Italy's Meloni pledges unwavering support for Ukraine after Zelensky talks
Italy's Giorgia Meloni said her country would not waver in its support for Kyiv after holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a business forum on Saturday. Zelensky earlier rejected calls for a ceasefire voiced by Hungary's Kremlin-friendly Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was also attending the summit in northern Italy. Read our live blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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Summary:
The heads of the US CIA and Britain's spy service said in an op-ed on Saturday that "staying the course" in backing Ukraine's fight against Russia was more important than ever and they vowed to further their cooperation there and on other challenges.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that 67 drones were launched over the country overnight from Friday to Saturday, with air defences active in 11 regions across the country, including in the capital Kyiv. Fifty-eight drones were shot down, with three more destroyed by electronic weapons systems, it said.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a forum in Italy on Saturday and pressed Western allies to provide more weapons in his country's fight against Russia. Meloni reaffirmed her country's "determined" support for Kyiv.
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Five killed by Russian attacks in east Ukraine
Russian shelling has killed five people in Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, local officials say.
Three people were killed and four injured in the town of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin said, while two men in their 50s were reported killed in shellingnear the town of Toretsk about 20 km (12 miles) to the southeast.
Filashkin said in a post on the Telegram social media channel that three men aged between 24 and 69 were killed and a multi-storey block, administrative building and shop were damaged in the attack on Kostyantynivka.
Three others were lightly wounded and received medical treatment, he said.
US believes Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia
The United States has informed allies that it believes Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, AP has reported citing two people familiar with the matter.
The sources did not offer any details about how many weapons have been delivered or when the transfers may have occurred, but they confirmed the US intelligence finding.
The White House declined to confirm the weapons transfer but reiterated its concern that Iran is deepening its support of Russia. The White House has been warning Iran for months not to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia.
"Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and lead to the killing of more Ukrainian civilians," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.
Ukraine mourns dozens killed in Russian strike on Poltava
Funeral services have been held in the eastern Ukrainian city of Poltava for victims of a Russian missile attack on a military training facility that left over 50 dead and more than 300 injured.
Hundreds of mourners, including grieving families, local residents, and officials, gathered at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the city, some 350 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Kyiv, for the solemn ceremony.
A mother cries near the coffin of her son killed in the Russian attack on Poltava. Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka, AP
Sobbing relatives, many holding red carnations, stood over caskets placed outside the church, draped in yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flags. An air raid siren sounded during the service.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to respond to the missile strike, one of the deadliest since the start of the war, and to increase domestic military production by creating underground weapons factories.
Relatives cry over the coffin of a Ukrainian serviceman. Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka, AP
Russia advances on town southwest of Donetsk city (UK intelligence)
Russian forces have made "increased tactical gains" around the town of Vuhledar, described as a "lynchpin against Russian advances" in southern Donetsk region, Britain's military intelligence has said in its latest update on the war in Ukraine.
Moscow's troops have made advances "to the east and west of Vuhledar", taking control of the nearby village of Prechistyvka and contesting Vodiane, according to the intelligence report.
Meloni says Italy will not waver in decision to support Ukraine
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said her country will never waver in its support for Ukraine, and that the current stalemate in the war shows that the Western response to Russia's invasion of its neighbour was the right one.
"I believe China and India have a role to play to resolve the conflict. The only thing that cannot happen is to think that the conflict can be solved by abandoning Ukraine," Meloni said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of a conference.
"The choice of supporting Ukraine has been first and foremost a choice of national interest, and it's a choice that won't change," Meloni told the annual TEHA business forum in northern Italy.
UK spy chief says 'too early' to say how long Ukraine can hang on in Kursk
The head of Britain's MI6 foreign spy agency Richard Moore said on Saturday that it was
"too early" to say how long Ukrainian forces would be able to hang on in Kursk, the part of Russia where they now occupy some land.
