Ukrainian forces are intent on retaining the territory in Russia’s Kursk region they seized in their incursion for “some period of time” and any Russian counteroffensive will be a difficult fight, Deputy CIA Director David Cohen said on Wednesday. The announcement came after the Kremlin dismissed talk by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about a plan to end the war and said Russia would continue what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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Summary:
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The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan to end the war with Russia. Kyiv has not revealed full details of the plan, which will be revealed to US President Joe Biden and his two potential successors, said Zelensky.
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Russia on Wednesday said it wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to take a "more objective" stance on nuclear safety, a day after IAEA chief Rafael Grossi toured the Kursk nuclear facility.
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Ukrainian troops are intent on retaining the Russian territory they have seized for "some period of time" and an expected Russian counteroffensive will be a difficult fight, deputy CIA Director David Cohen said on Wednesday.
- Zelensky said Tuesday that his military had deployed Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets to down drones and missiles that Russia fired in recent attacks.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Air defence systems in Ukraine downed five missiles and 60 attack drones in a second night of Russian aerial bombardments, according to local authorities. At least four more people were killed in overnight Russian attacks, according to local officials, with two more people potentially buried under rubble.
- UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi arrived at Russia's Kursk nuclear plant on Tuesday to "independently assess" events following Ukraine's unprecedented cross-border offensive into the Russian region.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that his military had recently carried out the first successful test of a domestically produced ballistic missile.
- Russian Telegram channels with links to the security services said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had attacked a border post in Russia's southern Belgorod region, though there was no immediate official confirmation of fighting there.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
