Ukraine-Russia war latest: Blinken and Lammy in Kyiv for key talks as Moscow launches Kursk counterattack

David Lammy and his US counterpart Anthony Blinken have arrived in Kyiv for crucial talks as president Joe Biden reveals he is considering lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to target sites deep inside Russia.

The two countries’ top diplomats arrived in the Ukrainian capital this morning after announcing the joint trip, the first of its kind, during Blinken’s visit to London on Tuesday.

They are due to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who has consistently asked Kyiv’s western partners to allow them to use donated UK and US long-range missiles on targets in the Russian mainland.

The White House has reportedly been hesitant to give the green light to Kyiv over fears Russia could then escalate the conflict.

It comes as footage appeared to show a column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles advancing towards the western flank of Ukraine’s troops in the Kursk region.

Ukraine launched the surprise cross-border incursion last month and have held a chunk of Russian territory since.

Ukrainian military bloggers suggested Russian airborne units had recently crossed the River Seym west of the Ukrainian troops despite Kyiv’s forces blowing up three permanent bridges.

Key Points

• Lammy and Blinken arrive in Kyiv ahead of crunch talks

• Biden might lift ban on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons

• Russia advances on Ukraine’s western flank in Kursk - footage

• Ukraine summons Iranian diplomat over missile transfer to Russia

• Russia blames ‘foreign interference’ as freight train derails

French authorities foiled 3 plots targeting the Paris Olympics, counterterrorism prosecutor says

13:21 , Tom Watling

French authorities foiled 3 plots targeting the Paris Olympics, counterterrorism prosecutor says

Kremlin says Trump and Harris should leave Putin out of their fight

13:00 , Tom Watling

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it did not like the way Vladimir Putin’s name was bandied around in the US presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and urged the candidates to stop dragging him into their political fight.

The Russian president’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, was speaking a week after Putin said in a teasing remark that he favoured Harris over Trump, prompting the White House to say Putin should stop commenting on the November election.

Peskov told reporters the Kremlin had not directly followed Tuesday night’s debate, but had tracked news reports of it.

“Of course, we noticed that both candidates mentioned our president, mentioned our country. Of course, the position is quite clear - the US as a whole, no matter which party the candidates are from, maintains a negative attitude, an unfriendly attitude towards our country,” he said.

“Putin’s name is used as one of the instruments in the domestic political struggle in the US We really, really don’t like it, and we hope that they will leave our president’s name alone.”

Lammy meets Ukraine PM in Kyiv

12:23 , Tom Watling

UK foreign secretary David Lammy has met with the Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal to discuss ongoing British support for Ukraine.

He is expected to speak with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky later today.

Russia-Ukraine War in Maps: Where are the frontlines now as Kremlin claims advances in Donetsk?

11:56 , Tom Watling

Russia-Ukraine War in Maps: Where are the frontlines now?

Kremlin says Moscow will act if Kyiv uses US ATACMs missiles to strike Russia

11:29 , Tom Watling

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would roll out what it called an appropriate response if the United States allowed Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with ATACMs missiles.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration was “working that out now” when asked if the US would lift restrictions on Ukraine‘s use of long range weapons such as ATACMs in its war against Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters it looked like Washington has already decided to go ahead with such a decision.

What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile? The British weapon banned from use in Russia by Ukrainian troops

11:07 , Tom Watling

What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile banned from use in Russia by Ukraine?

Donald Trump avoids saying whether he wants Ukraine to win war against Russia

10:48 , Tom Watling

Donald Trump avoids saying whether he wants Ukraine to win war against Russia

Lammy and Blinken arrive in Kyiv

10:19 , Tom Watling

Lithuanian president arrives in Kyiv

10:02 , Tom Watling

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda has arrived in Kyiv. He was pictured at the Kyiv train station this morning with Latvian prime minister Evika Silina and the senate president of the Czech Republic Milos Vystrcil.

The trio are in the Ukrainian capital to take part in the Summit of the Crimean Platform.

