Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Russia unleashed a wave of missile attacks across Ukraine overnight, with Kyiv and five other cities among the targets. The strikes set buildings ablaze and killed and wounded civilians.

Air alerts sounded across the country as Russia launched a barrage of missile attacks on the capital, where seven people including a nine year-old girl were injured, as well as Kherson, where two civilians were killed and others injured.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko posted on Telegram that “Kyiv survived another night attack by Russian barbarians,” saying that buildings had been damaged and that there were power outages in some parts of the city.

Kharkiv, Lviv, Rivne and Cherkasy in central Ukraine were also among the cities targeted, regional Ukrainian officials reported on Telegram, posting images of emergency services trying to rescue people from the rubble of damaged or destroyed buildings in some cities.

The attack came hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a speech to the U.N.’s Security Council on Wednesday, calling for Russia to lose its veto power within the council. He also presented a Ukrainian peace plan at the summit. He’s due to travel to Washington on Thursday to hold private meetings with President Joe Biden.

— Holly Ellyatt

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

Poland summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in the country Wednesday, as it hit back at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comments regarding its restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural imports.

“[Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski] conveyed the Polish side’s strong protest against the statements made by President V. Zelenskiy at the U.N. General Assembly yesterday, alleging that some EU countries feigned solidarity while indirectly supporting Russia,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said Ukraine had offered a “constructive path to resolve the grain issue.”

Ukraine has heavily criticized Poland, Hungary and Slovakia for last week introducing bans on the domestic import of various Ukrainian agricultural products following the expiration of EU-led limitations on imports covering the three countries, as well as Romania and Bulgaria.

Products may transit the countries but not be sold there.

Land export routes have become crucial for Ukraine following the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, but farmers argue imports will overwhelm supply and cause a depression in prices if not restricted.

The EU had urged countries not to introduce divergent policies on the matter, as Ukraine agreed to introduce measures to prevent a supply glut, but national leaders argued this was insufficient.

Ukraine has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over the issue, thought to target Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.

Polish and Ukrainian officials have in turn suggested they may introduce further retaliatory trade curbs as the dispute has escalated.

Romania on Wednesday announced it would work with Ukraine on a plan to control exports.

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to announce a significant military aid package for Ukraine on Thursday to coincide with a visit to Washington by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a U.S. official said on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

— Reuters