Biden announces $8bn in military aid for Kyiv; Putin lauds cooperation with Opec+, BRICS

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the vast domestic energy sector would be able to achieve its goals and overcome “illegal” Western sanctions, while also praising ties with BRICS and Opec+ groups.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Putin’s warning to the West about nuclear weapons use irresponsible and poorly timed, as world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly.

Biden announces $8bn in military aid for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden announced more than $8-billion in military assistance for Ukraine on Thursday to help Kyiv repel Russian invaders, using a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky to make a major commitment.

The aid includes the first shipment of a precision-guided glide bomb called the Joint Standoff Weapon, with a range of up to 130km. The medium-range missile gives Ukraine a major upgrade to the weapons it is using to strike Russian forces, allowing the Ukrainians to do it at safer distances.

The bomb, capable of striking targets with high accuracy, is to be dropped from fighter jets. Biden would not announce that Washington would let Ukraine use US missiles to hit targets deeper in Russia, said a US official.

Supporting Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, was a US priority, said Biden.

“That is why, today, I am announcing a surge in security assistance for Ukraine and a series of additional actions to help Ukraine win this war,” said Biden, who leaves office in January.

The bulk of the new aid, $5.5-billion, is to be allocated before Monday’s end of the US fiscal year, when the funding authority is set to expire. Another $2.4-billion is under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the administration to buy weapons for Ukraine from companies rather than pull them from US stocks.

This will provide Ukraine with additional air defence, unmanned aerial systems and air-to-ground munitions, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defence industrial base and support its maintenance and sustainment requirements, said Biden.

Under his plan, the president said, the defence department would refurbish and provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defence battery and more Patriot missiles.

Biden ordered the Pentagon to expand training for Ukrainian F-16 pilots, including by supporting the training of an additional 18 pilots next year.

Zelensky thanked Biden and the US Congress for the new military aid package, saying Ukraine would use it “in the most efficient and transparent manner”.

Before meeting Biden, Zelensky sat down with Democratic and Republican legislators at the Capitol. He talked to about two dozen senators from both parties for more than an hour, before a separate bipartisan session in the House of Representatives with about a dozen legislators.

The US Congress has approved nearly $175-billion of aid and military assistance for Ukraine and allied nations in the 2½ years since Russia began its full-scale invasion, and many legislators say they expect Washington will need to approve more money to help Kyiv within the next several months.

Senator Dick Durbin said Zelensky had presented his plan for victory. “It’s pretty basic, and that is to make sure that the Ukrainians have the momentum going forward, and that requires not only personnel, but equipment and supplies to finish the job,” Durbin told reporters.

Ukraine’s defence has largely received bipartisan support in the US, but its government has faced rising criticism from some Republican leaders, including Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate.

Trump has criticised the Ukrainian president as he campaigns for the 5 November election and, at least for now, turned down a request from Zelensky for a meeting.

The former president was critical of Zelensky on Wednesday, telling a campaign rally in North Carolina, “We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refused to make a deal, Zelensky.”

Trump also blamed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic presidential opponent, for allowing Russia’s invasion.

Putin lauds cooperation with Opec+, BRICS

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the vast domestic energy sector would be able to achieve its goals and overcome “illegal” Western sanctions, while also praising ties with BRICS and Opec+ groups.

Russian oil and gas sales account for around a third of total state budget revenues and have been crucial for underpinning the country’s economy, which faces multiple sanctions from the West over the war with Ukraine.

Speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum, Putin praised cooperation with the BRICS group of countries, which Moscow sees as a counterbalance to the West, adding that Russia would continue cooperation with the Opec+ oil producers.

“Russia fulfils its obligations to supply energy resources to the global market. It plays a stabilising role in it by participating in such authoritative formats as Opec+ and the forum of gas exporting countries,” said Putin.

“And we will certainly continue this cooperation with our partners.”

Blinken calls Putin’s nuclear comments irresponsible

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Putin’s warning to the West about nuclear weapons use irresponsible and poorly timed, as world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly.

