(Bloomberg) — Russia should return occupied territory to Ukraine as part of a peace settlement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with PBS in New York, adding that he had “very extensive discussions” with President Vladimir Putin last week in Uzbekistan.
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“He is actually showing me that he’s willing to end this as soon as possible,” Erdogan, who has pushed Turkey as a mediator in the conflict, told the broadcaster. “That was my impression, because the way things are going right now is quite problematic.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who is also in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, earlier urged allies to send more weapons to help maintain the momentum of the country’s recent counteroffensive.
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On the Ground
Infrastructure in more than 33 cities, towns and villages, including Kramatorsk, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv, was damaged by Russian shelling over the past day, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook. It also reported Russian losses from Ukrainian strikes in the eastern Luhansk region and said Russia continues efforts to replenish losses and form reserve units. In the south, Ukrainian forces sank a Russian barge carrying weapons, equipment and military personnel on the Dnipro River, the Ukrainian military said on Facebook. Ukrainian forces are continuing to strike Russian military, transportation, and logistics assets in the Kherson region, according to the latest report from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
(All times CET)
Morgan Stanley in Talks to Sell Moscow Mall (10:20 a.m.)
A fund managed by Morgan Stanley is in talks to sell a Moscow shopping mall that it bought for a record price in 2013 back to its original developer at a deep discount, as the war in Ukraine has soured international firms on Russian assets.
Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund VII, together with venture partners Hines Interests LP and the California Public Employees Retirement System, are in talks to sell the Metropolis Shopping and Entertainment Mall to Kazakhstan developer Capital Partners, according to people with knowledge of the talks. The negotiations are still at an early stage and there’s no certainty that a deal will be completed, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private.
Slovenia, Germany Agree on Tank Swap Deal (9:45 a.m.)
Slovenia will send 28 M-55S tanks to Ukraine and receive 40 military transport vehicles from Germany in exchange under the latest swap deal brokered by the government in Berlin.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on the deal in a telephone conversation Monday, the Slovenian government said in a statement. The M-55S tanks were left in Slovenia by the army of the former Yugoslavia and were removed from active use in 2006, according to public broadcaster RTVSLO.
UN to Focus on Alleged Russian Crimes: Baerbock (9:15 a.m.)
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said one focus of the UN General Assembly will be on “how the horrific crimes committed in the name of Russia in Ukraine can be dealt with and prosecuted.”
“And it will be about the situation of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which Russia uses as a bargaining chip in this war and thus raises the prospect of catastrophe for millions of people every day,” Baerbock said in an emailed statement. “We stand firmly with Ukraine and we will continue to support it — with everything it needs — to end the war and the immeasurable suffering of the people of Ukraine,” she added.
UK to Match or Exceed 2022 Ukraine Aid in 2023 (9 a.m.)
Prime Minister Liz Truss will announce this week that the government will match or exceed its 2022 military support to Ukraine next year.
“The Prime Minister will use her speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday to underscore the UK’s long-term commitment to Ukraine,” according to a statement. “The Prime Minister will use her meetings with fellow leaders and CEOs in New York to catalyse global efforts to stop Russia from profiting off its energy exports while ending energy dependence on authoritarian regimes.”
Two Turkish Banks Suspend Russian Mir Cards (7 a.m.)
Turkey’s largest private lender by assets and the local unit of Emirates NBD Bank PJSC stopped using a payment system popular among Russian tourists, following a warning by the US.
The decisions come after the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, last week warned financial institutions against entering new agreements or expanding the existing ones with the Russian operator of Mir cards.
Aircraft Losses Hindered Russia, US General Says (3:30 a.m.)
Ukraine air-defense forces, firing mainly Soviet-era SA-10 and SA-11 systems, destroyed at least 55 Russian aircraft, most at the start of the invasion, General James Hecker, the head of US Air Forces in Europe, said Monday during a meeting with reporters at the annual Air & Space Forces conference.
Asked if there was a correlation between the loss of those aircraft and Russia’s failure to establish air superiority over Ukraine, Hecker said “Yes — definitely yes.” Because “as soon as they got shot down” Russian aircraft moved back their operations and “they didn’t go after any” of the Ukrainian integrated air defenses.
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