Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the United Kingdom’s “real leadership” in its relationship with Ukraine, but warned that “the situation has slowed recently” as it enters Russian territory.
In his late-night video address, he stated that it is “crucial that our partners remove the barriers that save us from the weakening of Russian positions as this war demands. ”
He promised to “intensify our diplomatic efforts” in the face of the Kursk incursion, mentioning the United Kingdom, the United States and France as key targets.
This comes as Germany plans to halve its budget for Ukraine next year.
Zelenskyy ended his post by saying: “Throughout this war, we have noticed that the United Kingdom shows genuine leadership on weapons, policies and for Ukrainian society.
“This has saved thousands of lives, which is a testament to the prosperity of the United Kingdom. “
But he added: “Unfortunately, it has slowed down lately.
“We will talk about how to solve this problem, because for us long-range functions are important. The whole world sees how effective Ukrainians are and how our whole country defends its independence. “
In an interview with the Sunday Express, Defense Secretary John Healey backed Ukraine’s use of British weapons in Russia: it complies with foreign law.
The United Kingdom “should be proud” that British weapons are being used in Ukraine and Russia, the defense secretary said.
John Healey told the Sunday Express he was satisfied weapons were being used across the Russian border, as long as foreign law was respected.
He told the newspaper: “Let me be very clear: according to Article 51 of the UN Charter, Ukraine obviously has the right of self-defense against illegal attacks by Russia.
“As long as foreign legislation is respected, this excludes operations in Russia. “
He added: “We should be proud of Britain’s support for Ukraine’s struggle.
“We are proud that the apparatus donated through the British, in the hands of brave Ukrainians on the front line, is helping them protect their country and push back the opposition to Putin. “
Ukrainian troops entered Russia’s Kursk border region on Aug. 6 in an attempt to divert the Kremlin’s army away from the front line in Ukraine.
On Thursday, Ukrainian forces claimed to have taken the town of Sudzha, six miles from the border.
The United Kingdom is one of Ukraine’s largest donors to the military, offering deadly and non-deadly weapons, tanks, air defense systems, and long-range precision strike missiles.
Security at Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is deteriorating after a drone attack on the road surrounding it, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday.
Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear facility in Europe and has been occupied by Russia since the early stages of the war with Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, the team of the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission in Zaporizhzhia (ISAMZ) was informed that an explosive carried via a drone had exploded just outside the plant’s domain.
An analysis by the team revealed no casualties or injuries to the nuclear equipment, but the surrounding road and gates were affected.
The work at the site was close to the main cooling water sprinkler ponds and about a hundred meters from the Dniprovska power line, with the only remaining 750-kilovolt line supplying power to the plant, the team said.
IAEA Director General Grossi said: “Once again, we are witnessing an escalation of nuclear safety and security risks at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
“I am incredibly involved and reiterate my call for the greatest restraint on the part of all parties and strict compliance with the five concrete principles established for the coverage of the plant. ”
ISAMZ reported increased military activity in the region over the past week.
Germany plans to halve its military in Ukraine by 2025, according to a parliamentary source.
Instead, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is considering using money generated by the freezing of Russian assets in Germany for Ukraine’s war against Russia, the source told AFP on Saturday.
It does not provide “further aid” to the $4. 4 billion (£3. 4 billion) already set aside in next year’s budget, the source added.
But the German Foreign Ministry denied the allegations on Saturday.
“Rumors that Germany will prevent support for #Ukraine are false,” one message read.
“We support Ukraine and we will do so for as long as it takes.
“Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, Germany has supported Ukraine with 34 billion euros.
“This year we will deliver military aid worth more than 7 billion euros. “
Germany is Ukraine’s second-largest military donor, offering £6. 8 billion this year.
The leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, in a video, gives the impression of threatening to send a Telsa to Ukraine, while praising Elon Musk.
Ramzan Kadyrov, for his extravagant exposure maneuvers, posted a video of himself on Telegram.
