Live blog: UK rules out sending troops to Ukraine

Sunday, October 1, 2023

1700 GMT — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday ruled out any plan in the near term to send British soldiers to Ukraine.

Sunak said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps’ suggestion that British troops could train Ukraine forces in Ukraine is not for the "here and now," calling the story "misreporting."

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Shapps said that "eventually" he would like to get the UK's longstanding training of Ukrainians troops "in country" rather than in Britain.

The report sparked criticism from Moscow, as former President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday that British troops training soldiers in Ukraine would be a legal target.

Asked about Medvedev's comment, Sunak said: "What the defence secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine.

More updates:

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1903 GMT — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in a speech nothing would weaken his country's fight against Russia, a day after the US Congress passed a stopgap funding bill that omitted aid to Ukraine.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said separately he had received reassurances about further military assistance in a telephone call with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

"Secretary Austin assured me," he wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, using flags in place of country names, that US support to Ukraine "will continue" and that Ukrainian "warriors will continue to have a strong back-up on the battlefield."

1440 GMT —European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said during a visit to Kiev that Ukraine needed more military aid, and he promised ongoing EU support.

"Ukraine needs more capabilities & needs them faster," he said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He said he had discussed "continuous EU military assistance" during his first in-person meeting with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

"We are preparing long-term security commitments for Ukraine," Borrell added.

1718 GMT — Ukraine left out in cold by US shutdown deal

The future of US aid for Ukraine hangs in the balance after a last-gasp deal to avoid a government shutdown, despite President Joe Biden's attempts to reassure Kiev it will get what it needs to fight Russia.

Barely a week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Washington appealing for more funds, the compromise struck in Congress late Sunday dropped new funding for Ukraine amid opposition from hardline Republicans.

Biden and his Democratic party say America has a duty to help Ukraine stand up to Russian offensive.

Biden urged Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday to "stop the games" and said he "fully expects" him to secure passage of a separate bill for Ukraine funding soon.

"I want to assure our American allies, the American people and the people in Ukraine that you can count on our support. We will not walk away," Biden said in an address from the White House.

1624 GMT — Kiev hosts first full marathon since start of war

Thousands of runners gathered in the Ukrainian capital Kiev this weekend as the city held its first full marathon since Russia's offensive.

Last year's marathon and dozens of other events were cancelled due to the war, but some have since returned as residents seek normality amid the frequent air raids.

Over 5,000 people are taking part in the race this year, organisers said, with half the proceeds going towards buying equipment for the military.

The race comes after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal warned last week that Russia had restarted a systemic campaign of air strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

1316 GMT — Ukraine says working with US after Congress drops aid

Ukraine has said it was working with Washington to ensure new wartime aid after US lawmakers dropped additional funding for Kiev in a last-minute deal to avoid a government shutdown.

The 11th-hour funding bill passed by Congress on Saturday will keep US federal agencies running for another 45 days but left out new aid to Ukraine amid opposition from some hardline Republicans.

"The Ukrainian government is now actively working with its American partners to ensure that the new US budget decision, which will be developed over the next 45 days, includes new funds to help Ukraine," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said.

1129 GMT — UK PM Sunak says no plans to send British troops

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said there were no immediate plans to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, rowing back from reported comments by his defence minister that he wanted to begin training Ukrainian troops in the country.

To date, Britain and its allies have avoided a formal military presence in Ukraine to reduce the risk of a direct conflict with Russia.

British defence minister Grant Shapps said in an interview that he wanted to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries.

Hours after that interview was published, Sunak said there were no immediate plans to send British troops to Ukraine.

"What the defence secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine," Sunak told reporters at the start of the governing Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester.

"But that's something for the long term, not the here and now. There are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict."

0950 GMT — Russian regions hit by Kiev's drones, shelling — local governor

Russia was targeted by another wave of Ukrainian drones and shelling, wounding three people and forcing an airport to divert flights, officials said.

"On Sunday morning, the armed forces of Ukraine shelled the area of the central market in Shebekino," said Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.

"According to preliminary information, there are three victims - a woman suffered shrapnel wounds to the neck...Two other men suffered shrapnel wounds to their legs," he said.