CIA Director William Burns, speaking at an FT event which Moore also attended in London, called Ukraine's Kursk offensive in Russia "a significant tactical achievement".
Ukraine expresses concern over reports of possible Iranian missile transfer to Russia
Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Saturday it was deeply concerned by media reports about a
possible impending transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.
In a statement emailed to reporters, the ministry said the deepening military co-operation between Tehran and Moscow was a threat to Ukraine, Europe and the Middle East, and called on the international community to increase pressure on Tehran and Moscow.
Ukraine's Zelensky says he met Netherlands' Wilders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he met Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the leader of the largest Dutch parliamentary party, at the Ambrosetti forum in Italy.
"Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Netherlands and the entire Dutch people for their comprehensive support of Ukraine: defence, financial and humanitarian," a statement on Zelensky's website said.
The statement added that the two men discussed Ukraine's peace plan for ending the 30-month war with Russia.
Kyiv hits Russian ammo depot as Moscow advances in east
Ukraine's security services said Saturday they had struck a Russian ammunition factory in a border region, as Moscow's forces claimed yet another advance on the battlefield.
Ukraine also said it had thwarted a "massive" overnight Russian aerial attack that saw drones launched towards the capital Kyiv.
The attacks come after a week of intense Russian bombardments across Ukraine that killed at least 55 in the central city of Poltava, and seven in Lviv – hundreds of kilometres from the frontlines and close to Ukraine's western border with EU and NATO members.
Russia says army seized new village in eastern Ukraine
Russia said on Saturday it had seized another village in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's troops are continuing to advance.
The defence ministry said Russian forces "have liberated the village of Kalynove" in the Donetsk region and near the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk held by Kyiv's forces.
Zelensky says he and Meloni discussed peace plan, reconstruction
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed his peace plan to end the war with Russia and reconstruction with a focus on Ukraine's energy system in a meeting with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he said in a post on social media platform X.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Italy.
Downed drone sparks fire in Russian region adjoining Ukraine
A fire broke out Saturday in Russia's Voronezh region bordering Ukraine after a drone was downed, triggering an explosion of incendiary devices, the local governor said on Saturday.
Russian anti-air defence systems "detected and neutralised a drone" early on Saturday morning over Voronezh, Alexander Gusev wrote on Telegram.
"No-one was injured" but when the drone fell, it sparked a large fire "that spread to explosive devices and caused them to detonate", Gusev continued, without providing details.
"A decision was taken to evacuate residents of a village" to neighbouring areas because of the blaze, he said.
Ukraine destroys scores of Russian drones as it continues to face a new wave of long-range attacks
Scores of drones were shot down over Ukraine Saturday as the country continues to face increased long-range bombardment from invading Russian forces.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that 67 drones were launched over the country overnight, with air defenses active in 11 regions across the country, including in the capital, Kyiv. Fifty-eight drones were shot down, with three more destroyed by electronic weapons systems, it said.
Debris from one drone was photographed on the street outside Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Ukraine’s parliamentary press service confirmed that drone fragments had been found but said there were no casualties and no damage to the parliament building.
The bombardment follows a week of increased long-range attacks across Ukraine, including a missile strike on a Ukrainian military academy and hospital Tuesday in the city of Poltava that killed 55 people and wounded 328 more.
Ukrainian air defense intercepts a Shahed drone mid-air during a Russia aerial attack on the capital in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 7, 2024. © Evgeniy Maloletka, AP
Italy will never waver in decision to support Ukraine, PM Meloni says
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that Italy would never waver in its support for Ukraine, and that the current stalemate in the war showed that the Western response to Russia's invasion of its neighbour was the right one.
"I believe China and India have a role to play to resolve the conflict. The only thing that cannot happen is to think that the conflict can be solved by abandoning Ukraine," Meloni said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a conference.
"The choice of supporting Ukraine has been first and foremost a choice of national interest, and it's a choice that won't change," Meloni told the annual TEHA business forum in northern Italy.
