G7 condemns "sham elections" held by Russia on Ukrainian territory Foreign ministers from the G7 group of major industrialised countries condemned the staging of what they called “sham elections” by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories. “We … unequivocally condemn the staging of sham ‘elections’ held by Russia on sovereign Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts and Crimea,” the G7 statement said in a statement, published by the UK’s Foreign Office, on Tuesday. “These sham “elections” are a further violation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and of the UN Charter. “Russia has no legitimate basis for any such actions on the territory of Ukraine. The sham “elections” are a propaganda exercise aimed at legitimising Russia’s illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory.” The overwhelming vote across Russia and in the annexed regions for the dominance of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has delivered on the Kremlin’s long-repeated domestic message that he is by far the strongest guarantor of stability. But in the regions voting, electoral competition was limited, as strong candidates, including some from Russia’s main opposition Communist party, were blocked from running by authorities, Reuters reports. Closing summary Nato member Romania said it has begun building air raid shelters for residents near the Ukraine border, after drone fragments were found there last week. Foreign ministers from the G7 group of major industrialised countries condemned the staging of what they called “sham elections” by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories. The Polish government reportedly agreed to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports unilaterally, even if the current EU restrictions expire on 15 September. The Swedish government is considering donating Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine to help repel Russian forces, Swedish public radio (SR) reported on Tuesday. Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine was only likely to start peace talks when it ran out of resources and would use any potential cessation of hostilities to rearm again with western help. Speaking at an economic forum in Russia’s Pacific port city of Vladivostok, he said Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces had so far failed and that the Ukrainian army had sustained heavy losses. Putin appeared to rule out any further conscritpion or mobilisation to help the war effort, claiming that 1,000-1,500 Russians were signing voluntary contracts to join the military every day. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived to Russia by armoured train to meet Putin, Pyongyang said, with face-to-face talks potentially focused on weapon sales. Experts suggest Putin is seeking artillery shells and anti-tank missiles from North Korea, while Kim is reportedly in search of advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid for his impoverished nation. The meeting between the two leaders could be on Wednesday. Ukraine has recaptured several Black Sea oil and gas rigs that were seized by Russia in 2015, the country’s military intelligence service said earlier. Romania builds air raid shelters for residents near Ukraine border Nato member Romania said it has begun building air raid shelters for residents near the Ukraine border, after drone fragments were found there last week. Romanian soldiers on Saturday found fragments of a drone “similar to those used by the Russian army” in the Plauru area across the border from Ukraine, AFP reports. Bucharest has already increased measures to strengthen monitoring and airspace security after repeated Russian attacks close to its border. Approximately 50 Romanian soldiers began building two shelters on Tuesday, the defence ministry said in a statement. The concrete shelters are aimed at “protecting the residents” of Plauru and will be handed over to local authorities once completed, it added. The move follows a decision by the Romanian National Committee for Emergency Situations to adopt “protection measures on the national territory in the immediate vicinity of the conflict zone in Ukraine”. Funding defence companies should count as ethical investment because military spending “helps prevent war”, the UK’s defence secretary has said. Defence companies have long been excluded from so-called “environmental, social and governance” (ESG) ratings, limiting their access to investors who wish to spend their money sustainably. In a written ministerial statement on Tuesday, Grant Shapps said the exclusion of the defence industry from ESG ratings was an “error”. He said: Defence companies are being excluded from access to debt and equity capital, citing environmental, social and governance grounds. The defence secretary added that this “threatens an important part of the economy” and “fails to recognise that the UK’s defence industry is essential to protecting our way of life”. Defence companies have previously suggested ESG requirements have reduced interest from investors, although BAE Systems chief executive Charles Woodburn said earlier this year that this had become less of an issue since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. BAE’s share price has risen about 75% since the invasion, PA Media reports. G7 condemns "sham elections" held by Russia on Ukrainian territory Foreign ministers from the G7 group of major industrialised countries condemned the staging of what they called “sham elections” by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories. “We … unequivocally condemn the staging of sham ‘elections’ held by Russia on sovereign Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts and Crimea,” the G7 statement said in a statement, published by the UK’s Foreign Office, on Tuesday. “These sham “elections” are a further violation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and of the UN Charter. “Russia has no legitimate basis for any such actions on the territory of Ukraine. The sham “elections” are a propaganda exercise aimed at legitimising Russia’s illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory.” The overwhelming vote across Russia and in the annexed regions for the dominance of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has delivered on the Kremlin’s long-repeated domestic message that he is by far the strongest guarantor of stability. But in the regions voting, electoral competition was limited, as strong candidates, including some from Russia’s main opposition Communist party, were blocked from running by authorities, Reuters reports. Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will be in China from Wednesday to Friday this week as part of a diplomatic push to facilitate peace in Ukraine, the Vatican said. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Vatican said: The visit represents a further stage in the mission desired by the pope to support humanitarian initiatives and the search for paths that can lead to a just peace. Italian newspaper La Repubblica said Zuppi was likely to meet “top institutional leaders” in Beijing, including Chinese premier Li Qiang. The Vatican statement did not give details about his agenda. Zuppi has said the initial focus of his mission is to help the repatriation of children that Ukraine says have been deported to Russia or Russian-held territories, rather than a full-scale mediation effort, Reuters reports. Poland agrees to extend ban on Ukrainian grain imports The Polish government has agreed to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports unilaterally, even if the current EU restrictions expire on 15 September, AFP reports. “Regardless of the (European) commission’s further decision, we will not open the border to Ukrainian grain after that date,” the government said in a statement. The statement said the government was still looking to extend the ban at the EU level but would do so in any case. “If Brussels does not keep the embargo, we will introduce these measures ourselves … The interests of the Polish countryside are most important to us,” it said. The war in Ukraine and the problems with Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea have resulted in the EU becoming a major transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain. In June, the EU agreed to restrict imports of grain from Ukraine to five member states seeking to protect their farmers who blamed those imports for the slump in prices on local markets. The five member states are Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – they have asked for the restrictions, which expire on Friday, to be extended. Denmark will donate a package worth 5.8bn Danish crowns (an estimated $833m) to Ukraine, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, tank ammunition and anti-aircraft guns, the ministry of defence said. The full amount is to be distributed over three rounds – 4.3bn this year, 1.4bn in 2024 and 52 million in 2025, the ministry said. Foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said: After more than a year and a half of war, we have almost exhausted our defence stocks. Therefore, we are now looking into more targeted joint procurement and international cooperation, tailored to Ukraine’s needs here and now. This is the twelfth and largest donation package Denmark has sent to Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the ministry added. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would encourage its partners to deliver available air defence systems to Ukraine for this winter. Her comments were made during an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper published on Tuesday. “We need to stretch a winter air defence shield over Ukraine’s critical infrastructure,” Baerbock said after her visit to Kyiv on Monday, according to Reuters. Citing Vitaliy Barabash, a military official in the region, Suspilne is reporting that yesterday Avdiivka was struck by Russian cluster munitions. It writes: On 11 September, the Russian military shelled Avdiivka with cluster munitions, hitting a five-story building. The fire spread from the second floor and rose higher. The shelling was in the central part of the city. There were no civilians there, so there were no casualties. Earlier today Vladimir Putin criticised Ukraine for the deployment of cluster munitions and depleted uranium armaments during the war. Andrew Roth, the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, has this report on Vladimir Putin’s earlier comments today: President Putin has described the recent indictments of Donald Trump as “political persecution” as the Russian leader waded back into a US presidential campaign for the third consecutive election cycle. “Everything happening to Trump is political persecution of a political rival. That’s what it is. And this is happening before the eyes of the United States public and entire world,” Putin said during a question-and-answer session. “As for the persecution of Trump, I believe that everything happening at the moment is good. Because it demonstrates the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.” Putin said Trump’s offers to negotiate with Russia over its war in Ukraine had “pleased him” but said he thought that US policy toward Russia would not change, regardless of whether Trump became president in 2024. “Even though they accused him of having a special relationship with Russia, which is complete nonsense, he imposed sanctions on Russia more than anyone else while he was president,” Putin said. “Therefore, it is difficult to say what to expect from the future president, no matter who the president is, but it is unlikely that anything will change radically.” Here is our video report on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip to Russia, including the moment earlier today when Vladimir Putin was rather coy about what they might discuss. A Russian state television correspondent has published a video clip of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, disembarking from his train in Russia and being greeted by Russian officials, Reuters reports. Separately, Russia’s natural resources minister said he had met Kim, Russian state news agency RIA reported. The North Korean leader is expected to have talks during his visit with Vladimir Putin, who is now visiting Russia’s far east region. Britain’s BAE Systems has won a further £130m order from the government for munitions, Reuters reports. Britain had already signed a £280m munitions contract with BAE, Britain’s biggest defence company, in July, before it exercised an option to increase its supply on Tuesday. Speaking at the Defence & Security Equipment International arms fair in London, Steve Cardew, BAE’s business development director for munitions, said: “The conflict in Ukraine has forced a global rethink around munition priorities.” Britain is a key defence supplier for Ukraine and in May became the first country to start supplying Kyiv with long-range cruise missiles. A Russian passenger Airbus A320 flying from the Black Sea resort of Sochi to the Siberian city of Omsk made an emergency landing in a field on Tuesday, officials said. AFP reports: A total of 170 people including 23 children were on board, the domestic carrier Ural Airlines said. Russia’s aviation sector has been hard hit by western sanctions over Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine and struggling to get new parts to repair planes. Authorities released footage of the plane in a field next to a forest in the Novosibirsk region, saying there were no casualties. Sweden to consider sending fighter jets to Ukraine - reports The Swedish government is considering donating Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine to help repel Russian forces, Swedish public radio (SR) reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. The government wants to know, among other things, how a handover would affect Sweden’s defence capabilities and how quickly Sweden could get new Gripen fighters, SR reported. The government may formally ask the armed forces as early as Thursday to officially consider the issue, according to the report. The Netherlands and Denmark have led a push to supply Ukraine with US-made F-16 fighter jets to help counter Russia’s air superiority in the war. According to the SR report, Ukraine hopes to receive one division of Gripen jets, made by Sweden’s Saab, or between 16 and 18 planes. In June, the Swedish government said it would give Ukrainian pilots the opportunity to test its Saab-made Gripen fighter jet, but it has also said it needed all its planes to defend Swedish territory. Sweden has been aiding Ukraine’s war efforts by supplying weapons such as tanks, anti-aircraft systems and armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicles. Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that western efforts to “restrain” China’s ascent as a global power were doomed to fail as he hailed Moscow’s “amazing” relations with Beijing. The Russian president said cooperation between Russia and China in the areas of security and defence were also booming, Reuters reports. Speaking at an economic forum in Russia’s far-eastern city of Vladivostok, Putin said: Today the west is trying to restrain the development of China because it sees that China, under the leadership of our friend (president Xi Jinping) … is developing by leaps and bounds. This leaves them shocked. They are doing everything to slow down the development of China but this will not be possible, they are too late. That’s it, the train has left. Moscow has focused increasingly on boosting trade, energy, military and other ties with China after its decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. China has declined to blame Moscow for the war and has condemned sweeping western sanctions imposed on Russia.