Europe's second highest court upholds sanctions on Russia's settlement depository

09:47 , Tom Watling

Europe’s second-highest court has upheld European Union sanctions against Russia’s National Settlement Depository company, first imposed in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s NSD company had challenged those sanctions but the Luxembourg-based General Court dismissed its challenge on Wednesday.

“By its judgment delivered today, the General Court dismisses NSD’s action,” it said in a statement.

Russia attacks energy infrastructure in several regions, Ukraine says

09:24 , Tom Watling

Russian forces have attacked energy infrastructure in four regions in the past 24 hours, Ukraine‘s energy ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that the attacks had temporarily disrupted high-voltage lines in Poltava region and power substations in Kharkiv region.

IMF, Ukraine reach deal that would give it access to £841m

09:03 , Tom Watling

The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday it had reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine that would give the war-torn country access to about $1.1 billion (£841 million) in financial assistance.

The agreement follows what Kyiv said on Tuesday were “difficult” talks and is subject to approval by the fund’s executive board, which the IMF said in a statement is expected to happen in coming weeks.

The IMF is a key international lender to Kyiv and its four-year $15.6 billion program is a crucial part of a bigger global economic support package to Ukraine as it gears up for a third winter trying to fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on the country and its people,” Gavin Gray, who led the IMF’s monitoring mission to Kyiv for the fifth review of the lending program, said in a statement.

“Skilful policymaking, the adaptability of households and firms, and robust external financing have helped support macroeconomic and financial stability.”

The IMF, however, said that the risks to Ukraine “remain exceptionally high” with an economic slowdown expected due to the impact of the war on the labour market and Russia’s continued attacks on the energy infrastructure, among other factors.

Ukraine‘s Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi said that considerable attention was focused on sources to finance 2025 budget spending.

Russian lawmaker warns the West over supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine

08:41 , Tom Watling

Russia will consider the United States and its allies to be parties to the Ukraine war and Moscow will use more powerful weapons if the West allows Ukraine to use long-range weapons for strikes deep into Russia, a senior lawmaker said on Wednesday.

“Washington and other European states are becoming parties to the war in Ukraine,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s Duma, the lower house of parliament, said on Telegram.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration was “working that out now” when asked if the US would lift those restrictions.

Russia advances on Ukraine’s western flank in Kursk

08:18 , Tom Watling

Russian forces appear to be advancing into Ukraine’s western flank in the Kursk region, footage has shown.

Earlier, we reported that Kremlin-approved Russian military bloggers had announced a counteroffensive in Kursk to reclaim the territory they lost on their own mainland at the start of last month.

While those claims were disputed, we can now show you footage published by Ukrainian bloggers seeming to show that counteroffensive.

Below, you can see a column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles, believed to belong to one of Russia’s elite airborne units, advancing towards the city of Snagost. It was posted by Ukrainian war tracker DeepState, known to have close ties to the military.

The video suggests that Russian forces have crossed the Seym river that had previously separated them from Ukraine’s troops. Kyiv’s forces destroyed the three permanent bridges in the region - and subsequently targeted pontoon crossings hastily built by the Russians to remedy the issue - in a bid to slow or even halt a Russian counter attack.

“Indeed, the situation on the left flank of our group in Kursk has worsened,” wrote DeepState after posting the footage.

Ukraine says it shot down 20 Russia-launched drones overnight

07:56 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian air force said it shot down 20 out of 25 Russia-launched drones overnight. Russian forces also used nine missiles in the attack, the air force added in a statement via the Telegram messaging app.

Lammy and Blinken arrive on border with Ukraine

07:40 , Tom Watling

UK foreign secretary and his US counterpart Anthony Blinken have been pictured in the Polish town of Przemysl, the final stop before crossing into Ukraine.

The pair are set to arrive in Kyiv this morning for the first joint trip by the two countries’ respective top diplomats.

Russia starting to push back Ukrainian troops in Kursk, bloggers claim

07:13 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have begun a counter-offensive against Ukrainian troops who entered western Russia’s Kursk region last month, pro-Moscow war bloggers are claiming.

Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, and two other influential bloggers - Rybar and the Two Majors - said that Russian forces had begun reclaiming territory in Kursk.

