US imposes new sanctions on Russia over attempts to “subvert and polarize free and open societies”In his remarks, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US is imposing new sanctions on Russia over its role to “undermine democracies.”Blinken said:
“Today, we’re imposing sanctions on three entities and two individuals for Russia’s covert global influence operations, including interference in Moldova’s democracy and its upcoming elections.
The actions we’re exposing today and the actions we exposed last week do not incorporate the full scope of Russia’s efforts to undermine democracies, far from it.
Russia’s weaponization of disinformation to subvert and polarize free and open societies extends to every part of the world. In response, today, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada are launching a joint diplomatic campaign to rally allies and partners around the world to join us in addressing the threat posed by RT and other machinery of Russian disinformation and covert influence.”
ShareKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked Finland for its provision of another defense package in its war against Russia.In a statement on X, Zelenskiy wrote:
I am grateful to @alexstubb and @FinGovernment for Finland’s decision to provide Ukraine with another defense package, valued at 118 million euros. This brings the total value of Finland’s military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion to 2.3 billion euros.”
Zelenskiy went on to add:
“This support is not just about defending Ukraine – it’s about protecting the people of all Europe and strengthening our entire continent. The security of Europe’s eastern flank can only be ensured through our continued unity and cooperation.”
I am grateful to @alexstubb and @FinGovernment for Finland’s decision to provide Ukraine with another defense package, valued at 118 million euros.This brings the total value of Finland’s military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion to 2.3 billion euros.We…— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 13, 2024
ShareUS imposes new sanctions on Russia over attempts to “subvert and polarize free and open societies”In his remarks, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US is imposing new sanctions on Russia over its role to “undermine democracies.”Blinken said:
“Today, we’re imposing sanctions on three entities and two individuals for Russia’s covert global influence operations, including interference in Moldova’s democracy and its upcoming elections.
The actions we’re exposing today and the actions we exposed last week do not incorporate the full scope of Russia’s efforts to undermine democracies, far from it.
Russia’s weaponization of disinformation to subvert and polarize free and open societies extends to every part of the world. In response, today, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada are launching a joint diplomatic campaign to rally allies and partners around the world to join us in addressing the threat posed by RT and other machinery of Russian disinformation and covert influence.”
ShareUS secretary of state Antony Blinken is now delivering remarks about the influence of Russian state-owned outlets including RT.Blinken said:
“One of its projects is a large online crowdfunding program in Russia, operating within RT and through social media channels to provide support and military equipment supplies weaponry to Russian military units in Ukraine. This includes sniper rifles, suppressors, body armor, night vision equipment, drones, radio equipment, personal weapon sites, diesel generators. While the crowdfunding campaign is out in the open, what’s hidden is that this program is administered by the leaders of RT,” he said.
ShareEuropean policy leaders are downplaying Russian president Vladimir Putin’s war threats over Ukraine’s potential allowance to expand its long-range missile usage.The Guardian’s Lili Bayer reports:“It is necessary to take all events in Ukraine and on the Ukrainian-Russian front very seriously, but I would not attach excessive importance to the latest statements from president Putin,” said the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk. “They rather show the difficult situation the Russians have on the front,” he added.The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, also responded to Putin’s threats, telling reporters: “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away. Ukraine has the right to self-defence.”Starmer, who will meet the US president, Joe Biden, in Washington on Friday, said the UK had provided “training and capability” to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion and he was visiting Biden partly because “there are obviously further discussions to be had about the nature of that capability”.For the full story, click here:ShareVicky GrahamFormer UK prime minister Boris Johnson met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Friday and renewed calls for Britain to allow the country to use Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia.“It is vital that Ukraine should be able to defend itself properly by stopping the appalling Russian attacks with glide bombs and now Iranian missiles,” Johnson said following the meeting.“It is obvious that they should be able to use Storm Shadow, Scalp and ATACMS as fast as possible against targets in Russia itself. Every day that goes by means more pointless and tragic loss of Ukrainian lives,” he said.A handout photo made available by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service shows Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shaking hands with UK’s former prime minister Boris Johnson (L) during a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, 13 September 2024. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service Handout/EPAShareUpdated at 19.16 CESTUS officials criticize Putin’s remarks on potential ‘war with Russia’Andrew RothUS officials and lawmakers have shot back at Vladimir Putin after the Russian leader said that Nato’s potential lifting of restrictions on Ukraine to launch long-range strikes into Russia would mean Nato countries were “at war” with Russia.“This will mean that Nato countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin told Russian reporters on Thursday. “And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”The remarks provoked an angry response in Washington, where officials accused Putin of sabre-rattling in order to scare Nato countries away from supporting Ukraine.Senator Jim Risch, ranking member of the Senate foreign relations committee, told the Guardian that Ukraine should have authorisation to strike targets deep inside Russia, including active Russian bombers launching missiles against Ukrainian cities.“Putin’s latest threats about direct confrontation with Nato are simply an effort to coerce the West out of supporting Ukraine,” Risch said. “He knows that long-range strikes from Ukraine would cause significant damage to his war effort. Several Russian missiles have landed in Nato territory and Nato has not escalated.”“Ukraine must be allowed to defend itself, period,” he continued. “If that means striking a Russian bomber launching missiles at Ukrainian civilians from Russian airspace, then Ukraine should be able to take that shot.”Speaking with reporters on Friday, US national security council spokesman John Kirby said that there would likely be no announcements about the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of British and French-supplied missiles in Ukraine.But at the same time, he said that the US and its Nato allies have “our own calculus for what we decide to provide to Ukraine.”“I never said that we don’t take Mr. Putin’s threats seriously,” Kirby said. “He starts brandishing the nuclear sword, for instance, yeah, we take that seriously. We constantly monitor that. He obviously has proven capable of aggression. He’s obviously proven capable of escalation… But it is not something that we haven’t heard before. So we take note of it. We got it.”ShareUpdated at 18.51 CESTCanada backs Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons in war against RussiaIn contrast to Germany, Canada said on Friday that it fully supports Ukraine’s use of long-range weaponry in its war against Russia.Speaking to reporters, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said that his country supports Ukraine’s use of the weapons to “prevent and interdict Russia’s continued ability to degrade Ukrainian civilian infrastructure,” Reuters reports.He added that Russian president Vladimir Putin is trying to destabilize international order, saying, “That’s why Canada and others are unequivocal that Ukraine must win this war against Russia.”ShareUpdated at 19.00 CESTGermany won’t support sending long-range missiles to UkraineGermany’s chancellor has said he will not send long-range missiles to Ukraine, despite Ukraine’s insistence for the weapons.At a press conference on Friday, Olaf Scholz said:
“Germany has made a clear decision about what we will do and what we will not do. This decision will not change,” Agence France-Presse reports.
