Closing Summary
It is slightly past 11pm in Kyiv. Here is a wrap-up of the day’s key events.
Romania has found new fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian army near its border, according to its officials. Helicopters from the Romanian air force were deployed to the eastern county of Tulcea with specialist teams where the fragments were spread over an area of “several dozen meters”, the Romanian defense ministry said. Reuters reports preliminary analyses of the first two drone fragments have shown they did not explode in Romania, a Nato member, and were not carrying explosives.
The US ambassador to Russia visited jailed US citizen Paul Whelan on Wednesday and reiterated Washington’s support to bring him back to the US, the state department said on Wednesday. Whelan, a former marine, was arrested in 2018 in Russia. In 2020, he was convicted on espionage charges and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The US state department on Wednesday said that the Biden administration “won’t hesitate” to impose additional sanctions on Russia and North Korea if they establish further new arms deals. “We have taken a number of actions already to sanction entities that brokered arms sales between North Korea and Russia and we won’t hesitate to impose additional sanctions if appropriate,” state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing.
During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, national security council spokesperson John Kirby expressed concerns over the upcoming talks between Russia and North Korea. “We continue to urge North Korea to meet its public commitments not to support Russia’s war in Ukraine … There will certainly be repercussions,” Kirby said.
An award-winning Russian journalist living in exile in Europe was hacked using Israeli spyware made by NSO Group, according to a joint investigation by the Citizen Lab and Access Now. Galina Timchenko was hacked on or around 10 February, at a time when she was based in Berlin, Germany, marking the first time that an independent Russian journalist – whose media outlet has been targeted by Moscow and declared an “undesirable organisation” – is known to have been hacked with spyware.
In a speech delivered to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said that Russia’s war in Ukraine “is the most immediate and acute threat to the international order enshrined in the UN charter and its core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence”.
A Russian-installed court in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region jailed two Ukrainian soldiers for 29 years each, Russia’s investigative committee said on Wednesday, after it accused them of killing three civilians. Moscow has repeatedly sentenced captured Ukrainian soldiers to long jail terms, in court proceedings that Kyiv does not recognise on Russian-occupied territory.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un on Wednesday discussed the possibility of sending a North Korean cosmonaut into space, the RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying. Speaking after the Russian president and North Korean leader concluded talks at the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia’s far east, Peskov also said that the foreign ministers of the two countries would meet next month in North Korea.
More than 100 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports since 18 July, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said on Wednesday. He also said Ukrainian grain exports had fallen by almost 3m tonnes a month since 18 July – one day after Russia quit the UN- backed Black Sea grain export deal.
The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said on Wednesday that his forces were maintaining “active defence” in the face of Ukraine’s counteroffensive and that Moscow had no choice but to win. Shoigu said the autumn campaign was now under way and acknowledged in comments to a reporter for Rossiya-1 state TV that the situation on the front was difficult in places.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said a major series of policy reviews will be launched to ensure the 27-nation bloc can still function properly as it invites in new members in coming years. Von der Leyen said that the EU must prepare to grow to more than 30 members, the Associated Press reports. Ukraine, Moldova and countries in the western Balkans are among those in line.
Kim Jong-un has pledged to support all of Russia’s decisions as he met Vladimir Putin during a rare trip outside North Korea. Speaking at Russia’s Vostochny cosmodrome, Kim said “Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security. We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership … and we will be together in the fight against imperialism.”
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. Here is a parting piece by the Guardian’s Andrew Roth on the significance of Wednesday’s bilateral meeting between North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Updated
Romania has found new fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian army near its border, according to its officials.
Helicopters from the Romanian air force were deployed to the eastern county of Tulcea with specialist teams where the fragments were spread over an area of “several dozen meters”, the Romanian defense ministry said, Reuters reports.
“The crew of an IAR 330 Puma helicopter of the Romanian air force ... [identified] fragments that could have come from a drone, dispersed over an area of several dozen metres,” it added.
Reuters reports preliminary analyses of the first two drone fragments have shown they did not explode in Romania, a Nato member, and were not carrying explosives.
“No one has attacked us,” Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu told reporters. “Some pieces of a drone that was hit by the Ukrainian army fell. It did not have explosives or anything damaging,” he added.
A Nato spokesperson said that Romania’s ambassador has updated its allies about the findings and that there is no indication of “any intentional attack by Russia against allied territory”.
“Nato stands in solidarity with our ally Romania,” he said.
Updated
US ambassador visits jailed US citizen Paul Whelan
The US ambassador to Russia visited jailed US citizen Paul Whelan on Wednesday and reiterated Washington’s support to bring him back to the US, the state department said on Wednesday.
Whelan, a former marine, was arrested in 2018 in Russia. In 2020, he was convicted on espionage charges and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Whelan and the US government have repeatedly denied the charges and maintained his innocence.
“We believe Paul continues to show tremendous courage in the face of his wrongful detention. Ambassador Lynne Tracy reiterated to him that president Biden and Secretary Blinken are committed to bring him home,” state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing.
Tracy has also made three visits to Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested by Russian officials in March and is currently facing spying charges. The White House has designated both Whelan and Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained”.
Updated
US 'won't hesitate' to impose more sanctions on Russia and North Korea
The US state department on Wednesday said that the Biden administration “won’t hesitate” to impose additional sanctions on Russia and North Korea if they establish further new arms deals.
