September 23, 2024
Ukraine says it did not target civilians in Kursk
Ukraine did not target civilians during its offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Russia had earlier announced that dozens of civilians had been killed and hundreds more had been injured during the offensive, which was the largest foreign attack on Russian soil since World War II.
“Given Russia’s long history of false numbers and propaganda, there is simply no way of verifying their claims. If Russia wants to show the real situation on the ground it can grant such access to the UN and ICRC,” a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry told the Reuters news agency.
https://p.dw.com/p/4kybL
September 23, 2024
Zelenskyy to meet with Scholz, Erdogan and Lula on US trip
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with the leaders of Germany, Turkey and Brazil on Monday as part of his five-day trip to the United States.
The leaders were in New York City for the United Nations Summit of the Future.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have taken more neutral approaches to the conflict.
Earlier, on Sunday, Zelenskyy visited an ammunition plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to thank workers for producing one of the most critically needed supplies in Ukraine’s fight to push back Russian forces.
“I began my visit to the United States by expressing my gratitude to all the employees at the plant,” the Ukrainian president said on social media.
“It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail.”
Later in the week, Zelenskyy is set to present his “victory plan” to US President Joe Biden as well as presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
https://p.dw.com/p/4kxzo
September 23, 2024
Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 1, injure dozens
Russia launched a fresh wave of strikes on Ukraine overnight.
In the southeastern city of Kherson, a 61-year-old woman was killed, and seven others were wounded, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
Meanwhile, in nearby Zaporizhzhia , 16 people were wounded in overnight air strikes, police said.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said 13 high-rise buildings were damaged as well as educational institutions and private houses.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched at least two guided missiles and four drones as part of the strikes overnight
But it said the two missiles and one drone “did not reach their targets due to the active anti-aircraft missile defense of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4kxx7
September 23, 2024
Russia says 31 civilians dead in Kursk incursion
At least 31 civilians have been killed during Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region up until September 5, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry also said some 131,000 civilians had left the most dangerous areas of the region.
Ukraine’s August 6 incursion into Kursk was the biggest foreign attack on Russian soil since World War II.
Ukrainian MP: Kursk incursion shows Putin is bluffing
https://p.dw.com/p/4ky3j
September 23, 2024
Potential Ukraine-Russia talks in the spotlight
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the prospect of talks with Russia on Sunday, but Moscow was quick to shut down the possibility.
Zelenskyy is in the United States where he will eventually present his “victory plan” to the White House.
“This will be the start and foundation for talking in any format with Russia. In any format, with any of its representatives, because there will be a plan and something to show,” Zelenskyy told Ukrainian media.
Zelenskyy also hopes to have Russia at the table at follow-up talks for the Swiss-organized “peace summit” back in June.
However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova rejected such a suggestion.
“This process itself has nothing to do with a settlement,” she said in a statement on Telegram. “It is another manifestation of fraud by the Anglo-Saxons and their Ukrainian puppets.”
Long-range weapons for Ukraine: Putin’s red line?
zc/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
https://p.dw.com/p/4ky3Q