“In the Kursk region, the Russian Army launched counter-offensive actions on the western flank of the enemy’s wedge, reducing the Ukrainian zone of control near the state border,” the Two Majors blog said.

Podolyaka said that Russian forces had taken several villages on the west of the sliver of Russia that Ukraine carved out, pushing Ukrainian forces to the east of the Malaya Loknya River south of Snagost.

Ukraine launched the biggest foreign attack on Russia since the Second World War, bursting through the border into the region of Kursk with thousands of troops supported by swarms of drones and heavy weaponry, including Western-made arms.

Biden may allow Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range weapons

07:01 , Alex Croft

President Joe Biden “does not rule out” the possibility that he will permit Ukraine to strike Russian territory, Antony Blinken said.

In an interview with Sky News, the US Secretary of State said the US has ensured that Ukraine has “what it needed, when it needed it, to be effective in repelling the Russian aggression” since Putin’s 2022 invasion, Ukrainska Pravda reported.

Washington will take multiple things into account in its decision to allow Ukraine to use long range weapons, including whether its forces would be equipped to use and maintain the “sophisticated” systems provided by allies.

"We don't. We never rule out. But when we rule in, we want to make sure it's done in such a way that it can advance what the Ukrainians are trying to achieve," Blinken said.

Russia blames ‘interference’ as freight train derails

06:50 , Arpan Rai

Russia says a freight train has derailed in Belgorod, a region bordering Ukraine, and blamed the incident on unspecified “interference”. Officials at the local branch of Russian railways said no casualties were recorded.

“Last night, 23.17 (2017 GMT on Tuesday)... due to interference with the operation of railway transport, a locomotive and wagons of a freight train derailed,” the South-Eastern Railway said on its Telegram channel. “According to preliminary information, there are no casualties.”

The accident happened in the Novooskolsky district. Novyi Oskol, a town which is the administrative centre of the district, is about 50km (31 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

A detour has been organised for passenger trains and emergency crews were dispatched to the site, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. He did not say what caused the train to derail.

Iran denies sending missiles to Russia and links reports to Israel

06:34 , Arpan Rai

Reports of Iranian weapons transfers to Russia are “ugly propaganda” to conceal Western military support to Israel, Iran’s foreign ministry said, after Western powers said they would hit Tehran with new sanctions over the issue.

“The publication of false and misleading reports about the transfer of Iranian weapons to some countries is simply an ugly propaganda to conceal the large illegal arms support of the United States and some Western countries for the genocide in Gaza,” foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a post on X, without mentioning the new sanctions.

Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and would likely use them in Ukraine within weeks, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said, warning that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatened wider European security.

“Some Western countries present themselves as defenders of human rights and support the implementation of international conventions and treaties, but send all kinds of weapons to back the war crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel),” Kanaani added in his post, primarily about the war in Gaza.

Ukraine threatens cutting ties with Iran over missile deliveries

06:25 , Arpan Rai

Kyiv says it could cut ties with Tehran if Russia used ballistic missiles supplied by Iran to attack Ukraine, calling delivery of the weapons “unacceptable”.

“I will not say now exactly what is meant by devastating consequences, so as not to weaken our diplomatic position. But I can say that all options, including the one you mentioned, are on the table,” foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi said, when asked if Kyiv could cut ties with Tehran.

President Volodymyr Zelensky made no direct reference to Iran in his nightly video address, but pledged to coordinate a strong world-wide response to any power helping Russia and Vladimir Putin.

“I want to say to everyone in the world who still wants somehow to help Putin,” Mr Zelensky said.

“We will do everything not just to defend our state and people, but to truly consolidate the world for strong responses to the incitement of war or any attempts to prolong it.”

World order under threat ‘not seen since Cold War’, say MI6 and CIA

06:03 , Alex Croft

The international world order is under threat in a way not seen since the Cold War, the heads of MI6 and the CIA have warned.

In the first joint op-ed penned by the leaders of the British and American intelligence services in their shared 77-year history, the MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore and CIA director William Burns warned that both countries now “face an unprecedented array of threats”.

