September 20, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant during his meeting Wednesday with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Russia wants “to continue further interaction with the agency in order to “stop the threats to the operation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP” and “ensure its normal functioning,” the statement said.

Russia blamed Ukraine for creating the threats to the safe operation of the plant.  

According to the statement, both parties exchanged views “on the main areas” of the IAEA activities. 

Lavrov also said that depleted uranium shells that the “collective West” supplies to Kyiv can cause “a long-term destructive effect.”

Some background: On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an appeal to world leaders to restrain Russia’s weaponization of nuclear plants.

Russia is weaponizing nuclear energy and “turning other countries’ power plants into real dirty bombs,” Zelensky said in his address to the General Assembly, referring to the Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Russia “shelled it, occupied it and now blackmails others with radiation leaks. Is there any sense to reduce nuclear weapons when Russia is weaponizing nuclear power plants,” the president asked.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Wednesday evening with Wall Street CEOs and business power players to discuss efforts to rebuild his war-torn country and its economy, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.

The roundtable, convened by JPMorgan Chase, included former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, billionaire Mike Bloomberg, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and billionaire Barry Sternlicht, the source said. 

The focus of Wednesday’s gathering, held in Midtown Manhattan, was to discuss ways to support and invest in the reconstruction of Ukraine, the source told CNN.

The meeting, first reported by Fox Business, was said to be productive and lasted longer than expected, though it’s not immediately clear if it resulted in any firm commitments from the business leaders.

In February, JPMorgan sent a delegation to Kyiv to brief Zelensky on options to stabilize Ukraine’s beleaguered economy and help the country access the capital required to rebuild it. Ukrainian officials signed a memorandum of understanding with JPMorgan to help create a roadmap for reconstruction. 

The meeting comes just a day after Zelensky’s dramatic UN speech where he called for global unity in the face of Russian aggression.

Zelensky is scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday for a meeting with President Joe Biden.

Russia intercepted 22 Ukrainian drone attacks early Thursday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Telegram. 

No casualties or damage have been reported so far by the Russian defense ministry or Russian regional officials.

Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the possibility of providing free access for Ukrainian agricultural products to European Union countries during a meeting with several EU leaders on Wednesday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Romanian President Klaus lohannis, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel and Zelensky met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. 

The talks were primarily focused on “preserving the single market principle and free access of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU market,” according to the office of the Ukrainian Presidency.

Zelensky noted that “the Joint Coordination Platform for Export and Transit of Ukrainian Agricultural Products” has been established and that it serves as “an effective mechanism for maintaining an ongoing dialogue.” He added that it resolves “all problematic issues in the field of agricultural products.” 

Zelensky emphasized the importance of protecting “the competitive advantages of each EU member in conditions of free trade.” 

In particular, Zelensky discussed “finding effective solutions in the field of logistics, increasing the capacity of ports, including the Black Sea port of Constanța, and river transport on the Danube River” with Romanian and Bulgarian officials.   

The participants discussed alternative transportation routes through Romania and Bulgaria, which would “significantly increase transit volumes and reduce the burden on the domestic markets of these countries,” the Ukrainian Presidency office said.   

“Over 60% of transit of Ukrainian grain that passes through the EU’s Solidarity Lanes” is through Romania, Zelensky said.

The so-called “solidarity lanes” – established by the EU in May 2022 – are designed to provide alternative land routes for the export of Ukrainian grain after Moscow blockaded docks in the Black Sea region.

The measures include new border posts, flexible customs checks, logistics support, prioritization of Ukrainian agricultural exports and new storage facilities on the EU’s side of the border.

The Biden administration briefed members of the Senate on Ukraine Wednesday as the Republican party remains split on whether the US must continue to provide aid to and support the war-ravaged nation.

With a deadline to pass a spending bill coming up next week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that if there is a government shutdown or Congress passes a temporary continuing resolution that does not include Ukraine aid, “Ukraine could run the very strong risk of being defeated.” 

But Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said he needs to hear more information about the path to victory before any more money is given. 

“If there’s a path that there’s some path to victory in Ukraine, I didn’t hear it today. And I also heard that there was going to be no end to the funding requests,” he said following the briefing.

Hawley argued that the money given to Ukraine is coming from taxpayers, saying “it’s the American people’s money, and they spent $115 billion of it and so far, they have basically nothing to show for it.”

Hawley also said he wasn’t planning to attend the briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to the US Capitol on Thursday, but said he may reconsider in order to hear about the status of the war directly from the Ukrainian president.

Graham pushed back on some of Hawley’s assertions, specifically comments from Hawley that “what we’re doing in Ukraine is helping with the China fight, that is not the truth.”

“For all these people who say we need to get out of Ukraine to be tough on China, you’re making a fatal mistake,” Graham said.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in New York City, on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for the first time in person on Wednesday. The leaders talked on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

“We had a good conversation about the importance of paths to building peace and always maintaining open dialogue between our countries,” Lula said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Brazilian president has largely taken a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelensky called the meeting “honest and constructive discussion,” adding that both presidents directed their respective diplomats “to work on the next steps in our bilateral relations and peace efforts,” he said in a statement. 

Zelensky also said that Brazilian representatives would continue to take part in meetings concerning Ukraine’s peace formula for ending Russia’s war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the United Nations Security Council at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the United Nations Security Council to remove Russia’s veto power, arguing that “this will be the first necessary step.”

During a speech at Wednesday’s UN Security Council meeting, Zelensky said Ukrainian soldiers are doing on the battlefield “at the expense of their blood” what the UN Security Council “should do by its voting.”

But the odds of change seem slim for now. Any attempt to reform the Security Council would require the assent of the existing five permanent members of the powerful Security Council — otherwise known as the P5 that includes Russia, the United Kingdom, France, the United States and China.

Zelensky also called for former President Donald Trump to share his peace plans publicly if the former US president has a way to end the war between Ukraine and Russia — but the Ukrainian president cautioned in an interview Tuesday that any peace plan where Ukraine gives up territory would be unacceptable.

Here are other headlines you should know:

The White House is planning to provide a new aid package to Ukraine when President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Thursday, a US official told CNN. 

The package — based on existing drawdown authority — will include additional artillery, anti-armor, anti-aircraft and air defense capabilities that will better equip the country for an ongoing counteroffensive and beyond. 

Zelensky “will be leaving the White House with a significant package of additional capabilities to help near- and long-term defenses,” this official said. 

The package’s air defense capabilities are also expected to help Ukraine defend its skies ahead of a tough winter, with more strikes expected on critical infrastructure.  

Notably, the package is not expected to include Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, that would allow Ukrainian soldiers the ability to strike longer-range targets.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that ATACMs are “not off the table,” but that the agencies reviewing whether to provide the weapons have not reached a decision.   

US military has briefed the White House that, while ATACMs would provide longer-range and longer-term defense capabilities, Ukraine’s more pressing needs during the counteroffensive are vehicles, mine-clearing equipment, and short-range anti-aircraft equipment to breach Russian defenses. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the UN Security Council in New York, on Wednesday, September 20.

Canada’s prime minister called Wednesday for action to be taken over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He criticized Russia for using its veto right within the Security Council “to facilitate this war and these violations of the principles of the United Nations.” 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made similar comments earlier Wednesday calling for Russia’s veto power to be stripped — saying it’s making it impossible to stop the war.

For example, in September 2022, Russia vetoed a draft resolution that would have condemned its seizure of Ukrainian territories and called on it to withdraw from Ukraine. 

Russia, which has defended its veto power, is one of five permanent members of the powerful Security Council, the so-called P5, which also includes the UK, France, the United States, and China. 

CNN’s Caitlin Hu contributed reporting to this post.

Germany will host the next Ukraine recovery conference, a German government spokesperson announced in a news release on Wednesday.

The decision was made after a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said.

The conference is scheduled to take place in Berlin on June 11, 2024, he said. The 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference was hosted by the United Kingdom in London.

The leaders met for half an hour on Wednesday and discussed the “political, military and humanitarian situation in Ukraine, ” Hebestreit said.

According to the release, Zelensky thanked the German government for its military support. Meanwhile, Scholz reiterated Germany’s continued solidarity with Ukraine.

Burned cars outside a damaged apartment block in the frontline town of Orikhiv on September 17.

In the basements of Orikhiv, Ukrainian troops stand by the walls. Even though they are underground, the huge Russian bombs that routinely land could collapse everything above onto them, and so the edges of their underground world are safer.

Imagine these sorts of risk, and the men and women enduring its nerve-wracking toll nightly, when you next hear talk of the progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. It is slow, perilous, bloody, and harder than anyone hoped. But make no mistake: this is perhaps the most important moment for European security since the fall of the Berlin Wall, or even 1945.

While the Ukrainians’ progress along the southern front picked up earlier this month, it now appears to have partially slowed again. They are still some distance from Tokmak, the halfway point to Melitopol, and achieving the goal of severing Russian-occupied Crimea from the land corridor to mainland Russia.

Still, it’s Ukraine’s fight is for its territory, yes. But it is a startlingly vivid moment for European security – the outcome of the next two months might decide the tenor of the next decade in global terms.

