Latest Ukraine-Russia war: Putin launches Kursk counteroffensive as US and UK pledge $1.5bn in funds for Kyiv

The possible restrictions on the use of long-range missiles by the US and the UK are widely considered a “game-changing” move, which will allow strategic targets deeper inside Russia to be attacked by Ukrainian forces for the first time. Lammy said the West was “listening carefully” to Ukraine’s needs.

Certainly for President Zelensky, it comes at a critical moment, as the solidity of the EU’s war supporters seems to be faltering. With Germany going “wobbly” as chancellor Scholz is at home calling for a peace conference, and with winter now just around the corner, a show of Anglo-American support for Ukraine is crucial.

But potentially of greater consequence, for more people around the world, is that allowing the use of long-range weapons to attack Russian territory proves to be a tipping point for Putin – leading him to go nuclear.

Russian forces attacked energy facilities and civilian infrastructure in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Konotop overnight, officials in the Sumy region said via Telegram.

The attack killed at least 13 people, based on preliminary information, according to the statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with senior Polish government officials today to discuss support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, as well as deepening US defense cooperation with Warsaw.

Mr Blinken’s trip to NATO ally Poland comes after a visit to Kyiv yesterday, where he heard Ukraine’s request to be allowed to fire Western-supplied missiles into Russian territory.

The top diplomat is scheduled to meet with Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, president Andrzej Duda and foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, according to his office.

More than two-and-a-half years since the Russian invasion, Ukrainian forces are being pressed into battle by a better-armed and larger enemy, as they try to counter Russia’s gains in the east, where Moscow is targeting its offensive.

Speaking at a joint US-UK press conference in Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced more than $700m in humanitarian support for the country.

Mr Blinken announced $323m in support for Ukraine’s energy network, $290m in support for food, water and medicine, and $102m in support for de-mining.

British foreign secretary David Lammy has slammed Russian “imperialism” and “fascism” as he warned Ukraine’s independence, Europe and the West are at stake.

This comes after Britain pledged an additional £600 million in support to Ukraine when he visited Kyiv with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The British government said it would provide £242 million in funding, including for humanitarian needs, and a £484 million loan guarantee for World Bank loans to Ukraine before the end of the year.

Russian forces have launched a counteroffensive on the western edge of Kursk and have reportedly retaken several settlements in the past 48 hours, a US-based think tank said.

“The size, scale, and potential prospects of the September 11 Russian counterattack in Kursk Oblast are unclear and the situation remains fluid as of this report. It is premature to draw conclusions about the Russian counterattack and ISW ​​will continue to follow the situation,” said the Institute of War Studies.

Several Russian military bloggers claimed that Russian forces launched a mechanized counterattack from the north near Korenevo and Russian forces quickly advanced toward Snagost, ISW said.

It cited available visuals and said Russian forces were “operating in company-sized units and may use elements of more combat-experienced units to carry out counterattacks”.

Kyiv forces, in response, fought back and launched a new offensive west of Snagost, the Washington-based think-tank said in its latest assessment last night.

Top diplomats from the US and Britain visiting Kyiv could not rule out the use of long-range Western missile strikes in Russia.

“Among other things, we discussed remote fires, but also some other things. And as I said at the beginning, I will return the discussion to Washington to inform the president of what I heard,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters .

Volodymyr Zelensky has been urging his Kyiv allies for months that Ukraine fire Western missiles including long-range US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow deep inside Russian territory to limit Moscow’s ability to launch strikes.

“We listen carefully and, of course, we have discussions on various issues, including military equipment that Ukraine should win,” Lammy said at a press conference together with Blinken and Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.

Britain’s foreign minister suggested the talks could be extended for several more weeks, saying that would disappoint Ukrainians hoping the West would quickly allay fears of escalation.

So far the Storm Shadow missiles have been limited to Russian targets operating in Ukraine, as well as in occupied Crimea. The missile may have been used in the largest Ukrainian attack on the headquarters Russia‘s The Black Sea fleet last year in Sevastopol.

Here’s more on the Storm Shadow cruise missile:

A bear and a dragon cannot be friends. This is the lesson that Xi Jinping heard when he was young. And it explains why the Chinese leader’s “no-holds-barred” partnership with Vladimir Putin could be an unlimited liability — for the Kremlin.

While researching a recent biography of Xi, I came across an unclassified US document. It shows that the man who mentored Xi in his first job, at the heart of China’s military, is deeply anti-Russian. Don’t trust Moscow, he told his staff.

Today, everything looks good. The two autocrats have boasted an alliance for more than two years now. It is clear that Putin tipped off his “friend” that he was going to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Xi has stood by him, talking peace but handing over Russian weapons technology in exchange for oil and gas.

Read the full article by Michael Sheridan, The Independent’s long-time foreign correspondent and diplomatic editor: