Closing summary
In a one-on-one meeting at the White House on Friday, Joe Biden and Keir Starmer discussed pleas from Ukraine for their support to use long-range missiles in the war against Russia. No official position was announced after the roughly 20-minute meeting, during which the US president and UK prime minister also reportedly discussed challenges in the Middle East.
The meeting came after mounting pressure from both Ukraine and Russia about intervention in the war.
“We are now in the third year of a full-scale war. After so much death, destruction and countless Russian war crimes, Putin can still afford to destroy life in Ukraine as he pleases, buy and produce missiles, bombs and artillery, and issue ultimatums to the world,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian leader, said in a post on X on Friday before the meeting. “He expects the world to fall for his madness.”
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin threatened that if the US and UK agreed to loosen restrictions on long-range strikes into Russia, it would be seen as an act of aggression signifying Nato countries were “at war”.
“This will mean that Nato countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin told Russian reporters on Thursday. “And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”
More on these discussions – and the decisions the countries come to – are expected in the coming weeks as leaders reconvene at the United Nations general assembly later this month.
This wraps our live coverage for today. You can continue to read our expert analysis and key updates here.
Thanks for tuning in with us as we gather the latest updates! Have a good night.
Updated
Keir Starmer has left the White House after his discussions with Joe Biden, telling reporters gathered outside that the “long and productive discussion,” focused on Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, according to the BBC.
He did not disclose whether the two leaders agreed to support the use of long-range missiles and, though he emphasized that Ukraine has a right to defend itself, he said Putin will have to end the war.
Politico reports that no final decision was made on the use of Storm Shadow missiles, which action Putin threatened would be taken as an escalation and as Nato involvement in the war. Starmer said the issue will be taken up again at the United Nations general assembly at the end of September.
“We’ll obviously pick up again in UNGA in just a few days time with a wider group of individuals,” he told reporters.
Updated
Interim summary
Here is where things currently stand:
Keir Starmer arrived at the White House on Friday to meet with Joe Biden. The two leaders are expected to discuss the possibility of expanding Ukraine’s long-range missile capabilities.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with American actor Michael Douglas and his son Dylan in Kyiv amid Ukraine’s ongoing war against Russia. In a post on X, Zelenskiy said they, alongside Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, discussed “the situation in our country, cooperation with partners, support for Ukraine, and the fourth Summit of Ladies and Gentlemen”.
David Petraeus, the former CIA director, said Vladimir Putin is bluffing over his red line on long-range missiles and that there’s nothing more “conventionally that he can actually do that he’s not already doing”. Petraeus, speaking to the BBC, said the potential lifting of restrictions over the use of long-range weapons inside Russia was “long overdue” and “it’s never too little too late”.
Antony Blinken said the US is imposing new sanctions on Russia over its role to “undermine democracies”. The US secretary of state said: “The actions we’re exposing today and the actions we exposed last week do not incorporate the full scope of Russia’s efforts to undermine democracies. Far from it.”
European policy leaders are downplaying Vladimir Putin’s war threats over Ukraine’s potential allowance to expand its long-range missile usage. “It is necessary to take all events in Ukraine and on the Ukrainian-Russian front very seriously, but I would not attach excessive importance to the latest statements from president Putin,” said the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk. “They rather show the difficult situation the Russians have on the front,” he added.
Boris Johnson met with Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Friday and renewed calls for Britain to allow the country to use Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia. “It is vital that Ukraine should be able to defend itself properly by stopping the appalling Russian attacks with glide bombs and now Iranian missiles,” the former UK prime minister said following the meeting.
Germany’s chancellor has said he will not send long-range missiles to Ukraine, despite Ukraine’s insistence on the weapons. At a press conference on Friday, as reported by Agence France-Presse, Olaf Scholz said: “Germany has made a clear decision about what we will do and what we will not do. This decision will not change.”
In contrast with Germany, Canada said on Friday that it fully supports Ukraine’s use of long-range weaponry in its war against Russia. Speaking to reporters, Justin Trudeau said that his country supports Ukraine’s use of the weapons to “prevent and interdict Russia’s continued ability to degrade Ukrainian civilian infrastructure”, Reuters reports.
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In his opening remarks before his meeting with the UK prime minister Keir Starmer, Joe Biden said:
“First, Ukraine, I want to thank you for the UK leadership on this front. The United States is committed to standing with you to help Ukraine as it defends against Russia’s onslaught of aggression. It’s clear that Putin will not prevail in this war. The people of Ukraine will prevail.”
