The US president and British prime minister are expected to discuss the West’s use of long-range weapons in more detail later, while Moscow is sending a number of drones to Ukraine.
Joe Biden (second from left) and Keir Starmer (right) spoke. As a result, we want to talk to each other again, including with more dialogue partners. Photo: Stephane Russo/dpa
Massive drone strikes on Ukraine
Russia again attacked Ukraine with a large number of drones that night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel that about 70 unmanned aerial vehicles were launched in total. Thus, the targets of the attacks were Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Odessa, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Kherson, Kharkiv, Donetsk regions, as well as the surrounding areas of the capital Kiev. He said that most of the attacks were repelled, while at the same time once again calling for further strengthening of air defenses.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it shot down 72 of the 76 drones launched. The Air Force did not provide any information on the results of the attacks.
Major damage was reported, mainly in the Black Sea region of Odessa. Several buildings, including residential buildings in the suburbs of the capital, were damaged by drone debris, Military Governor Oleh Kiper wrote in Telegram. A storage building in the Izmail region, where Ukraine transports some of its grain, was attacked.
Several pieces of debris also fell in Kiev, according to authorities. Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote that the municipality was damaged but there were no fires. (dpa)
Stoltenberg: NATO should have strengthened Ukraine sooner
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he regrets in retrospect that “NATO allies and NATO itself did not do more to strengthen Ukraine earlier”. If the country had been militarily stronger, he says, “the threshold for aggression against Russia would have been higher.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday Newspaper Preliminary report from Norway. It is impossible to say whether it was high enough. But it would have been easy to do more. “Now we are preparing Ukraine for war. At that time, we could have prepared Ukraine to prevent war.” Stoltenberg will hand over his post to former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on October 1. (RTR)
Biden, Starmer Postpone Weapons Decision
Despite Ukraine’s urging, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have postponed a decision on using long-range Western weapons against Russian targets. Starmer said after meeting Biden in Washington on Friday evening that they had “discussed broadly about strategy” but not “specific capabilities.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously threatened that any West-led use of weapons on Russian soil in Ukraine would mean “war” against Russia.
After the talks, Starmer made it clear that he and Biden would discuss the issue “with a wider audience” at the UN General Assembly in New York next week. Before the Washington meeting, Starmer was expected to seek Biden’s support for deploying Britain’s Storm Shadow missiles deeper into Russian territory, which are intended for Ukraine.
Starmer said the coming weeks and months in Washington could be “critical.” “It is vital that we support Ukraine in this critical fight for freedom.”
The White House had already dampened expectations of a decision on the use of weapons on Russian soil ahead of the meeting. “We do not expect, at least on our side, that this discussion will lead to any significant announcements,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
Kiev’s leadership has increasingly called on Western allies to allow Russia to use a wider range of Western weapons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday accused the West of being afraid to even talk about its support for Ukraine’s missile launches. “It is important to remove all restrictions on the use of American and British weapons against legitimate military targets in Russia,” Ukraine’s new Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said.
British media reported that Biden, fearing a nuclear conflict, would allow Ukraine to use British and French missiles with American technology, but not missiles manufactured by the United States itself. According to the federal government, German weapons are not affected by this issue.
President Putin said on Thursday that if the West approves Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons against Russian targets, the nature of the conflict will change dramatically. “This means that NATO members, the United States and European countries are at war with Russia,” the Kremlin chief said. A White House spokesman called the remarks “incredibly dangerous.”
Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya added that allowing Ukraine to use the weapons would lead NATO to a direct war with the nuclear power. (afp)
Medvedev threatens total destruction of Kiev
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is threatening to completely destroy the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The Russian advance on the Kursk region has already given Russia a formal reason to use nuclear weapons, despite its decision not to do so so far. In response to Ukraine’s use of long-range Western missiles, Kiev could be transformed into a “giant melting point” using new non-nuclear Russian weapons technology. Medvedev is the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council. He has repeatedly used harsh rhetoric against the West and Ukraine. (RTR)
Klitschko: Drone debris hits Kiev
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported via messaging app Telegram that drone debris had hit the Ukrainian capital. The debris fell on a municipal building in Kiev’s Obolon district, north of the city center, early Saturday morning. Klitschko added that emergency services were on their way to the scene. The mayor had previously said that air defense units had been deployed in the capital. (RTR)
Kim Jong-un promises greater cooperation with Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged greater cooperation to Russian Security Council Chief of Staff Sergei Shoigu. As reported by state news agency KCNA, the two men exchanged comprehensive views during Shoigu’s visit to Pyongyang and reached satisfactory agreements on issues including strengthening “cooperation to safeguard mutual security interests.” Kim said that North Korea will “further expand cooperation with Russia in line with the strategic partnership between the two countries.” Shoigu, who served as Russian Defense Minister until May, visited Pyongyang in July last year and marked the beginning of a strengthening of North Korea-Russia relations. (RTR)
Mützenich advocates international contact groups.
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich proposed an international contact group to start a peace plan in the Ukraine war. “I think it is time for the Western allies to start a contact group to start the process,” Mützenich said. Lineish Post.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agrees that now is a good time to step up efforts for peace talks and that Russia should attend the next peace summit. This also opens the door for other countries to become more committed to ending the conflict.”
When asked about possible members of such a contact group, Mützenich said he sees countries such as China, India, Turkey and Brazil as responsible. “There is a growing conviction in these countries that a war of aggression by Russia could be a burden.” The work of the contact group could therefore be “very promising” and play an important mediating role. (dpa)
