Live blog: Iran accuses US of 'fanning flames' in Ukraine

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

0032 GMT — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has accused the United States of worsening the Ukraine war but insisted that Tehran — which has provided drones to Russia — would back a peace settlement.

"The United States of America has fanned the flames of violence in Ukraine in order to weaken the European countries. This is a long-term plan, unfortunately," he told the United Nations General Assembly.

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1903 GMT — Zelenskyy tells world it has stake against Russia 'genocide'

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has urged the world to stand firm against Russia's "genocide," as he told sceptical developing nations they had a stake in Kiev's victory.

Zelenskyy lashed out at Russia for what Ukraine says is the deportation of thousands of children. The practice has led the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for the arrest of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, which says it is taking war orphans into foster care.

"Those children in Russia are taught to hate Ukraine, and all ties with their families are broken," Zelenskyy said as Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations sat without expression.

"This is clearly a genocide. When hatred is weaponised against one nation, it never stops there," he said.

1850 GMT — Ukraine urgently needs air defences: NATO head

Ukraine urgently needs air defences, including ammunition, spare parts and maintenance for the systems the Ukrainian military already has, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters.

Stoltenberg said the war, now well into its second year, was a "war of attrition" but not a stalemate, given the gains Ukraine has made with a counteroffensive it began in June to try to reclaim territory occupied by Russian forces.

"If we want an end to the war, if we want a just and lasting peace, then military support to Ukraine is the right way," said Stoltenberg in an interview while in New York for the annual high-level United Nations General Assembly.

"Ukraine needs many different types of support."

1803 — Almost 50 children from occupied Ukrainian regions arrive in Belarus

Belarusian state media reported that 48 children from Ukraine arrived in Belarus from Ukrainian regions which Moscow claims it has annexed.

The group of children came from the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. They include children from towns which were captured by the Russian army in July 2022.

It’s not clear if the children were orphans or were removed from their parents with or without consent since Belarusian authorities didn’t provide any details about them.

1603 GMT — UK pledges 'tens of thousands' more artillery shells for Ukraine

Britain will supply "tens of thousands" more artillery shells to Ukraine this year, the government's defence department announced.

"Today we’ve demonstrated the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine and set out more military support, including pledging tens of thousands more artillery shells to enable Ukraine to defend itself," Defence Minister Grant Shapps after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Germany said.

"We have also set out how the UK will go further in the coming months in our priority support areas, including air defence and long-range strike capabilities, and training."

1715 GMT — Ukraine says six civilians die in Russian strikes

The death toll from Russian strikes on three Ukrainian cities including Kupyansk in the northeast, where Moscow has led a local offensive for weeks, has risen to nine people, Kiev said.

1537 GMT — Russia defence chief Shoygu visits Iran

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Iran for meetings to deepen Moscow's defence ties with Tehran, Russian news agencies reported.

Moscow has sought to strengthen its alliances with other countries ostracised by the West, including Iran, which has been accused of supplying Moscow with armed drones for its offensive in Ukraine.

Tehran denies the allegations.

Shoygu met with Iran's armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iranian media reported.

Talks involved "development of defence diplomacy" and "management of common threats", according to the official IRNA news agency.

1527 GMT — G7 sees Russia settling in Ukraine war for longer term: US

G7 countries recognise that Russia is settling into its war in Ukraine for the longer term, and this requires enduring military and economic support for Kiev, a senior US official said after a meeting of foreign ministers.

"There was a recognition that we see Russia settling into this war for the medium and long term," said a senior US State Department official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.

That means continuing Western backing for Ukraine as well as ensuring that security and economic support are in place for the medium term, the official said.

"This is, of course, about ensuring that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's imperial project continues to fail and that he knows that he cannot out-wait us, but it is also about working together to ensure that there is sufficient burden-sharing, that there is sufficient long-term planning," added the official.

1514 GMT — Biden warns against appeasing Russia as Zelenskyy takes UN stage

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took centre stage at the United Nations where US President Joe Biden warned the world against trying to "appease" Russia's "naked aggression."

Russian President Vladimir Putin - who did not come to New York - is expecting that the world "will grow weary and allow it to brutalise Ukraine without consequence," Biden said.

"But I ask you this: If we abandon the core principles of the UN Charter to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected? If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?" Biden said.

"We must stand up to this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow."

1358 GMT — Ukraine complains to WTO about Hungary, Poland and Slovakia banning its farm products

Ukraine is filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization against Hungary, Poland and Slovakia after they banned grain and other food products coming from the war-torn country, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

It lays bare a widening rift with the three members of the European Union, which has been a pivotal backer of Kiev as it works to fight off Russia's offensive.

Shmyhal warned that Ukraine could institute a retaliatory ban on some types of goods from Hungary, Poland and Slovakia if they refused to lift their restrictions.

“Such a blockade will only benefit the Russian plan to create a worldwide food crisis,” Shmyhal said.

1405 GMT — Ukraine says six civilians die in Russian strikes

Russian strikes on three Ukrainian cities including Kupyansk in the northeast, where Moscow has led a local offensive for weeks, killed six civilians, Kiev said.

"Today, the enemy struck the city of Kupyansk with a guided aerial bomb," the head of the north-eastern Kharkiv region Oleg Synegubeov said on social media.

Three civilians were previously announced as killed.

The Ukrainian army said 27 Iranian-made Shahed drones had been shot down out of 30 launched by Russia during the night.

1318 GMT — Russian drone attack on a city in western Ukraine sparks inferno

Russia has launched a massive drone attack on the western city of Lviv, burning down a warehouse said to house humanitarian supplies and killing one man, Ukrainian authorities said.

It was one of at least three deadly attacks in different cities.

