Joe Biden has suggested the US could soon permit Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with long-range weapons.
Asked about US policy on Kyiv’s requests, Mr Biden replied that his administration is “working that out now”. US secretary of state Antony Blinken, UK foreign secretary David Lammy and president Volodymyr Zelensky are due to discuss the issue at a meeting in the Ukrainian capital today.
On the war’s frontline, Russia claimed its forces had advanced by 1,000 sq km (390 sq miles) in eastern Ukraine in August and September despite the Kursk incursion by Ukrainian troops going in the other direction.
On Wednesday morning, Russia blamed “foreign interference” for a freight train derailment in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, without directly attributing it to Ukraine.
And the International Monetary Fund announced it had reached a preliminary agreement allowing Ukraine access to about $1.1bn (£840m) in financial assistance.
Earlier, the UK’s national spending watchdog warned that British support for Ukraine’s military “constrains” the MoD’s ability to train its own troops.
Key Points
-
Biden might lift ban on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons
-
Russia claims, without evidence, to have taken more territory in eastern Ukraine
-
Ukraine summons Iranian diplomat over missile transfer to Russia
-
Lammy announces joint visit to Ukraine with Antony Blinken
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
Sanctions against Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia are a positive step.
We also need authorization to use Western weapons against military targets on Russian territory, the provision of longer-range missiles, and the enhancement of our air defense systems.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) September 10, 2024
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
Russian channels are saying Ukraine conducted another large-scale UAV attack on Russia tonight, including in Moscow, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Tula, Belgorod, Voronezh, and Oryol, and Lipetsk oblasts. The Russian MoD claims 144 UAVs were destroyed.https://t.co/ptvVcaloVU… pic.twitter.com/NyLvr1i5qs
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) September 10, 2024
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.
