Ukraine-Russia war latest: Top general says Kursk offensive is working as UK pledges missiles worth £162m

Ukraine names Andrii Sybiha the new foreign minister as Zelensky says he wants the government to be ‘more active’

Related: Russian fighter jet downed over eastern Ukraine as oil depot set ablaze

Ukraine’s top military commander defended Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, claiming it deterred Russia from advancing on a key area of the eastern front in Ukraine.

Col Gen Oleksandr Syrski told CNN that the offensive has been effective and the strategy was working. “Over the past six days, the enemy hasn’t advanced a single metre in the Pokrovsk direction,” he said, a month after Ukraine launched its surprise offensive.

Meanwhile, the British government has pledged to send 650 lightweight multi-role missiles worth £162m to Ukraine to protect the country from Russian drones and bombing.

“This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences,” said British defence minister John Healey as he attended the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of some 50 nations, at a US air base in Germany.

Nine new ministers have been appointed by Ukraine’s parliament in the biggest government reshuffle since the Russian invasion.

The shake-up includes new foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, who replaces Dmytro Kuleba, one of the country’s most recognisable faces to Western officials.

Oleksiy Kuleba, a former deputy head of Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, was named deputy prime minister in charge of reconstruction, regions and infrastructure.

Key Points

• UK to send 650 air defence missiles worth £162m to Ukraine
• Ukraine names new foreign minister in cabinet overhaul
• Putin claims Ukraine’s Kursk incursion has failed

[5 September 2024 01:00 · Tom Watling]

Watch: Drone rains down molten thermite on Ukrainian battlefield

[5 September 2024 00:00 · Tom Watling]

At least 51 killed in one of deadliest Russian attacks of Ukraine war

[4 September 2024 23:00 · Tom Watling]

Ukrainian defence minister Umerov visits Berlin

Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov visited Berlin today to discuss Germany’s continued support for Kyiv.

Umerov was in London yesterday and Washington last week.

Germany is the second biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.

Rustem Umerov watches soldiers of the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, parade past upon Umerov’s arrival for talks at the Defence Ministry in Berlin (Getty Images)

[4 September 2024 22:00 · Tom Watling]

White House’s Finer meets Zelensky in Kyiv on security, energy

Deputy US national security adviser Jon Finer has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv to discuss top priorities in Ukraine‘s war with Russia for the remainder of President Joe Biden’s term, US officials have said.

Finer’s discussions included a 90-minute meeting with Ukrainian military officials to discuss the state of the war and the strategy going forward, the officials told Reuters.

Russian forces are advancing in the east of Ukraine while Ukrainian troops have made a bold incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. The next months are key for Zelensky as he seeks to win more support from the West and seize back the initiative in the war with Russia, after its invasion in February 2022.

Finer got an update on how the Kursk incursion was proceeding, the officials said.

”While in Kyiv, Mr. Finer has had the opportunity to meet with President Zelensky and other key Ukrainian officials to coordinate on our strategic planning over the remainder of President Biden’s term,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett.

Finer made the trip at the behest of Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss US support for Ukraine while Biden remains in office. His term ends on 20 January.

”We have used these meetings to discuss US assistance for Ukraine’s military, economy, and energy system, among other areas, and we will use the outcomes of these meetings to advance the president’s policy to support Ukraine until they prevail in this war,” Savett said.