EU cancels restrictive measures against Ukraine’s agricultural exports
From CNN's Mariya Knight
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the European Commission’s decision to cancel restrictive measures against Ukraine’s agricultural exports in his nightly address on Friday.
Restrictive measures against our agricultural exports by the European Union have been cancelled,” Zelensky said.
“Now, it is important that European unity works on a bilateral level – with the neighbors,” he emphasized.
The Ukrainian President said that “a lengthy meeting with government officials and the Office regarding further tactics” in protecting Ukraine’s agreements and free trade with the EU was held on Friday.
The European Commission wrote in a statement that day, “Ukraine has agreed to introduce any legal measures (including, for example, an export licensing system) within 30 days to avoid grain surges.”
Until then, Ukraine must put in place effective export control measures to "prevent any market distortions in neighboring member states." Kyiv must submit “an Action Plan” to the European Commission’s Coordination Platform no later than Monday, September 18, according to the European Commission.
“The European Commission will refrain from imposing any restrictions as long as the effective measures by Ukraine are in place and fully working,” the statement read.
On May 2, 2023, the EU adopted a temporary measure that banned wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed originating in Ukraine from being exported to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, after those countries raised concerns over local farmers being undercut by a bottleneck of cheap Ukrainian grain.
“In parallel, a coordination Platform was set up” in order to “bring together” these countries and “develop infrastructure and increasing logistical capacity, as well as removing administrative barriers to the export of agricultural products from Ukraine,” the statement concluded.
4 min ago
Liberating Andriivka “necessary for further advancement” in Bakhmut, Ukrainian commander says
From CNN's Mariya Knight
A Russian armored vehicle is purportedly shot by a Ukrainian drone near Andriivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this still image obtained from video released August 22, 2023. 3rd Assault Brigade/Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Reuters
A Ukrainian commander in the Bakhmut area has said that the liberation of the village of Andriivka on Friday is “necessary for further advancement” in Bakhmut.
Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, said on his Telegram channel that Andriivka is “a necessary bridgehead for further advancement, because the task of Ukrainian forces in this area is to surround Bakhmut, and without Andriivka it is impossible to achieve this.”
Zhorin also noted that liberating Andriivka means “full control over the railroad, which is a stronghold for further offensive.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky congratulated the 3rd Assault Brigade and all involved in retaking Andriivka in his nightly address on Friday and called it “a significant and much-needed result,” noting that active battles continue around the villages of Klishchiivka and Kurdiumivka near Bakhmut in Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s General Staff noted that “the Defense Forces have partial success in the area of Klishchiivka” in a daily update on Friday.
Some context: Ukraine's Third Separate Assault Brigade recaptured the village of Andriivka, south of the city of Bakhmut, on Friday, it announced on Telegram that day. They are now trying to consolidate their gain there to hold on to it.
Russian forces claimed control of Bakhmut in May following a months-long slog in the city. The Russian advance was bolstered by members of the Wagner mercenary group, which incurred heavy losses in the fierce fighting.
3 min ago
Russia gives Kim Jong Un an inside look at its warplanes and frigates
From CNN's Yoonjung Seo in Seoul
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits an aircraft manufacturing plant in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Khabarovsk region, Russia, on September 15, 2023. KCNA/Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected warplanes, toured an airfield and visited a Pacific Fleet frigate on Saturday as the latest stop on his tour of Russia took him to Vladivostok.
Russian state media reported that Kim had met the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Knevichi airfield in Vladivostok before both men were accompanied by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, on a visit to the Pacific Fleet frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov.
The North Korean leader was shown the ship’s central command center and its modern missile weapon control systems, the Russian Ministry of Defence said via Telegram.
The Russian defence ministry added that Admiral Evmenov had talked to Kim about the “expanded capabilities of the new control systems, which allow Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles to be effectively used against sea and coastal targets at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers from the ship.”
Afterwards Kim was gifted a replica of the ship and left a comment in the frigate’s guest book, though the ministry did not reveal what he wrote.
The stop in Vladivostok is Kim’s latest in a tour of Russia and its Far East region that follows his meeting with President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, at which the North Korean leader appeared to endorse Moscow’s war on Ukraine. There has also been speculation Putin is seeking arms from North Korea for his invasion.
US national security adviser says G20 declaration was "powerful" despite stopping short of condemning Russia
From CNN's Donald Judd
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks to the media in the briefing room of the White House on September 5, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan defended the final declaration from last week's Group of 20 summit, which stopped short of explicitly condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sullivan hasn't received “any kind of formal — or really, informal — reaction from Ukraine with respect to the G20 communique,” he said at a briefing Friday.