In response, Starmer said:
“Thank you for the invitation to be back here just two months after our last meeting here, and it’s really important to us great allies, that special relationship have this time to talk about the global issues you have just identified, starting, of course, with Ukraine, where I think the next few weeks and months could be crucial, very, very important, that we support Ukraine in this vital war of freedom.”
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Joe Biden: 'I don't think much about Vladimir Putin' over Russian president's threat of war
In response to a question on what he thinks about Vladimir Putin’s comment on a “war with Russia” over the possibility of Ukraine’s expanded long-range missile capacity, Joe Biden said:
I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.
Updated
Starmer arrives at White House to speak with Biden
Keir Starmer has arrived at the White House before his meeting with Joe Biden. The UK prime minister and the US president are expected to discuss the possibility of expanding Ukraine’s long-range missile capabilities.
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with American actor Michael Douglas and his son Dylan in Kyiv amid Ukraine’s ongoing war against Russia.
In a post on X, Zelenskiy said they, alongside Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, discussed “the situation in our country, cooperation with partners, support for Ukraine, and the fourth Summit of Ladies and Gentlemen”.
Speaking to Zelenskiy, Douglas called him an “inspiration” and a “great reminder for our country about what democracy means”.
I had a meeting with American actor, producer, and UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas and his son Dylan.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 13, 2024
We discussed the situation in our country, cooperation with partners, support for Ukraine, and the fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.
We greatly appreciate that… pic.twitter.com/QcKGQcvX8u
Updated
David Petraeus, the former CIA director, said Vladimir Putin is bluffing over his red line on long-range missiles and that there’s nothing more “conventionally that he can actually do that he’s not already doing”.
Petraeus, speaking to the BBC, said the potential lifting of restrictions over the use of long-range weapons inside Russia was “long overdue” and “it’s never too little too late”.
He said he believed the Russian president was bluffing, adding that the Russian leader “has established innumerable red lines before. The Ukrainians and/or western countries have crossed just about all of them.
He’s even rattled the nuclear sabre so much so that his own biggest ally and partner China, President Xi, said don’t even think about that. As did [Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister], an important customer in India for Russian crude oil and so forth. So no, I don’t think there’s anything more conventionally that he can actually do that he’s not already doing.
Updated
Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said the government has approved the 2025 draft budget, which has a strong focus on defence spending.
The budget, which will be submitted to parliament, provides for 2tn hryvnias ($48.2bn)in revenues and 3.6tn hryvnias in expenditures, according to Reuters. It also includes a provision of 2.22tn hryvnias ($53.5bn) for defence.
Shmyhal said preparations in drafting the budget – the third since the start of Russia’s invasion – had been completed “despite all the challenges and uncertainty”. He added:
The priority for this budget is very clear – the country’s defence and security.
There would be “more money for Ukrainian weapons, equipment, drones”, he said.
Updated
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will send staff to Moscow next week to review the Russian economy for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, in a move that has prompted anger and dismay across European capitals.
Officials of the Washington-based organisation will travel to the Russian capital and meet “stakeholders” before publishing an assessment of the economy and providing recommendations about how the Kremlin might improve its economic handling and tackle issues such as the climate crisis.
After Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the IMF stopped its annual consultations with Russia. The organization said it was a “mutual obligation” to carry out an article IV review of a member country and that the process was only suspended because of the volatility of economic data. The situation in Russia was now “more settled”.
On Friday, nine European countries protested against the IMF’s plans, saying it would damage the reputation of the Washington-based fund to resume dialogue with a country that had invaded another.
“We would like to express our strong dissatisfaction with such IMF plans,” the finance ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Poland said in a letter to the IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, seen by Reuters.
Updated
Drone operators and a volunteer medic have given the Guardian an inside look at their efforts to evacuate casualties on the frontlines of the Ukrainian incursion.
The Guardian’s Shaun Walker reports:
Deep into one recent night, at a Ukrainian mobile drone command point hidden amid the fields and forests close to the border with Russia, the largest of six screens flashed with images of the wiggling course of the River Seym, deep inside Russia on the other side of the border. Straddling the river, a thin band was visible, rendered in white by the night vision imaging: a pontoon bridge.
