Read more about the U. S. Secretary of State. Antony Blinken, who visited Ukraine without warning.
He met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior officials.
At the meetings, Blinken said Biden’s leadership had notified Congress of its goal of providing $2200 million in long-term military investments to Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors (see 11:55 a. m. post). m. ).
The countries that will receive the aid will come with NATO members and regional security partners that are “potentially in danger of long-term Russian aggression. “
Blinken said in a statement: “President Biden has been transparent that we will be with the other Ukrainians for as long as necessary.
“I reiterated this message to President Zelensky and his team in Kyiv, which remains, and will continue to be, the capital of a sovereign and independent Ukraine. “
Not from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy now, who spoke this afternoon about earnings reports in the Kharkiv region.
He said on Telegram: “Ukraine doubts for a moment of itself, of its future, of its victory.
“We still have a long way to go to liberate our entire territory.
“But there is no doubt that it will happen. “
His comments come as one of his generals said the defense forces had a 50 km compound in Russian-controlled territory near Kharkiv and liberated more than 20 villages (see 1:28 p. m. post).
The frame of a British aid worker who was captured through Russian-backed separatists has been returned with “signs of indescribable and imaginable torture,” Ukraine’s foreign minister said.
Paul Urey died in July after being accused of committing “mercenary activities” in Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
The 45-year-old from Warrington, Cheshire, was arrested at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the southeastern Ukrainian town of Zaporizhzhia in April along with another British volunteer, Dylan Healy.
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Ukraine has a 50-km complex in Russian-controlled territory near Kharkiv and liberated more than 20 villages, one of its generals said.
With much of the attention focused on Ukraine’s much-vaunted counteroffensive in the south toward Kherson, some may have been surprised to learn that the defense forces had gained ground in the east.
Ukrainian troops in the northeastern Kharkiv region have retaken parts of the territory under Russia after “probably exploiting the reassignment of Russian forces,” said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.
His army took advantage of the scenario “to carry out an opportunistic but very effective counteroffensive” in the province, the tank added.
A Ukrainian general also said Ukraine had retaken more than 700 kilometers of its territory in the Kharkiv region and in the south.
They said the country’s army had complexes 50 km on Russian lines in the region and recaptured more than 20 villages.
The Ukrainian military shared a video that appears to show its infantrymen the flag of the Soviet Union on a mast in a domain known to have been under Russian control.
This comes amid reports of Ukrainian successes in the eastern Kharkiv region, as well as gains in the south near the key city of Kherson.
New restrictions announced for Russians entering the EU Estonia, Lithuania, Lat and Poland are being discussed (see Article 12. 20).
Urmas Reinsalu, Estonia’s foreign minister, said it was a “major security issue” and of “moral importance. “
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will have to limit the access of Russian citizens to the EU through their borders, the 4 nations announced.
This is a vital resolution of the group’s component, which has expressed concerns about the security of the war in Ukraine.
In a joint statement on Thursday, they said: “Countries bordering Russia are increasingly involved in the really extensive and developing influx of Russian citizens into the European Union and Schengen dominance across our borders.
“This poses a serious risk to our public protection and to the entire shared Schengen area. “
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Twitter: “Today my government will prevent tourism from Russia to the EU across our border.
“This is a resolution strongly coordinated with [Latvia, Lithuania and Poland] in reaction to threats to public security.
“This is a total ban, the exceptions will be maintained. “
The new restrictions will take effect on September 19.
U. S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Ukraine today as Biden’s management prepares to announce the aid package.
Some $2 billion in military investment will be allocated to Ukraine and 18 countries threatened with Russian aggression (see 10:49 a. m. post).
The bodies of three other people were pulled from the rubble in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine.
The city’s mayor, Vadym Liakh, said that despite a “peaceful” night, war is near.
He said the bodies of the dead, two men and one person, were discovered in the rubble of a house.
“Hold on tight. We are on the boat!” says on Facebook.
On Wednesday, firefighters were racing to extinguish a chimney and were expecting possible casualties after a Russian attack that largely destroyed a residential building in the city.
Last night, President Zelenskyy reported a good fortune from the army in the Kharkiv region without offering many details, Reports Sky News forensic journalist Jack Taylor.
The videos released fill the data blackout, as Ukrainian forces continue to gain ground.
A Tik Tok was posted through someone who appears to be a Ukrainian soldier. The full video provides enough main points to locate them in a village near the city of Balakliya in the Kharkiv region.
Soldiers sitting on top of an armored vehicle are filmed greeting civilians as they move around the village.
Another video shows troops cutting down a Soviet flag outside a local government workplace near Balakliya.
These videos allowed open source analysts to track territory gained through Ukrainian forces in the ongoing conflict. Some have estimated that up to 154 square miles were recovered during the offensive.
However, one of the main reasons Ukrainian officials called for the counteroffensive data to be blocked is that the Russian military can also use those videos, which are viewed seamlessly on social media, to gather intelligence.