Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 23.09 – 29.09

British PM during a meeting with Zelensky: These weeks and months are becoming decisive

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes  that the coming weeks and months are becoming decisive in the Russia-Ukraine war. He discussed the main challenges with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Starmer noted that he met with Zelenskyy to discuss Ukraine's challenges and once again confirm unwavering support.

"And also to be able to discuss what else needs to be done because these weeks and months are becoming decisive," he emphasized.

The key topics of the talks between Zelenskyy and Starmer were the security situation and strengthening Ukraine, particularly through new defense support.

EU on Putin's new nuclear threats: He has shown his true face

New threats by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin regarding the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear countries are yet another sign of his irresponsible behavior. They will not change the European Union's stance on continuing to support Ukraine. This was stated  by EU spokesman Peter Stano during a press briefing.

A journalist asked how the EU would respond to the latest "lowering of the threshold" for using Russian nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, which was announced by Putin on September 25.

In response, Stano emphasized that this is not the first time Putin has relied on his nuclear arsenal.

“This is just a continuation of very irresponsible and unacceptable behavior by Putin, which shows the world his true face, especially during the high-level week at the UN General Assembly,” he said.

The spokesman noted that the Kremlin leader "is not shy about playing nuclear games repeatedly."

“We strongly oppose these threats. The EU’s position remains unchanged,” Stano stressed.

Media: The West has evidence that China supplied Russia with weapons for the war

The West believes that they have received evidence  of covert arms supplies to Russia from China, which could signify a significant escalation of Beijing's involvement in the war in Ukraine.

A source in The Times claims that the West has evidence of an unnamed Chinese company supplying Russia with "some special military drones" used in Ukraine.

The source declined to disclose the company's name but clarified that the agreement for supplying drones to Russia was fulfilled in 2023.

"Although the Chinese government may not acknowledge this, it will try to keep its growing support (for Russia - Ed.) secret," added the official cited by The Times.

He also confirmed Reuters reports that Russia developed an arms program in China for the design and production of long-range strike drones used in the war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy on his visit to the US: We received full support for the peace strategy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said  that the Ukrainian delegation accomplished "many tasks" in the United States, and in Congress, they received full support for the peace strategy.

"We are returning home from the United States. We accomplished many tasks during this visit. I thank President Biden for the largest-ever support package – nearly 8 billion dollars. This includes weapons for the front, air defense systems for our cities, and the expansion of the F-16 training mission.I presented the Victory Plan, and we agreed that very soon, in Germany, in the 'Ramstein' format, we will discuss our steps with allies. October is the time for decisions... I thank the U.S. Congress for its unwavering bipartisan support and desire to help us – help us win. Senators, members of the House of Representatives – all who see how much we can accomplish together. We received full support for the peace strategy – peace through strength."

Zelenskyy says he received "direct information" from Trump regarding support for Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he received "very direct information" from U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump about his support for Ukraine.

"I received very direct information from Donald Trump that he would be on our side, that he would support Ukraine. There were many details that I think were very interesting for him to hear from me directly."When asked by a journalist whether Trump asked him anything, Zelenskyy replied: "Yes, of course, many things." Among the questions Trump asked, the president named: "What is the situation on the battlefield?" "How do you see support from the U.S.?" and "Why do you think Putin started this invasion?"

At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that Trump did not raise the issue of his trip to Pennsylvania, due to which U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Zelenskyy to dismiss Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova.

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell to tell about current news and events in Ukraine.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти про актуальні новини та події в Україні.