“We have taken a number of actions already to sanction entities that brokered arms sales between North Korea and Russia and we won’t hesitate to impose additional sanctions if appropriate,” state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing.
“When you see what looks to be increased cooperation and probably military transfers, that is quite troubling and would potentially be in violation of multiple UN security council resolutions,” he added.
Updated
During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, national security council spokesperson John Kirby expressed concerns over the upcoming talks between Russia and North Korea.
“We continue to urge North Korea to meet its public commitments not to support Russia’s war in Ukraine … There will certainly be repercussions,” Kirby said.
“We’ve got to see what shakes out of this meeting … We obviously have concerns about any burgeoning defence relationship between North Korea and Russia,” he added.
Kirby also said that it is a concern that Russia could be “actively promoting” the improvement of North Korea’s missile program.
Updated
An award-winning Russian journalist living in exile in Europe was hacked using Israeli spyware made by NSO Group, according to a joint investigation by the Citizen Lab and Access Now.
Galina Timchenko was hacked on or around 10 February, at a time when she was based in Berlin, Germany, marking the first time that an independent Russian journalist – whose media outlet has been targeted by Moscow and declared an “undesirable organisation” – is known to have been hacked with spyware.
The attack occurred shortly before a meeting in Berlin of the main independent Russian media in exile, in which participants including Timchenko discussed the pressure they were under and how to respond to it. It was organised by a Russian organisation called Redkollegiya.
You can read the full story here:
Summary of the day so far ...
In a speech delivered to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said that Russia’s war in Ukraine “is the most immediate and acute threat to the international order enshrined in the UN charter and its core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence”.
More than 100 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports since 18 July, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said on Wednesday.
The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said that his forces were maintaining “active defence” in the face of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, and that Moscow had no choice but to win.
Kim Jong-un has offered Vladimir Putin his support for Russia’s “sacred fight” against the west during talks that also touched on possible Russian help with North Korea’s space programme. The North Korean and Russian leaders met on Wednesday at a space base in the far east of Russia amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine. Putin reportedly offered Russian help with the Pyongyang regime’s troubled satellite programme.
Ukraine has made “great strides” to join the EU since being granted candidate status in 2022, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, offering the bloc’s enduring support. She also said a major series of policy reviews will be launched to ensure the 27-nation bloc can still function properly as it invites in new members in coming years.
Fragments of a possible drone were found in Nato member Romania on Wednesday, the defence ministry said, after a new Russian attack on Ukraine’s Danube ports across the border. Ukraine said the attack early on Wednesday had struck the ports of Reni and Izmail.
Ukraine said it struck Russian naval targets and port infrastructure early on Wednesday in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, in what appeared to be the biggest attack of the war on the home of the Russian navy’s Black Sea Fleet.
Updated
A Ukrainian military intelligence agency official said on Wednesday that a large Russian landing ship and a submarine struck in an overnight attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol were likely to have been damaged beyond repair (see post at 08.58).
“Those are significant damages. We can now say that with a high probability they are not subject to restoration,” Andriy Yusov, the official, said in televised comments.
Updated
Ukraine has nearly completed repairs of its power systems after Russian airstrikes on energy infrastructure last winter, and is ready for the coming winter, a senior energy official said on Wednesday.
“We have installed all the equipment we planned and we are ready for the winter loads,” Volodymyr Kudrytskiy, head of state-owned Ukrenergo power grid operator, told national television.
Russia’s campaign of frequent missile and drone attacks resulted in power cuts and scheduled blackouts to limit energy use, leaving towns and cities in darkness for hours at a time over winter.
Kudrytskiy said there was a ‘high risk’ of new attacks on the county’s energy system this winter, but that Ukrainian air defences were much stronger now, according to Reuters.
He said:
We know what it looks like (to be attacked) and it will be very difficult for the enemy to surprise us after the 1,200 missiles they fired at the power system last winter.
A Russian-installed court in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region jailed two Ukrainian soldiers for 29 years each, Russia’s investigative committee said on Wednesday, after it accused them of killing three civilians.
Moscow has repeatedly sentenced captured Ukrainian soldiers to long jail terms, in court proceedings that Kyiv does not recognise on Russian-occupied territory.
Russia’s investigative committee said the two soldiers belonged to Ukraine’s Azov regiment – a branch of the Ukrainian army considered “extremist” in Russia.
It said that the two “shot at a car with two unarmed civilians using automatic firearms, as a result of which the men in the car died on the spot from their injuries.”
The men then “shot at two other unarmed civilians” on the street, killing one while the other managed to escape, the committee said, according to AFP.
Both soldiers fought in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which was captured by Russian forces last May after a devastating, three-month long siege that left the city in ruins.
Separately, the committee said earlier that another Azov soldier was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison for “shelling a humanitarian aid distribution point”.
Romania’s ministry of foreign affairs said after Wednesday’s drone findings that it “reiterates its firm protest against the violation, once again, of Romania’s airspace” and that it will summon the head of Russia’s diplomatic mission, the Associated Press reports.
Nato member Romania found new fragments of a drone deemed similar to those used by the Russian army near its border with Ukraine on Wednesday, in the third such finding in a week, defence officials said (see earlier post at 10.51).