By late November, the weather will become cold, and winter will soon set in. It already risks becoming wetter and muddier than Ukrainian assaulting armor would prefer. But Kyiv’s last major advances were achieved in mid-November last year, after the Russian retreat in Kherson, so it is fair to presume they have another eight weeks left.

The West broadcasts its relentless resolve to support Kyiv. But be in no doubt, the billions of dollars of aid seemingly announced weekly by Washington could be at risk as the 2024 election campaign hovers into view.

Some Republicans are already expressing doubts about US President Joe Biden’s decision to continue to give aid to Ukraine. Donald Trump, a frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, believes he can magically fix the war in 24 hours, which risks severe concessions to the man he seems to fear criticizing — Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

European support, too, is not set in concrete. In the face of economic pressures, the bloc’s full-throated unity on the war is an outlier, and could also falter if US support wanes. Another winter of high fuel prices and looming elections might shake this unity too.

But the next two months cannot be permitted to pass by NATO without a greater sense of urgency, the realization that winter setting in without a serious worsening in Russian fortunes places European security at grave risk in the decade ahead.

Read more on the high stakes

Andrzej Duda addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, on September 19.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda urged world leaders at the United Nations to unite to deal with Russia.

Duda said the “strategic change” that occurred following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not temporary.

“We are living in a new era of uncertainty,” Duda said.

Earlier, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the Security Council to revoke Russia’s veto power.

Joe Biden addresses the United Nations General Assembly Leader's Reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, on September 19.

United States President Joe Biden is seeking to hear a “battlefield perspective” from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Washington, DC, Thursday, the White House said.

It comes as the Ukrainian president pleas for additional aid for his war-torn country and the US Congress remains divided about how to proceed. Biden will also reiterate US support “that we’re going to continue to be with them for as long as it takes,” said John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications.

Biden will talk to Zelensky about specific weapons needs, Kirby said. However, CNN has reported that ATACMS — the long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems — may not be part of a new weapons package, something Zelensky suggested to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer would be a disappointment. 

Kirby said ATACMS are “not off the table,” and “we continue to have discussions here in the interagency about that particular weapon system, but no decision has been made.

More broadly, Kirby said there is a “critical need” for Congress to grant the White House’s $24 billion supplemental funding request for Ukraine for its counteroffensive capabilities. He offered forceful pushback to Republican lawmakers questioning continued US aid to Ukraine and encouraged them to meet directly with the Ukrainian president.

How the visit is expected to unfold: First, Zelensky will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and others at the Pentagon. In addition to the Senate, Zelensky is expected to speak with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and other leaders, according to Kirby.

After that, Biden and Zelensky will hold a small bilateral meeting in the Oval Office followed by an extended bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room, Kirby said. 

 Biden and Zelensky have met in person six times, Kirby noted, and “have spoken regularly,” adding that there will be an “air of familiarity” between the two. 

In an extraordinary meeting in the UN Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called for Russia’s veto power to be stripped – an argument he has made previously, since Russia’s invasion of his country in 2022. 

Russia is one of five permanent members of the powerful Security Council, the so-called P5, that also includes the UK, France, the United States, and China. Ten other non-permanent members fill out the body on rotation. But only permanent members wield the power to veto resolutions.

In recent years, the Russian Federation and China have cast the overwhelming majority of vetoes, frequently doubling up on the same resolutions. Over the past 10 years, Russia has vetoed two dozen resolutions, China has vetoed nine, and the US has vetoed three.  

Among these: In September 2022, Russia vetoed a draft resolution that would have condemned its seizure of Ukrainian territories and called on it to withdraw from Ukraine. 

Russia’s war in Ukraine and deepening geopolitical rivalries between the P5 have highlighted paralysis in the council, while major emerging powers like India and Brazil remain stuck on the sidelines. 

In a speech opening the General Debate on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres himself called for reform, pointing out that the Security Council was created in the 1940s, in a vastly different geopolitical context than today – back when the seat currently held by Russia belonged to the USSR. The only alternative to reform, he warned, would be “rupture.”

 But the odds of change seem slim for now. Any attempt to reform the Security Council would require the assent of the existing P5 members.

It’s up to Ukraine’s allies to ensure Kyiv’s victory in the war against Russia, a top Lithuanian official said Wednesday, warning that “until Ukraine has won, nobody is safe.” 

If Ukraine is not able to defeat Russia’s invasion and take back territory “it spells a new geopolitical reality for everybody — not just for Ukraine, not just for Lithuania and those who are bordering Russia, but basically every country now has to rethink where and how they are going to live if Ukraine is not able to win,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said.

Ukraine has claimed it has been successful in reclaiming some areas, but officials in Kyiv previously admitted the country’s counteroffensive is moving ahead slowly.

