Ukraine Latest: U.S. Vows Fresh Military Aid; Blinken Visits Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country’s army has recaptured a few towns in the north-eastern Kharkiv region.
(Bloomberg) -- US President Joe Biden will hold a video call Thursday with allies including leaders of the Group of Seven nations, the NATO military alliance, and the European Union. The talks, which focus on the next steps to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, come after Washington announced more than $2.8 billion in additional aid for Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Kyiv.
The Pentagon has sent Ukraine its most accurate artillery shell, the GPS-guided Excalibur, according to budget documents. A plan to replenish the US stock of Excaliburs acknowledges for the first time that the Pentagon has been supplying Ukrainian forces with the shell.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country’s army has recaptured a few towns in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, without elaborating.
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Key Developments
- Biden to Host Call Thursday With Allies on Ukraine Support
- Most-Accurate US Artillery Shell Is Quietly Added to Ukraine Aid
- All Eyes Turn to Ukraine Gas Link as Russia Squeezes Europe
- German Anger Spills Over as Countries Balk at Gas-Sharing Deals
- Sanctions Pull Russian Billionaires Tighter Into Putin’s Embrace
- Blinken Visits Kyiv in New US Show of Support for Ukraine
On the Ground
Russian forces carried out continuous missile and air strikes, damaging infrastructure in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff reported. Russia hit the northern city of Kharkiv with rockets again overnight, Interfax-Ukraine said, citing local authorities. The Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces are likely exploiting Russia’s deployment of forces away from the Izyum-Kharkiv area to retake territory and threaten Russian ground lines of communication there.
(All times CET)
Ukraine Says Norway to Provide Hellfire Missiles (3:24 p.m.)
Norway will provide additional equipment to Ukraine’s army, including Hellfire precision-strike missiles, Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov from a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Ukrainian Army Reports Faster Advances Near Kharkiv (2:20 p.m.)
Ukrainian troops have moved forward as far as 50 kilometers (31 miles) into Russian-held territories near Kharkiv in the country’s northeast this week, said Oleksiy Hromov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Advances near Kramatorsk were about 2 kilometers, and closer to 3 kilometers near Slovyansk. Heavy fighting continued near the Russia-seized city Kherson in Ukraine’s south, Hromov said at a briefing.
Kyiv’s troops liberated more than 20 localities near Kharkiv, Hromov said. In all, he estimated recently liberated areas at more than 700 square kilometers (435 square miles) of areas near Kharkiv and along the Southern Buh axis.
Poland, Baltics Target Russia Visas (1:52 p.m.)
Poland and the Baltic states will impose tough restrictions on visas issued to Russian citizens, calling the recent influx of tourists a “serious threat” to national security.
The European Union nations that share a border with Russia said they’ll turn away most Russians seeking to enter the EU on visas for tourism, culture, sports and business by Sept. 19. The measures fall short of a full ban for those entering the bloc’s visa-free Schengen area.
German Anger as Countries Balk at Gas-Sharing Deals (1:11 p.m.)
Hope is dimming in Germany that it will be able clinch more gas solidarity agreements with European Union partners beyond the ones already in place with Denmark and Austria, a potential further hindrance to Berlin’s ability to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis.
Read more: German Anger Spills Over as Countries Balk at Gas-Sharing Deals
Blinken Visits Children’s Hospital, Meets Patron During Kyiv Trip (1:05 p.m.)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the National Specialized Children’s Hospital Ohmatdyt while in Kyiv, meeting patients including several who were seriously injured in Russian strikes.
Blinken also met Patron, the explosive-sniffing Jack Russell terrier who’s become a social media star for his work finding mines. Patron, whose name means “cartridge” in Ukrainian, is “world famous,” Blinken said.
“We have a long history on working on de-mining,” Blinken told hospital staff. “We’re honored to be working with you on that.”
Ukraine Keeps Policy Rate at 25% (1 p.m.)
The National Bank of Ukraine left the key policy rate unchanged at 25%, the highest since 2015, as expected. The rate has been at that level since June.
“Under current conditions, such a level of the key policy rate is sufficient to maintain exchange-rate stability and keep inflation processes under control,” Deputy Central Bank Governor Serhiy Nikolaychuk said in Kyiv.
Blinken Travels to Kyiv in New Show of Support (12:25 p.m.)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv Thursday for meetings with Ukrainian officials as the country’s military presses to regain territory that Russia seized in the first six months of its invasion. Blinken met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba for 30 minutes.
The trip to Ukraine is Blinken’s third since the start of the war on Feb. 24 and his fifth since becoming the Biden administration’s top diplomat, according to the State Department.
US Defense Chief Announces $675 Million in Fresh Ukraine Funding (11:50 a.m.)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US had approved fresh military aid to Ukraine worth $675 million as the war enters a “new phase” with Kyiv’s counteroffensive seeking to roll back Russia’s invasion.
The US also plans to provide another $2 billion in foreign military financing to back Ukraine’s efforts as well as 18 neighboring nations including NATO allies, according to a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Austin commented at a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday, where US and European officials pledged to stand by Ukraine. The US has committed a total of $6.3 billion to Ukraine since the group’s last meeting.
Norway to Give Hellfire Missiles, Night-Vision Equipment (11:45 a.m.)
Norway will donate to Ukraine night-vision equipment and about 160 Hellfire missiles, launching pads and guidance units, the defense ministry said. The weapons, which can be used against land and sea targets, were originally acquired for Norway’s coastal ranger commando.
Norwegian instructors have trained Ukrainian operators in the use of Hellfire, which is nearing the end of its service life and was scheduled to be phased out.
Germany Pledges to Help Companies Hurt by Putin’s Energy Squeeze (10:02 a.m.)
Germany will support firms hit by the energy crisis, widening a pandemic-era aid program to help companies hit by surging costs.
Europe’s largest economy is at the center of the continent’s energy crunch as Russian President Vladimir Putin slashes supplies in retaliation for sanctions related to the war in Ukraine. After the ruling coalition agreed on measures to support consumers, Germany will make funding available to strapped businesses.
Hundreds of Portuguese NATO Documents Found on Dark Web: Diario (10 a.m.)
Portugal’s Armed Forces General Staff, the country’s top military body, was the target of a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of classified NATO documents that were sent to the southern European nation, Diario de Noticias reported, citing unnamed sources.
Hundreds of those documents, which were classified as secret and confidential, were found for sale on the dark web, according to the Portuguese daily. The Portuguese government was informed of this breach by the U.S. embassy in Lisbon in August, the newspaper said.
Putin’s Criticism of Ukraine Grain Deal Triggers Food Prices Worries (9:15 a.m.)
Putin’s attack on a grain deal with Ukraine and the surge in wheat prices highlighted the fragility of the global crop trade, raising the specter of higher food prices to come.
The grain shipment corridor from Ukraine is not helping poorer countries, as the majority of supplies are going to Europe, Putin said Wednesday. He added that it may be worth discussing restrictions on the routes with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, putting the future of the deal in jeopardy.
Zelenskiy Praises Military For Retaking Several Towns in Kharkiv Region (8:15 a.m.)
Ukraine’s army has recaptured a few towns in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, according to Zelenskiy. “Now is not the time to name the settlements to which the Ukrainian flag returns,” he said in his regular nightly video address. “Each success of our military in one direction or another changes the general situation along the entire front line in favor of Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy also promised to spend more than a trillion hryvnias (27 billion dollars) for security and defense needs next year and to cut all non-critical government spending, including those of state-run companies. Ukraine’s government is to submit the draft of the 2023 budget to parliament by September 15.
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