The governor of Bryansk region, also on the border, said Ukrainian shelling of a village damaged houses and two administrative buildings but that there were no casualties.

0855 GMT — IMF team to begin meeting officials in Ukraine

An International Monetary Fund will begin holding meetings in Ukraine to discuss policy goals and challenges with government officials and others there, the Fund's country representative Vahram Stepanyan said.

The IMF said last week its mission had begun its second review of a $15.6B multi-year loan program for the country.

The four-year programme for Kiev is part of a $115B global package to support the economy as Ukraine battles Russia's forces.

0801 GMT — British training troops in Ukraine could be legitimate targets: Russia's Medvedev

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested that British soldiers training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russian forces, as would German factories producing Taurus missiles should they supply Kiev.

Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, and has become an increasingly hawkish and anti-Western figure in Russian politics, said such steps by the West were bringing World War Three closer.

"(This will) turn their instructors into a legal target for our armed forces," Medvedev wrote on Telegram. "Understanding perfectly well that they will be ruthlessly destroyed. And not as mercenaries, but namely as British NATO specialists."

0644 GMT — Ukraine downs 16 out of around 30Russian drones

Ukraine's air defence systems shot down 16 out of around 30 drones that Russia launched on Ukraine's territory overnight, Ukrainian Air Forces said.

It said on the Telegram messaging app that drones were launched from the southern, southeastern and northern directions.

Authorities said the central Ukrainian Cherkasy region was under the attack.

"At night, the enemy massively attacked our Cherkasy region with attack drones. Unfortunately, there were hits on industrial infrastructure in (the city of) Uman," Cherkasy Governor Ihor Taburets said on Telegram.

"As a result, fires broke out in warehouses. In particular, where grain was stored," he said, adding that one person was injured.

The Ukrainian presidential office said in a statement that civilian infrastructure and warehouses were also damaged in the southern Mykolaiv region and eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

0644 GMT — Russia shoots down four Ukrainian drones over southern and western regions

Russia said that air defences had shot down Ukrainian drones over the western Smolensk region and the southern Krasnodar region.

Air defences shot down a drone in the Krasnodar region at around 0500 GMT and at 0600 GMT shot down three drones over the Smolensk region, Russia's defence ministry said.

0640 GMT — Three cargo vessels left Ukrainian ports, four new ones to arrive -MarineTraffic

Three cargo vessels left Ukrainian Black Sea ports after loading, the MarineTraffic database showed, the latest to sail since Kiev set-up a temporary "humanitarian corridor" after Russia quit a deal allowing safe passage for Ukraine exports.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said last month that three cargo ships were heading towards Ukrainian Black Sea ports for further food and steel exports.

Bulk carriers Azara, Ying Hao 01 and Eneida were due to load 127,000 metric to ns of agricultural products and iron ore for China, Egypt and Spain.

The MarineTraffic database also showed that four new bulkers had entered Ukrainian waters and were heading to Black Sea ports. The system identified them as Olga, Ida, Forza Doria and New Legacy.

2242 GMT — Ukraine seeks collaborative defence production ventures with global powerhouses, offers special incentives

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged global defence companies to conduct joint production.

Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov attended the first international defence industry forum held in Kiev, where more than 252 defence companies from over 30 countries participated.

"Manufacturers of weapons and military equipment from all around the world, by joining the basic declaration of this alliance, can demonstrate their readiness to build the arsenal of the free world alongside Ukraine," said Zelenskyy.

He held meetings with representatives from defence companies from Türkiye, the US, the UK, Germany, France, Sweden and the Czech Republic, who came to Kiev, according to a statement from his office.

2100 GMT — UK aims to send instructors, train military inside Ukraine

Britain's government wants to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries as at present, British Defence Minister Grant Shapps has said in a newspaper interview.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Shapps said there was scope to offer military training within Ukraine after a discussion on Friday with British military chiefs.

"I was talking today about eventually getting the training brought closer and actually into Ukraine as well," he was quoted as saying.

"Particularly in the west of the country, I think the opportunity now is to bring more things 'in country'," he added.

Shapps added that he hoped British defence companies such as BAE Systems would proceed with plans to set up arms factories in Ukraine.

For our live updates from Saturday (September 30), click here.