Live blog: British Premier Liz Truss tells allies to stand firm on Ukraine

Sunday, September 25, 2022

British PM tells allies to stand firm on Ukraine 

British Prime Minister Liz Truss said allies should stand firm on Ukraine and ignore Russian President Vladimir Putin's "sabre-rattling".

"Instead, what we need to do is continue to put sanctions on Russia and continue to support the Ukrainians," she told CNN in an interview broadcast.

Truss, who met US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron on her first foreign trip as prime minister to New York last week, called on like-minded governments to be firm against "autocratic regimes".

Serbian minister defends Russia deal

Serbia's foreign minister sought to play down the importance of an agreement with Russia after the Balkan state that is seeking European Union membership faced harsh criticism from the pro-EU opposition at home and some EU politicians.

Nikola Selakovic said at a news conference Sunday that the agreement signed on Friday is a “technical” one and relates to bilateral ties, but not security issues.
“The government could have rejected such a plan but there is nothing contentious in it,” he added. “It is being criticised by those who haven’t seen it.”

Ukraine's Odessa again attacked by Iranian drones

Ukraine has said that the southern port city of Odessa was attacked by Iranian-made drones overnight, two days after a Russian attack with such a weapon killed two civilians.

"The enemy hit the administrative building in the city centre three times," the Ukrainian army's Operational Command South said in a Facebook message. "One drone was shot down by (Ukrainian) air defence forces. No casualties (were) recorded," it said.

"These were Iranian drones," a Ukrainian South Command spokeswoman, Natalya Gumenyuk, later said.

Kiev said later it decided to reduce Iran's diplomatic presence in Ukraine over its supply of drones to Russia.

Winter's approach sets clock ticking for Ukraine, Russia

The onset of autumnal weather, with rains making fields too muddy for tanks, is beginning to cloud Ukraine's efforts to take back more Russian-held territory before winter freezes the battlefields, a Washington-based think tank said.

Russia, meanwhile, has pressed on with its call-up of hundreds of thousands of men to throw into the seven-month conflict, seeking to reverse its recent losses. 

The Russian mobilisation — its first such call-up since World War II — is sparking protests in Russian cities, with fresh demonstrations Sunday.

Ukraine schools battered by Russian onslaught in south

Russia's attacks on Ukraine have left a village school shattered just a few kilometres from the frontline of the conflict in the southern Mykolaiv region.

Once Ukrainian troops took up position there the Russians bombed everything, Sergiy, head of the village municipality said.

In the heavily-shelled village most roofs have now been blown off. Only 25 residents still live there out of a population of some 1,700, Sergiy said.

Zelenskyy says shocked by Israel's failure to give Ukraine weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he was "in shock" at Israel's failure to give Kiev anti-missile systems to help counter Russian attacks, according to an interview.

Zelenskyy has been asking for the weapons since shortly after the conflict started in February. He has mentioned Israel's Iron Dome system, often used to intercept rockets fired from Palestine's Gaza enclave.

"I don't know what happened to Israel. I'm honestly, frankly - I am in shock, because I don't understand why they couldn't give us air defences," he said. "I am stating the facts. My conversations with the Israeli leadership have done nothing to help Ukraine."

Ukraine blasts Moscow's 'irresponsible' statement on possible nuclear use

The Kremlin's statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons are "absolutely unacceptable" and Kiev will not give into it, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, have mentioned nuclear weapons as an option in extremis.

"Putin's and Lavrov's irresponsible statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons are absolutely unacceptable," Kuleba wrote on Twitter. 

"Ukraine won't give in. We call on all nuclear powers to speak out now and make it clear to Russia that such rhetorics put the world at risk and will not be tolerated."

For live updates from Saturday (September 24), click here