Ukraine-Russia war latest: Lammy and Blinken in Kyiv for key talks as Moscow launches Kursk counterattack
Volodymyr Zelensky, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and UK foreign secretary David Lammy are due to discuss the long-range weapon strikes policy in Kyiv today
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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.
The Ukrainian doctors forced to perform surgery without anaesthetic
Ukraine’s attack on Russia started as a triumph – but could turn into a catastrophic strategic mistake
World order under threat ‘not seen since Cold War’, say heads of MI6 and CIA
Training Ukrainian troops ‘constrains’ British army’s own training, watchdog warns
Lammy and Blinken joint visit to Kyiv amid fears over Iran-Russia missile deal
Voices: Why Xi secretly hates and fears Russia – and may be about to betray Putin
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
Both men want the democracies to fall into chaos and disarray. They see the international order led by the West as presumptuous, weak and ripe for overthrow. But behind the mutual professions of esteem lie deep fissures of history, race and power, writes China expert Michael Sheridan
Ukraine identifies Russian suspect in July attack on children’s hospital
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
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'
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
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
Wearing prosthetics, Ukraine war veterans take to the runway as fashion week returns
Ukrainian war veterans with prosthetic limbs have taken to the runway in Kyiv as the country's fashion week returned home for the first time since the Russian invasion in 2022
Zelensky’s latest reshuffle of his top team has one major aim
Zelensky’s latest cabinet reshuffle seeks to project strength before a tough winter
Despite the morale boost provided by the audacious attack into Russia’s Kursk region, airstrikes and battlefield losses in eastern Ukraine are piling the pressure on President Zelensky, writes Chris Stevenson
Military dogs receive army ranks as Poland recognizes their service in protecting human life
Military dogs receive army ranks as Poland recognizes their service in protecting human life
Polish army dogs are being bestowed with military ranks as part of a new program aimed at honoring their service in the armed forces
The Ukrainian doctors forced to perform surgery without anaesthetic
Putin’s relentless airstrikes push Ukrainian doctors to their limit
Working 22-hour shifts with shortages of basic medical equipment and anaesthesia, Ukrainian doctors tell Arpan Rai they are operating in a permanent state of crisis
Sweden appoints new foreign minister with focus on supporting Ukraine
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.
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