Inside the command point, Anna, Pavlo and Ivan watched the display intently. “Move in closer,” murmured Ivan, the team’s 48-year-old commander. Pavlo pushed a button and the camera zoomed in. “Yesterday, we destroyed this crossing, but they’ve repaired it again, probably in the last few hours,” he said, picking up his phone to send the information to an encrypted group chat of Ukrainian commanders in the area.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
In response to a question on Vladimir Putin’s statement on potential “war with Russia” over Ukraine’s long-range missile capacities, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said on Friday:
I’m not going to get into hypotheticals. I’m not going to get into internal policy deliberations from here. I will say what you’ve heard from my [National Security Council] colleagues at this podium, you’ve heard from this president: this war can end today if Mr Putin will end the war that he started. It is his aggression. It is his war that he started. He can end it. He could end it. I’m going to leave it there.
She added:
We are going to do everything that we can so that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself. That is our commitment. I think you have seen this, a very much focused, a tremendous amount of support from this administration and also from our partners and allies in doing just that. And that’s what you could expect to see.
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked Finland for its provision of another defense package in its war against Russia.
In a statement on X, the Ukrainian president wrote:
I am grateful to @alexstubb and @FinGovernment for Finland’s decision to provide Ukraine with another defense package, valued at 118 million euros. This brings the total value of Finland’s military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion to 2.3 billion euros.
Zelenskiy added:
This support is not just about defending Ukraine – it’s about protecting the people of all Europe and strengthening our entire continent. The security of Europe’s eastern flank can only be ensured through our continued unity and cooperation.
I am grateful to @alexstubb and @FinGovernment for Finland’s decision to provide Ukraine with another defense package, valued at 118 million euros.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 13, 2024
This brings the total value of Finland’s military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion to 2.3 billion euros.
We…
Updated
US imposes new sanctions on Russia over attempts to 'subvert and polarize free and open societies'
Antony Blinken said the US is imposing new sanctions on Russia over its role to ‘undermine democracies’.
The US secretary of state said:
Today, we’re imposing sanctions on three entities and two individuals for Russia’s covert global influence operations, including interference in Moldova’s democracy and its upcoming elections.
The actions we’re exposing today and the actions we exposed last week do not incorporate the full scope of Russia’s efforts to undermine democracies. Far from it.
Russia’s weaponization of disinformation to subvert and polarize free and open societies extends to every part of the world. In response, today, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada are launching a joint diplomatic campaign to rally allies and partners around the world to join us in addressing the threat posed by RT and other machinery of Russian disinformation and covert influence.”
Updated
Antony Blinken is now delivering remarks about the influence of Russian state-owned outlets including RT.
The US secretary of state said:
One of its projects is a large, online crowdfunding program in Russia, operating within RT and through social media channels to provide support and military equipment, supplies, weaponry to Russian military units in Ukraine. This includes sniper rifles, suppressors, body armor, night vision equipment, drones, radio equipment, personal weapon sites, diesel generators. While the crowdfunding campaign is out in the open, what’s hidden is that this program is administered by the leaders of RT.”
Updated
European policy leaders are downplaying Vladimir Putin’s war threats over Ukraine’s potential allowance to expand its long-range missile usage.
The Guardian’s Lili Bayer reports:
“It is necessary to take all events in Ukraine and on the Ukrainian-Russian front very seriously, but I would not attach excessive importance to the latest statements from president Putin,” said the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk. “They rather show the difficult situation the Russians have on the front,” he added.
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, also responded to Putin’s threats, telling reporters: “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away. Ukraine has the right to self-defence.”
Starmer, who will meet the US president, Joe Biden, in Washington on Friday, said the UK had provided ‘training and capability’ to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion and he was visiting Biden partly because ‘there are obviously further discussions to be had about the nature of that capability’.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
Boris Johnson met with Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Friday and renewed calls for Britain to allow the country to use Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia.
“It is vital that Ukraine should be able to defend itself properly by stopping the appalling Russian attacks with glide bombs and now Iranian missiles,” the former UK prime minister said following the meeting.
“It is obvious that they should be able to use Storm Shadow, Scalp and ATACMS as fast as possible against targets in Russia itself. Every day that goes by means more pointless and tragic loss of Ukrainian lives.”
Updated
US officials criticize Putin's remarks on potential 'war with Russia'
US officials and lawmakers have shot back at Vladimir Putin after the Russian leader said that Nato’s potential lifting of restrictions on Ukraine to launch long-range strikes into Russia would mean Nato countries were “at war” with Russia.
“This will mean that Nato countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin told Russian reporters on Thursday. “And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”
The remarks provoked an angry response in Washington, where officials accused Putin of sabre-rattling in order to scare Nato countries away from supporting Ukraine.