Writing in the Financial Times, the intelligence leaders reflected on their decades of cooperation over the course of two world wars and in their fight against terrorism, warning: “The challenges of the past are being accelerated in the present, and compounded by technological change.”

Read the full report by Andy Gregory below:

World order under threat ‘not seen since Cold War’, say MI6 and CIA chiefs

Blinken, Lammy in Ukraine today in show of support for Kyiv

05:52 , Arpan Rai

Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Ukraine to meet senior government officials at what he said was a critical moment for supporting the country in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

The top US diplomat, who is traveling to Ukraine alongside British foreign secretary David Lammy, said he will use his visit to hear directly from Volodymyr Zelensky and others what Kyiv’s current goals in the war are and what Washington can do to help it achieve them.

“I think it’s a critical moment for Ukraine in the midst of what is an intense fall fighting season with Russia continuing to escalate its aggression,” Mr Blinken said in London at a news conference with Lammy.

Mr Blinken declined to say whether Washington will allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons deep inside Russia but said multiple factors went into the consideration of this decision rather than just looking at it as a weapons system.

“It’s not just the system itself that counts. You have to ask: Can the Ukrainians effectively use it, and sometimes that requires significant training, which we’ve done. Do they have the ability to maintain it?,” he said.

Trump unclear on if he wants Ukraine to win the war

05:38 , Arpan Rai

Donald Trump repeatedly refused to make clear whether he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia.

Facing vice president Kamala Harris in an ABC News debate last night, the Republican candidate was asked if he wanted Ukraine to win the war. “I want the war to stop; I want to save lives,” he said, adding that he has “good” relationships with both Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.

On being asked if he thought Ukraine’s victory against Russia in the war was in the US’s best interest, Mr Trump said: “Yes, I think it’s in the US’ best interest to get this war finished and just get it done.”

Ms Harris at one point told Mr Trump that Mr Putin would “eat you for lunch”.

UK bans Iran Air in new set of Western sanctions

05:14 , Arpan Rai

The UK is banning Iran’s national carrier from operating flights to Britain, part of a new set of sanctions over Tehran’s supply of ballistic missiles to Ukraine.

Britain is joined by the US, France and Germany in new measures against Iran Air, which are being enforced alongside travel bans and the freezing of assets of Iranians accused of providing military support to Russia, officials said.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that new sanctions on Iran Air would restrict its commercial flights from Iran to Britain and continental Europe.

Speaking to reporters, Kirby echoed comments earlier in London by US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who said Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and will likely use them in Ukraine within weeks.

“The supply of these Iranian missiles, which have a maximum range of about 75 miles, could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the frontline while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets,” Kirby said.

Russia to discuss Ukraine initiatives with BRICS partners

05:07 , Alex Croft

Representatives of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which make up the BRICS alliance, will discuss initiatives on Ukraine at a security-focused meeting starting on Tuesday, the Ria news agency cited Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu as saying.

The meeting is taking place in Russia on 10 - 12 September, he said.

Ukraine and IMF reach deal that would give it access to some $1.1bn

04:29 , Arpan Rai

The International Monetary Fund reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine that would give the war-torn country access to about $1.1bn (£840m) in financial assistance.

The agreement follows what Kyiv said were “difficult” talks and is subject to approval by the fund’s executive board, which the IMF said in a statement is expected to happen in “coming weeks”.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on the country and its people,” Gavin Gray, who led the IMF’s monitoring mission to Kyiv for the fifth review of the lending programme, said in a statement. “Skillful policymaking, the adaptability of households and firms, and robust external financing has helped support macroeconomic and financial stability,” he added.

Kyiv is spending about 60 per cent of its total budget to fund its army and relies heavily on financial support from its Western partners to pay pensions and wages to public sector employees and finance social and humanitarian spending.

Biden might lift ban on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to strike Russia

04:07 , Arpan Rai

Joe Biden said his administration is “working out” how the US can lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long range weapons in its war against Russia.

The US has been reluctant to supply or sanction the use of weapons that could strike targets deep inside in Russia for fear it would escalate the conflict.

