Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday urged Berlin to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles during a surprise visit to Kyiv by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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4:06am: Moscow, Pyongyang not interested in US warnings on N. Korea's arms sale to Russia, says Kremlin
Russia and North Korea are not interested in statements from the United States, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian agencies on Tuesday, commenting on warnings from Washington on Pyongyang selling arms to Russia.
"As you know, while implementing our relations with our neighbours, including North Korea, the interests of our two countries are important to us, and not warnings from Washington," Russian agencies cited Peskov as saying. "It is the interests of our two countries that we will focus on."
00:54am: Ukraine's Zelensky, allies call for greater focus on war
President Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies urged Ukrainians on Monday to keep their focus squarely on the war effort 18 months into Russia's invasion, an indication that authorities in Kyiv were steeling for a long campaign.
Zelensky has long called for greater focus on the wareffort and pledged to intensify a crackdown on corruption as part of Ukraine's bid to join the European Union.
The campaign prompted the dismissal of Ukraine's defence minister last week and has also seen the detention of a business magnate who was once Zelensky's mentor on fraud charges.
"Although today is the 565th day of this war, each and every one must be focused on the defence of the state, as in the early days," Zelensky said in his nightly video message.
8:10pm: US says will not hesitate to impose new sanctions ahead of Putin and Kim summit
The transfer of arms from North Korea to Russia would be in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, the US State Department said on Monday ahead of a summit between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"We, of course, have aggressively enforced our sanctions against entities that fund Russia's war effort, and we will continue to enforce those sanctions and will not hesitate to impose new sanctions appropriately," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
6:45pm: Putin and Kim meeting will be 'full-scale visit', Kremlin says
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia and meeting with President Vladimir Putin will be a full-scale visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“It will be a full-scale visit. A formal lunch is also planned,” Peskov said. Video of his remarks were posted to social media by a Russian television journalist.
5:44pm: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Russia targeted civilian cargo ship on August 24
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday that the Russian military had targeted a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with “multiple missiles” on August 24, citing declassified intelligence.
“Thanks to declassified intelligence, we know the Russian military targeted a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with multiple missiles on the 24th of August,” Sunak told parliament.
5:25pm: Amid reported Kim trip, US urges North Korea to not sell arms to Russia
With North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly on a trip to Russia, the White House on Monday urged North Korea not to sell arms to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.
“As we have warned publicly, arms discussions between Russia and the DPRK are expected to continue during Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia. We urge the DPRK to abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
3:43pm: Ukraine says Germany 'wasting time' on missile decision
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday urged Berlin to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles during a surprise visit to Kyiv by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
She promised unwavering support and praised Ukraine's progress towards EU membership, but Kuleba said Germany should speed up a decision on missile deliveries.
"I don't understand why we're wasting time," Kuleba told a press conference with Baerbock.
"And we could have achieved more, and saved more lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians if we already had Taurus," he added.
3:33pm: Russia’s election commission says the ruling party wins the most votes in occupied Ukrainian regions
Russia’s Central Election Commission said Monday that the country’s ruling party won the most votes in elections held in occupied Ukrainian regions, as Kyiv and the West denounced the ballots as a sham.
The votes were held as Russian authorities attempt to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.
2:45pm: Ukraine says Russia may soon launch big mobilisation drive
Ukraine's military said on Monday Russia could launch a big mobilisation campaign soon to try to recruit hundreds of thousands of soldiers from inside Russia and occupied Ukraine.
The Ukrainian General Staff provided no evidence in a statement to support its assertion. Russian officials have said there are no current plans for a new wave of mobilisation and that Moscow is focused on recruiting professional soldiers.
2:08pm: Germany to provide Ukraine additional €20 million in aid, says German FM
Germany will provide an additional €20 million euros ($21.44 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday during a visit to Kyiv.
The additional aid will bring Germany's total to €380 million this year, the minister said.
Baerbock also warned that Russia would again target Ukraine's energy facilities this autumn and winter: "Russia's perfidious goal is to starve the people again this winter and to let them freeze to death."
1:59pm: Ukraine needs more air defences to protect ports, says Ukrainian FM
Ukraine's foreign minister said he discussed air defence supplies with his German counterpart in Kyiv on Monday and that Ukraine needed more systems to protect its ports from Russian air strikes to ensure grain could be exported.