Senator Jim Risch, ranking member of the Senate foreign relations committee, told the Guardian that Ukraine should have authorisation to strike targets deep inside Russia, including active Russian bombers launching missiles against Ukrainian cities.
“Putin’s latest threats about direct confrontation with Nato are simply an effort to coerce the west out of supporting Ukraine,” Risch said. “He knows that long-range strikes from Ukraine would cause significant damage to his war effort. Several Russian missiles have landed in Nato territory and Nato has not escalated.”
“Ukraine must be allowed to defend itself, period,” he continued. “If that means striking a Russian bomber launching missiles at Ukrainian civilians from Russian airspace, then Ukraine should be able to take that shot.”
Speaking with reporters on Friday, John Kirby said that there would likely be no announcements about the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of British- and French-supplied missiles in Ukraine.
But at the same time, the US national security council spokesperson said, the US and its Nato allies have “our own calculus for what we decide to provide to Ukraine”.
“I never said that we don’t take Mr Putin’s threats seriously,” Kirby said. “He starts brandishing the nuclear sword, for instance, yeah, we take that seriously. We constantly monitor that. He obviously has proven capable of aggression. He’s obviously proven capable of escalation … But it is not something that we haven’t heard before. So we take note of it. We got it.”
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Canada backs Ukraine's use of long-range weapons in war against Russia
In contrast with Germany, Canada said on Friday that it fully supports Ukraine’s use of long-range weaponry in its war against Russia.
Speaking to reporters, Justin Trudeau said that his country supports Ukraine’s use of the weapons to “prevent and interdict Russia’s continued ability to degrade Ukrainian civilian infrastructure”, Reuters reports.
The Canadian prime minister added that Vladimir Putin is trying to destabilize international order, saying: “That’s why Canada and others are unequivocal that Ukraine must win this war against Russia.”
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Germany won't support sending long-range missiles to Ukraine
Germany’s chancellor has said he will not send long-range missiles to Ukraine, despite Ukraine’s insistence on the weapons.
At a press conference on Friday, as reported by Agence France-Presse, Olaf Scholz said:
Germany has made a clear decision about what we will do and what we will not do. This decision will not change.
Scholz’s remarks come amid an meeting between Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, and Joe Biden, the US president, over the possibility of allowing Ukraine to expand its strike capacity into Russia.
Germany has repeatedly refused to send Ukraine its own long-range Taurus missiles.
Earlier today, Scholz’s spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said that “the weapons the US and Britain are now discussing” have a longer range than anything Germany had supplied. Meanwhile, Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, said that what the US and Britain agree “remains their business”.
Updated
In a post on X on Friday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his gratitude to the US for its military and financial support to Ukraine, adding that his country nevertheless needs “permission to use long-range weapons”.
Zelenskiy went on to say: “I hope the relevant decision will be made.”
Meeting with Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State from 2018 to 2021.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 13, 2024
We are grateful to the United States for its military and financial support to Ukraine. Due to this support, and assistance in strengthening the international coalition, we are making progress on the… pic.twitter.com/sK991IXyuf
Zelenskiy’s post comes before a meeting between Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, and Joe Biden, the US president, who are expected to discuss the possibility of Ukraine using Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes into Russia.
Updated
The European Commission has presented three new ways to EU ambassadors to renew sanctions on Russia’s central bank assets, Reuters reports.
In June, G7 leaders and the EU agreed to use the interest on frozen Russian assets to support the G7 loan to Ukraine as part of its self-defense against Russia.
According to Reuters, the assets held by the G7 are valued at around $300bn and, that in order to secure the loan, the G7 wants to ensure that the sanctions on the assets are not lifted.
Speaking to Reuters, one diplomat said: “Possible options were presented this morning ... already discussed with the US.”