Ukraine war is most 'acute threat' to international order enshrined in UN charter - Blinken
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has tweeted the comments he delivered to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Posting on X, he wrote:
We find ourselves at another hinge point in history grappling with the fundamental question of strategy as Nitze defined it: “How do we get from where we are to where we want to be, without being struck by disaster along the way?”
What we are experiencing now is more than a test of the post-cold war order. It’s the end of it. Decades of relative geopolitical stability have given way to an intensifying competition with authoritarian, revisionist powers.
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is the most immediate and acute threat to the international order enshrined in the UN charter and its core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.
Blinken added that China poses a more “significant long-term challenge” due to its desire to carve out a “new international order” and the fact that it has the technological, economic, diplomatic and military power to do so.
Updated
India and Russia will explore the possibility of using new transport corridors such as the Northern Sea Route and the Eastern Maritime Corridor to widen maritime cooperation, the Indian government said in a statement on Wednesday.
A decision to work towards this was made during a meeting between minister from the two countries in Russia, the statement said.
Reuters has more information on the fragments of a possible drone being found in Nato member Romania on Wednesday (see earlier post at 10.51)
In a statement, the defence ministry said:
The crew of an IAR 330 Puma helicopter of the Romanian Air Force … (identified) fragments that could have come from a drone, dispersed over an area of several dozen metres.
It said that the fragments were found near the villages of Nufarul and Victoria in Tulcea county.
If confirmed, it would be the third time that such fragments have been found on Romanian territory in recent days.
Preliminary analyses of the first two drone fragments have shown they did not explode in Romania and were not carrying explosives, according to Reuters.
“No one has attacked us,” prime minister Marcel Ciolacu told reporters. “Some pieces of a drone that was hit by the Ukrainian army fell. It did not have explosives, or anything damaging.”
The defence ministry has started building two bomb shelters in the small border village of Plauru, where the first two fragments were found.
It said it would deploy additional troops in the area, and increase patrols and observation points, while local residents will receive notification alerts to take shelter.
Updated
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un on Wednesday discussed the possibility of sending a North Korean cosmonaut into space, the RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Cosmonauts are people specifically trained by the Russian Space Agency to work in space.
Speaking after the Russian president and North Korean leader concluded talks at the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia’s far east, Peskov also said that the foreign ministers of the two countries would meet next month in North Korea.
Peskov added that there were no plans for Putin himself to visit Pyongyang, Reuters reports.
Updated
A senior Ukrainian official has described the overnight strike on Sevastopol as a “professional and meaningful ‘statement’. Ukraine claims to have damaged a large landing ship and a submarine in a strike on the base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea.
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the president of Ukraine, posted to social media to say:
The demilitarisation of the Russian Black Sea fleet is a real long-term guarantee of security for regional trade routes and the “grain corridor”.
This is the only correct response to Russia’s attempts to turn hunger into a weapon and the only way to ensure uninterrupted grain supplies to the countries of the east and Africa.
The way to do this is to build up the capacity of the armed forces of Ukraine, including by expanding the range of weapons. We can already see the results of this in Sevastopol. A professional and meaningful “statement”...
The demilitarization of the #Russian Black Sea fleet is a real long-term guarantee of security for regional trade routes and the "grain corridor". This is the only correct response to Russia's attempts to turn hunger into a weapon and the only way to ensure uninterrupted grain… pic.twitter.com/Lk6dZ52xhZ
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) September 13, 2023
Earlier, Russia’s defence ministry said in statement that Ukraine had attacked with ten cruise missiles and three uncrewed speedboats, damaging two vessels that had been undergoing repairs
Nato has just issued a minimalist press alert announcing that tomorrow its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, will meet Ukraine’s Olha Stefanishyna at its Brussels headquarters. She is the minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. The press release stipulates that “there will be no media opportunities”.
Earlier today, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Ukraine had made “great strides” in its attempt to join the EU. Ukraine has also requested to join Nato, which has expanded to include Finland since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Sweden awaiting ratification of its membership of the alliance.
Updated
Kyiv says 105 Ukrainian port infrastructure facilities damaged in Russian attacks since 18 July
More than 100 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports since 18 July, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said on Wednesday.
He also said Ukrainian grain exports had fallen by almost 3m tonnes a month since 18 July – one day after Russia quit the UN- backed Black Sea grain export deal.
Kubrakov wrote on Facebook:
Since 18 July, due to Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, 105 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged and partially destroyed. As a result of strikes on the ports of the Danube cluster and the blocking of seaports, grain exports to Asia, Africa and Europe were reduced by almost 3 million tons per month.
These claims are yet to be independently verified.
Updated
Ukraine has been exporting grain through a Croatian port for over a year, says official
Ukraine has been exporting grain through a northern Croatian port for more than a year, an official told AFP on Wednesday.
AFP reports:
Despite being hundreds of miles from Ukraine’s western border, Croatia has become an unlikely transit point for the country’s grains due to the ongoing Black Sea blockade by the Russians.
Approximately 100,000 tonnes of Ukrainian corn and wheat have been exported from northern Croatia’s Rijeka port since May 2022, according to Marino Klaric, the head of the facility’s grain terminal.
The grain travels to Croatia by rail via Hungary. The amount is a mere fraction of the millions of tonnes grain Ukraine produces annually.
To date, the Rijeka port’s annual grain capacity is just one million tonnes. However, officials are scrambling to expand the facility’s export capacity.