Kyiv’s other allies have been supplying weapons, but with restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia, out of concern such strikes could prompt retaliation that draws Nato countries into the war or provoke a nuclear conflict.

The US was close to an agreement to give Ukraine such weapons, but Kyiv will still need to wait several months as the US works through technical issues ahead of any shipment, according to sources aware of the matter.

Pictures: Russian building on fire after Ukrainian drone strike

04:04 , Alex Croft

Ukraine struck Moscow and western Russia in one of its biggest ever drone attacks, killing at least one woman, wrecking dozens of homes and forcing the closure of major airports in the capital, Russian officials said.

Social media videos showed flames bursting out of windows of a multi-storey residential building, saying that dozens of flats were damaged in the Ramenskoye district.

“I looked at the window and saw a ball of fire,” Alexander Li, a resident of the district told Reuters. “The window got blown out by the shockwave.”

The Ramenskoye district, some 50km (31 miles) southeast from the Kremlin, has a population of around quarter a million of people, according to official data.

Training Ukrainian troops ‘constrains’ British army’s own training, watchdog warns

03:54 , Arpan Rai

Training Ukrainian soldiers “constrains” the UK’s ability to train its own troops, a watchdog has warned.

A National Audit Office (NAO) investigation of British military support for Ukraine found a quarter of the army’s training estate was being used for Operation Interflex, the UK’s basic infantry training programme for Ukrainian recruits.

The use of facilities for Operation Interflex has meant British army units saw bids for time in training areas rejected eight times more often in 2023 than they were in 2019.

In its report published today, the NAO said: “The MoD has acknowledged that Interflex will constrain the British army’s capacity to train its own soldiers.”

Another training programme for Ukrainian marines, Operation Interforge, had to be moved to the Netherlands earlier this year because “the use of training facilities in the UK was threatening to compromise the Royal Marines’ own training needs”, the NAO added.

Training Ukrainian troops ‘constrains’ British army’s own training, watchdog warns

Russia says it will work with international bodies after Ukraine drone attack on Moscow

03:01 , Alex Croft

Russia has claimed it will work with international organisations after alleging that Ukraine struck Moscow and western Russia in one of its biggest ever drone attacks.

State news agency Ria cited foreign ministry Maria Zakharova as saying they would open up to international organisations.

Previously, Russia has refused international help following strikes and a Ukrainian incursion into the border region of Kursk.

Voices: Why Xi secretly hates and fears Russia – and may be about to betray Putin

02:02 , Michael Sheridan

The bear and the dragon can never be friends. That is a lesson Xi Jinping heard at a young age. And it explains why the Chinese leader’s “no limits” partnership with Vladimir Putin may turn into a limitless liability – for the Kremlin.

While researching a new biography of Xi, I came across a startling declassified US document. It reveals that the man who was Xi’s mentor in his first job, at the heart of China’s military, was fiercely anti-Russian. Never trust Moscow, he told his staff.

Today, it all looks fine. The two autocrats have boasted of their alliance for more than two years now. It’s clear that Putin gave his “friend” a tip that he was about to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Xi has stood alongside him, talking peace but sending Russia weapons technology in exchange for oil and gas.

Read the full article by Michael Sheridan, longtime foreign correspondent and diplomatic editor of The Independent:

Why Xi secretly hates and fears Russia – and may be about to betray Putin

Ukraine identifies Russian suspect in July attack on children’s hospital

01:05 , Alex Croft

Ukraine‘s prosecutor general has announced that Kyiv suspect a senior Russian air force commander of ordering a missile strike on a children’s hospital in central Kyiv in July that killed two people and caused extensive damage.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin did not name the individual, but said the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague had already issued an arrest warrant against him.

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, saying he was the commander of Russia’s long-range aviation forces. The ICC said at the time he was suspected of war crimes including ordering strikes on Ukraine‘s energy system.

“We are continuing the investigation to find other people responsible for the strike on Okhmatdyt,” Kostin told reporters, referring to the hospital.

He stood outside the damaged clinic beside ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who is visiting Kyiv.

According to Kostin, the commander ordered the firing of a Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile from a Russian bomber at 10.45 a.m. on 8 July, the day of the strike.

