Ukraine war in the live ticker: +++ 01:40 Biden agrees to Zelenskyj $325 million aid package +++

September 22, 2023

Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:40 Biden agrees to Zelenskyj $325 million aid package +++

The US will support Ukraine with a new $325 million military aid package. US President Biden announced this after his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House. The aid package, which includes air defense systems and other weapons, will help Ukraine with air defense in the winter, Biden said. The United States would also deliver the first Abrams tanks to Ukraine next week. Zelensky praises the package as “very powerful.” It contains “exactly what our soldiers need now,” said the President.

+++ 00:52 China pleads for peace talks +++
China’s government once again calls for an end to hostilities in Ukraine at the UN general debate. “Cessation of hostilities and resumption of peace talks are the only way to resolve the Ukraine crisis,” Vice President Han Zheng told the United Nations General Assembly. China supports all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis and wants to “continue to play a constructive role.” China is an important partner of Russia. In the Ukraine war, the People’s Republic officially presents itself as neutral, but supports the neighboring country.

+++ 23:38 “Wall Street Journal” reports breakthrough at Werbowe +++
Ukrainian troops are said to have broken through the most important Russian defense line in the southeast of the country with tanks. Armored vehicles overcame trenches and concrete blocks near Werbowe, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing the Ukrainian military. Intelligence evaluations of Russian videos, which are supposed to show artillery hits on Ukrainian vehicles, confirm the breakthrough, according to the report. The small breach was fiercely contested and the Ukrainian units suffered heavy losses, it is said.

+++ 22:26 38 of 44 missiles intercepted: Ukraine speaks of a massive Russian missile attack +++
The Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down 38 of the 44 missiles fired by Russia last night, the Ukrainian newspaper Kyiv Independent reported, citing the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Accordingly, the Russian military launched a massive attack against Ukraine in the early hours of the morning, with Russia also said to have fired six S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. The attacks targeted several regions, including Kyiv Oblast, Cherkassy, ​​Kharkiv, Lviv, Rivne and Kherson. According to local officials, at least two people were killed and 26 people were injured. According to the General Staff, the Russian attack targeted the country’s energy and industrial infrastructure.

+++ 21:47 Zelenskyj in the White House for talks with US President Biden +++
Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky was received by US President Joe Biden at the White House during his visit to Washington. Biden and his wife Jill welcomed Zelensky and his wife Olena at the presidential residence. Biden and Zelenskyj then withdrew for a conversation. Zelenskyj had already visited the US Congress in the morning (local time) and, in discussions with representatives and senators, advocated for further aid in the war against Russia. The Ukrainian president then said he was counting on the “long-term support” of the United States. “To win, we have to stand together. And win together.” Meanwhile, Biden’s security adviser Jake Sullivan announced a new package of military aid for Kiev. However, he made it clear that the package does not include ATACMS missiles, which Zelenskyy wants.

Before the visit to the White House, the Ukrainian president was received at the Pentagon by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Zelenskyj shared a video of this on social media:

+++ 21:09 Bulgaria expels top Russian Orthodox cleric in Sofia +++
According to Russian information, Bulgaria has expelled the top priest of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia and two Belarusian priests from the country. The Bulgarian domestic intelligence service DANS today only reported the expulsion of three men who are accused of implementing Russia’s “hybrid strategy” to “influence the socio-political processes” in Bulgaria in favor of “Russian interests”. According to the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria, the Russian Orthodox Archimandrite of Sofia, Vasian, is among those expelled. According to the Bulgarian secret service DANS, a five-year entry ban was also imposed on the three deportees – who were only named in the message by their initials and their citizenship. The Russian embassy in Sofia described the measure on Facebook as “brutal”. In a video distributed by the Tass news agency, Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova spoke of an “unprecedented” step that comes from a “devilish spirit”.

+++ 20:34 Poland’s President: Morawiecki’s words about weapons for Ukraine misinterpreted +++
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda describes the irritation surrounding a possible stop to Polish arms deliveries to Ukraine as a misunderstanding. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s statements were “interpreted in the worst possible way,” Duda told TVN24. “In my opinion, the prime minister wanted to say that we will not supply to Ukraine the new weapons that we are currently purchasing as part of the modernization of the Polish army.” Warsaw has concluded arms deals with the USA and South Korea, among others, to purchase new tanks and howitzers. “If we receive the new weapons from the US and South Korea, we will release the weapons currently used by the Polish army. Maybe we will give them to Ukraine,” Duda said. Morawiecki indicated yesterday that Poland would no longer supply weapons to Ukraine “because we are equipping ourselves with the most modern weapons.” The statement caused irritation in Brussels and Berlin.

+++ 20:15 USA: Ukraine is not getting the ATACMS missiles it was hoping for for the time being +++
US President Joe Biden will not promise Ukraine ATACMS missiles on the occasion of the visit of Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky. “President Biden will announce a new military aid package today,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House. The package will receive extensive funding for air defense, but no ATACMS missiles. Biden decided against supplying ATACMS missiles after careful consideration, Sullivan said. “But he doesn’t rule it out for the future either.” This type of rocket has a range of 300 kilometers.

You can read more about the events of the previous day here.