Earlier this month, prime minister Andrej Plenkovic repeated Zagreb’s pledge to increase the export of Ukraine’s grain through its ports.
“Croatia sees itself as the Mediterranean door for central Europe,” said Plenkovic.
Ukraine’s agriculture sector has come under mammoth pressure since the Kremlin pulled out of a UN- and Turkey-brokered grain deal in July, which aimed to ensure safe navigation for civilian ships.
Updated
The US is most alarmed by Putin’s reported interest in North Korean weaponry, and said last week that Pyongyang would “pay a price” if it supplied Russia.
South Korea and the US have said that any arms deal would violate UN security council resolutions supported by Russia.
Russia was expected to use Wednesday’s talks to seek artillery shells and antitank missiles from Pyongyang, which wants advanced satellite and nuclear-powered submarine technology in return.
It remains unclear whether Russia would be willing to share such sensitive technologies in exchange for what could be a limited amount of North Korean ammunition slowly delivered across the countries’ small shared border.
You can read the full story on the Kim-Putin talks here:
Updated
Russia has 'no other options' but to win in Ukraine, defence minister says
The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said on Wednesday that his forces were maintaining “active defence” in the face of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, and that Moscow had no choice but to win.
Shoigu said the autumn campaign was now under way and acknowledged in comments to a reporter for Rossiya-1 state TV that the situation on the front was difficult in places.
He said:
The forces are maintaining active defence on the necessary, essential fronts. In some places it’s harder, in others simpler.
But I can say that the lads and the commander are performing confidently, and reliably defending what we need to defend at the moment – those places, obviously, where the Ukrainian armed forces are trying to break through.
The main task was to knock out enemy weaponry, he added.
Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory after more than 18 months of war, but has been forced to pull back from large areas it seized in its initial invasion near the capital Kyiv and in the south and east.
Ukraine launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive in June that has recaptured more than a dozen villages but has been complicated by vast minefields and heavily entrenched Russian forces.
Asked if Russia would win, Shoigu replied: “We have no other options”.
Updated
Russia’s defence ministry said two military vessels damaged in an overnight Ukrainian missile strike on Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea would be repaired and continue in service, state news agency RIA reported.
Ukraine said it struck Russian naval targets and port infrastructure early on Wednesday, in what appeared to the biggest attack of the war on the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The attack on Crimea highlighted Kyiv’s growing missile capabilities as Russia continues to bombard Ukraine long-range missiles and assault drones.
“We confirm a large landing vessel and submarine were hit. We do not comment on the means (used) for the strike,” Ukrainian military intelligence official Andriy Yusov told Reuters.
Russia’s defence ministry said in statement that Ukraine had attacked a Black Sea shipyard with 10 cruise missiles and three uncrewed speedboats in the early hours of Wednesday, damaging two vessels that had been undergoing repairs (see earlier post at 05.21).
Updated
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said the geopolitical climate had changed completely since the UN imposed sanctions on North Korea, Reuters reports.
Since 2006, North Korea has been under UN sanctions, which Russia supported, over its banned nuclear weapons and missile programmes.
Lavrov told Russian TV reporter Pavel Zarubin:
Sanctions against North Korea were adopted in a completely different geopolitical situation when there were problems establishing dialogue (with Pyongyang), when there were quite serious debates in the security council.
He said the reason that Russia and China had blocked a further US-drafted sanctions resolution against North Korea last year was that the West had given a false promise at the time of the original sanctions on humanitarian aid for the country.
“That was another lie. We, the Chinese and the North Koreans were deceived,” Lavrov said.
The west needs to prepare for a long war in Ukraine, army chief warns
The west needs to prepare for a long war in Ukraine and to deal with an increasingly hostile Russia even after it is over, the Czech military chief Karel Rehka told Reuters.
Reuters reports:
After weeks in which some western military officials have been quoted expressing concern that Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive was proceeding too slowly, the chief of the general staff said during an interview at Czech military headquarters that he was not frustrated by the pace of progress.
“This is how a military offensive looks,” he said. “It is not like a world war two movie. It takes time.”
Ukraine launched its counteroffensive in June and has so far captured only around a dozen small villages, though it says that in recent weeks it has pierced Russia’s defensive line and expects to move more quickly. Moscow says Kyiv’s offensive has already failed.
“In the overall picture, I think there is currently no capacity on either side to reach their ultimate declared objectives any time soon,” Rehka said.
“It won*t last a few weeks, it will last for long, probably. And it’s important that we keep supporting Ukrainians for a long time.”
Rehka, whose Nato member country has contributed ammunition, tanks, armoured vehicles, rocket launchers and howitzers to the Ukrainian war effort, said the Czech Republic still has arms in storage that it could provide.
Updated
Russia sees prospects for cooperating with North Korea in space, says Kremlin spokesperson
The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia sees prospects for cooperating with North Korea in space, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
He was speaking after Vladimir Putin held talks with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, at a cosmodrome in far eastern Russia where Moscow conducts space launches.
It dealt a significant setback to the embattled Russian space programme’s attempt to revive its Soviet-era prestige.
Updated
Russia will show Pacific Fleet capabilities to Kim Jong-un during visit, Putin says
Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, would continue his tour of Russia’s far east with a visit to Vladivostok and to defence and other factories in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, RIA news agency reported.
Putin said Russia would demonstrate to Kim in Vladivostok the capabilities of its Pacific Fleet, adding that Russia also had something to offer North Korea in the area of agriculture, Reuters reports.
