Ukraine-Russia war live: US hits back as Zelensky accuses West of ‘dragging out’ long-range weapons delivery
Zelensky defends Vuhledar retreat and says it was done to save ‘citizens of Ukraine’
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
The US has hit back after Volodymyr Zelensky said Western partners are “dragging out” a decision over Kyiv’s request to strike Russia with its long-range weapons.
“We need sufficient quantity and quality of weapons, including long-range weapons, that, in my opinion, our partners are already dragging out,” Mr Zelensky said alongside new Nato chief Mark Rutte yesterday. “We will continue to convince our partners of the need to shoot down Russian missiles and drones,” he said.
The Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh reacted to Mr Zelensky’s remarks. “We have a limited supply of long-range missiles” and “we are not dragging it out,” she said.
On the war frontline, the Ukrainian military chief said he has ordered defences to be strengthened in the eastern Donetsk region after pulling out of Vuhledar. Ukraine’s armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said he was working on “one of the hottest front sectors” with the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade.
Mr Zelensky acknowledged the loss of Vuhledar, saying moving troops out and preserving lives was the critical issue.
Russia launches major drone attack on Ukraine – as new Nato chief visits Kyiv
Vladimir Putin wants to wipe us off the map, Ukraine’s top tennis player warns
Trump-endorsed candidate slams Republican nominee for refusing to back Ukraine
Ukraine’s troops pull back from key eastern town as Putin’s forces advance
White House slaps down House Republicans for ‘political stunt’ over Zelensky visit
Ukraine scales up defence in east after leaving Vuhledar
Ukraine’s armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had ordered defences to be strengthened in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after Kyiv announced it had withdrawn its forces from the town of Vuhledar.
President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the loss of Vuhledar, saying moving troops out and preserving lives was the critical issue.
General Syrskyi said he was working on “one of the hottest front sectors” with the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade. He gave no details on the location but the brigade operates in the Pokrovsk front, an area of intensified Russian assaults.
“While working in the brigade, I made a number of decisions aimed at strengthening stability and effectiveness of our defence,” Syrskyi said.
Watch: Putin wants to erase Ukraine by stealing our children, Ukrainian tennis pro Svitolina warns
Russia fires major drone attack as new Nato chief visits Kyiv
Russian forces have launched a major drone attack on 15 Ukrainian regions, causing damage to energy infrastructure, residential buildings and schools.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 78 out of 105 Russian drones during the assault, but the aerial attacks damaged power lines and substations’ equipment in the Kyiv, Odesa and Ivano-Frankivsk regions in the past day.
The attacks caused temporary disruption of railway services in the southern Odesa region as well as power cuts in households, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.
Authorities said they had downed around 15 drones over Kyiv and the surrounding area during an air alert that lasted for more than five hours. The regions of Poltava, Cherkasy and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine reported minor damage to property.
Russia launches major drone attack on Ukraine – as new Nato chief visits Kyiv
Ukraine’s military also says it struck Russian radar station with US-provided ballistic missiles
Nato’s new chief Mark Rutte makes Ukraine support a top priority
Former Dutch PM takes over as Nato chief
The former Dutch PM also says he will work with whoever wins the US election
Pictured: Nato Secretary General speaks during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky
Drones attack Russian airfield in Voronezh region, Ukraine source says
Ukrainian drones attacked the “Borisoglebsk” military airfield and warehouses for fuel and guided bombs in Russia’s Voronezh region overnight, a Ukrainian security source told Reuters on Thursday.
The security source said Ukraine‘s SBU security service was continuing actions to reduce the ability of Russian troops to use fighter jets with guided bombs to strike Ukrainian cities, and that attacks on Russian airfields would continue.
The drones attacked warehouses, parking lots for Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-34 jets and aviation fuel storage facilities at the Borisoglebsk airfield, the source said.
“From there, the enemy actively bombards Ukrainian territories with guided bombs,” the source said, sharing pictures and a short video clip showing fires.
Russia to try elderly American accused of being a Ukrainian mercenary in secret
The trial of a 72-year-old American man whom Russia accuses of working as a mercenary for Ukraine will take place behind closed doors and the verdict will be announced next Monday, Russian state media reported.
Stephen Hubbard is accused of signing a $1,000 per month contract with a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the city of Izyum in February 2022. He was captured by Russian forces in April that year, and faces a sentence of seven to 15 years if convicted.
The RIA news agency said the judge on Thursday accepted a prosecutor’s request to hold the proceedings in secret to ensure the safety of the participants. It was not clear why the prosecutor believed an open trial would have placed them at risk.
RIA said Hubbard himself supported the move, saying he did not want outsiders to be present. RIA reported earlier that he had pleaded guilty to the charges.
Trump’s fired military guru says he doubts the Republican nominee can broker peace between Ukraine and Russia
Trump’s fired military guru says he doubts the Republican nominee can end Ukraine war
‘I don’t really buy it’, said former White House national security adviser HR McMaster about his old boss’s vaunted peace plan
Ukraine's top commander orders defences bolstered in east after Vuhledar falls
Ukraine‘s armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had ordered defences to be strengthened in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after Kyiv forces announced they had withdrawn from the town of Vuhledar.
Russian troops are steadily inching forward in different sectors in eastern Ukraine despite Kyiv’s surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region in August that it was hoped would slow the advances.
Syrskyi said on social media he was working on “one of the hottest front sectors” with the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade.
He gave no details on the exact location but the brigade operates in the Pokrovsk front, an area of intensified Russian assaults.
“While working in the brigade, I made a number of decisions aimed at strengthening stability and effectiveness of our defence,” Syrskyi said.
Russia says confrontation with West is unparalleled in history
The current confrontation between Russia and the West over Ukraine is unparalleled in history and a mistake could lead to catastrophe, a senior Russian has diplomat said when asked about comparisons to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
The two and a half-year-old Ukraine war, the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two, has triggered a major confrontation between Russia and the West, and Russian officials say it is now entering its most dangerous phase to date.
Russian diplomats have previously invoked comparisons to the 1962 crisis when the Cold War superpowers are considered to have come closest to intentional nuclear war after Moscow secretly put missiles on Cuba.
But Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday: “What is happening has no analogues in the past.”
Mr Ryabkov, who oversees arms control and relations with North America, told reporters in Moscow that the danger of an armed clash between the nuclear powers should not be underestimated.
“We are moving through unexplored military and political territory,” he said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments