Ukraine: Kamala Harris slams Ukraine 'surrender' proposal

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has defended Western arms deliveries and support for Ukraine to help defend itself from Russia’s ongoing invasion.

"The idea that if there were no defensive weapons, there would be no fighting and no dying in Ukraine is as simple as it is wrong," Baerbock said at the UN General Assembly in New York.

"We have seen that and we have seen what happened in June when Ukraine invited Russia to an international peace summit. Instead of stopping his attack and coming to the negotiating table, Putin sent his response by bombing a children’s hospital," Baerbock said.

"As long as Putin is not willing to come to the negotiation table, stopping our support for self-defense would simply mean leaving Ukraine’s children's hospitals defenseless," Baerbock stressed.

"It would mean more war crimes, not less," Germany’s top diplomat said.

Baerbock called on UN member states to support efforts to call on Putin to cease his attacks and enter into negotiations.

The war in Ukraine and the escalating conflict in the Middle East have been at the center of speeches and discussions in New York.

US former President Donald Trump has said he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the latter's visit to the US.

Trump and Zelenskyy would meet in New York on Friday morning, the Republican presidential candidate said.

"I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning at around 9:45 in Trump Tower," the Republican told reporters in New York.

Zelenskyy has reportedly extended his stay in the US to accommodate the meeting.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy met US President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. They both reiterated support for Ukraine, with Harris seemingly taking jabs at Trump's earlier comments that Kyiv should cut a deal and end the war.

US support to Ukraine is in the North American country's "strategic interest," Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris told Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy on Thursday.

"My support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering," Harris told Zelenskyy, who was visiting the White House.

"The Ukrainian people are bravely defending their homes and their homeland, their freedom and their democracy against a brutal dictator."

The vice president stressed the need to "stand for international order and norms."

"If we let aggressors take land with impunity, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin could set his sights on Poland, the Baltic states and NATO allies," she warned.

She acknowledged that there were some in the US who would "force Ukraine to give up large parts of sovereign territory," saying that such proposals were not "proposals for peace" but rather "for surrender."

Her comments seemed to be in reference to Republican candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, who suggested Kyiv should quickly cut a deal to end the war. She described such suggestions as  "dangerous and unacceptable." 

US President Joe Biden has vowed to fast track funding to Ukraine during the remaining months in his term, in an effort to strengthen Kyiv's position in future negotiations.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Thursday, Biden said the US would deal with Ukraine's future defense needs, vowing that "Russia will not prevail."

"Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail, and we'll continue to stand by you every step of the way," Biden said.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, though not speaking in explicit terms, has put US military and financial support for Ukraine increasingly into question in recent comments on the campaign trail, prompting anxiety in Kyiv and among other NATO members.

Zelenskyy told Biden that "we deeply appreciate that Ukraine and America have stood side by side." He showed up to the meeting dressed in his trademark military-style outfit.

The US Treasury Department has announced sanctions against an alleged Russian hacker, a Russian cryptocurrency firm and a Russian crypto exchanger.

The sanctions targeted Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov, cryptocurrency firm Cryptex and crypto exchanger PM2BTC.

"The United States and our international partners remain resolute in our commitment to prevent cybercrime facilitators like PM2BTC and Cryptex from operating with impunity," said Bradley Smith, acting under secretary for Treasury's terrorism and financial intelligence unit.

Cryptex is based in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines but operates in Russia.

The Treasury alleges that Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov has "laundered hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of virtual currency for ransomware actors, initial access brokers, darknet marketplace vendors, and other criminal actors for approximately the last 20 years." 

The Kremlin meanwhile doubled down on Vladimir Putin's amendment to the nuclear deterrence doctrine on Thursday, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing it as a "warning signal" to the West.

"A signal that warns these countries of the consequences if they participate in an attack on our country by various means, not necessarily nuclear," Peskov told reporters.

Without mentioning Ukraine by name, Peskov said Russia's "nuclear deterrence is being adjusted on account of elements of tension that are developing along the perimeter of our borders".

He also said there was "no question" of Moscow boosting its nuclear arsenal.

You can read our full story on Thursday's developments here. 

European Union foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano also rejected Putin's nuclear deterrence plan as "reckless and irresponsible."

"Not for the first time, Putin is playing [a] gamble with his nuclear arsenal," Stano told reporters. "We of course strongly reject these threats."

Kyiv also strongly rejected Putin's proposal.

"Russia has nothing left but nuclear blackmail; it has no other instruments to intimidate the world," Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office, wrote on Telegram on Wednesday evening. He stressed that such attempts to spread fear will not work.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has condemned Russia's plans to amend its nuclear deterrence doctrine, in a manner which would consider an attack against Russia supported by a nuclear state as a "joint attack," even if the attacker is a non-nuclear state.

In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday while he attended the United Nations General Assembly, Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin's amendment was "totally irresponsible." 

"It's totally irresponsible, and I think many in the world have spoken clearly about that when he's been rattling the nuclear saber, including China in the past," Blinken said.

US President Joe Biden invited representatives of some 50 countries to a meeting in Germany to coordinate the international efforts in support of Ukraine's war against Russia. in support of Ukraine’s war against Russia. 

While the exact location of the meeting hasn't been officially confirmed, it's likely to take place at the US's Ramstein Air Base as past meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group have.  

The US president will visit Germany in October and is likely to meet Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, before visiting the US army base for the meeting.

Biden's likely attendance is more unusual. Typically, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin chairs the meetings. 

Read the full story here. 

Russia carried out a drone attack over capital Kyiv, with around ten drones shot down, according to Ukrainian officials.

The attack, which lasted five and a half hours, caused damage a kindergarten, a gas pipe and around 20 cars, the Kyiv Military Administration said.

At least two people were injured, the Ukrainian Emergency Service reported.

In the southern region of Mykolaiv and the western region of Ivano-Frankivsk, energy facilities were hit, causing partial power outages.

In the Odesa region, a missile killed a 62-year-old woman, while in Zaporizhzhia, at least 10 people, including a 14-year-old, were injured during the overnight attack, according to regional officials.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 66 out of 78 Russian drones were intercepted during the same night, along with four guided missiles.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned about the dangers of a Russian military escalation in a speech before the Lithuanian Parliament.

"We are witnessing how Russia is rapidly ramping up its weapons production and dramatically building up its armed forces. All of this leaves no doubt: For Putin's Russia, Ukraine is only the beginning," Pistorius said.

"The German armed forces are ready to become a central pillar of conventional deterrence and defense in Europe," he said.

The German government has said it willset up a permanent German military base in Lithuania by 2027.

This combat unit will consist of up to 5,000 soldiers, stationed in Rūdninkai and Rukla.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House on Thursday to present his 'victory plan' to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Zelensky wants the US to increase its military support for Ukraine and allow the use of long-range missiles in Russian territory.

The Ukrainian president will also meet with senators in a bipartisan session organized by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to people with knowledge of the matter. 

As part of Zelensky’s visit, the US is expected to announce a major new security package. On Wednesday, the US announced a package of $375 million.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has criticized Zelenskyy for refusing to negotiate with Moscow and questioned US military aid for Ukraine.

fmf/rm (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)