Russia-Ukraine war latest news: Biden to slam Putin’s ‘naked aggression’ as Russia reveals referendum plan

Joe Biden, who joined world leaders in New York today at the United Nations General Assembly, will deliver a “stern condemnation” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s incursion into Ukraine.

Senior White House officials said Mr Biden would highlight Moscow’s “naked aggression” as an affront to the heart of what the global institution stands for.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan previously said Mr Biden would “resolutely condemn Russia’s unjust war in Ukraine and call on the world to continue to oppose the blatant aggression we have seen over the past few months”. Remarks by the President of the United States at the United Nations today.

He added that the US president’s visit to the United Nations this year will see strong condemnation of the Russian invasion as the war in Europe approaches seven months.

Leaders from France, Germany, Japan and the United States lashed out at Moscow at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, condemning the invasion of Ukraine, which will soon last seven months.

German Chancellor Olaf Schultz said Vladimir Putin would only give up his “imperial ambitions” risking the destruction of Ukraine and Russia when he realised he could not win the war he waged.

“This is why we will not accept any peace that Russia demands, and this is why Ukraine must be able to withstand a Russian attack,” Mr Scholz said in his first address to the UN General Assembly.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “trampled the concepts and principles of the UN Charter” and “should not be tolerated”.

He also pushed for reform of the UN Security Council, saying the global body’s credibility was threatened by the actions of Europe’s permanent members.

French leader Emmanuel Macron has denounced the move by pro-Russian separatists who have called for a September 23-to-September 2016 protest in the disputed regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye. 27th to hold a referendum on secession from Ukraine.

It would be interesting if the referendum plan was “not so tragic,” he said before a New York rally.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has killed at least 5,916 civilians and wounded at least 8,616 as of Sept. 18 — nearly seven months into the war, the United Nations said.

Officials at the United Nations human rights agency said they believed the actual toll was much higher because of harvests from war-torn cities such as Mariupol, Izyum, Lysichansk, Popasna and Sivirdonetsk. Delay to ground zero information.

They added that there were still many reports of civilian casualties to be confirmed.

Russia has revised the design of its Kalashnikov AK-12 weapon used by the Ukrainian army to speed up fire and help soldiers better control firing patterns, Russian state news agency RIA reported today.

Introduced to the Russian Armed Forces in 2018, the AK-12 variant will no longer have a two-shot burst interrupt function, but will gain two-way control over firing patterns.

The rifle will also have an adjustable cheek rest, Alan Lushnikov, president of the Kalashnikov Concern, told the RIA.

“In the shortest possible time, we selected technical solutions, made prototypes and presented them to representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense,” the official said.

However, he did not specify when the redesigned version of the rifle would enter service, saying the design was in the documentation stage.

Developed by Kalashnikov, the AK-12 assault rifle is a common weapon of the Russian Armed Forces, uses a 5.45 millimeter (mm) caliber bullet and is said to be more accurate than earlier versions.

Vladimir Putin must leave Ukraine and pay “appropriate compensation” for his invasion before he can return to the international stage, Liz Truss said.

The British prime minister made the comments ahead of an update to a comprehensive review of defence and foreign policy to address threats from authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China.

Ms Truss also doubled down on her campaign promise to increase defence spending to 3% of UK GDP by the end of the decade.

Her goal is to use her first trip as prime minister to convene UN allies in New York to continue the pressure on Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation on the front line with the Russian army made it clear that the initiative belongs to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president’s comments came a day after the leaders of Russia’s four occupied territories in Ukraine laid out plans for a referendum to join Russia, a move that could sharply escalate the war.

Last week, Ukrainian troops took back a large amount of territory from Russia in the east, prompting Moscow to reassess its strategy in the nearly seven-month war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he believes Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine following recent talks with his Russian counterpart (Mariam Zakir-Hussein Write).

He said Putin had given him the impression that he wanted the conflict to end “as soon as possible” after comprehensive discussions at a summit in Uzbekistan last week.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has recaptured more and more occupied territories, the most recent victory being the village of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region. The latest setback for the Kremlin means they no longer have full control of the province.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said it is “unacceptable” to hold a referendum to join Russia in occupied territories in Ukraine that Canada will never recognize as part of Russia.

Leaders of Russia-backed Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye provinces have announced a referendum on September 23-27 in what is seen as an attempt to falsely claim ownership of occupied Ukrainian territory legal authority.

French President Emmanuel Macron told countries not to remain neutral in condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine as he declared Moscow’s invasion a new form of imperialism.

The war in Ukraine — and its impact on food prices, fuel costs, Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, and the wider context of tensions between Russia and the West — is hanging over the annual gathering of presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other dignitaries. United Nations in New York.

Mr Macron made war a central element of his speech, asking: “Who here can defend the idea that the invasion of Ukraine should not be sanctioned?

“Who of you here would have thought that the day when something similar happened to you with a more powerful neighbor, the region, the world, would be silent?”

Mr Macron called on UN member states to “take action to make Russia reject the road to war”, saying staying out was not an option. Dozens of countries, including China, India and South Africa, had abstained from voting against the war at the UN General Assembly.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on Tuesday that the bloc strongly condemns Russia’s plans to hold a referendum in parts of Ukraine and will not recognize the results.

“Russia, its political leadership and all those involved in these ‘referendums’ and other violations of international law in Ukraine will be held accountable and additional restrictive measures will be considered against Russia,” Borrell said.

Mr Borrell said referendum votes in these areas could not be seen as “a free expression of the will of the people”.

Leaders of Russia-backed Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye provinces have announced a referendum on September 23-27 in what is seen as an attempt to lie about war-occupied territories have legal authority.

Moscow already considers Luhansk and Donetsk, which together make up the Donbas region, which Russia partially occupied in 2014, as independent states. Ukraine and the West believe that all parts of Ukraine controlled by Russian forces are illegally occupied.