Putin, who earlier held talks with Kim at the Vostochny cosmodrome and hosted a lunch for the North Korean leader, also said there were opportunities for bilateral military-technical cooperation, though he added that Russia would comply with its international obligations.
Updated
Vladimir Putin’s talks with Kim Jong-un were “important and substantive”, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday in comments quoted by the Interfax news agency.
Speaking after the two leaders held talks in Russia’s far east region, Peskov added that North Korea was interested in cooperation with Russia in the areas of aviation and transport.
Kim reportedly offered his full support for Russia’s “just fight” and said the two reached an agreement to deepen their “strategic and tactical cooperation and solidarity in the struggle to defend sovereign rights and security” (see earlier post at 10.09).
Updated
EU chief announces major review saying the bloc should grow to over 30 members
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said a major series of policy reviews will be launched to ensure the 27-nation bloc can still function properly as it invites in new members in coming years.
Von der Leyen said that the EU must prepare to grow to more than 30 members, the Associated Press reports. Ukraine, Moldova and countries in the western Balkans are among those in line.
Von der Leyen said the commission’s reviews will examine how each policy sector in areas like the economy, energy, agriculture or migration would need to be adapted in the event of expansion.
She told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France:
We will need to think about how our institutions would work – how the (EU) parliament and the commission would look. We need to discuss the future of our budget – in terms of what it finances, how it finances it, and how it is financed.
Von der Leyen also has said that Ukraine has made “great strides” to join the EU since being granted candidate status in 2022 (see earlier post at 09.26).
Summary of the day so far …
Kim Jong-un has pledged to support all of Russia’s decisions as he met Vladimir Putin during a rare trip outside North Korea. Speaking at Russia’s Vostochny cosmodrome, Kim said “Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security. We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership … and we will be together in the fight against imperialism.”
Putin welcomed Kim, saying: “We, of course, need to talk about questions of economic cooperation and questions of a humanitarian nature. We have a lot of questions.” The US has suggested that Russia is seeking North Korean military hardware to aid in the invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has previously denied supplying weapons to Moscow. The two leaders made brief comments in public before holding private talks.
Ukraine has made “great strides” to join the EU since being granted candidate status in 2022, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, offering the bloc’s enduring support. She was addressing the European parliament as the bloc considers whether to grant a formal start of membership negotiations. “We know this is not an easy road,” Von der Leyen said. “Accession is merit-based. It takes hard work and leadership. But there is already a lot of progress. We have seen the great strides Ukraine has already made since. Our support to Ukraine will endure.”
An overnight attack on the port of Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea, has struck a large Russian landing ship and a submarine.
Ukraine claims it shot down 32 “Shahed” drones out of 44 launched overnight in attacks on Odeshchyna and Sumy. The Ukrainian military has also claimed partial success near Klishchiivka in the Bakhmut direction.
The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will visit China later in the week for talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian foreign ministry has protested to Azerbaijan over comments it made about the weekend regional elections held in areas of Ukraine which are claimed to be annexed by Moscow. Kyiv has declared the elections a sham.
Hungary has agreed with Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria that the four countries would impose national bans on Ukrainian grains imports if the EU does not extend an existing ban that expires on 15 September, Hungary’s farm minister said on Wednesday.
Romania condemns Russian attacks on Ukranian Danube ports, reports possible drone fragments found in Romania
Elements of a possible drone were identified on Romanian territory, Reuters reports the Romanian defence ministry said on Wednesday.
A Russian drone attack early on Wednesday damaged port infrastructure in the Izmail district of southern Ukraine, just across the border from Romania.
In a press statement the ministry said “[Romanian] forces remain on alert and will continue investigations in areas where risks may arise as a result of this situation.”
The statement went on to say:
The ministry of national defence strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against some objectives and elements of civil infrastructure in the Ukrainian ports on the Danube. These attacks are unjustified and in serious contradiction with the rules of international humanitarian law.
Reuters is carrying that Kim Jong-un quote in full now, which was given in translation. He told his host Vladimir Putin:
I am deeply convinced that the heroic Russian army and people will brilliantly inherit the tradition of victory, confidently demonstrate invaluable dignity and honour on the fronts of the special military operation.
The Russian army and people will certainly win a great victory in the sacred struggle for the punishment of a great evil that claims hegemony and feeds an expansionist illusion.
Special military operation is the preferred term by Russian authorities for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.
Reuters reports that a Kremlin spokseperson has confirmed that the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un will conclude today. The location of the event, and even whether it would be happening at all, have been shrouded in mystery for much of the week.
Kim Jong-un says he is sure Russian army and people will win against 'evil'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told Russian president Vladimir Putin via a translator on Wednesday that he was sure that the Russian army and people would triumph against “evil”.
As well as offering a toast to Putin’s health, Kim also said the pair had agreed on a further deepening of strategic cooperation.
According to Reuters, Putin in turn proposed a toast for strengthening friendship and the wellbeing between the people of the two nations.
Suspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports that an 81-year-old woman has been taken to hospital with injuries after a Russian attack on Odradokamyanka in the Kherson region.
Updated
Von der Leyen: Ukraine has made 'great strides' towards EU membership
Ukraine has made “great strides” to join the EU since being granted candidate status in 2022, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, offering the bloc’s enduring support.