Rather, the national security adviser said, Ukraine remains focused on engaging with other countries at peace summits — like the ones held this summer in Denmark and Saudi Arabia — where leaders can "find a way forward toward a common understanding of the principles upon which the just peace should be based."
Sullivan said the conversations at those two summits actually "bear a strong resemblance" to the propositions laid out in the G20 communique.
He listed the declaration's four key tenets in regard to Ukraine: “First, the paramount centrality of territorial integrity and sovereignty; second, the statement that it is totally unacceptable for any country to use force to violate the territorial integrity of another country; third, that attacking grain infrastructure and civilian infrastructure should be totally off limits; and fourth, the threat or use of nuclear weapons in a conflict like this should be inadmissible.”
Sullivan pushed back against the idea that the communique was "tepid" in its support for Ukraine, saying those four propositions are "powerful."
Rather than statements of neutrality, he argued, they "really say to Russia, 'What you are doing is not acceptable.'”
What Ukraine said: After news of the declaration emerged, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said the G20 had "nothing to be proud of."
“Ukraine is grateful to its partners who tried to include strong wording in the text,” he wrote on Facebook.
“At the same time, the G20 has nothing to be proud of in the part about Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Obviously, the participation of the Ukrainian side would have allowed the participants to better understand the situation. The principle of ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’ remains as key as ever.”
41 min ago
Sullivan says he senses bipartisan support from congressional leaders for additional aid for Ukraine
From CNN's Donald Judd
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Senate leadership last week and House leadership Thursday to discuss support for Ukraine.
He told reporters on Friday that he got the sense there was backing for bipartisan support for Ukraine from leaders on both sides of the aisle even as some House Republicans have signaled they may block additional aid.
“I've got to say, in those conversations, I felt the basic vibe, so to speak, the idea that the United States needs to come together on a bipartisan basis to support Ukraine felt as strong as it did a year ago, on both sides of the aisle," he said.
But tension among Republicans in Congress is mounting as lawmakers face an end-of-month deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The White House has called on Congress to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government running while congressional leaders hash out major differences.
Though Sullivan expressed optimism that there was an appetite for a bipartisan aid package, he admitted the dynamics have changed since Republicans took control of the House last year.
“I acknowledge that there's a difference between this Congress in the last Congress, and we'll have to contend with that as we go through the discussions that will continue in the days ahead on how to get Ukraine the resources it needs,” he said.
Still, he pointed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington — and Capitol Hill — next week as a sign there might be progress on Ukraine aid soon.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected warplanes and toured an airfield on the latest stop on his trip to Russia. He met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier in the week, who is reportedly seeking North Korean arms for his war in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian commander in the Bakhmut area has said that this week's liberation of the village of Andriivka is “necessary for further advancement.” Kyiv captured the village Friday as part of its slow-moving counteroffensive.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the European Commission’s decision to cancel measures against Kyiv's agricultural exports. They were introduced when cheap Ukrainian grain undercut local farmers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the European Commission’s decision to cancel restrictive measures against Ukraine’s agricultural exports in his nightly address on Friday.
Restrictive measures against our agricultural exports by the European Union have been cancelled,” Zelensky said.
“Now, it is important that European unity works on a bilateral level – with the neighbors,” he emphasized.
The Ukrainian President said that “a lengthy meeting with government officials and the Office regarding further tactics” in protecting Ukraine’s agreements and free trade with the EU was held on Friday.
The European Commission wrote in a statement that day, “Ukraine has agreed to introduce any legal measures (including, for example, an export licensing system) within 30 days to avoid grain surges.”
Until then, Ukraine must put in place effective export control measures to "prevent any market distortions in neighboring member states." Kyiv must submit “an Action Plan” to the European Commission’s Coordination Platform no later than Monday, September 18, according to the European Commission.
“The European Commission will refrain from imposing any restrictions as long as the effective measures by Ukraine are in place and fully working,” the statement read.
On May 2, 2023, the EU adopted a temporary measure that banned wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed originating in Ukraine from being exported to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, after those countries raised concerns over local farmers being undercut by a bottleneck of cheap Ukrainian grain.
“In parallel, a coordination Platform was set up” in order to “bring together” these countries and “develop infrastructure and increasing logistical capacity, as well as removing administrative barriers to the export of agricultural products from Ukraine,” the statement concluded.
A Russian armored vehicle is purportedly shot by a Ukrainian drone near Andriivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this still image obtained from video released August 22, 2023. 3rd Assault Brigade/Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Reuters
A Ukrainian commander in the Bakhmut area has said that the liberation of the village of Andriivka on Friday is “necessary for further advancement” in Bakhmut.
Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, said on his Telegram channel that Andriivka is “a necessary bridgehead for further advancement, because the task of Ukrainian forces in this area is to surround Bakhmut, and without Andriivka it is impossible to achieve this.”
