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1 min ago

It's morning in Kyiv. Catch up on the latest headlines here

From CNN staff

The European Union's support for Ukraine is "permanent," the bloc's foreign policy chief said Monday after top EU officials assembled in Kyiv to discuss the war.

"Our support does not depend on the advances of one day," Josep Borrell told a news conference, according to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform. "It’s permanent, structured support because we are facing an existential threat for Europe."

Speaking alongside Borrell, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymytro Kuleba said negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership should begin before the end of the year, adding that Kyiv's accession to the bloc was "just a matter of time."

Germany's foreign minister also said Monday that Ukraine's future "lies in the European Union," and praised Kyiv for its ongoing reforms on conditions set by the EU for membership. They include action on corruption and money laundering, media freedom and protection of minorities. 

Here's what else you need to know:

• US funding: President Joe Biden said he "fully expects" House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a majority of Republicans to approve new funding for Ukraine but declined to say whether he'd received any specific assurances on the matter. Ukrainian foreign minister Kuleba said Monday that Kyiv was working with Washington after Congress did not include new aid in a last-minute deal to avoid a government shutdown. The US State Department blasted Congress Monday for not passing funding for "desperately needed" assistance to Ukraine.
• "Critical juncture": Kuleba said Monday he "respects the choice" of the Slovakian people and it is "too early to judge" how the election victory of a pro-Kremlin figure in the country would impact Bratislava's support for Ukraine. Lithuania's foreign minister said the EU is facing "a critical juncture," calling on other European officials to send a "crystal clear message that Europe is with Ukraine." The events in the US and Slovakia "have the power to instill doubt" over the bloc's backing for Ukraine, Gabrielius Landsbergis said.
• Kherson attacks: Heavy Russian shelling killed at least one person and wounded seven others in Kherson Monday, Ukrainian officials said, in the latest assault against the southern city. Kherson and surrounding settlements came under increased deadly fire from Moscow's troops over the weekend.
• Tank delivery: Ukraine has received the first batch of refurbished Leopard tanks from Poland, a Polish industrial partner announced Monday. The Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) also confirmed they are working on repairing another batch of tanks for Ukraine. 
• Wagner legacy: Unofficial Telegram channels in Russia say that according to the terms of Yevgeny Prigozhin's will, his assets and control of his business empire have been bequeathed to his 25-year-old son, Pavel. Telegram channels associated with Wagner have claimed Pavel Prigozhin is actively negotiating the return of Wagner personnel to the combat zone in Ukraine. The claims cannot be verified, and it's unclear whether Wagner fighters would be absorbed into different military structures.

38 min ago

Ukraine removes Hungarian bank from "war sponsors" blacklist

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Ukraine has removed Hungarian Bank OTP from its "international sponsors of war" blacklist after the lender "made a number of commitments regarding its future plans for the Russian market," Kyiv officials said Monday

In a statement, the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) said its decision followed "discussions that lasted 24/7 for the last few days with the participation of the EU External Action Service."

“In addition, the Agency hopes that this decision will lead to Hungary’s unblocking of €500 million [$523 million] of vital EU military aid for the Ukrainian people,” the NACP said. 

The NACP added OTP Bank to its blacklist in the spring, citing the lender's continued operations in Russia and recognition of the Moscow-backed breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in eastern Ukraine. 

At the time, Hungary's foreign minister called the decision "outrageous" and said it would make it difficult for Budapest to enter into negotiations for the European Union’s next round of sanctions against Russia.

2 hr 17 min ago

EU's support for Ukraine doesn't depend on one-day battlefield advances, top diplomat says

From CNN's Mariya Knight

The European Union’s support for Ukraine doesn’t depend on one-day battlefield advances, the bloc's foreign affairs chief said Monday.

"Our support does not depend on the advances of one day. It’s permanent, structured support because we are facing an existential threat for Europe,” Josep Borrell said during a news conference following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform.

He emphasized that EU support for Ukraine “does not depend on how the war is going on in the next days or weeks,” adding that “the Ukrainian soldiers are fighting with a lot of courage in front of impressive Russian defense fortifications.” 