Khan added that it appeared from various sources that a Kh-101 missile has been identified.

“It does seem from a number of sources and the work that’s been done that a missile, a Kh-101 cruise missile, has been identified,” Khan said. “A number of factors have to be looked into further.”

Russia claims control over several eastern Ukrainian towns

Wednesday 11 September 2024 00:02 , Alex Croft

Russia has claimed to have taken a number of towns in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian defence ministry reported they had taken control of Krasnohorivka, Hryhorivka, Halytsynivka and Vodiane.

While Russia has been advancing in the direction of all those frontline towns, the MoD often prematurely claims control over towns.

US could allow Kyiv to use British missiles inside Russia ‘within weeks'

Tuesday 10 September 2024 23:31 , Alexander Butler

The US could allow Ukraine to use long-range British missiles to strike Russia within weeks, according to British government sources.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and David Lammy, the foreign secretary, will travel to Kyiv on Wednesday for talks over the use of weapons including British storm shadow missiles.

British government sources now believe that there could be a shift in the US position before a gathering of world leaders at the UN in New York later this month, The Times reported.

US to impose new sanctions on Iran after Russia received Iranian missiles, Blinken says

Tuesday 10 September 2024 23:01 , Alex Croft

US secretary of state Anthony Blinken has confirmed it will announce new sanctions on Iran after the Islamic Republic shipped ballistic missiles to Russia despite warnings from the West.

Blinken said Russia is expected to use the missiles in its war in Ukraine in the coming weeks, and was also sharing technology with Iran, including on nuclear issues.

British foreign minister David Lammy described the supply of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia on Tuesday as a “significant escalation”.

“This is a troubling action that we’re seeing from Iran. It is definitely a significant escalation and we are coordinating,” he told a press conference alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, described the sanctions announcement as a “positive step” but added that Kyiv needs its western partners to green-light the use of long-range weapons on targets deeper into mainland Russia.

Wearing prosthetics, Ukraine war veterans take to the runway as fashion week returns

Tuesday 10 September 2024 22:00 , Tom Watling

Wearing prosthetics, Ukraine war veterans take to the runway as fashion week returns

Zelensky’s latest reshuffle of his top team has one major aim

Tuesday 10 September 2024 21:00 , Tom Watling

Zelensky’s latest cabinet reshuffle seeks to project strength before a tough winter

Military dogs receive army ranks as Poland recognizes their service in protecting human life

Tuesday 10 September 2024 20:00 , Tom Watling

Military dogs receive army ranks as Poland recognizes their service in protecting human life

The Ukrainian doctors forced to perform surgery without anaesthetic

Tuesday 10 September 2024 19:00 , Tom Watling

Putin’s relentless airstrikes push Ukrainian doctors to their limit

Sweden appoints new foreign minister with focus on supporting Ukraine

Tuesday 10 September 2024 18:01 , Tom Watling

Sweden appointed Maria Malmer Stenergard as foreign minister on Tuesday, choosing the former migration chief to lead policy on Ukraine just six months after her predecessor helped secure traditionally non-aligned Sweden’s accession to Nato.

Tobias Billstrom’s surprise announcement last week that he was stepping down has led to a broad cabinet reshuffle in which several ministers have been moved.

Nato’s newest member is, like much of Europe, trying to boost its military while also being a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Sweden announced its 17th aid package this week.

“The support for Ukraine is the greatest foreign policy task for the coming years,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a speech to the new session of parliament as he outlined his policy priorities.

“Sweden will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Malmer Stenergard, 43, from Kristersson’s ruling right-wing Moderate Party, was the face of the government’s overhaul of immigration policies, a radical shift taken in cooperation with the far-right Sweden Democrats that has been criticised by some human rights advocates.

The new foreign minister told a news conference it was important to keep up pressure on Russia with sanctions and to work towards Ukrainian EU membership.

