Key developments on Sept. 13: * 49 Ukrainians released from Russian captivity * Finland announces $130 million aid package for Ukraine * Russia's 'rapid' offensive in Kursk Oblast hasn't yet achieved 'serious' success, Zelensky says * Russia buys Western aircraft parts via intermediaries despite sanctions * ATACMS 'pointless' without ability to strike inside Russia, Zelensky
"There is no change to our view on the provision of long-range strike capabilities for Ukraine to use inside of Russia," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine's use of Western long-range weapons against Russia would mean that NATO countries were directly involved in the war.
"We have to tell the truth, talk about the Volyn tragedy, about other mutual acts," Sikorski said, adding that Ukraine and Poland must choose a "common and secure future."
The documentary “Russians at War” has sparked controversy since its debut on the festival circuit, with many accusing it of whitewashing Russian soldiers and their crimes in Ukraine. Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova has defended the film, calling it “anti-war.” After facing backlash, the Toronto International Film Festival pulled screenings of
"In the Kursk direction, the Russians have started their rapid offensive, and they want to use about 60,000-70,000 people there. We know about 40,000 people who are there," Zelensky said.
U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles are "pointless" in Ukraine due to their limited quantity and restrictions on strikes deep inside Russia imposed by Western partners, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 13 at the Yalta European Strategy conference.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will increase its monitoring missions to Ukrainian facilities critical to nuclear safety, Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Energoatom reported on Sept. 13.
Ukraine placed sanctions on Russia’s Lukoil, blocking the company from transiting oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. This move heightened tensions as Hungary accused Ukraine of endangering its energy independence.
A six-point peace plan jointly proposed by China and Brazil sparked a furious outburst from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week, who described it as "destructive." China and Brazil first put forward the plan in May, setting it up as an alternative to Ukraine's own efforts of initiating peace negotiations
A Russian airstrike against the village of Yampil in Sumy Oblast on the morning of Sept. 13 killed two civilians and injured six, including a 4-year-old child, regional authorities reported.
Ukraine brought back 49 Ukrainian defenders and civilians from Russian captivity on Sept. 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The total amount of military aid Finland has provided Kyiv now stands at 2.3 billion euros ($2.5 billion), the Finnish Defense Ministry said.
Beijing has positioned itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war but has simultaneously deepened economic ties with Moscow and backed the country against Western sanctions. China is pushing its peace plan, which doesn't envisage the expulsion of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory and was dismissed by the West.
Romania's Foreign Ministry said on Sept. 13 that Russia's strike against a cargo ship loaded with Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea is an "unprecedented escalation" of Moscow's war.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis arrived in Kyiv on Sept. 13.
Ukrainian pilots arrived in Romania to start training on Dutch aircraft at the Borcea air base "a few days ago," Digi24 news outlet reported on Sept. 12. They are now reportedly learning details about the F-16s on the ground.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 10 people and injured at least 41 over the past day, with humanitarian aid workers and first responders among the casualties, regional authorities reported on Sept. 13.
The U.S. president's top aides "have no illusions" that Ukraine will be able to win the war before the end of Biden's term, but they are not pushing Kyiv to hold peace talks with Russia or "trying to dictate" battlefield plans, U.S. officials told the newspaper.
"What we have seen is Russian units beginning to try to conduct some type of counteroffensive in the Kursk region. At this stage, I would say that it is marginal, but something obviously that we're keeping an eye on," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said.
Russia started the war against Ukraine and can end it right away, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on Sept. 12 following Russian leader Vladimir Putin's warnings that the use of Western arms in Russia would draw NATO into war.
This number includes 1,220 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) along with the country's National Police arrested five people on Sept. 12 accused of committing arson attacks on Ukrainian military vehicles on behalf of the Russian intelligence service (FSB).
The Democrat-leaning America’s Future Majority Fund super PAC (political action committee) unveiled new ads highlighting VP Kamala Harris' record on Ukraine while criticizing former President Donald Trump's comments on the NATO alliance.
Key developments on Sept. 12: * Russia claims to have recaptured 10 settlements in Kursk Oblast amid ongoing counterattack * Russia pushing toward Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast from several vectors * Ukraine downs Russian Su-30 aircraft above Black Sea, military intelligence claims * Zelensky urges the West to allow long-range strikes without distance limits
U.S. President Joe Biden has done "a great job" of assembling and maintaining a coalition of partners but has been "slow to make some decisions," said William B. Taylor.
More than a month after Ukraine launched an unprecedented incursion into Russian territory, Russian forces have begun counterattacking in Kursk Oblast, aiming to eventually drive Ukrainian troops out of the partially occupied border region. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed reports about the Kursk counteroffensive at a press conference on Sept. 12,
Donald Trump could bring Russians, Ukrainians, and Europeans to the negotiating table to "figure out what a peaceful settlement looks like," according to J.D. Vance.
If the West plans to lift the restrictions only for a range that Russia has already adapted to, then "this is a purely political decision to relieve pressure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Russian strikes have cut off power to Dobropillia and nearby settlements, including coal mines.
While waiting for a green light from Western countries to use their long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia, Ukraine is relying on domestically produced drones, which are considerably cheaper than missiles and no less effective. In recent months, Ukraine has increased the number of strikes using homemade drones
Romania's Coast Guard confirmed on Sept. 12 that the vessel was sailing through Romania's exclusive economic zone, about 55 km from the Romanian port of Sfantu Gheorghe, at the time of the attack.
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