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN security council on Friday that if western countries allow Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes in Russia then Nato countries would be “conducting direct war with Russia”. “The facts are that Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power, I think you shouldn’t forget about this and think about the consequences,” Nebenzia told the 15-member council
The comments echo words from Russian president Vladimir Putin who on Thursday said any western decision to let Kyiv use such longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean Nato would be “at war” with Moscow. On Friday Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had delivered a clear message to the west about the consequences of allowing Ukraine to hit Russian territory, and that there was no doubt that Putin’s message had reached those it was intended for
The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer is in Washington to meet with US president Joe Biden later today, in which it is expected they will agree that Ukraine can use British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets inside the Russian Federation
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been meeting foreign ministers from Poland and Lithuania in Kyiv today, and said they discussed “the need to use long-range weapons against military targets on the territory of the aggressor state”
The UK government has said that claims made by Russia’s security services about six members of British diplomatic staff it has expelled from Russia are “baseless”. The FSB security agency said on Friday it had taken the measure after uncovering documents showing that part of the Foreign Office was helping coordinate what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” in Ukraine. Russian media has named and published photographs of the six British members of diplomatic staff who were expelled
Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal case against the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Maj Gen Dmitry Krasilnikov over the incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Zelenskiy said today that the Kursk offensive had “slowed” Russia’s advance in east Ukraine
49 captured Ukrainian service personnel and civilians have been returned from captivity by Russia. Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights, said “the state of health of the prisoners is very serious”
Nato said on Friday it strongly condemned a Russian missile strike on a civilian grain ship in the Black Sea on Thursday
The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region has claimed that air defences there have shot down seven Ukrainian drones in a day
Several people have been killed and injured by Russian strikes in Odesa, Sumy and Kherson
Rights campaigners say that as many 3,000 Ukrainian refugees living in Hungary have been affected by a new Hungarian decree that cancels state-funded shelters for refugees from western Ukraine
Russia to UN on long-range missile use: 'Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power'
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN security council on Friday that if western countries allow Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes in Russia then Nato countries would be “conducting direct war with Russia.”
“The facts are that Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power, I think you shouldn’t forget about this and think about the consequences,” Nebenzia told the 15-member council.
The comments echo words from Russian president Vladimir Putin who on Thursday said any western decision to let Kyiv use such longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean Nato would be “at war” with Moscow – a dramatic escalation of his rhetoric about the war which began with the Russian invasion in February 2022.
“This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict,” the Russian president told a state television reporter. “It would mean that Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia. He added that Russia would take “appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face” as a result.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Putin had delivered a clear message to the west about the consequences of allowing Ukraine to hit Russian territory, and that there was no doubt that Putin’s message had reached those it was intended for.
The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer is in Washington to meet with US president Joe Biden later today, in which it is expected they will agree that Ukraine can use British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets inside the Russian Federation.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to social media about his meetings with the foreign ministers of Lithuania and Poland today.
He said:
We discussed important issues, including Russia’s ongoing terror, the need to use long-range weapons against military targets on the territory of the aggressor state, the implementation of bilateral security agreements and the peace formula, preparations for the second peace summit, and accelerating Ukraine’s accession to the EU and Nato. We are grateful to Lithuania and Poland for standing with us from the very beginning until our common victory.
Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal case against the head of Ukraine’s armed forces over the incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, state-owned new agency Tass reports in Russia.
It says that as a result of action by Maj Gen Dmitry Krasilnikov, “a significant number of civilians were killed and wounded, residential buildings, civilian infrastructure facilities, and vehicles were destroyed and damaged. In addition, civilians living in the Kursk region were forced to leave their permanent places of residence.”
The European Commission has presented to EU ambassadors three new options to extend the sanctions renewal period covering Russia’s central bank assets, crucial to secure a $50bn G7 loan for Ukraine, Reuters reports EU diplomats said on Friday.
Nato condemns Russian missile strike on civilian ship in Black Sea
Nato said on Friday it strongly condemned a Russian missile strike on a civilian grain ship in the Black Sea on Thursday.
“There is no justification for such attacks. Yesterday’s strike shows once again the reckless nature of Russia’s war,” Reuters reports Nato spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said.
Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday of using strategic bombers to strike a civilian grain vessel in Black Sea waters near Nato member Romania. It was the first time a missile has struck a civilian vessel transporting grains at sea since the start of Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.
Updated
Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s minister of foreign affairs, has been in Kyiv today meeting sneior Ukraine leaders including Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and has just posted to social media that he is not there to offer “thoughts and prayers”, instead, he says he is there “to commit to victory, as short as it takes.”
The Russian embassy in London has said in a social media post that “the investments that the UK promised to send to Ukraine, like all the previous ones, will likely go up in smoke in the Special Military Operation zone or, more probably, disappear down the bottomless pockets of the corrupt Ukrainian elites.”
Zelenskiy: Kursk offensive 'gave the results we expected'
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that the Kursk offensive “slowed” Russia’s advance in east Ukraine, AFP reported.
It gave the results we expected, to be honest. In Kharkiv region, the enemy has been stopped, the progress in Donetsk region has been slowed down, although it is very difficult there.
The Ukrainian president said there are 40,000 Russian troops fighting in the Kursk region.
Updated
Earlier my colleagues Archie Bland and Dan Sabbagh put together this explainer on the issue of deploying “Storm Shadow” missiles in Ukraine for use against targets inside Russia.