She was addressing the European parliament as the bloc considers whether to grant a formal start of membership negotiations.
“We know this is not an easy road,” Reuters reports Von der Leyen said. “Accession is merit-based. It takes hard work and leadership. But there is already a lot of progress. We have seen the great strides Ukraine has already made since.”
“Our support to Ukraine will endure,” she said in her annual policy speech.
Von der Leyen promised the bloc would extend special protections granted to Ukrainian citizens who fled Russia’s war, and lawmakers gave a standing ovation as she recounted the fate of Victoria Amelina, the Ukrainian writer and activist killed after having sent her son to safety in Prague.
Updated
Here are some more of the images being released from the summit in Russia between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
Ukraine claims large Russian landing ship and submarine hit in Sevastopol strike
Andriy Yusov, a Ukrainian military spy agency official, said on Wednesday that an overnight attack on the port of Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea, had struck a large Russian landing ship and a submarine.
Reuters reports Yusov told it “We confirm a large landing vessel and submarine were hit. We do not comment on the means (used) for the strike.”
On its Telegram channel, Tass has reported that the face-to-face meeting between Putin and Kim has now ended.
China confirms Papal peace envoy visit for talks about Ukraine
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will visit China for talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Reuters reports a spokesperson at the foreign ministry confirmed that China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui will meet with Zuppi.
The Vatican had said on Tuesday that Zuppi will be in China from Wednesday to Friday as part of a diplomatic push to facilitate peace in Ukraine.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has also been giving a press conference this morning, and in it she lambasted Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Reuters reports she accused Armenia of making “unacceptable and harmful” statements that were damaging to the prospects for a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
She said the Russian foreign ministry has also protested to Azerbaijan over comments it made about the weekend regional elections held in areas of Ukraine which are claimed to be annexed by Moscow. Kyiv has declared the elections a sham.
Here is the video clip of Kim Jong-un telling Russia’s president Vladimir Putin that North Korea supports Russia’s “sacred battle with the west”.
It is worth noting that we may not actually get any kind of formal joint declaration or read out after the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un today. RIA’s unofficial Telegram channel for its Kremlin pool journalists points out that “The DPRK, Russia, and China do not have such a procedure as the mandatory release of a joint document after a summit.”
Hungary signals it intends to retain Ukrainian grain ban
Hungary has agreed with Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria that the four countries would impose national bans on Ukrainian grains imports if the EU does not extend an existing ban that expires on 15 September, Hungary’s farm minister said on Wednesday.
Reuters reports the minister of agriculture, István Nagy, saying in a Facebook post that the ban would apply to a wider range of Ukrainian products than the current measures.
Some eastern European countries have complained that Ukraine’s inability to export goods through its Black Sea ports has led to a flooding of local markets with cheap Ukrainian produce, which is affecting their own agricultural sectors.
Updated
Kim Jong-un pledges to support Putin and Russia 'in the fight against imperialism'
Kim Jong-un has pledged to support all of Russia’s decisions as he met Vladimir Putin during a rare trip outside North Korea.
Speaking at Russia’s Vostochny cosmodrome, Kim said “Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security. We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership … and we will be together in the fight against imperialism.”
Putin welcomed Kim, saying: “We, of course, need to talk about questions of economic cooperation and questions of a humanitarian nature. We have a lot of questions.” The US has suggested that Russia is seeking North Korean military hardware to aid in the invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has previously denied supplying weapons to Moscow.
A Kremlin spokesperson said the relationship between Russia and North Korea is not aimed at other countries, and should not be a worry for third countries. North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea this morning as a demonstration of strength while Kim was out of the country. Japan has protested.
Putin and Kim have now begun face-to-face talks, which Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said would involve dialogue and cooperation in sensitive spheres, including the military.
Updated
Reuters has just published a full transcript of the remarks made by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un in front of the media at the Vostochny cosmodrome. The Russian president welcomed North Korea’s leader saying:
Dear Mr Chairman, I am very glad to see and welcome you again in Russia – this time, as we agreed, at our Vostochny cosmodrome.
We are proud of how this sector is developing here, and this is our new facility. I hope both you and your colleagues find this interesting.
Our meeting is taking place at a very special time, after all. Most recently, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea celebrated 75 years of its creation and foundation. Seventy-five years of establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Let me remind you that it was our country that was the first to recognise the sovereign independent state – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Then very soon we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the War of independence and the victory of the Korean people in this war. This is a landmark date, because our country also helped our friends in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fight for this independence.
We, of course, need to talk about questions of economic cooperation and questions of a humanitarian nature. We have a lot of questions. I want to say that I am very glad to see you. Thank you for accepting the invitation and coming to Russia.
Kim’s response was as follows:
I express my gratitude to you for paying such attention to our visit to Russia.
The Soviet Union played a very big role in the liberation of our country. Our friendship has deep roots, and now relations with the Russian Federation are the first priority for our country I am sure that our meeting will be the next step to take relations to a new level.
Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security … against the hegemonic forces. We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership … and we will be together in the fight against imperialism.
Reuters also notes that Kim wrote in a visitor book at the centre: “The glory to Russia, which gave birth to the first space conquerors, will be immortal.”
Updated
On the ground in Ukraine, Suspilne has this round-up of overnight news, posting to Telegram to report:
At night, the Russian army attacked Odeshchyna with drones: there is damage to the port and civil infrastructure. Seven people were injured.
