September 22, 2023
Ukraine War on live ticker +++ 02:57 Zelenskyy travels to Canada +++
Ukrainian President Zelensky will travel to Canada after his visit to Washington and will be received there by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. Trudeau’s office said this. Zelensky will also meet with Canadian businesspeople to discuss private sector investments “in the future of Ukraine.”
+++ 01:40 Biden agrees to US$325 million aid package for Zelenskyy +++
The US will support Ukraine with a new $325 million military aid package. US President Biden announced this after his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House. The aid package, which includes air defense systems and other weapons, will help Ukraine with winter air defense, Biden said. The United States would also deliver the first Abrams tanks to Ukraine next week. Zelensky praises the package as “very powerful.” It contains “exactly what our soldiers need right now,” the President said.
+++ 00:52 China begs for peace talks +++
The Chinese government once again calls for an end to hostilities in Ukraine at the UN general debate. “The cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks are the only way to resolve the crisis in Ukraine,” Vice President Han Zheng said at the United Nations General Assembly. China supports all efforts that lead to a peaceful solution to the crisis in Ukraine and wants to “continue to play a constructive role”. China is an important partner for Russia. In the war in Ukraine, the People’s Republic officially presents itself as neutral, but supports the neighboring country.
+++ 23:38 “Wall Street Journal” reports advance in Werbowe +++
Ukrainian troops are said to have broken through the most important Russian defense line in the southeast of the country with tanks. Armored vehicles overcame trenches and concrete blocks near Werbowe, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing the Ukrainian military. Russian intelligence assessments videos, which were supposed to show artillery strikes against Ukrainian vehicles, confirm the advance, according to the report. The minor breach was fiercely contested and Ukrainian units suffered heavy losses, it is said.
+++ 22:26 38 of 44 intercepted missiles: Ukraine talks about a massive Russian missile attack +++
The Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down 38 of 44 missiles fired by Russia last night, Ukrainian newspaper Kyiv Independent reported, citing the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Thus, the Russian military launched a massive attack against Ukraine in the early hours of the morning, with Russia also firing six S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. The attacks targeted several regions, including Kiev Oblast, Cherkassy, Kharkiv, Lviv, Rivne and Kherson. According to local authorities, at least two people died and 26 were injured. According to the General Staff, the Russian attack targeted the country’s energy and industrial infrastructure.
+++ 21:47 Zelenskyy at the White House for talks with US President Biden +++
The Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, was received by US President Joe Biden at the White House during his visit to Washington. Biden and his wife Jill hosted Zelensky and his wife Olena at the presidential residence. Biden and Zelenskyy then retired for a conversation. Zelenskyy had already visited the US Congress in the morning (local time) and, in discussions with deputies and senators, advocated more aid in the war against Russia. The Ukrainian president then said that he counted on the “long-term support” of the United States. “To win, we have to stick together. And win together.” Meanwhile, Biden’s security adviser, Jake Sullivan, announced a new military aid package for Kiev. However, he made clear that the package does not include ATACMS missiles, which Zelenskyy wants.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy together with his wife Olena Zelenska and US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
(Photo: dpa)
Before visiting the White House, the Ukrainian president was received at the Pentagon by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Zelenskyy shared a video of this on social media:
+++ 21:09 Bulgaria expels top Russian Orthodox cleric in Sofia +++
According to Russian information, Bulgaria expelled the main priest of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia and two Belarusian priests from the country. The Bulgarian domestic intelligence service DANS today only reported the expulsion of three men accused of implementing Russia’s “hybrid strategy” to “influence socio-political processes” in Bulgaria in favor of “Russian interests”. According to the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria, the Russian Orthodox Archimandrite of Sofia, Vasian, is among those expelled. According to the Bulgarian secret service DANS, a five-year entry ban was also imposed on the three deportees – who were only named in the message by their initials and citizenship. The Russian embassy in Sofia described the move on Facebook as “brutal”. In a video distributed by the Tass news agency, Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova spoke of an “unprecedented” step that comes from a “diabolical spirit”.
+++ 20:34 President of Poland: Morawiecki’s words about weapons for Ukraine were misinterpreted +++
Polish President Andrzej Duda describes the anger surrounding a possible interruption of Polish arms deliveries to Ukraine as a misunderstanding. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s statements were “interpreted in the worst possible way”, Duda told TVN24. “In my opinion, the prime minister wanted to say that we will not supply Ukraine with the new weapons that we are currently acquiring as part of the modernization of the Polish army.” Warsaw has concluded arms deals with the US and South Korea, among others, to purchase new tanks and howitzers. “If we receive new weapons from the USA and South Korea, we will free the weapons currently used by the Polish army. Maybe we will hand them over to Ukraine,” said Duda. Morawiecki indicated yesterday that Poland will stop supplying weapons to Ukraine “because we are equipping ourselves with the most modern weapons”. The statement caused anger in Brussels and Berlin.
+++ 20:15 USA: Ukraine is not receiving the ATACMS missiles it expected for now +++
US President Joe Biden will not promise ATACMS missiles to Ukraine on the occasion of the visit of the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky. “President Biden will announce a new military aid package today,” Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House. The package will receive extensive funding for air defense, but will not receive ATACMS missiles. Biden decided not to provide ATACMS missiles after careful consideration, Sullivan said. “But he also doesn’t rule it out for the future.” This type of rocket has a range of 300 kilometers.
You can read more about the previous day’s events here.