Live blog: NATO announces over $2.5B ammunition support for Ukraine

Thursday, September 28, 2023

1300 GMT — The NATO chief has announced that the alliance signed framework contracts worth $2.53 billion (€2.4 billion) for key ammunition support to Ukraine.

Speaking at a news conference in Kiev after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said €1 billion of the €2.4 billion are "firm orders."

"This covers capabilities of 1.55mm artillery, anti-tank guided missiles, and main battle tank ammunition. This will help allies refill their stocks while continuing to supply Ukraine," he said.

Stoltenberg reiterated NATO's support to Ukraine – which has expressed a desire to join the alliance – saying: "Ukraine's future is in NATO."

More updates: 👇

1502 GMT — Kazakhstan won't help Russia to bust sanctions: president

Kazakhstan's leader said his country would not help Russia circumvent Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, amid suspicions that Moscow is still receiving vital goods via Central Asian nations.

"Kazakhstan has unambiguously stated that it will follow the sanctions regime," said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev following talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

"We have contacts with the relevant organisations to comply with the sanctions regime, and I think there should not be any concerns on the German side about possible actions aimed at circumventing the sanctions regime."

1216 GMT — Russia says West uses 'rumours' to test its readiness on Ukraine peace talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the West "tests Moscow's readiness to agree on its conditions" when it "starts rumours" about peace talks with Ukraine.

But Russia sees the West's true plan, which is a months-long pause to refill Ukraine's warehouses with weapons, Lavrov told Russian state news agency TASS .

He said the West insists on considering Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy's "peace formula" as the only basis for the negotiations with the apparent goal of never letting them happen.

1200 GMT — Russia to hike defence spending by almost 70% in 2024

Russia is set to hike defence spending by almost 70 percent in 2024, a finance ministry document showed, as Moscow pours resources into its full-scale offensive in Ukraine.

The document said defence spending was set to jump by over 68 percent year-on-year to almost 10.8 trillion rubles ($111.15 billion), totalling around 6 percent of GDP - more than spending allocated for social policy.

"The focus of economic policy is shifting from an anti-crisis agenda to the promotion of national development goals," the finance ministry said in the document.

It said this included "strengthening the country's defence capacity" and "integrating" the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed to annex last year -- Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

President Vladimir Putin and other officials have largely shrugged off the economic effects of the Ukraine offensive, arguing Russia has largely weathered the storm of Western sanctions.

1138 GMT — Ukraine 'closer to NATO than ever before': Stoltenberg

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on a visit to Kiev that Ukraine's ties with the military alliance had never been so close.

"Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before," Stoltenberg said at a press conference alongside President Zelenskyy, who has been pushing for his country's membership in the bloc.

1103 GMT — Zelenskyy says Ukraine joining NATO just a 'matter of time'

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that his country would eventually become a member of NATO as he welcomed the chief of the Western security bloc, Jens Stoltenberg, to Kiev.

"(It is) a matter of time before Ukraine becomes a de jure member of the alliance. We are doing everything to bring this time closer," Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference with the NATO chief.

0933 GMT — Kiev says Ukraine, Poland 'don't need this grain war'

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said an escalating grain exports dispute between Kiev and Warsaw was detrimental to both countries.

Poland has extended an embargo on Ukrainian grain, going against a European Commission decision to end the restrictions and triggering a diplomatic spat between the allies.

"We have conveyed clear signals to Poland about our commitment to a constructive solution to this situation. We don't need this grain war and neither does Poland," Kuleba told Interfax-Ukraine.

He warned the row could worsen as "emotions are running high" ahead of the Polish elections on October 15.

Kuleba said the grain issue would eventually be solved, but cautioned against the long-term consequences of stoking tensions.

0927 GMT — Thermal power plant in southern Ukraine damaged in Russian attack - Ukrenergo

Russian shelling damaged a thermal power plant in southern Ukraine, Ukraine's national grid operator said.

State-run Ukrenergo gave no other details about the location of the plant or the extent of the damage.

"Yesterday evening a thermal power plant in the southern region was damaged as a result of massive enemy shelling," Ukrenergo said.

0548 GMT — UK, French defence ministers in Ukraine for aid talks

The British and French defence ministers were in Kiev to discuss supplying further military aid to Ukraine, which is seeking more weapons to bolster its counter-offensive against Russian forces.

The visits came ahead of Kiev's first Defence Industries Forum, where Ukrainian officials were set to meet representatives from over 160 defence firms and 26 countries.

"I've been back to Kiev this week to ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy what he needs to win," UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said of his first trip to the Ukrainian capital in that role.

0548 GMT — Russia launches big wave of drone strikes on Ukraine

Russia carried out a big wave of air strikes on three Ukrainian regions in which Ukrainian officials said some attack drones had hit their targets but did not say what was damaged.

Ukrainian air defences shot down 34 of 44 incoming "Shahed" drones, the air force said. The strikes targeted the regions of Mykolaiv and Odesa in the south and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine, the military said.

"We had an extremely difficult night," Andriy Raikovych, Kirovohrad's governor, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "Some of the Shaheds over the region were destroyed. However, there were also hits."

There were no casualties and no damage to civilian infrastructure, he said. There were no reports of significant damage in Mykolaiv.

2000 GMT — Kiev needs 'more means' to destroy Russian weapons — Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kiev needs "more means" in order to destroy Russian drones, missiles and aircraft in his nightly address.

"Our warriors need more means of destroying Russian missiles, "Shaheds" and other combat drones, as well as Russian aircraft," Zelenskyy said.

"And I am grateful to everyone in the world who is already helping and is willing to ramp up assistance to our country with the means that can provide more protection against Russian terror."

Zelenskyy added that the country is planning powerful measures this month to reinforce the state and already working on October and November agendas, adding that strength has no alternatives for Ukraine.

For our live updates from Wednesday (September 27), click here.