Zelensky meets Meloni in Italy, presses for more arms
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, her office said, as he presses allies for more weapons in his country's fight against Russia.
The pair met in Cernobbio, northern Italy, on the margins of the European House-Ambrosetti forum, where Zelensky spoke on Friday and Meloni was due to speak on Saturday.
Italy has strongly supported Ukraine and has sent weapons to help it defend itself against Russian forces, while insisting that these must only be used on Ukrainian soil.
Before heading to Italy, Zelensky had on Friday pressed his case to allies meeting at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where Washington unveiled $250 million in new military aid for Ukraine.
He also met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who upset his European Union counterparts and Zelensky by meeting Putin in Moscow in July, is also attending the three-day Italian forum.
Drone debris found next to Ukraine's parliament building after overnight attack
Debris from a downed drone was found next to Ukraine's parliament building after an overnight Russian air attack, the country's parliament said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday.
Ukraine's air force said earlier Russia launched 67 drones in a nationwide overnight attack. Reuters correspondents in Kyiv heard a series of explosions shortly after 3am (0000GMT).
Ukraine says Russia launched 67 drones in overnight attack
Ukraine's air force said on Saturday Russia launched a total of 67 long-range drones in a mass overnight attack, 58 of which it was able to shoot down.
The air force said in a statement on the Telegram app that air defence units were scrambled into action in 11 regions across Ukraine.
Reuters correspondents in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, heard a series of explosions shortly after 3am (0000 GMT) on Saturday, some of which resounded loudly around the city centre.
UK, US spy chiefs call for 'staying the course' on Ukraine
The heads of the US CIA and Britain's spy service said in an op-ed on Saturday that "staying the course" in backing Ukraine's fight against Russia was more important than ever and they vowed to further their cooperation there and on other challenges.
The op-ed in the Financial Times by CIA Director William Burns and Richard Moore, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, was the first ever jointly authored by heads of their agencies.
"The partnership lies at the beating heart of the special relationship between our countries," they wrote, noting that their services marked 75 years of partnership two years ago.
The agencies "stand together in resisting an assertive Russia and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine," they said.
"Staying the course (in Ukraine) is more vital than ever. Putin will not succeed in extinguishing Ukraine's sovereignty and independence," they said, adding their agencies would continue aiding Ukrainian intelligence.
Ukrainians assail Russian war film at Venice fest
Ukrainian politicians and cultural figures on Friday slammed a screening of a Russian-Canadian filmmaker's war documentary as propaganda, a claim the director denied.
Anastasia Trofimova presented at the Venice Film Festival "Russians at War", in which she embedded with a Russian battalion as it advanced across eastern Ukraine after Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022.
The screening at the prestigious festival sparked outrage across Ukrainian cultural and political circles against what many consider a pro-Kremlin film that seeks to whitewash and justify Moscow's assault.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said it was "shameful" that a "propaganda film" was shown.
In a social media post, he asked why "Anastasia Trofimova, as well as some other Russian cultural figures – a country that kills Ukrainians, our children every day – can work in the civilised world at all".
Yesterday's key developments:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a visit to Germany, asked for more weapons and permission to use them to strike targets in Russia during a meeting with Kyiv's allies at the US Ramstein Air Base.
- The UK said it would provide Ukraine with 650 missile systems worth 162 million pounds ($213.13 million) to help protect the country from Russian drones and bombing.
Russian forces took control of the village of Zhuravka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Russian media cited the defence ministry as saying on Friday. Ukraine meanwhile claimed to have recaptured a part of the eastern town of New York (or Niu-York), a settlement in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, in Kyiv’s first success on this part of the front in months.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that President Joe Biden will approve an additional $250 million in security assistance for Ukraine at the opening of a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
France’s defence ministry announced that it will use a share of €1.4 billion in revenue from frozen Russian assets to finance the purchase of military equipment for Ukraine, the defence ministry announced on Friday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters)
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