Russia disputes Ukraine"s claim about captured territory in Donetsk Russia on Saturday denied a Ukrainian claim to have recaptured the devastated eastern village of Andriivka, a stepping stone on the way to the town of Bakhmut. “The enemy did not abandon plans to capture the city of Artyomovsk of the Donetsk People’s Republic and continued to conduct assault operations ... unsuccessfully trying to oust Russian troops from the population centres of Klishchiivka and Andriivka,” the Russian defence ministry said in its daily briefing. Andriivka lies south of largely-ruined Bakhmut, a mainly symbolic prize that Russian forces seized in May after the fiercest and longest battle since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Ukrainian general staff on Friday also reported “partial success” near Klishchiivka, also south of Bakhmut. Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield reports. A summary of today"s developments Russia on Saturday denied a Ukrainian claim to have recaptured the devastated eastern village of Andriivka, a stepping stone on the way to the town of Bakhmut. “The enemy did not abandon plans to capture the city of Artyomovsk of the Donetsk People’s Republic and continued to conduct assault operations ... unsuccessfully trying to oust Russian troops from the population centres of Klishchiivka and Andriivka,” the Russian defence ministry said in its daily briefing. The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, inspected Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers and hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles on Saturday, accompanied by Vladimir Putin’s defence minister. Reuters reports a smiling Kim was greeted by Sergei Shoigu in Russia’s Knevichi, about 30 miles (50km) from the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. Shoigu saluted Kim before the North Korean leader inspected a guard of honour. North Korea may be able to boost Russia’s supply of artillery munitions for the war in Ukraine, but that is not likely to make a big difference, the top American military officer said as he arrived in Norway for Nato meetings. US Army Gen Mark Milley, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said the recent meeting in Russia between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will probably lead North Korea to provide Soviet-era 152mm artillery rounds to Moscow. But he said it was not yet clear how many or how soon, AP reported. Ukraine will be able to conduct more attacks on Russian ships, a Ukrainian minister who has played a key role in building the country’s drone industry told Reuters after a recent series of sea raids. “There will be more drones, more attacks, and fewer Russian ships. That’s for sure,” the digital transformation minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in an interview on Friday, answering a question about recent attacks near Crimea. The EU should earmark more cash to support Ukraine in its revised long-term budget and top up the funds for EU military mobility, Lithuania’s finance minister, Gintarė Skaistė, said. Russia will probably be able to build a significant stockpile of air-launched cruise missiles and use them to target Ukrainian infrastructure over the coming winter, the UK Ministry of Defence says. In its latest intelligence update, the ministry said air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) – particularly the modern AS-23a Kodiak – were at the heart of most of Russia’s long-range strikes against Ukraine’s national energy infrastructure between October 2022 and March 2023. The US expects to announce additional aid to Ukraine next week, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said, while announcing that the US president, Joe Biden, would host Volodymyr Zelenskiy next Thursday at the White House. The Ukrainian leader was also expected to meet with congressional leaders from both political parties while he was in Washington, Sullivan said on Friday. A body has been found in Ukraine in the search for a British man who was reported missing a month ago, PA Media reported. Daniel Burke, 36, from south Manchester, was reported missing on August 16 by family who had not heard from him believing that he had travelled to Ukraine. Officers searching for Burke have been informed by Ukrainian authorities that they have found a body. Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said on Saturday they planned to sell about 100 Ukrainian properties, including one belonging to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament, said the nationalised properties would be sold “soon” and the authorities had held the first eight auctions for the properties of Ukrainian business figures, Reuters reports. Donald Trump enjoyed hearing that he had drawn praise from the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, the former US president and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican White House nomination has said. Told during a recorded interview with the new NBC Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker that Putin had fawned over his stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump replied: “I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right.” Poland is set to ban the entry of passenger cars registered in Russia starting on Sunday, state-run Polish news agency PAP has reported. Poland’s interior minister, Mariusz Kaminski, said the ban is a further part of sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens in connection with the war in Ukraine. Moscow has dismissed as “politically motivated” the conviction of Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin in a US court for participating in a $93 million insider-trading scheme, the state news agency RIA reported on Saturday. Klyushin, who has ties to the Kremlin, was sentenced on 7 September to nine years in prison after being found guilty in February of trading shares using hacked secret earnings information about multiple companies. Romanian farmers have asked the government to unilaterally ban the import of Ukrainian grain and other food products after the European Commission decided to lift restrictions. Romania is one of five eastern EU countries alongside Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia that saw a surge of Ukrainian grain imports after the Russian invasion, which distorted local markets and prompted protests from farmers, leading the EU to approve trade restrictions until 15 September. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced their own unilateral bans on Friday. The Romanian government said it would wait for Ukraine to present its plan to prevent a surge on Monday before deciding how to protect Romanian farmers. “If a country like Poland, which strongly and thoroughly supports Ukraine against the Russian aggression, has taken such a unilateral decision after the 15 September deadline expired, we don’t understand why Romania would be reserved about doing the same,” the farmers’ association said in a statement. “Our request in no way affects the transit of Ukrainian farm products through Romania to other destinations, as it is going on at present.” Two cargo vessels were bound for Ukrainian ports on Saturday, becoming the first ships to use a temporary corridor to sail into Black Sea ports and load grain for African and Asian markets, deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said. Ukraine last month announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea to release ships trapped in its ports since the start of the war in February 2022 and to circumvent a de facto blockade after Russia abandoned a deal to let Kyiv export grain. Five vessels have so far left the port of Odesa, using the corridor which hugs the western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria. Ukraine, a leading global food producer and exporter, also wants to use the corridor for its food exports. The bulk carriers Resilient Africa and Aroyat were making their way through the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports to load almost 20,000 tons of wheat for Africa and Asia, Kubrakov said. Data from ship tracking company MarineTraffic showed that the Aroyat was already at Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port, while the other vessel was on route in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s agriculture ministry said on the Telegram messaging app that the wheat would be shipped to Egypt and Israel. “While the UN is not involved in the movement of those vessels, we welcome all efforts for the resumption of normal trade, especially of vital food commodities that help supply and stabilise global food markets,” a UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. “We continue our efforts to facilitate exports for agricultural products from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” The EU should earmark more cash to support Ukraine in its revised long-term budget and top up the funds for EU military mobility, Lithuania’s finance minister, Gintarė Skaistė, said. As part of a review of the EU’s 2021-27 budget, the European Commission in June proposed €50bn in grants and loans for Ukraine to keep Kyiv financed as it fights off Russian aggression. This year, the EU will pay out €18bn to Ukraine in highly concessional loans, but, if the proposed €50bn total stays, Ukraine will only get €12.5bn annually from 2024 to 2027. “If you divide the amount of euros that is in the proposal over four years, the sum will be lower than this year. So our proposal is that maybe we can have the same level as it was in 2023,” Skaiste told Reuters. “If we have the same level as it was in 2023, it would be €72bn.” She addedthe EU budget review should also add money for military mobility as the €1.7bn originally allocated for the purpose was insufficient. Afternoon summary The time in Kyiv is just coming up to 6pm. Here is a round-up of the day’s headlines so far: Russia on Saturday denied a Ukrainian claim to have recaptured the devastated eastern village of Andriivka, a stepping stone on the way to the town of Bakhmut. “The enemy did not abandon plans to capture the city of Artyomovsk of the Donetsk People’s Republic and continued to conduct assault operations ... unsuccessfully trying to oust Russian troops from the population centres of Klishchiivka and Andriivka,” the Russian defence ministry said in its daily briefing. The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, inspected Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers and hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles on Saturday, accompanied by Vladimir Putin’s defence minister. Reuters reports a smiling Kim was greeted by Sergei Shoigu in Russia’s Knevichi, about 30 miles (50km) from the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. Shoigu saluted Kim before the North Korean leader inspected a guard of honour. North Korea may be able to boost Russia’s supply of artillery munitions for the war in Ukraine, but that is not likely to make a big difference, the top American military officer said as he arrived in Norway for Nato meetings. US Army Gen Mark Milley, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said the recent meeting in Russia between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will probably lead North Korea to provide Soviet-era 152mm artillery rounds to Moscow. But he said it was not yet clear how many or how soon, AP reported. Ukraine will be able to conduct more attacks on Russian ships, a Ukrainian minister who has played a key role in building the country’s drone industry told Reuters after a recent series of sea raids. “There will be more drones, more attacks, and fewer Russian ships. That’s for sure,” the digital transformation minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in an interview on Friday, answering a question about recent attacks near Crimea. Russia will probably be able to build a significant stockpile of air-launched cruise missiles and use them to target Ukrainian infrastructure over the coming winter, the UK Ministry of Defence says. In its latest intelligence update, the ministry said air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) – particularly the modern AS-23a Kodiak – were at the heart of most of Russia’s long-range strikes against Ukraine’s national energy infrastructure between October 2022 and March 2023. The US expects to announce additional aid to Ukraine next week, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said, while announcing that the US president, Joe Biden, would host Volodymyr Zelenskiy next Thursday at the White House. The Ukrainian leader was also expected to meet with congressional leaders from both political parties while he was in Washington, Sullivan said on Friday. A body has been found in Ukraine in the search for a British man who was reported missing a month ago, PA Media reported. Daniel Burke, 36, from south Manchester, was reported missing on August 16 by family who had not heard from him believing that he had travelled to Ukraine. Officers searching for Burke have been informed by Ukrainian authorities that they have found a body. Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said on Saturday they planned to sell about 100 Ukrainian properties, including one belonging to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament, said the nationalised properties would be sold “soon” and the authorities had held the first eight auctions for the properties of Ukrainian business figures, Reuters reports. Donald Trump enjoyed hearing that he had drawn praise from the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, the former US president and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican White House nomination has said. Told during a recorded interview with the new NBC Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker that Putin had fawned over his stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump replied: “I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right.” Poland is set to ban the entry of passenger cars registered in Russia starting on Sunday, state-run Polish news agency PAP has reported. Poland’s interior minister, Mariusz Kaminski, said the ban is a further part of sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens in connection with the war in Ukraine. Moscow has dismissed as “politically motivated” the conviction of Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin in a US court for participating in a $93 million insider-trading scheme, the state news agency RIA reported on Saturday. Klyushin, who has ties to the Kremlin, was sentenced on 7 September to nine years in prison after being found guilty in February of trading shares using hacked secret earnings information about multiple companies. That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. My colleague Nadeem Badshah will be along shortly to continue bringing you the latest news from Russia’s war on Ukraine. Donald Trump enjoyed hearing that he had drawn praise from the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, the former US president and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican White House nomination has said. Told during a recorded interview with the new NBC Meet the Press moderator, Kristen Welker, that Putin had fawned over his stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump replied: “I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right.” Trump’s remarks to Welker – circulated by NBC on Friday to promote the interview with the ex-president, which is scheduled to air on Sunday morning – drew condemnation from some political quarters. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Republicans against Trump group shared a clip of his comments about Putin to Welker and wrote to its nearly half a million followers: “A vote for Trump is a vote against America.” A body has been found in Ukraine in the search for a British man who was reported missing a month ago, PA Media reported. Daniel Burke, 36, from south Manchester, was reported missing on August 16 by family who had not heard from him believing that he had travelled to Ukraine. Officers searching for Burke have been informed by Ukrainian authorities that they have found a body. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are working with Burke’s family and the Ukrainian authorities to support the identification of Burke and bring his body back to the UK. Burke’s mother Diane told the Manchester Evening News last week that the family had been told by Ukrainian police that officers searched his Zaporizhzhia apartment and found it empty with no signs of a break-in and the door triple locked. She said the Ukrainian authorities were using CCTV to try to trace his movements on August 11, when he was last seen, and the last time she spoke to him he “sounded on good form”. North Korea may be able to boost Russia’s supply of artillery munitions for the war in Ukraine, but that is not likely to make a big difference, the top American military officer said as he arrived in Norway for Nato meetings. US Army Gen Mark Milley, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said the recent meeting in Russia between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will probably lead North Korea to provide Soviet-era 152mm artillery rounds to Moscow. But he said it was not yet clear how many or how soon, AP reported. “Would it have a huge difference? I’m sceptical of that,” Milley told reporters traveling with him. He said that while he does not want to play down the weapons assistance too much, “I doubt that it would be decisive.” Foreign governments and experts have speculated that Kim will likely supply ammunition to Russia in exchange for receiving advanced weapons or technology from Russia. Russia disputes Ukraine"s claim about captured territory in Donetsk Russia on Saturday denied a Ukrainian claim to have recaptured the devastated eastern village of Andriivka, a stepping stone on the way to the town of Bakhmut. “The enemy did not abandon plans to capture the city of Artyomovsk of the Donetsk People’s Republic and continued to conduct assault operations ... unsuccessfully trying to oust Russian troops from the population centres of Klishchiivka and Andriivka,” the Russian defence ministry said in its daily briefing. Andriivka lies south of largely-ruined Bakhmut, a mainly symbolic prize that Russian forces seized in May after the fiercest and longest battle since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Ukrainian general staff on Friday also reported “partial success” near Klishchiivka, also south of Bakhmut. Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield reports. Poland is set to ban the entry of passenger cars registered in Russia starting on Sunday, state-run Polish news agency PAP has reported. Poland’s interior minister, Mariusz Kaminski, said the ban is a further part of sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens in connection with the war in Ukraine.