The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region has claimed that air defences there have shot down seven Ukrainian drones in a day.
In his most recent update, Alexander Bogomaz wrote on Telegram “An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using a UAV on the territory of the Bryansk region has been thwarted. There are no casualties or damage.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram about the latest prisoner exchange with Russia. Ukraine’s president said:
Another return of our people, for which we always wait and work for. 49 Ukrainian men and women at home. These are soldiers of the armed forces of Ukraine, the national guard, the national police, the state border service, as well as our civilians.
I thank our entire team, which ensures the release of prisoners and hostages from Russian captivity. We have to bring home all our soldiers and civilians.
49 captured Ukrainians returned by Russia – Ukraine state media
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, is reporting that 49 captured Ukrainian service personnel and civilians have been returned from captivity by Russia.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights is quoted in reports saying “the state of health of the prisoners is very serious.”
Updated
Ukrainian news sources are reporting that two people have been killed in an Russian airstrike in Yampil in Sumy region. Six others were injured, including a child.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has been giving his daily media briefing, during which Reuters reports he said president Vladimir Putin had delivered a clear message to the west about the consequences of allowing Ukraine to hit Russian territory with western long-range missiles, and that there was no doubt that Putin’s message had reached those it was intended for.
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UK: Russian spying claims about six expelled Moscow diplomats are ‘baseless’
The UK government has said that claims made by Russia’s security services about six members of British diplomatic staff it has expelled from Russia are “baseless”.
In a statement, the UK government said:
The accusations made today by the FSB against our staff are completely baseless. The Russian authorities revoked the diplomatic accreditation of six UK diplomats in Russia last month, following action taken by the UK government in response to Russian state directed activity across Europe and in the UK. We are unapologetic about protecting our national interests.
The announcement that Russia evoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow on accusations of espionage came as Keir Starmer was landing in Washington to discuss letting Ukraine use long-range missiles deep inside Russian territory.
The FSB security agency said on Friday it had taken the measure after uncovering documents showing that part of the Foreign Office was helping coordinate what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” in Ukraine.
The Guardian’s political correspondent Kiran Stacey reports:
The Guardian understands the move was made several months ago, after the Metropolitan police charged a group of British men with planning an arson attack against Ukrainian-linked businesses on behalf of the Russian state. But it was only announced in a statement on Friday morning.
Russian media has named and published photographs of the six British members of diplomatic staff.
Ashifa Kassam is the Guardian’s European community affairs correspondent
Rights campaigners say that as many 3,000 Ukrainian refugees living in Hungary have been affected by a new Hungarian decree that cancels state-funded shelters for refugees from western Ukraine.
The government issued the new decree in June, limiting state-funded housing to Ukrainian refugees that hail from areas it deems as war-torn. The decree entered into force late last month, essentially declaring swathes of Ukraine safe to return to.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which works closely with affected groups, said approximately 3,000 Ukrainian refugees were affected by the new decree, leading to homelessness and the inability to access social services such as health care and education, which require a registered address in Hungary.
While the decree includes a stipulation that the government will review the situation monthly, rights campaigners pointed to a Lviv attack by Russian forces in early September and noted that, one week later, the Hungarian government had not modified its stance regarding refugees from this area.
This week Human Rights Watch, arguing that the decree breaches the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive that was triggered in March 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, urged the European Commission to “take immediate action” and initiate infringement proceedings against Hungary under EU law.
Lydia Gall, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch said:
Leaving refugees fleeing a devastating war homeless not only flies in the face of Hungary’s international obligations but is also a worrying reminder of the government’s consistently inhumane and cruel policies with respect to people seeking safety in Hungary. The European Commission should press Budapest to do its duty and ensure that all Ukrainian refugees enjoy the benefits of temporary protection.
In an operational update on its official Telegram channel, Russia’s ministry of defence has claimed, without providing evidence, that Ukraine has lost over 12,000 service personnel during its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
It claims that Russia has repelled three attempts by Ukrainian forces to break through in the Kursk region in the past day. It also claims that 12 members of Ukrainian forces inside Russia surrendered.
The claims have not been independently verified.
EU threatens further sanctions on Iran over missile supply to Russia
The European Union has issued a statement saying that it “strongly condemns the recent transfer of Iranian-made ballistic missiles to Russia” and has threatened further sanctions.