“It’s totally irresponsible,” Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday. “I think many in the world have spoken clearly about that when he’s been rattling the nuclear sabre — including China, in the past. So I would just say especially to do that now, while the world’s gathered... talking about the need for more disarmament, non-proliferation.”

Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles, as the US and Britain weigh whether to give Ukraine permission to fire conventional Western missiles into Russia.

Russian attacks kill three in Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s east on Thursday killed at least three people and injured five more, said regional authorities.

Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin said on the Telegram messenger that one person was killed and three others wounded near the town of Chasiv Yar, which Russian troops have been pressing their assault on for months.

In the night hours, Filashkin added, two people were killed and two injured in Russian shelling of nearby Toretsk.

Moscow’s troops have been steadily inching forward towards the strategic hub of Pokrovsk, and recently advanced towards the town of Vuhledar, further to the south.

Polish court jails Ukrainian, Belarusian for spying for Russia

A Polish court sentenced a Ukrainian and a Belarusian citizen to jail for spying for Russia, state news agency PAP reported on Thursday.

The two men were among 16 citizens of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia arrested by Poland’s Internal Security Agency as part of an investigation into a spy ring whose tasks included collecting information on the transportation of military equipment to Ukraine.

Warsaw says its role in supporting Kyiv has made it a key target for Russian espionage and sabotage.

The District Court in Lublin sentenced the 23-year-old Ukrainian citizen, referred to as Maksym L due to privacy laws, to six years in prison and a 15,000 zloty ($3,912) fine for taking part in an organised group which aimed to commit crimes against Poland, espionage and possession of cannabis.

It sentenced 30-year-old Belarusian Uladzislau P to two years and 10 months in prison and a 10,000 zloty fine for participating in the group and espionage.

They must also pay 5,000 zlotys each to a fund that helps the victims of crime.

PAP reported that Judge Miroslaw Brzozowski said their participation in the group was beyond doubt.

“It was an organised criminal group ... whose goal was to collect espionage information that was used to determine what type and amount of aid was being transferred to Ukraine,” he was quoted as saying.

He said they had committed the crimes to get financial benefits.

The other members of the spy ring were separately sentenced to between 13 months and six years in prison, according to PAP.

Top Republican wants Ukrainian ambassador to US fired  

The Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday demanded that Zelensky “immediately fire” his ambassador to the US.

Some Republicans, particularly those closest to Trump, have been fuming over Zelensky’s visit on Sunday to an ammunition plant in Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is one of the swing states seen as crucial to victory in the presidential election.

During the trip, Zelensky appeared with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro — who has campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate and Vice-President Kamala Harris — Senator Bob Casey and US Representative Matt Cartwright. All are Democrats.

“The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris, and failed to include a single Republican because — on purpose — no Republicans were invited,” wrote Johnson.

“The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference,” he said.

Russia fires drone barrage at Ukraine’s energy sector, killing one

Russia unleashed a new barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight, again targeting the energy sector and killing at least one civilian, said Ukrainian officials on Thursday.

Ukraine’s military said Russian forces had fired 78 attack drones and six missiles over various regions during the hourslong attack. Air defences destroyed 66 drones and four missiles, it added.

“This night the enemy carried out another massive attack on the Ukrainian energy sector, using drones and missiles,” said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, adding that three electricity transmission facilities, including one in the southern Mykolaiv region, were among the targets.

Later in the morning, the air force said it had recorded the launch of several hypersonic Kinzhal missiles targeting the small western Ukrainian city of Starokostiantyniv, home to an important air base and a frequent target of Moscow’s strikes. The air force provided no further details.

One woman was killed in a missile strike on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, and 10 people were wounded in a guided-bomb attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, said officials.

About a dozen drones were destroyed over the capital, Kyiv, while power outages were reported in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, in the central region of Poltava and Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, said regional officials.

Russian forces attacked Ukrainian facilities supplying electricity to the weapon production industry, the Tass news agency quoted Russia’s defence ministry as saying on Thursday. DM