Ukraine-Russia war live: Zelensky says Putin must be ‘forced into peace’ as Kharkiv stronghold liberated
Ukrainian forces recapture Russian stronghold in Kharkiv after fighting including hand-to-hand combat
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The Ukraine war will not be ended by talks alone and Russia must be “forced into peace”, Volodymyr Zelensky has told the UN Security Council.
“[Vladimir] Putin has broken so many international norms and rules that he won’t stop on his own, Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what’s needed, forcing Russia into peace, as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the UN Charter,” Mr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president, who is in the US this week lobbying for support from UN member states and American leaders, also criticised North Korea and Iran as “de facto accomplices” in Russia’s war.
Sir Keir Starmer played down the significance of Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine, suggesting it is not the “sole issue” in Zelensky’s “victory plan”.
Foreign secretary David Lammy also tore into Mr Putin and said the invasion of Ukraine serves the Russian president’s interests alone.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have recaptured a Russian stronghold in Kharkiv’s Vovchansk after intense fighting involving hand-to-hand combat in “densely built-up conditions”, military officials said.
Tens of thousands of lives will be lost if Ukraine is denied use of long-range missiles on Russia, warns Zelensky
Putin’s forces are desperate for a prize eastern city and Ukraine will fight street to street to keep them out
Ukraine accuses Russia of seeking to illegally control strategic sea as arbitration hearings open
Vladimir Putin and the ‘Petersburg set’: The secret life of Russia’s longest-serving leader
Putin’s Satan II ballistic missile ‘blows up during test launch’
Pictured: Ukranian soldiers fire an AS-90 self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops
Russia takes two more Donetsk region villages, says defence ministry
Russia’s Defence Ministry has said that its forces have taken control of the villages of Hostre and Hryhorivka in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region.
Fighting ongoing in Ukraine's Vuhledar, Russia's RIA reports
Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region, has said that fighting was ongoing in Vuhledar, a longtime Ukrainian stronghold in the region, Russian state news agency RIA reported.
Earlier it was reported Vuhledar has resisted Russian attacks since the beginning of the war in 2022, but Russian forces have now entered the town – according to Russian war bloggers and state media.
Ukraine has not confirmed this development.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had defeated Ukrainian units at a series of settlements including Vuhledar, which Russians call Ugledar, and that the Eastern Grouping of Russian forces had improved their tactical positions. It gave no further details on Vuhledar.
Zelenskyy's victory plan sets Ukraine's terms in a desperate war against Russia
Read the full report below:
Zelenskyy's victory plan sets Ukraine's terms in a desperate war against Russia
The victory plan that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present to the White House this week asks the Biden administration to do something it has not done in two and a half years of Russia's full-scale invasion: take swift action to support Kyiv's campaign
Zelensky calls for unspecified global 'action' to force Russia into peace
Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the notion of peace talks with Moscow, calling instead for unspecified global “action” to force Russia into peace.
He told the UN Security Council that Vladimir Putin is committing “an international crime” and has broken so many international rules that he won’t stop on his own.
"And that's why this war can't simply fade away. That's why this war can't be calmed by talks," Zelenskyy said at a meeting.
"Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what's needed — forcing Russia into peace as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the UN Charter."
We will listen carefully to Zelensky’s demands for Ukraine military aid, Starmer says
Ukraine’s desire to use western missiles to strike targets in Russia will not be the “sole issue” in Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Sir Keir is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where Mr Zelensky will present his plan for the next stage of the war to his allies.
The PM said: “I do think it’s going to take quite a bit of time at the UN General Assembly. And I think that’s really important, because it’s at a critical stage.
“Obviously, President Zelensky has a plan that he wants to walk through with all of us – we knew that was going to happen.
“The support for Ukraine is resolute. We supply quite a lot of capability already under the last government; we’ve increased that under this government – that’s not a criticism of the last government – and we will always listen very carefully to what Ukraine says it needs by way of capability.
“I don’t think that will be a discussion, I don’t think the victory plan will be about a sole issue like long-range missiles, it will be about a strategic, overarching route for Ukraine to find a way through this and succeed against Russian aggression.”
When pressed on Storm Shadows, he said: “We will have discussions about a whole range of issues, and we will listen carefully to what President Zelensky’s got to say, and that’s what’s going to happen in the next few days.”
Russia takes control of Ukrainsk in eastern Ukraine, state media says
Russian forces have taken control of the town of Ukrainsk in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region, state news agency TASS said, citing local Russian-installed governor Denis Pushilin.
The Independent could not verify this claim.
US and Romania to sign $920 million defence agreement amid conflict edging closer to border
The United States will sign a $920million (£687million) direct loan agreement with Romania to support its defence modernisation program, the Romanian government has said.
The deal comes as Romania seeks to boost its defence purchasing plan following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union, aims to spend 2.5 per cent of its GDP on defence.
Romania shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine and Russian drone fragments have repeatedly strayed into its territory over the past year. Some areas are also close to Ukraine's Danube River ports which are frequently targeted by Russia.
Under the loan agreement, the defence ministry will directly access $700 million, while up to $220 million will go towards state-owned ROMARM, which controls 15 companies that manufacture weapons and ammunition ranging from gunpowder to guided missiles.
ICMYI: Tens of thousands of lives will be lost if Ukraine is denied use of long-range missiles on Russia, warns Zelensky
Zelensky presses US on using Western long-range missiles on Russia
Mr Zelensky has arrived in New York to gather support from world leaders before the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly
Ukraine downs 28 drones, four missiles during Russian overnight attack
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 28 out of 32 drones and four out of eight missiles during an overnight Russian attack.
“On the night of 25 September, the Russian occupiers attacked Kharkiv oblast with an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile and three missiles of an unspecified type, Odesa oblast with four Kh-59/69 guided aviation missiles from the airspace of the Black Sea, as well as 32 strike UAVs of the type ‘Shahed’,” the air force said on Telegram.
It warned of a ballistic missile threat to Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.
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