Ukraine intercepted most of the 30 shaded drones overnight, the country's air force said. But drones that got through air defence systems sparked an inferno at the industrial storage facility, Gov. Maksym Kozytsky said.

1149 GMT — Czechs to get funding from Denmark, Netherlands for Ukraine weapon supplies

The Czech Republic has signed a letter of intent with Denmark and the Netherlands on financial support for deliveries of Czech weapons to Ukraine, the country's Defence Ministry said.

The ministry said it will help cover supplies of additional tanks, howitzers, small arms, air defence capacities and forms of electronic warfare or ammunition.

The first project will be the donation of modernised T-72EA tanks in the near future, it said. Other equipment will be combat-ready and sent in the coming months and in 2024.

1139 GMT — Ukraine lawyers insist that UN's top court has jurisdiction to hear Kiev's case against Russia

Ukraine insisted that the United Nations' highest court has jurisdiction to hear a case alleging that Moscow abused the genocide convention to justify launching its devastating invasion last year.

Kiev wants judges at the International Court of Justice to order Russia to halt its attacks and pay reparations. But it appears unlikely Moscow would comply. Russia has flouted a binding interim order issued by the court in March last year to end its invasion.

“Russia’s defiance is also an attack on this court’s authority. Every missile that Russia fires at our cities, it fires in defiance of this court,” the leader of Ukraine’s legal team, Anton Korynevych, told the 16-judge panel.

1059 GMT — EU to extend protection scheme for Ukrainians until 2025

The European Commission proposed to extend the EU’s protection scheme for Ukrainian refugees until March 2025.

The European Commission “is proposing today to the Council (of the European Union) to extend the temporary protection for another year, from March 2024 to March 2025,” Anitta Hipper, spokesperson for home affairs, said at the EU executive body’s daily news briefing.

“Europe will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes,” she added. EU member states have yet to approve the measures.

0818 GMT — EU foreign ministers to hold meeting in Kiev

EU foreign ministers will soon hold a meeting in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, the bloc's foreign policy chief has said.

"In Ukraine, the immediate priority is peace, but a just peace," Josep Borrell told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, following the informal meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers.

He criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for directly attacking food supplies, saying: "We will convene a meeting of the foreign affairs ministers in Kiev soon in the coming period."

0811 GMT — Abram tanks will be in Ukraine 'soon' — US

Ukraine will "soon" receive M1 Abrams tanks from the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said in Germany.

Washington had promised the tanks to Kiev at the beginning of the year, part of more than $43 billion in security assistance pledged by the United States since Russia started its military offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.

"I'm... pleased to announce that the M1 Abrams tanks that the United States had previously committed to will be entering Ukraine soon," Austin said at the opening of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

0704 GMT — Ukraine files trade complaint over food ban: WTO

The World Trade Organization has confirmed that Ukraine had taken the first step in a trade dispute by filing a complaint to the global trade body over bans on food imports from Ukraine.

"We can confirm that a request for consultations was received Monday evening. Further information will be provided once the request has been circulated to our members," a WTO spokesperson said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment.

He did not name the countries although Kiev has previously said the complaint targeted Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

0632 GMT — Ukriane's grain-loaded cargo ship leaves Chornomorsk port: Kiev

A cargo ship which entered the Ukrainian Black Sea port of entered Chornomorsk last week has departed with 3,000 metric tonnes of grain, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has said.

"The vessel "Resilient Africa", carrying 3,000 tons of wheat, has left the port of Chornomorsk and is heading towards the Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait)," Kubrakov said on Facebook.

"This is the first of two vessels that entered Chornomorsk last week through a temporary corridor for civilian vessels established by the Ukrainian Navy."

0630 GMT — Ukraine 'downs' dozens of Russian drones

Ukraine's air defence systems destroyed 27 out of 30 drones and one Iskander ballistic missile that Russia launched on Ukraine's territory in early hours on Tuesday, Ukraine's air force said on the messaging platform Telegram.

"A total of 30 attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were launched... As a result of combat work, 27 Shaheds were shot down by air defence units," the Ukrainian air force said on social media.

The Iranian-made Shahed drones were destroyed in Ukraine's southern, central and western regions, while the missile was launched in the direction of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, it said.

The attack wounded at least one person in western city of Lviv.

0231 GMT — Drones attack Ukraine's Lviv, explosions heard

Drones attacked Ukraine's western city of Lviv and explosions rang out as the city mayor said a strike had set fire to a warehouse.

Several waves of drones buzzed overheard starting around 0130 GMT and an AFP journalist heard numerous explosions and movements of heavy vehicles through the streets during the nightly curfew.

The city's mayor, Andriy Sadoviy, wrote on Telegram that "air defences are operating in our region", telling people to seek shelter.

Sadoviy later added: "Explosions are heard. As a result of a strike on Lviv, there is a fire at an industrial warehouse.

All the necessary services have gone to the site."

Ukraine's air forces wrote on Telegram that "the threat of Shahed (drones) remains in the Lviv region. Air defences are operating".

0030 GMT — IAEA sees improvement in safety around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine

There has been some improvement in safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told Russia's RIA news agency in remarks published.

Europe's largest nuclear plant was captured by Russian forces in March 2022. Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling around the station and IAEA has been trying to set up a safety mechanism to prevent accidents. "So far we have seen some improvement, but the situation continues to be extremely fragile," RIA cited Grossi as saying.

He said the agency has not observed any shelling of the plant.

"But I weigh my words carefully," he added.

One of the plant's six reactors, according to the IAEA, needs to be kept in a hot shutdown mode in order to produce steam required for nuclear safety, including the processing of liquid radioactive waste in storage tanks.

For our live updates from Sunday (September 18), click here.