clear Hungarian stance" is to strongly oppose EU membership talks with Ukraine.
EU leaders are scheduled to decide in mid-December whether to accept a recommendation from the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to invite Kyiv to begin membership talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday welcomed the recommendation as a "historic step."
A decision to start the membership talks requires unanimity of the bloc's 27 members.
— Sam Meredith
Kremlin says Putin will 'win confidently' if he decides to run for another term in office
Russian President Vladimir Putin will "win confidently" if he decides to run for another term in next year's election, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNBC.
"There has been no formal announcement yet. But I have no doubt that if he puts forward his candidacy, he will win confidently," Peskov said in emailed comments to CNBC. "Society is consolidated around the president."
Neither Putin nor the Kremlin has confirmed whether the longtime president will run for another six-year term in office.
— Sam Meredith
Zelenskyy thanks front-line Ukrainian troops for their 'strength' and 'resilience'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Ukrainian forces for their "strength" and "resilience" on the front lines, saying in his latest nightly address that the "hottest areas" of the fighting over the past day were in Avdiivka, Maryinka, Kupyansk and Bakhmut.
"I am grateful to all our brigades, to each unit for their resilience, for their strength, for the destruction of the occupiers," Zelenskyy said Thursday.
"Southern directions – guys, I thank you for your strength. Our artillery, our missile forces and everyone who helps in the special services – I thank you for your accuracy. There are encouraging results. There will be more," he added, without providing further details.
— Sam Meredith
Putin visits military headquarters in southern Russia to discuss Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with top military brass in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, state news agency Tass reported Friday, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Putin was accompanied by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov and other military leaders to discuss the progress of what Russia describes as its "special military operation" in Ukraine and to get acquainted with new models of military equipment, Tass reported.
— Sam Meredith
Ukraine says Russian combat losses climb to nearly 310,000
Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said via social media on Friday that Russian combat losses had climbed to 309,520 since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion in February last year.
CNBC was not able to independently verify the report, and Russia has not yet commented on the figures.
The post from Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, which was shared via X, formerly known as Twitter, comes as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine.
Russian troops are intensifying attacks on the eastern town of Avdiivka, Reuters reported Friday, citing a senior Ukraine officer. The industrial hub of Avdiivka is regarded as the gateway to Donetsk, the capital of the eastern Donbas region.
— Sam Meredith
Ukraine, Poland discuss trucker border protests
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and his Polish counterpart have discussed Polish trucker protests at the Ukrainian border, his ministry in Kyiv said on Thursday, adding that it would not compromise on licenses for Ukrainian drivers.
Polish truckers blocked roads to three crossings with Ukraine on Monday, authorities said, to protest what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. One of their main demands is for Ukrainian truckers to receive a limited number of licenses.
More than 20,000 vehicles were blocked on both sides, according to the Ukrainian ministry.
"Ukraine respects the right to protest and is ready for a constructive dialogue to resolve the situation ... At the same time, we note that the border-blocking by Polish protesters violates logistics routes, that already affects both the economy of Ukraine and the European Union," the ministry said in a statement.
Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday that protests had caused disruptions at three border crossing points, but that the other five were running normally.
The protests occurred amid an economic slowdown in Europe and after the European Union's 2022 relaxation of regulations for Ukrainian transport companies to ease the transport of goods into and out of the Eastern European country.
Ukraine is a major global food producer, but its main Black Sea export routes have been blocked due to Russia's invasion, and traders are trying to send as many goods as possible via rail and the road borders with Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
-Reuters
Putin won’t give up Russia's 'backyard' without a fight
Russia signaled this week that it will not take Western efforts to build ties with Central Asia lying down, with Moscow conducting its own diplomatic push in the region traditionally seen as its own "backyard."
Keen to maintain Russia's dwindling sphere of influence in the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Kazakhstan Thursday, making his presence felt a week after French president Emmanuel Macron visited the oil- and mineral-rich country, and its neighbor Uzbekistan.
Russia wants to maintain its foothold in Central Asia — a region comprised of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — amid growing economic competition from China, and rising geopolitical interest from the West, much to Russia's growing disdain and disapproval.
Read more here: As the West courts Russia's neighbors, Putin shows he won't give up its backyard without a fight
