Ukraine says Russian stronghold liberated after hand-to-hand fighting – live

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Volodymyr Zelensky has  dismissed the notion of peace talks with Moscow, calling instead for unspecified global “action” to force Russia into peace.

He told the UN Security Council that Vladimir Putin is committing “an international crime” and has broken so many international rules that he won’t stop on his own.

“And that’s why this war can’t simply fade away. That’s why this war can’t be calmed by talks,” Zelenskyy said at a meeting.

“Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what’s needed — forcing Russia into peace as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the UN Charter.”

Ukraine’s desire to use western missiles to strike targets in Russia will not be the “sole issue” in Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Sir Keir is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where Mr Zelensky will present his plan for the next stage of the war to his allies.

The PM said: “I do think it’s going to take quite a bit of time at the UN General Assembly. And I think that’s really important, because it’s at a critical stage.

“Obviously, President Zelensky has a plan that he wants to walk through with all of us – we knew that was going to happen.

“The support for Ukraine is resolute. We supply quite a lot of capability already under the last government; we’ve increased that under this government – that’s not a criticism of the last government – and we will always listen very carefully to what Ukraine says it needs by way of capability.

“I don’t think that will be a discussion, I don’t think the victory plan will be about a sole issue like long-range missiles, it will be about a strategic, overarching route for Ukraine to find a way through this and succeed against Russian aggression.”

When pressed on Storm Shadows, he said: “We will have discussions about a whole range of issues, and we will listen carefully to what President Zelensky’s got to say, and that’s what’s going to happen in the next few days.”

Russian forces have taken control of the town of Ukrainsk in Ukraine‘s eastern Donetsk region, state news agency TASS said, citing local Russian-installed governor Denis Pushilin.

The Independent could not verify this claim.

The United States will sign a $920million (£687million) direct loan agreement with Romania to support its defence modernisation program, the Romanian government has said.

The deal comes as Romania seeks to boost its defence purchasing plan following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Romania, a member of NATO and the European Union, aims to spend 2.5 per cent of its GDP on defence.

Romania shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine and Russian drone fragments have repeatedly strayed into its territory over the past year. Some areas are also close to Ukraine’s Danube River ports which are frequently targeted by Russia.

Under the loan agreement, the defence ministry will directly access $700 million, while up to $220 million will go towards state-owned ROMARM, which controls 15 companies that manufacture weapons and ammunition ranging from gunpowder to guided missiles.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 28 out of 32 drones and four out of eight missiles during an overnight Russian attack.

“On the night of 25 September, the Russian occupiers attacked Kharkiv oblast with an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile and three missiles of an unspecified type, Odesa oblast with four Kh-59/69 guided aviation missiles from the airspace of the Black Sea, as well as 32 strike UAVs of the type ‘Shahed’,” the air force said on Telegram.

It warned of a ballistic missile threat to Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.

The US “will find a way” before Joe Biden’s term ends in January to make use of about $6bn in military aid for Ukraine, due to expire this month, a senior State Department official said.

“I think it’s very unlikely that president Biden will finish his term with appropriated funds unused for the purpose Congress allocated them. So, we’ll find a way,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Most of the $7.8bn in so-called Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to transfer defence articles and services from US stocks, in the bill Biden signed into law in April has not been used, leaving officials scrambling to find a way to keep the remaining funds from expiring as the 30 September end of the fiscal year approaches.

Russian forces have reportedly begun storming the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, an important stronghold in the Donbas region.

Vuhledar has resisted Russian attacks since the beginning of the war in 2022, but Russian forces have now entered the town – according to Russian war bloggers and state media. Ukraine has not confirmed this development.

“Russian units have entered Vuhledar – the storm of the town has begun,” said Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger. Multiple other pro-Russian war bloggers also said the attack had started.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had defeated Ukrainian units at a series of settlements including Vuhledar, which Russians call Ugledar, and that the Eastern Grouping of Russian forces had improved their tactical positions. It gave no further details on Vuhledar.

Ukraine’s military made no reference to Russian gains around Vuhledar but acknowledged there was fighting in the area. Unverified video on Russian state media showed Vuhledar, which had a population of over 14,000 before the war, under heavy artillery and aerial bombardment.

Reuters said Vuhledar’s military administration did not respond to requests for comment.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, in a report issued late last night, said Russian troops had launched eight attacks around Vuhledar and two nearby villages. “As of now, our forces have repelled half the attacks. Four are still going on,” the report said.