Zhorin also noted that liberating Andriivka means “full control over the railroad, which is a stronghold for further offensive.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky congratulated the 3rd Assault Brigade and all involved in retaking Andriivka in his nightly address on Friday and called it “a significant and much-needed result,” noting that active battles continue around the villages of Klishchiivka and Kurdiumivka near Bakhmut in Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s General Staff noted that “the Defense Forces have partial success in the area of Klishchiivka” in a daily update on Friday.
Some context: Ukraine's Third Separate Assault Brigade recaptured the village of Andriivka, south of the city of Bakhmut, on Friday, it announced on Telegram that day. They are now trying to consolidate their gain there to hold on to it.
Russian forces claimed control of Bakhmut in May following a months-long slog in the city. The Russian advance was bolstered by members of the Wagner mercenary group, which incurred heavy losses in the fierce fighting.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits an aircraft manufacturing plant in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Khabarovsk region, Russia, on September 15, 2023. KCNA/Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected warplanes, toured an airfield and visited a Pacific Fleet frigate on Saturday as the latest stop on his tour of Russia took him to Vladivostok.
Russian state media reported that Kim had met the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Knevichi airfield in Vladivostok before both men were accompanied by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, on a visit to the Pacific Fleet frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov.
The North Korean leader was shown the ship’s central command center and its modern missile weapon control systems, the Russian Ministry of Defence said via Telegram.
The Russian defence ministry added that Admiral Evmenov had talked to Kim about the “expanded capabilities of the new control systems, which allow Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles to be effectively used against sea and coastal targets at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers from the ship.”
Afterwards Kim was gifted a replica of the ship and left a comment in the frigate’s guest book, though the ministry did not reveal what he wrote.
The stop in Vladivostok is Kim’s latest in a tour of Russia and its Far East region that follows his meeting with President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, at which the North Korean leader appeared to endorse Moscow’s war on Ukraine. There has also been speculation Putin is seeking arms from North Korea for his invasion.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks to the media in the briefing room of the White House on September 5, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan defended the final declaration from last week's Group of 20 summit, which stopped short of explicitly condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Sullivan hasn't received “any kind of formal — or really, informal — reaction from Ukraine with respect to the G20 communique,” he said at a briefing Friday.
Rather, the national security adviser said, Ukraine remains focused on engaging with other countries at peace summits — like the ones held this summer in Denmark and Saudi Arabia — where leaders can "find a way forward toward a common understanding of the principles upon which the just peace should be based."
Sullivan said the conversations at those two summits actually "bear a strong resemblance" to the propositions laid out in the G20 communique.
He listed the declaration's four key tenets in regard to Ukraine: “First, the paramount centrality of territorial integrity and sovereignty; second, the statement that it is totally unacceptable for any country to use force to violate the territorial integrity of another country; third, that attacking grain infrastructure and civilian infrastructure should be totally off limits; and fourth, the threat or use of nuclear weapons in a conflict like this should be inadmissible.”
Sullivan pushed back against the idea that the communique was "tepid" in its support for Ukraine, saying those four propositions are "powerful."
Rather than statements of neutrality, he argued, they "really say to Russia, 'What you are doing is not acceptable.'”
What Ukraine said: After news of the declaration emerged, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said the G20 had "nothing to be proud of."
“Ukraine is grateful to its partners who tried to include strong wording in the text,” he wrote on Facebook.
“At the same time, the G20 has nothing to be proud of in the part about Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Obviously, the participation of the Ukrainian side would have allowed the participants to better understand the situation. The principle of ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’ remains as key as ever.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Senate leadership last week and House leadership Thursday to discuss support for Ukraine.
He told reporters on Friday that he got the sense there was backing for bipartisan support for Ukraine from leaders on both sides of the aisle even as some House Republicans have signaled they may block additional aid.
“I've got to say, in those conversations, I felt the basic vibe, so to speak, the idea that the United States needs to come together on a bipartisan basis to support Ukraine felt as strong as it did a year ago, on both sides of the aisle," he said.
But tension among Republicans in Congress is mounting as lawmakers face an end-of-month deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The White House has called on Congress to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government running while congressional leaders hash out major differences.
Though Sullivan expressed optimism that there was an appetite for a bipartisan aid package, he admitted the dynamics have changed since Republicans took control of the House last year.
“I acknowledge that there's a difference between this Congress in the last Congress, and we'll have to contend with that as we go through the discussions that will continue in the days ahead on how to get Ukraine the resources it needs,” he said.
Still, he pointed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington — and Capitol Hill — next week as a sign there might be progress on Ukraine aid soon.