Dmytro Kuleba also urged Berlin to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine as soon as possible.
1:45pm: North Korea's Kim to visit Russia for talks with Putin
Moscow and Pyongyang have confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Russia in a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
A brief statement on the Kremlin’s website said Kim’s visit is at Putin's invitation and would take place “in the coming days”. The visit also was reported by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, which said the leaders would meet – without specifying when and where.
According to US officials, Putin could focus on securing more supplies of North Korean artillery and other ammunition to refill declining reserves as he seeks to defuse Ukraine's counteroffensive and show that he's capable of grinding out a long war of attrition.
North Korea has possibly tens of millions of artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could potentially give a huge boost to the Russian army, analysts say.
11:35am: Ukraine says it has retaken offshore drilling platforms near Crimea
Ukrainian forces have regained control of several offshore drilling platforms close to Crimea, Ukraine's military intelligence agency has claimed in a social media post.
The agency said on the Telegram messaging app that Kyiv's forces had retaken the drilling platforms known as the "Boiko Towers" in a "unique operation".
It said the platforms had been occupied since 2015 by Russia, which seized and annexed Crimea in 2014, and had been used by Moscow for military purposes since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion last year.
11:05am: Ukraine's place is in the EU, says German FM on Kyiv visit
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has stressed that Ukraine's place is in the European Union during her visit to Kyiv, her fourth since the start of the war.
Ukraine can "rely on us and on our understanding of EU enlargement as a necessary geopolitical consequence of Russia's war", Baerbock said upon arrival, according to a statement.
Ukraine already has candidate status, said Baerbock. "And now we are preparing to take a decision on opening EU accession talks," she added, praising Ukraine's recent judicial reform and media legislation.
9:55am: Brazil's Lula backtracks on Putin's safety at Rio G20
Brazil's leader has withdrawn his personal assurance that Russia President Vladimir Putin would not be arrested if he attends next year's G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, saying it would be up to the judiciary to decide.
Putin missed this year's gathering in the Indian capital New Delhi, avoiding possible political opprobrium and any risk of criminal detention under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
Brazil is an ICC member but President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva raised eyebrows at the weekend when he told Indian news network Firstpost: "If I'm the president of Brazil and if he comes to Brazil, there's no way that he will be arrested."
He changed tack on Monday, telling reporters: "I don't know if Brazil's justice will detain him. It's the judiciary that decides, it's not the government."
8:50am: Ukraine claims more territorial gains in east and south
Ukraine says its troops have regained more territory on the eastern and southern fronts in its military counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Kyiv's forces had retaken close to 2 square km (0.77 square mile) of land in the past week around the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May after months of gruelling fighting.
Maliar told Ukrainian television that Ukrainian forces captured part of the village of Opytne south of the city of Avdiivka and had "partial success" near the village of Novomaiorske in the eastern Donetsk region.
She also reported "some success" near Andriivka and Klishchiivka, a village on heights south of Bakhmut seen as critical to securing control of the city.
The claims could not be independently verified.
8:05am: Ukraine can 'count on us', says German minister on Kyiv visit
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has made a surprise visit to Kyiv, her fourth since the start of the war, promising unwavering support for Ukraine and praising its progress on the path towards EU membership.
"With enormous courage and determination, Ukraine is also defending the freedom of all of us," Baerbock said in a statement released by the foreign ministry upon her arrival. And Ukraine can "count on us" in return, she added.
"We will not let up in our efforts to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia's aggression: economically, militarily, and in the humanitarian" sphere, Baerbock said.
3:35am: Russia says two Ukrainian drones downed over Belgorod
Russia says it destroyed two Ukrainian drones close to the border in the Belgorod region overnight.
The Ministry of Defence said the incident involved two unmanned aerial vehicles and took place around 1:20 am local time (2220 GMT Sunday).
"Air defence systems on duty destroyed two UAVs over the territory of Belgorod region," the ministry posted on Telegram. No casualties were reported.
Key developments from Sunday, September 10:
Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv early on Sunday, with blasts ringing out across the Ukrainian capital and its region for almost two hours and drone debris falling on several of the city's central districts.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities accused Russian forces of killing two aid workers, one Canadian and one Spanish, in eastern Ukraine, calling their deaths near the war-battered city of Bakhmut "a painful, irreparable loss".
Read yesterday’s blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