Scholz’s remarks come amid an meeting between UK prime minister Keir Starmer and US president Joe Biden over the possibility of allowing Ukraine to expand its strike capacity into Russia.Germany has repeatedly refused to send Ukraine its own long-range Taurus missiles.Earlier today, Scholz’s spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said that “the weapons the US and Britain are now discussing” have a longer range than anything Germany had supplied. Meanwhile, German defense minister Boris Pistorius said that what the US and Britain agree “remains their business.”ShareUpdated at 19.00 CESTIn a post on X on Friday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his gratitude to the US for its military and financial support to Ukraine, adding that his country nevertheless needs “permission to use long-range weapons.” Zelenskiy went on to say, “I hope the relevant decision will be made.”Meeting with Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State from 2018 to 2021.We are grateful to the United States for its military and financial support to Ukraine. Due to this support, and assistance in strengthening the international coalition, we are making progress on the… pic.twitter.com/sK991IXyuf— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 13, 2024
Zelenskiy’s post comes ahead of a meeting between UK prime minister Keir Starmer and US president Joe Biden who are expected to discuss the possibility of Ukraine using Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes into Russia.ShareThe European Commission has presented three new ways to EU ambassadors on renewing sanctions on Russia’s central bank assets, Reuters reports.In June, G7 leaders and the EU agreed to use the interest on frozen Russian assets to support the G7 loan to Ukraine as part of its self-defense against Russia.According to Reuters, the assets held by the G7 is valued at around $300 billion and that in order to secure the loan, the G7 wants to ensure that the sanctions on the assets are not lifted.Speaking to Reuters, one diplomat said, “Possible options were presented this morning…already discussed with the US.”ShareSummary of the day so far …
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN security council on Friday that if western countries allow Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes in Russia then Nato countries would be “conducting direct war with Russia”. “The facts are that Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power, I think you shouldn’t forget about this and think about the consequences,” Nebenzia told the 15-member council
The comments echo words from Russian president Vladimir Putin who on Thursday said any western decision to let Kyiv use such longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean Nato would be “at war” with Moscow. On Friday Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had delivered a clear message to the west about the consequences of allowing Ukraine to hit Russian territory, and that there was no doubt that Putin’s message had reached those it was intended for
The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer is in Washington to meet with US president Joe Biden later today, in which it is expected they will agree that Ukraine can use British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets inside the Russian Federation
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been meeting foreign ministers from Poland and Lithuania in Kyiv today, and said they discussed “the need to use long-range weapons against military targets on the territory of the aggressor state”
The UK government has said that claims made by Russia’s security services about six members of British diplomatic staff it has expelled from Russia are “baseless”. The FSB security agency said on Friday it had taken the measure after uncovering documents showing that part of the Foreign Office was helping coordinate what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” in Ukraine. Russian media has named and published photographs of the six British members of diplomatic staff who were expelled
Russia’s investigative committee has opened a criminal case against the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Maj Gen Dmitry Krasilnikov over the incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Zelenskiy said today that the Kursk offensive had “slowed” Russia’s advance in east Ukraine
49 captured Ukrainian service personnel and civilians have been returned from captivity by Russia. Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights, said “the state of health of the prisoners is very serious”
Nato said on Friday it strongly condemned a Russian missile strike on a civilian grain ship in the Black Sea on Thursday
The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region has claimed that air defences there have shot down seven Ukrainian drones in a day
Several people have been killed and injured by Russian strikes in Odesa, Sumy and Kherson
Rights campaigners say that as many 3,000 Ukrainian refugees living in Hungary have been affected by a new Hungarian decree that cancels state-funded shelters for refugees from western Ukraine
ShareRussia to UN on long-range missile use: ‘Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power’Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN security council on Friday that if western countries allow Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes in Russia then Nato countries would be “conducting direct war with Russia.”“The facts are that Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power, I think you shouldn’t forget about this and think about the consequences,” Nebenzia told the 15-member council.The comments echo words from Russian president Vladimir Putin who on Thursday said any western decision to let Kyiv use such longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean Nato would be “at war” with Moscow – a dramatic escalation of his rhetoric about the war which began with the Russian invasion in February 2022.“This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict,” the Russian president told a state television reporter. “It would mean that Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia. He added that Russia would take “appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face” as a result.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Putin had delivered a clear message to the west about the consequences of allowing Ukraine to hit Russian territory, and that there was no doubt that Putin’s message had reached those it was intended for.The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer is in Washington to meet with US president Joe Biden later today, in which it is expected they will agree that Ukraine can use British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets inside the Russian Federation.Share