By This was CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine.
President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United States will deliver a small number of long-range missiles, three U.S. officials and a congressional official familiar with the discussions told NBC News on Friday.
The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and did not provide details on the timeline.
Ukraine says long-range missiles, particularly the Army Tactical Missile System, will give it an important boost in its difficult counteroffensive. However, the U.S. has delayed a decision both over supply shortages and concerns over the potential for an escalation in frontline fighting with Russia.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy arrived in Canada in the next leg of his North American trip, where he will address the Canadian Parliament and meet members of the local Ukrainian community.
Zelenskyy is expected to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a staunch ally of Ukraine, for further aid.
“We will sign important bilateral documents that will strengthen our economic ties,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X of his Canada trip.
Military support for Ukraine is starting to wane elsewhere, with Poland dealing a serious blow on Thursday in saying it will no longer supply its neighbor with weapons, as a rift over agricultural exports deepens.
President Joe Biden has told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that the United States will provide a small number of long-range missiles to aid the war with Russia, three U.S. officials and a congressional official familiar with the discussions told NBC News on Friday.
The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, did not say when the missiles would be delivered or when a public announcement would be made.
Read the full story here.
— NBC News
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday, he told Hungarian TV channel M1, according to a Reuters report.
It comes amid heightened tensions between Hungary and Ukraine due to a spat over Ukrainian agricultural exports, which the government says are harming local farmers.
Ukraine has lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization over import bans imposed by Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, with the dispute escalating Thursday as Poland said it would no longer supply Ukraine with weapons.
Hungarian politicians have repeatedly criticized European Union sanctions against Russia, though the country has ultimately backed them.
Szijjártó told CNBC earlier this month the EU should not have “globalized” the Russia-Ukraine war, and that it was bad for the peace process to cut off communication between countries.
— Jenni Reid
Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack on Russian naval headquarters, according to Google-translated Telegram comments from Mikhail Razvozhaev, the governor of Sevastopol — the largest city in Crimea.
Debris fell close to the Lunacharsky Theater, which sits next to the port, and information about injuries or fatalities is “being clarified,” he said.
Crimea has frequently been struck by Ukrainian forces since Moscow’s full-scale invasion, following Russia’s capture and annexation of the city in 2014.
CNBC was unable to independently verify the information.
— Hannah Ward-Glenton
Kremlin official Dmitry Peskov described Poland as “a fairly aggressive country” in his daily briefing, as reported by state media site Tass on Telegram, according to a Google translation.
Peskov said Poland “does not disdain subversive activities” and that the country is “not the most comfortable” neighbor for Belarus.
In his comments, Peskov also said that he expects friction between Kyiv and Warsaw to increase.
The remarks came after Poland said it would no longer supply Kyiv with weapons, despite Warsaw having been one of its staunchest allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
A recent dispute over Ukraine’s agricultural exports, which have had to be transferred via Eastern European countries while Russia has effectively blockaded grain ships leaving the country’s ports, has caused tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw.
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
— Hannah Ward-Glenton
Belarus and Russia will start performing joint military drills, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, Reuters reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in July, where the pair discussed the conflict in Ukraine.
“There is no [Ukrainian] counteroffensive,” Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying, to which Putin replied, “It exists, but it has failed.”
Belarus and Russia are linked in a partnership called the “union state,” and Lukashenko allowed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to be launched from Belarus in February 2022.
— Hannah Ward-Glenton
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making his first trip to Canada on Friday, where he will meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and address Parliament.
The trip is expected to be easier than his visit to the U.S Thursday, where a number of politicians were skeptical about providing more military aid to Ukraine.
“Canada will continue to support Ukraine as long as it takes and we will always stand firm to defend the rule of law and the international rules based on order,” Trudeau told reporters Thursday, according to Reuters.
Some members of the U.S. Senate are not in favor of supplying Ukraine with an extra $24 billion worth of support.
— Hannah Ward-Glenton
U.S. President Joe Biden said the first U.S. Abrams tanks would be delivered in Ukraine next week, in a statement made after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On Thursday, Biden approved the next tranche of assistance for Ukraine, including artillery, ammunition, anti-tank weapons and more HAWK air defense equipment.
Biden reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Ukraine when it comes to security assistance, military equipment and humanitarian aid, as Russia “hopes to once more use winter as a weapon against the people of Ukraine.”
The U.S. President has been met with opposition to his plans to send more military aid to Ukraine, with some Senate members refusing to agree to a $24 billion aid package.
In his statement, Biden said he was “counting on the good judgement of the United States Congress,” as “[t]here’s no alternative.”
— Hannah Ward-Glenton
Russian forces blasted the town of Kurakhovo in the region of Donetsk overnight, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Donbas, Roman Padun, told Ukrainian news site Suspilno Donbas, according to a Google translation.
Residential buildings were hit, Padun said, leaving people trapped under rubble. A fire broke out and 13 people were reported as injured.
— Hannah Ward-Glenton
Poland said Wednesday that it will no longer supply its neighbor Ukraine with weapons, amid an ongoing and deepening rift over agricultural exports.
“We no longer transfer weapons to [Ukraine], because we are now arming Poland,” Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wednesday on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter, according to a Google translation.
“Ukraine is defending itself against the brutal Russian attack and I understand this situation, but as I said, we will protect our country,” he added.
Warsaw has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies since mutual foe Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 but the latest comments followed a dramatic deterioration of relations between Kyiv and Warsaw this week.
A recent dispute over Ukraine’s agricultural exports — which have had to be transferred via eastern European countries while Russia has effectively blockaded grain ships leaving the country’s ports — has threatened to break the alliance.
Ukraine this week threatened to sue Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia over their refusal to lift a ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insinuated that some European countries had feigned support for Ukraine, prompting anger in Warsaw.
Read more on the story here: One of Ukraine’s strongest allies says it will no longer supply Kyiv with weapons
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy on Wednesday called for Russia to lose its veto power within the U.N. Security Council.
In an address in New York, Zelenskyy said the move was a necessary step in bringing an end to the fighting in his country.
“It is impossible to stop the war because all efforts are vetoed by the aggressor,” he said, adding that reforms of the council were long overdue.
“I know that the U.N. is capable of more. I’m confident that the U.N. Charter can actually work for the sake of peace and security globally. However, for this to happen, the years-long discussions and projects on U.N. reform must be translated into a viable process of UN reform,” he said.
— Karen Gilchrist
President Joe Biden welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House on Thursday as the embattled leader seeks to shore up additional support for his war-torn country.
Biden was seeking a “battlefield perspective” from Zelenskyy in their meeting, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Speaking in the Oval Office before the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked the United States, saying the countries are “really truly allies.” He said he intended to talk about weapons systems with Biden, “with a special emphasis on air defense.”
“I am in Washington to strengthen Ukraine’s position to defend our children, our families, our homes, freedom and democracy in the world,” Zelenskyy said.
Biden called Ukraine a “partner” and said he was working with other G7 allies to formalize a commitment to the country’s long-term security.
Biden announced a $325 million military aid package during the meeting with Zelenskyy, NBC News reported.
— Emma Kinery and Scott Mlyn