Landsbergis told CNN that allies “need to be patient,” stressing that “it’s a very difficult war” and Ukraine needs more weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a high level Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine, on September 20, at United Nations headquarters.

Ukrainian soldiers are doing on the battlefield “at the expense of their blood” what the UN Security Council “should do by its voting,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

“They’re stopping aggression and upholding the principles of the UN Charter,” he said during a speech at Wednesday’s UN Security Council meeting. 

He also called for Russia’s veto power to be removed, arguing that “this will be the first necessary step.”

While allies have already imposed sanctions on Russia since the start of the war, the Ukrainian president called for applying preventative sanctions to countries that engaged in conflicts. 

“Anyone who wants to start a war should see before their fatal mistake what exactly they will lose when the war would start,” Zelensky said. 

Russia’s response: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended the right to veto during the Security Council meeting.

“The Western aggressive clique has been pedaling the theme of the abuse of the right of the veto with an incorrect focus on members of the UN,” Lavrov said.

Some background: When the United Nations charter was signed in 1945, it established the Security Council with five permanent members and six nonpermanent members. The permanent members – the US, the UK, France, the Soviet Union, and the Republic of China – were each given the power to veto any resolutions they opposed.

Today, the Security Council has 15 members, but the five permanent members have remained the same, with Russia holding the former Soviet Union’s seat and China taking the seat of the Republic of China. And the veto hasn’t changed either.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on September 20.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his country, together with its allies, “will not stand idly by” if North Korea receives Russian help to enhance its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities.

“While military strength may vary among countries, by uniting in unwavering solidarity and steadfastly adhering to our principles, we can deter any unlawful provocation,” Yoon said.

Yoon also called upon reform to the UN Security Council, saying it “would receive a broad support” if Russia was supplying North Korea with information in exchange for weapons.

“In such a situation, the call to reform the UN Security Council would receive a broad support. And if the DPRK acquires the information and technology necessary to enhance its WMD capabilities in exchange for supporting Russia with conventional weapons, the deal will be a direct provocation, threatening the peace and security of not only Ukraine, but also the Republic of Korea,” the president added.

More context: Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim offered his support for Putin after their talks, saying “I will always be standing with Russia,” and appeared to endorse Moscow’s war on Ukraine. Putin described their discussions as “very substantive.”

The US is not expected to provide Ukraine with long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) imminently, US officials said, despite repeated requests from Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. 

The ATACMS will not be part of a new weapons package for Ukraine that may come as soon as Thursday, officials said, which is when Zelensky is expected to meet with US President Joe Biden for a bilateral meeting.

Currently, the maximum range of US weapons committed to Ukraine is around 93 miles with the ground-launched small diameter bomb.

What the weapons do: The ATACMS, which have a range of around 186 miles, would allow the Ukrainian military to strike targets twice as far away – even further than the UK-provided long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles. ATACMS missiles are fired from HIMARS rocket launchers, the same type of vehicle that launches the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles that Ukraine already employs.

The US Army’s head of acquisitions Doug Bush, said on Tuesday that a final decision on ATACMS still had not been made. CNN previously reported that Biden is expected to decide soon on sending the missiles to Ukraine, a capability that would allow them to strike targets deeper in Crimea. 

Asked what version of the ATACMS missile the Army would be able to provide, Bush said, “I think there are different versions of ATACMS, and I think that is just part of the conversation that would inform senior leader making the final decision.”

Bush said the number of ATACMS missile in the US inventory, which he would not divulge, is not a limiting factor in providing the missile to Ukraine. The Army would try to replace any missiles transferred to Kyiv with the newer Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) missile.

More background: There is also a version of the ATACMS that the US no longer uses, however, which could alleviate stockpile concerns. The US has in its stocks an earlier version of the system with rockets that carry cluster munitions, also known as dual purpose improved conventional munitions or DPICMs, officials told CNN. Those were retired after the US phased out the use of DPICMs in 2016, and Ukrainian officials have argued that the US has little excuse not to provide them if they are simply collecting dust in storage.

The cluster munitions they are equipped with have a higher dud rate than the US is comfortable with, however, officials have told CNN. The dud rate refers to the number of bomblets dispersed by the munition that fail to explode on impact, posing a long-term risk to civilians who may encounter them later. A US official said the dud rate of the ATACMS cluster munition variant depends on how they are fired. 

The US provided cluster munitions to the Ukrainians earlier this year that can be fired from shorter-range systems, and Ukraine has been using them effectively, officials have said.  

President Volodymyr Zelensky departed the United Nations on Wednesday after speaking at the Security Council meeting on the war in Ukraine.

Zelensky is expected to meet with President Joe Biden on Thursday in Washington, DC, and visit the US Capitol as he appeals for more support for Kyiv.