Pokrovsk: Zelensky’s key city Russia is desperate to take next

Tuesday 10 September 2024 17:01 , Tom Watling

Pokrovsk: Zelensky’s key city Russia is desperate to take next

Iran rejects reports of weapons transfer abroad as 'propaganda'

Tuesday 10 September 2024 16:31 , Tom Watling

Iran views reports of Iranian weapons transfers to Russia as “ugly propaganda” to conceal Western military support to Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on X, after Western powers said they would apply new sanctions on Tehran over its missile deliveries to Russia.

Kyiv’s attack on Russia began as a triumph – it could turn to tragedy

Tuesday 10 September 2024 15:41 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s attack on Russia started as a triumph – but could yet turn into a tragedy

Transfer of Iran missiles to Russia will be met with strong EU response - EU spokesperson

Tuesday 10 September 2024 15:59 , Tom Watling

The transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia represents further military escalation and violates international law, European Union’s foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said on Tuesday, adding that it would be met with a strong response from the EU.

UK announces new sanctions under Iran, Russia laws

Tuesday 10 September 2024 15:01 , Tom Watling

Britain has announced a new wave of sanctions, adding seven designations under its Iran sanctions regime and three under its Russia regime.

The announcement came after Russia US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran and would likely use them in Ukraine within weeks.

France, Germany, UK target Iran sanctions over ballistic missiles

Tuesday 10 September 2024 14:32 , Tom Watling

The governments of France, Germany and Britain strongly condemn Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia and will work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air as a result, the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This act is an escalation by both Iran and Russia, and is a direct threat to European security,” said a joint statement from the three countries shared by the ministry.

The three countries will take immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran, it added, calling on Iran to immediately halt all support for Russia in its war with Ukraine.

US to impose new sanctions on Iran after Russia received Iranian missiles, Blinken says

Tuesday 10 September 2024 14:03 , Tom Watling

US secretary of state Anthony Blinken has confirmed it will announce new sanctions on Iran after the Islamic Republic shipped ballistic missiles to Russia despite warnings from the West.

Blinken said Russia is expected to use the missiles in its war in Ukraine in the coming weeks, and was also sharing technology with Iran, including on nuclear issues.

British foreign minister David Lammy described the supply of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia on Tuesday as a “significant escalation”.

“This is a troubling action that we’re seeing from Iran. It is definitely a significant escalation and we are coordinating,” he told a press conference alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, described the sanctions announcement as a “positive step” but added that Kyiv needs its western partners to green-light the use of long-range weapons on targets deeper into mainland Russia

The EU buys too much defense equipment abroad, especially from the US, a major report says

Tuesday 10 September 2024 13:41 , Tom Watling

The EU buys too much defense equipment abroad, especially from the US, a major report says

Lammy announces joint visit to Ukraine with Antony Blinken

Tuesday 10 September 2024 13:17 , Tom Watling

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced that he will travel with US secretary of state Antony Blinken to Ukraine this week.

“I can confirm that Tony and I will be traveling to Kyiv this week, the first joint visit of this kind for well over a decade,” Lammy told a press conference beside Blinken, who is visiting Britain.

Blinken arrives in London

Tuesday 10 September 2024 13:09 , Tom Watling

The US secretary of state has arrived in London ahead of talks with his UK counterpart David Lammy.

The pair are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

The Ukraine invasion has made the Russians more ferocious

Tuesday 10 September 2024 12:43 , Tom Watling

It feels like the Ukraine invasion has made the Russian invasion more ferocious

Ukraine identifies Russian suspect in July attack on children's hospital

Tuesday 10 September 2024 12:10 , Tom Watling

Ukraine‘s prosecutor general has announced that Kyiv suspect a senior Russian air force commander of ordering a missile strike on a children’s hospital in central Kyiv in July that killed two people and caused extensive damage.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin did not name the individual, but said the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague had already issued an arrest warrant against him.

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, saying he was the commander of Russia’s long-range aviation forces. The ICC said at the time he was suspected of war crimes including ordering strikes on Ukraine‘s energy system.

“We are continuing the investigation to find other people responsible for the strike on Okhmatdyt,” Kostin told reporters, referring to the hospital.

He stood outside the damaged clinic beside ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who is visiting Kyiv.

According to Kostin, the commander ordered the firing of a Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile from a Russian bomber at 10.45 a.m. on 8 July, the day of the strike.