According to Borrell, the satellite images show that in some cases, Russian fortifications are “25 kilometers (15.5 miles) deep,” Ukrinform reported. 

The EU’s top diplomat also said that if the partners want Ukraine to be more successful, they must provide it "with better arms, and quicker," Ukrinform added. 

Borrell arrived in Ukraine on Saturday, and since then he has visited the city of Odesa, honored the fallen soldiers in Kyiv and held his first personal meeting with Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Ukrinform said. 

2 hr 18 min ago

Ukraine receives first refurbished tanks from Poland

From CNN's Mariya Knight, Josh Pennington and Svitlana Vlasova

Ukraine has received the first batch of refurbished Leopard tanks from Poland, a Polish industrial partner announced Monday.

“While others are making declarations concerning the future, we are consulting with the Ukrainian side in our actions. The first Leopard tanks expressly refurbished at Bumar-Labędy have been received by the Ukrainian side,” the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.

PGZ is “the main industrial partner” of the Polish Armed Forces, conducted by the Ministry of National Defense, according to the group’s website. 

The group also confirmed they are working on repairing another batch of tanks for Ukraine. 

In April 2023, Germany, Poland and Ukraine signed an agreement to set up a hub in Poland to repair Leopard 2 battle tanks used in Ukraine to fight against Russian forces. 

The hub was supposed to start its operations at the end of May, according to Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

2 hr 19 min ago

Biden "fully expects" new Ukraine funding but won't answer questions about new assurances

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

US President Joe Biden said he "fully expects" House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a majority of Republicans to approve new funding for Ukraine but declined to say whether he'd received any specific assurances on the matter ahead of this week's passage of a stopgap government funding measure.

"We cannot under any circumstances allow America’s support for Ukraine to be interrupted. Too many lives are at stake, too many children, too many people," Biden said Monday afternoon during a meeting of his Cabinet.

"I fully expect the speaker and the majority of the Republicans in Congress to keep their commitment to secure the passage of the support needed to help Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression and brutality," Biden said.

Yet when pressed by CNN about the precise nature of that commitment, Biden remained silent.

He wouldn't answer whether he'd received any new assurances from McCarthy about taking up new Ukraine funding — or even whether he trusted the Republican speaker.

A day earlier, Biden had told reporters "we just made" a deal on Ukraine with McCarthy, without elaborating. On Monday, the White House similarly declined to clarify the remark. 

Multiple Democratic lawmakers serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told CNN on Monday they had no reason to believe that McCarthy had made a fresh commitment to the White House over the weekend on Ukraine funding.

And McCarthy himself denied to reporters he had made any side deals on promising to put Ukraine funding on the floor.

Still, Biden on Monday said it was essential Ukraine funding be approved to demonstrate American commitment to the country's battle against Russia.

2 hr 20 min ago

Unofficial accounts say Yevgeny Prigozhin's son will inherit father's assets and control of Wagner

From CNN's Tim Lister and Anna Chernova

Unofficial Telegram channels in Russia say that according to the terms of Yevgeny Prigozhin's will, his assets and control of his business empire have been bequeathed to his 25-year-old son, Pavel.

One of the channels, Port, claims to have obtained a copy of Prigozhin's will and published an image of it.

Prigozhin was killed in a private jet crash in August. The document, said to have been notarized on March 2, purportedly designates Pavel Prigozhin as the sole inheritor of the Wagner founder's extensive assets, including those of the mercenary group

The unofficial publication suggests Pavel Prigozhin filed an application for inheritance on September 8.

Port also claimed that Pavel Prigozhin is set to collect all debts owed to his father, estimating the Russian Defense Ministry owed Prigozhin's business empire as much as $800 million. It is impossible to verify this figure. 

Remember: In June, following Prigozhin's short-lived mutiny, President Vladimir Putin said the Wagner founder's businesses had received 86 billion rubles (or about $850 million) from the defense ministry between May 2022 and May 2023. In addition, Prigozhin's Concord catering company made 80 billion rubles from state contracts to supply food to the Russian army, Putin said at the time.