It says:
This transfer is a direct threat to European security and represents a substantive material escalation from the provision of Iranian UAVs and ammunition, which Russia has used in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
The EU’s position on Iran’s involvement in Russia’s war has always been clear. The EU has repeatedly strongly cautioned Iran against transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia.
The EU will respond swiftly and in coordination with international partners, including with new and significant restrictive measures against Iran, including the designation of individuals and entities involved with Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programmes, and in this regard is considering restrictive measures in Iran’s aviation sector as well.
Earlier Reuters reported that France had summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Paris to remonstrate over the transfer of the missiles from Iran to Russia.
The Sky News security and defence editor Deborah Haynes has posted to social media to say that Whitehall sources have told her that the British government “strongly rejected a claim by Russia’s security service that the officials [expelled by Russia] had been involved in spying and sabotage.”
Haynes said the source told her that the expulsion of six British diplomats happened last month, and “is linked to a set of tit-for-tat expulsions”, suggesting it was not a direct Russian response to the British prime minister’s trip to Washington today or the threat that Ukraine will be authorised to use long-range British-supplied “Storm Shadow” missiles against targets inside Russia.
NEW: The ejection by Russia of 6 UK diplomats from Moscow happened last month & is linked to a set of tit-for-tat expulsions, a Whitehall source has said.
— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) September 13, 2024
The source strongly rejected a claim by Russia's security service that the officials had been involved in spying & sabotage
Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform is carrying news of damages and injuries overnight. In Odesa region “falling debris from enemy drones” damaged windows in 20 residential buildings and a 74-year-old man was injured. In Kherson region two civilians were injured after explosives were dropped from a Russian drone.
Russia’s ministry of defence has said that its service personnel carrying out exercises in the Barents Sea have conducted tests of firing cruise missiles, and have also participated in exercises to simulate hunting and tracking down enemy submarines. It described the exercises as a success. Russia is conducting its largest naval set of exercises since the Soviet era.
The head of Russia’s security council, Sergei Shoigu, visited North Korea on Friday and met with the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, Reuters reports, citing Interfax.
Reuters has a quick snap that France is to summon Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Paris over the country’s decision to supply further arms to Russia.
More details soon …
Tusk: Putin's comments about long-range missiles 'show the difficult situation the Russians have on the front'
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has dismissed comments by Russian president Vladimir Putin about the risk of escalation if Ukraine is allowed to use longer-range Nato-supplied weapons to strike at targets inside Russian, as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been requesting.
Reuters reports that, speaking to the media, Tusk said on Friday morning:
It is necessary to take all events in Ukraine and on the Ukrainian-Russian front very seriously, but I would not attach excessive importance to the latest statements from President Putin. They rather show the difficult situation the Russians have on the front.
The Russian president has said that lifting long-range missile restrictions on Ukraine would mean that Nato countries would be at war with Russia. Taking questions from reporters in Moscow, Putin said: “If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of Nato countries, the United States, and European countries in the war in Ukraine.”
Earlier today a key ally of Putin, the chairman of Russia’s State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, echoed those words, claiming “The US, Germany, Britain and France are discussing the possibility of strikes using long-range weapons on the territory of our country. This is nothing but an attempt to camouflage and conceal their direct participation in military action.”
The UK prime minister Keir Starmer is in Washington today to meet with US president Joe Biden, where he is expected to seek US approval for a plan to allow Ukraine to utilise the British “Storm Shadow” missile to strike targets inside Russia.
The UK government has reiterated that it sees it as “a significant escalation” that Iran has supplied Russia with more armaments. In a statement about UK prime minister’s visit to Washington today, the government said:
The prime minister has arrived in Washington to hold talks with US president Joe Biden today. In an extended meeting at the White House, the prime minister and the president will discuss a wide range of pressing international issues – including our ongoing support for Ukraine.
It follows the foreign secretary and US secretary of state’s visit to Kyiv this week, where they heard directly from President Zelenskiy about Ukraine’s current position against Russia’s ongoing barbaric invasion.
In a significant escalation, it was also confirmed this week that Iran has transferred ballistic missiles to Russia – bolstering Putin’s capability to continue his illegal war. The UK confirmed an extra £600m ($790m / €710m) of support for Ukraine yesterday, on top of the £3bn ($3.9bn / €3.6bn) a year for as long as needed confirmed by the prime minister in July.
The statement made no specific mention of discussing allowing Ukraine to use longer range weapons against targets inside Russia.