Air defence forces destroyed 32 Shahed drones out of 44 launched. Russian troops attacked Odeshchyna and Sumy region with them at night.
Defence forces have partial success near Klishchiivka in the Bakhmut direction, said the spokesperson of the general staff.
In the last 24 hours three people were killed and three others were injured as a result of shelling by the Russian Federation in Donetsk region. Four people were injured in Kherson region. One person was injured in Zaporizhzhia.
Updated
Here are a couple more of the official images being released to the press of Kim Jong-un’s visit to meet Vladimir Putin today.
Updated
Amid the flurry of diplomatic activity between Russia and North Korea today, Reuters reports that Russia has announced the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, will visit Moscow on 18 September for talks with Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
Updated
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, just an hour before Kim Jong-un met Vladimir Putin in Russia.
Citing South Korean officials, Reuters reports the missiles were launched from near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, and flew about 650km (404 miles).
South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff condemned the launch as a violation of UN security council resolutions and Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, told reporters Japan had lodged a protest through diplomatic channels in Beijing.
It appeared to be the first such launch to occur while Kim was abroad.
Updated
North Korea supports all Russia's decisions, Kim Jong-un tells Putin, and will join fight against imperialism
North Korea supports all Putin’s decisions, Kim has told the Russian president according to Russian media, and it will always stand with Russia in the fight against imperialism.
“Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security ... against the hegemonic forces,” Kim told Putin via a translator.
“We will always support the decisions of president Putin and the Russian leadership ... and we will be together in the fight against imperialism.”
He also said that he hoped today’s negotiations would raise relations between their two countries to a new level.
Updated
North Korea’s “first priority” is its relations with Russia, Kim has told Putin according to Russian media.
Putin told Kim he was aware the North Korea leader was visiting “at a special time”, noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, Tass reported. Putin noted that it was the USSR that was the first to recognise it.
In case you’re hungry for more information about the Vostochny Cosmodrome where Kim and Putin are meeting, Reuters has prepared a fact sheet about it – here are some of the highlights:
The cosmodrome, which came into service in 2016, is in the Amur region of Russia’s Far East, not far from the Russian border with China and about 1,500 km (930 miles) from the port of Vladivostok. In Russian, the name means simply “Eastern Cosmodrome”.
Putin ordered the construction of the cosmodrome to reduce reliance on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which gained independence after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
There was once a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) base known as Svobodny 18 just a few kilometres from the Vostochny complex. That base shut down in 1993.
Vostochny cost billions of dollars, giving a boost to the local economy. But construction was mired by repeated delays and several corruption scandals.
The first launch was in 2016, when a Soyuz-2 rocket blasted off. The most recent launch was a Soyuz rocket carrying the ill-fated Luna-25 moon spacecraft, which crashed into the moon.
Talks between Kim and Putin begin at cosmodrome
Formal negotiations between Putin and and Kim have begun at the Vostochny cosmodrome in Amur, Tass reports and include members of the delegations from each country.
The meeting is taking place “in the meeting room on the first floor of the engineering building of the technical complex of the Soyuz-2 space rocket complex,” the Russian news agency writes.
Updated
While Ukraine was launching its attack on Sevastopol, Russia was attacking the Black Sea city of Odesa with drones that targeted port infrastructure, Ukraine’s air force has said. The north-eastern Sumy region was also targeted.
A total of 44 drones were recorded, the airforce said, with most aimed at Odesa. Thirty-two were shot down.
In Russia, a drone was shot down in the Konakovo district of the Tver region, north-west of Moscow, the news agency Ria reported citing regional authorities. No casualties were reported.
Updated
Reuters has some comment from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who was asked whether Kim and Putin would discuss weapons supplies, as expected by western observers.
In response, he said: “As neighbours, our countries implement cooperation in sensitive areas that should not become the subject of public disclosure and announcement. But this is quite natural for neighbouring states.”
More pictures are coming through on the wires. Here Putin and Kim are enjoying a tour of the cosmodrome:
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who has become an influential figure in North Korean politics, has also been spotted at the cosmodrome talks:
Updated
The North Korean and Russian leaders will “talk about all the issues,” Putin said when asked whether military-technical cooperation would be on the agenda, Russian news agency Ria reports.
“We’ll talk about all the issues, slowly. There is time,” he said.
When asked whether Russia would help Pyongyang build satellites he said: “That’s why we came to the Vostochny Cosmodrome.”
“The leader of the DPRK [North Korea] shows great interest in rocket technology, and they are trying to develop space,” he said.
A bit of footage of Putin greeting Kim, from Russian news agency Ria:
Путин и Ким Чен Ын пообщались на космодроме "Восточный" https://t.co/eQh5oCHSJu pic.twitter.com/YwmmsaFeOs
— РИА Новости (@rianru) September 13, 2023
Putin welcomes Kim to cosmodrome
Russian media have posted video of Putin welcoming Kim to the cosmodrome, surrounded by officials and photographers.
Kim thanked Putin for the invitation to visit Russia, “despite being busy,” Tass reported.
“I am glad to see you,” Putin said as he shook Kim’s hand for around 40 seconds. “This is our new cosmodrome.”
Updated
Ukraine fired ten cruise missiles at the Sevastopol shipyard, Russia’s defence ministry has said in a post on Telegram, and two ships undergoing repairs were hit and damaged. Three unmanned boats were also involved in the attack, it said.