Telegram channels associated with Wagner have claimed Pavel Prigozhin is actively negotiating the return of Wagner personnel to the combat zone in Ukraine. The claims cannot be verified, and it's unclear whether Wagner fighters would be absorbed into different military structures.

Telegram channel GreyZone, which frequently reported on Wagner and Prigozhin, asserted that Pavel Prigozhin was negotiating with the Russian reserve force Rosgvardia on the return of Wagner fighters to the war in Ukraine.

Rosgvardia received much of Wagner's heavy weaponry after the private military company was disarmed following the mutiny.

CNN cannot independently verify these reports, or the authenticity of the will.

2 hr 31 min ago

Victory depends on cooperation, Zelensky tells EU foreign ministers

From CNN's Maria Kostenko in Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told European Union foreign ministers in KyivMonday he is "confident that Ukraine and the entire free world are capable of winning this confrontation [with Russia]."

"But our victory directly depends on our cooperation: the more strong and principled steps we take together, the sooner this war will end. It will end fairly. It will end with the restoration of our territorial integrity and reliable guarantee of peace for the whole of Europe," Zelensky said.

He described the ministers' presence in Kyiv as a "step towards strengthening Europe ... We need to constantly take new defense and diplomatic, political and integration, economic and sanctions steps that will make our common positions stronger," according to the Presidency's website.

"The more active we are, our leadership, our initiatives, the less likely Russia will be to adapt to our joint pressure," he said.

Besides further military aid and joint production of weapons, Ukraine's path to NATO membership and a fresh package of sanctions against Russia were among the important steps to be taken, as well as "the beginning of negotiations this year on Ukraine's membership in the EU," Zelensky added.

In response, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: "You can be sure of our determination to be by Ukraine's side for as long as it takes."

The European Union's support for Ukraine is "permanent," the bloc's foreign policy chief said Monday after top EU officials assembled in Kyiv to discuss the war.

"Our support does not depend on the advances of one day," Josep Borrell told a news conference, according to Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform. "It’s permanent, structured support because we are facing an existential threat for Europe."

Speaking alongside Borrell, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymytro Kuleba said negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership should begin before the end of the year, adding that Kyiv's accession to the bloc was "just a matter of time."

Germany's foreign minister also said Monday that Ukraine's future "lies in the European Union," and praised Kyiv for its ongoing reforms on conditions set by the EU for membership. They include action on corruption and money laundering, media freedom and protection of minorities. 

Here's what else you need to know:

Ukraine has removed Hungarian Bank OTP from its "international sponsors of war" blacklist after the lender "made a number of commitments regarding its future plans for the Russian market," Kyiv officials said Monday

In a statement, the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) said its decision followed "discussions that lasted 24/7 for the last few days with the participation of the EU External Action Service."

The NACP added OTP Bank to its blacklist in the spring, citing the lender's continued operations in Russia and recognition of the Moscow-backed breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in eastern Ukraine. 

At the time, Hungary's foreign minister called the decision "outrageous" and said it would make it difficult for Budapest to enter into negotiations for the European Union’s next round of sanctions against Russia.

The European Union’s support for Ukraine doesn’t depend on one-day battlefield advances, the bloc's foreign affairs chief said Monday.

He emphasized that EU support for Ukraine “does not depend on how the war is going on in the next days or weeks,” adding that “the Ukrainian soldiers are fighting with a lot of courage in front of impressive Russian defense fortifications.” 

According to Borrell, the satellite images show that in some cases, Russian fortifications are “25 kilometers (15.5 miles) deep,” Ukrinform reported. 

The EU’s top diplomat also said that if the partners want Ukraine to be more successful, they must provide it "with better arms, and quicker," Ukrinform added. 

Borrell arrived in Ukraine on Saturday, and since then he has visited the city of Odesa, honored the fallen soldiers in Kyiv and held his first personal meeting with Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Ukrinform said. 

Ukraine has received the first batch of refurbished Leopard tanks from Poland, a Polish industrial partner announced Monday.

PGZ is “the main industrial partner” of the Polish Armed Forces, conducted by the Ministry of National Defense, according to the group’s website. 