The New York Times has been suggesting overnight that US president Joe Biden will be minded to approve the use of longer-range Nato-supplied weapons launched at targets inside Russia by Ukraine. It writes:
President Biden appears on the verge of clearing the way for Ukraine to launch long-range western weapons deep inside Russian territory, as long as it doesn’t use arms provided by the US, European officials say.
Britain has already signaled that it is eager to let Ukraine use its “Storm Shadow” long-range missiles to strike at Russian military targets far from the Ukrainian border. But it wants explicit permission from Biden in order to demonstrate a coordinated strategy with the US and France, which makes a similar missile. American officials say Biden has not made a decision, but will hear from UK prime minister Keir Starmer on Friday.
Biden has hesitated to allow Ukraine to use American weapons in the same way, particularly after warnings from American intelligence agencies that Russia could respond by aiding Iran in targeting American forces in the Middle East.
Reuters reports Ukraine’s air force said on Friday it shot down 24 of 26 Russia-launched drones overnight over five Ukrainian regions. The news agency cited to a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.
Putin ally accuses Nato states of 'direct participation in military action'
The chairman of Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, on Friday accused Nato of being a direct party to military action in Ukraine, suggesting it was already heavily involved in military decision-making.
The comments were made by Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, came a day after Putin warned that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with western-made long-range missiles.
Reuters quotes Volodin, accussing Nato of helping Ukraine choose which Russian cities to target, of agreeing specific military action, and of giving Kyiv orders:
The US, Germany, Britain and France are discussing the possibility of strikes using long-range weapons on the territory of our country. This is nothing but an attempt to camouflage and conceal their direct participation in military action.
Zakharova: British diplomatic actions in Russia were 'aimed at causing harm to our people'
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said the British diplomatic mission in Russia had been engaged in activities “far beyond” the Vienna convention that were “aimed at causing harm to our people”.
Speaking to state-owned news agency Tass, she said:
We fully share the assessments of the activities of the British so-called diplomats expressed by the Russian FSB. The British embassy has gone far beyond the limits outlined by the Vienna conventions. But the most important thing is that we are not only talking about the formal side of the issue and the inconsistency with the declared activities, but about such actions aimed at causing harm to our people.
Zakharova did not produce any evidence to back up the assertion. Russia has claimed that a department in the British foreign office has been, Tass reports, “transformed into a special service for inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.”
Russia revokes accreditation of six British diplomats it accuses of spying
Russia’s FSB security service has revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow whose actions it said showed signs of spying and sabotage work.
The FSB said on Friday it had documents showing that a British Foreign Office department in London was coordinating what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” and was tasked with ensuring Russia’s strategic defeat in its war against Ukraine.
“Thus, the facts revealed give grounds to consider the activities of British diplomats sent to Moscow by the directorate as threatening the security of the Russian Federation,” the FSB said in a statement.
It added: “In this connection, on the basis of documents provided by the Federal Security Service of Russia and as a response to the numerous unfriendly steps taken by London, the ministry of foreign affairs of Russia, in cooperation with the agencies concerned, has terminated the accreditation of six members of the political department of the British embassy in Moscow in whose actions signs of spying and sabotage were found.”
The six diplomats were named on Russian state TV, which also showed photographs of them.
An FSB employee told Rossiya-24: “The English did not take our hints about the need to stop this practice [of carrying out intelligence activities inside Russia], so we decided to expel these six to begin with.”
Welcome and opening summary …
Welcome to the Guardian’s ongoing live coverage of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Here are your headlines …
Russia’s FSB security service has revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow whose actions it said showed signs of spying and sabotage work. The six diplomats were named on Russian state TV, which also showed photographs of them
Vladimir Putin has said that a western move to let Kyiv use longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean Nato would be “at war” with Moscow. Putin spoke as US and UK top diplomats discussed easing rules on firing western weapons into Russia, which Kyiv has been pressing for, more than two and a half years into Moscow’s offensive. The Russian president has frequently accused Nato of being an active participant in the war
The UK prime minister Keir Starmer has told Putin that he started the war in Ukraine and could end it at any time. Responding directly to threats by the Russian president, Starmer told reporters: “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away. Ukraine has the right to self-defence”
Ukraine’s air force said on Friday it shot down 24 of 26 Russia-launched drones overnight over five Ukrainian regions
Russia says its forces have recaptured 10 settlements after it launched a counteroffensive in the Kursk region to push out Ukrainian troops who stormed across the border five weeks ago. With fierce fighting continuing, Russia’s defence ministry listed the names of 10 settlements it said it had retaken
It is Martin Belam with you today. You can contact me on martin.belam@theguardian.com.