Khan added that it appeared from various sources that a Kh-101 missile has been identified.

“It does seem from a number of sources and the work that’s been done that a missile, a Kh-101 cruise missile, has been identified,” Khan said. “A number of factors have to be looked into further.”

Ukraine has constructive dialogue with Hungary, PM says

Tuesday 10 September 2024 11:43 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal has said that Ukraine has “quite constructive” dialogue with Hungary, which has voiced opposition to Kyiv’s aspirations to join the European Union.

“I do not see a global threat on our EU path,” Shmyhal told a briefing, despite long-standing to their membership from Budapest.

In Ukraine, a city grieves for a family killed in a deadly Russia missile attack

Tuesday 10 September 2024 11:21 , Tom Watling

In Ukraine, a city grieves for a family killed in a deadly Russia missile attack

We have some more footage from a strike in southeast Moscow

Tuesday 10 September 2024 10:54 , Tom Watling

Earlier, we reported that two floors of a multistorey apartment block in southeast Moscow had been set on fire after reportedly being hit by a Ukrainian drone, according to Russian officials.

Below, we have some more pictures from the scene.

The Ukrainian doctors forced to perform surgery without anaesthetic

Tuesday 10 September 2024 10:32 , Tom Watling

Putin’s relentless airstrikes push Ukrainian doctors to their limit

Russia claims control over several eastern Ukrainian towns

Tuesday 10 September 2024 10:09 , Tom Watling

Russia has claimed to have taken a number of towns in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian defence ministry reported they had taken control of Krasnohorivka, Hryhorivka, Halytsynivka and Vodiane.

While Russia has been advancing in the direction of all those frontline towns, the MoD often prematurely claims control over towns.

World order under threat ‘not seen since Cold War’, say MI6 and CIA

Tuesday 10 September 2024 09:46 , Tom Watling

World order under threat ‘not seen since Cold War’, say MI6 and CIA chiefs

Footage shows alleged Ukrainian attack in Russia

Tuesday 10 September 2024 09:20 , Tom Watling

Russia attacks energy infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions, Ukraine says

Tuesday 10 September 2024 09:00 , Tom Watling

Ukraine‘s energy ministry has said that Russian forces had attacked energy infrastructure in eight Ukrainian regions in the previous 24 hours.

The ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that the attacks had disrupted high-voltage lines and power substations in several regions.

Russia to discuss Ukraine initiatives with BRICS partners

Tuesday 10 September 2024 08:45 , Tom Watling

Representatives of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which make up the BRICS alliance, will discuss initiatives on Ukraine at a security-focused meeting starting on Tuesday, the Ria news agency cited Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu as saying.

The meeting is taking place in Russia on 10 - 12 September, he said.

The Ukrainian doctors forced to perform surgery without anaesthetic

Tuesday 10 September 2024 08:33 , Tom Watling

Putin’s relentless airstrikes push Ukrainian doctors to their limit

Russia says it will work with international bodies after Ukraine drone attack on Moscow

Tuesday 10 September 2024 08:22 , Tom Watling

Russia has claimed it will work with international organisations after alleging that Ukraine struck Moscow and western Russia in one of its biggest ever drone attacks.

State news agency Ria cited foreign ministry Maria Zakharova as saying they would open up to international organisations.

Previously, Russia has refused international help following strikes and a Ukrainian incursion into the border region of Kursk.

Pictures: Russian building on fire after Ukrainian drone strike

Tuesday 10 September 2024 08:16 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine struck Moscow and western Russia in one of its biggest ever drone attacks, killing at least one woman, wrecking dozens of homes and forcing the closure of major airports in the capital, Russian officials said.

Social media videos showed flames bursting out of windows of a multi-storey residential building, saying that dozens of flats were damaged in the Ramenskoye district.

“I looked at the window and saw a ball of fire,” Alexander Li, a resident of the district told Reuters. “The window got blown out by the shockwave.”

The Ramenskoye district, some 50km (31 miles) southeast from the Kremlin, has a population of around quarter a million of people, according to official data.