The group also confirmed they are working on repairing another batch of tanks for Ukraine. 

In April 2023, Germany, Poland and Ukraine signed an agreement to set up a hub in Poland to repair Leopard 2 battle tanks used in Ukraine to fight against Russian forces. 

The hub was supposed to start its operations at the end of May, according to Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

US President Joe Biden said he "fully expects" House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a majority of Republicans to approve new funding for Ukraine but declined to say whether he'd received any specific assurances on the matter ahead of this week's passage of a stopgap government funding measure.

"We cannot under any circumstances allow America’s support for Ukraine to be interrupted. Too many lives are at stake, too many children, too many people," Biden said Monday afternoon during a meeting of his Cabinet.

Yet when pressed by CNN about the precise nature of that commitment, Biden remained silent.

He wouldn't answer whether he'd received any new assurances from McCarthy about taking up new Ukraine funding — or even whether he trusted the Republican speaker.

A day earlier, Biden had told reporters "we just made" a deal on Ukraine with McCarthy, without elaborating. On Monday, the White House similarly declined to clarify the remark. 

Multiple Democratic lawmakers serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told CNN on Monday they had no reason to believe that McCarthy had made a fresh commitment to the White House over the weekend on Ukraine funding.

And McCarthy himself denied to reporters he had made any side deals on promising to put Ukraine funding on the floor.

Still, Biden on Monday said it was essential Ukraine funding be approved to demonstrate American commitment to the country's battle against Russia.

Unofficial Telegram channels in Russia say that according to the terms of Yevgeny Prigozhin's will, his assets and control of his business empire have been bequeathed to his 25-year-old son, Pavel.

One of the channels, Port, claims to have obtained a copy of Prigozhin's will and published an image of it.

Prigozhin was killed in a private jet crash in August. The document, said to have been notarized on March 2, purportedly designates Pavel Prigozhin as the sole inheritor of the Wagner founder's extensive assets, including those of the mercenary group

The unofficial publication suggests Pavel Prigozhin filed an application for inheritance on September 8.

Port also claimed that Pavel Prigozhin is set to collect all debts owed to his father, estimating the Russian Defense Ministry owed Prigozhin's business empire as much as $800 million. It is impossible to verify this figure. 

Remember: In June, following Prigozhin's short-lived mutiny, President Vladimir Putin said the Wagner founder's businesses had received 86 billion rubles (or about $850 million) from the defense ministry between May 2022 and May 2023. In addition, Prigozhin's Concord catering company made 80 billion rubles from state contracts to supply food to the Russian army, Putin said at the time.

Telegram channels associated with Wagner have claimed Pavel Prigozhin is actively negotiating the return of Wagner personnel to the combat zone in Ukraine. The claims cannot be verified, and it's unclear whether Wagner fighters would be absorbed into different military structures.

Telegram channel GreyZone, which frequently reported on Wagner and Prigozhin, asserted that Pavel Prigozhin was negotiating with the Russian reserve force Rosgvardia on the return of Wagner fighters to the war in Ukraine.

Rosgvardia received much of Wagner's heavy weaponry after the private military company was disarmed following the mutiny.

CNN cannot independently verify these reports, or the authenticity of the will.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told European Union foreign ministers in KyivMonday he is "confident that Ukraine and the entire free world are capable of winning this confrontation [with Russia]."

"But our victory directly depends on our cooperation: the more strong and principled steps we take together, the sooner this war will end. It will end fairly. It will end with the restoration of our territorial integrity and reliable guarantee of peace for the whole of Europe," Zelensky said.

He described the ministers' presence in Kyiv as a "step towards strengthening Europe ... We need to constantly take new defense and diplomatic, political and integration, economic and sanctions steps that will make our common positions stronger," according to the Presidency's website.

Besides further military aid and joint production of weapons, Ukraine's path to NATO membership and a fresh package of sanctions against Russia were among the important steps to be taken, as well as "the beginning of negotiations this year on Ukraine's membership in the EU," Zelensky added.

In response, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: "You can be sure of our determination to be by Ukraine's side for as long as it takes."