“Air defence systems shot down seven cruise missiles, and the patrol ship Vasily Bykov destroyed all unmanned boats,” it said.
Kim Jong-un arrives at cosmodrome for meeting with Putin
The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur where he is expected to meet president Vladimir Putin, Russian news agency Ria has reported.
His train had arrived at the railway station at the cosmodrone, it reported.
US military expert Rob Lee suggests that it’s a ship that has been struck in Sevastopol:
Mikhail Razvozhaev shared a photo that appears to show the port side of a Ropucha-class Project 775 large landing ship that sustained damage. 4/https://t.co/PQ4XmUYxb0 pic.twitter.com/bU49kKn4GK
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) September 13, 2023
Putin arrives at remote cosmodrome for expected meeting with Kim Jong-un
In other news, Vladimir Putin has reportedly arrived at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the remote region of Amur, the Russian news agency Tass has reported.
Putin had announced his trip to the cosmodrome while at an economic forum in Vladivostok, in Russia’s far east, where observers had initially expected him to meet Kim.
However, he refused to say what he would be doing in Vostochny, Tass reported.
“I have my own programme there, and when I get there, you’ll find out ,” it quoted Putin as saying.
Huge explosions as a result of a presumed Ukrainian attack in Sevastopol, the HQ of the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Russian authorities say the Sevmorzavod shipyard has been targeted. Ships based in Sevastopol frequently fire missiles at Ukrainian cities. pic.twitter.com/dKgb0CEtLr
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) September 13, 2023
Huge blaze at Sevastopol shipyard after Ukraine air attack, Russia says
A fire has broken out and 24 people have been injured after a Ukrainian missile attack on the Sevastopol shipyard in occupied Crimea, the Russia-installed governor of the port has said.
Mikhail Razvozhayev said the blaze was “not at a civilian facility” and that there was “no danger” to civilians in a post on Telegram. He also posted a picture of himself in front of what appeared to be a vessel or port infrastructure on fire.
Russian Telegram channels also posted videos of explosions and huge flames.
The shipyard on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, builds and repairs ships and submarines for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which has launched drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
Ukraine has increased its attacks on the peninsula in recent months. It also said earlier this week it had recaptured strategic Black Sea oil rigs that had been seized by Russia in 2015.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine with me, Helen Livingstone.
Twenty-four people have been injured after a Ukrainian missile attack on Sevastapol Shipyard that sparked a fire, the Russia-installed governor of the port has said.
Mikhail Razvozhayev posted a picture of himself in front of what appeared to be a huge blaze at the shipyard, which builds and repairs vessels for Russia’s Black Sea fleet. He said there was no danger to civilians.
There were also reports of huge explosions at the port. Earlier traffic on the Kerch bridge, which connects Crimea with mainland Russia was temporarily halted, Russia’s Ria news agency reported, without giving any further details.
In other developments:
Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on his armoured train for a rare summit with Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible deal to supply North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine. It had been thought the North Korean leader would meet the Russian president in Vladivostok but the exact date and location of the meeting remained unclear as of late Tuesday.
The US could have the first Ukrainian pilots trained on F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year, though it will be longer than that before they are flying combat missions, the director of the US Air National Guard said. Ukrainian pilots are expected to arrive for training in Arizona by October and depending on their proficiency in English and previous flying experience could complete the training in three months.
Nato member Romania said it had begun building air raid shelters for residents near the Ukraine border, after drone fragments were found there last week. Approximately 50 Romanian soldiers began building two shelters in the Plauru area on Tuesday, the defence ministry said in a statement.
Poland said it would extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports unilaterally, even if the current EU restrictions expire on Friday. In June, the EU agreed to restrict imports of grain from Ukraine to five member states, including Poland, seeking to protect their farmers who blamed those imports for the slump in prices on local markets.
Russian president Vladimir Putin directly addressed the war in Ukraine during a Q&A session at the eastern economic forum in Vladivostok. He said that the Ukrainian counter-offensive had not made any progress and accused British secret services of being involved in the training of Ukrainian saboteurs to launch attacks on Russian infrastructure.
Putin also appeared to rule out any further conscription or mobilisation to help the war effort, claiming that 1,000-1,500 Russians were signing voluntary contracts to join the military every day. The UK’s Ministry of Defence said in its daily intelligence briefing on Monday that Russia would probably seek to avoid a forced mobilisation before next year’s presidential elections, due to be held in March.
Foreign ministers from the G7 group of major industrialised countries condemned the staging of what they called “sham elections” by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories. “These sham ‘elections’ will not alter our approach nor our support to Ukraine as it fights to reclaim its internationally-recognized territory,” they said.
Denmark will give Ukraine a further 5.8 billion kroner ($833m), mainly to finance air defences, ammunition and tanks, the defence ministry said. “For Ukraine to be able to continue defending itself against Russia’s illegal invasion, it is essential that countries like Denmark maintain their military and economic support,” defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
A Russian warplane crashed during a training mission in southern Russia, the military said, without specifying what happened to its crew of two or what caused the crash. The defence ministry said that the Su-24 bomber went down in an unpopulated area in the Volgograd region.
The Swedish government is considering donating Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine to help repel Russian forces, Swedish public radio (SR) reported. The government may formally ask the armed forces as early as Thursday to officially consider the issue, according to the report.