It shows him driving a Tesla Cybertruck, with a gun attached to the roof.
He says he will take the vehicle to the Ukrainian conflict zone, before congratulating the company’s CEO, Elon Musk.
Kadyrov described Musk as “the toughest genius of the fashionable times” and invited him to Chechnya.
“We. . . are waiting for your long-term products that will help us complete the army’s special operation,” referring to the term used by the Kremlin for the war in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Italian ambassador for what it described as an “illegal border crossing” through the RAI team.
The Interior Ministry is considering opening criminal charges against the two journalists, Baza, a Telegram channel close to Russian law enforcement, announced.
“Journalism is a crime. The Moscow government’s choice to bring Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini to justice is unacceptable. Reporting is done with prior authorization,” declared the union RAI Usigrai and the Italian national press union FNSI at a joint press conference. release.
The Italian Foreign Ministry said its ambassador Cecilia Piccioni had explained to the Russian government that the RAI and its press acted independently and autonomously.
Defense and security correspondent Deborah Haynes at the scene of a missile attack in the city of Sumy this morning.
Residents described being awakened by a massive explosion.
One of them said that the blinds on her window saved her from the glass fragments caused by the explosion.
Look below. . .
Washington appears to be fine with preventing the UK from allowing kyiv to fire Storm Shadow missiles at Russia, the Times reports.
The United Kingdom has been waiting for United States approval for more than a month, a government said.
The British government needs Ukraine to use those weapons as it sees fit, but there is consensus between the United States, France and another unnamed NATO country.
A government source pressed The Times that the United Kingdom not blame the United States for any delays.
Britain was the first country to publicly supply Kyiv with long-range cruise missiles.
Although it is legal to use British tanks and other weapons on Russian soil, there are restrictions on missiles.
A British source said in the past that Ukrainian troops were believed to have used British Challenger 2 tanks inside Kursk.
Ukraine’s good fortune in Kursk has shown the West that it wants to bring an incremental technique to Russia, says Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksiy Goncharenko.
Kyiv’s allies will have to approve the use of Western weapons to strike deep inside their territory, he said.
He added that progressives in the West only prolonged the war.
“Look at the Russian reaction. For more than a week, for the first time since World War II, Russian territory has been occupied. And what is the reaction? They are Putin’s murmurs,” Goncharenko said.
“I hope this will help us convince our allies that Ukraine is capable of achieving great successes and winning this war, so that, despite everything, our hands are untied,” he said, adding that Ukraine wants permission to use the missiles. British Storm Shadow in depth. . russian territory.
“I this progressive taste is very, very bad. “
He continued: “Russia understands one language, that of force, and Ukraine has now demonstrated it. “
kyiv has rejected “insane Russian propaganda” that Ukraine is planning nuclear attacks.
Moscow accused Ukraine – without offering any evidence – of attacking the Kursk nuclear power plant and producing a “dirty bomb”; An explosive used to disperse radioactive waste.
The Russian Defense Ministry Ukraine would blame Moscow and respond harshly to such an attack.
These accusations are “dangerous lies” and Ukraine officially denies them, Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said.
“We are witnessing a new wave of crazy Russian propaganda. “
He added: “Ukraine has neither the goal nor the capacity to carry out such actions. Russia will have to prevent the spread of harmful lies.
“Ukraine has been and remains an unwavering member of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty).
“We don’t have any ‘dirty bombs’ and we don’t plan to get any. “
Vladimir Putin made similar accusations shortly before launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Then, in March of the same year, Moscow claimed that Ukraine was going to use a dirty bomb. Neither claim has been confirmed.
Russia also claimed that a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive charge on a road in front of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine this morning.
Its Russian leaders posted a symbol on Telegram showing several men in IAEA jackets surrounding a hole in the road as wide and deep as a pothole.
Russia and Ukraine accuse others of attacking the military plant with drones and rockets since passing through Russia.