Dmytro Kuleba calls on Kyiv’s partners to deliver on promised assistance in resignation post
Dmytro Kuleba, who has tendered his resignation as Ukraine’s foreign minister, has just shared a lengthy post on social media calling on Kyiv’s partners to deliver on promised assistance and for neighbouring countries to use their own systems to help protect Ukraine.
To put an end to this terror, Ukraine’s partners must promptly deliver the promised air defense systems and ammunition, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities and allow us to launch long-range strikes on all legitimate military targets in Russia.
Partner air defense can and must be used to protect civilian people in Ukraine. Shooting down pieces of deadly metal in the air does not constitute a country’s participation in the war. The simple act of saving human lives cannot be considered an escalation. The decision to allow neighbouring countries to use air defense systems must finally be made.
This night, Russia launched another brutal attack on the residential areas of two major cities, Lviv and Kryvyi Rih. There are civilians who have been injured or killed, including children.
Russia used missiles and drones to attack people in their homes while they were sleeping…
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) September 4, 2024
Key events
Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Lithuanian foreign minister, has said “words are not enough and we owe the people of Ukraine more.”
“I appeal to all leaders to fully allow Ukrainians to defend themselves against these horrific attacks, with dignity and sovereignty, by any legal means necessary,” he said.
I utterly condemn the attacks in Lviv and Kryvyi Rih, but words are not enough and we owe the people of Ukraine more. I appeal to all leaders to fully allow Ukrainians to defend themselves against these horrific attacks, with dignity and sovereignty, by any legal means necessary.
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) September 4, 2024
Russian missile and drones targeted the western city of Lviv today, in a deadly attack that killed seven people and injured almost 50.
Watch footage from the city:
Russian foreign minister warns US not to joke about Russia’s ‘red lines’
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov has warned the US not to joke about Moscow’s “red lines,” Reuters reported.
Lavrov said the US was losing its sense of “mutual containment” with Russia, and this was dangerous.
The Ukrainian parliament has started voting on ministerial dismissals, Reuters reported.
The mayor of Lviv shared a photo of a mother and her three daughters who were killed in Russia’s attack today.
After today’s 🇷🇺 attack, the only person in this photo who survived is the man.
Mother Yevheniya and her three daughters — Yaryna, Daryna, and Emiliya — were killed.
Standing in the back is Yaryna Bazylevych. She was 21 y.o. Yaryna worked in our office for “Youth Capital 2025” pic.twitter.com/XmSU3FPEbS— Андрій Садовий (@AndriySadovyi) September 4, 2024
Norway has contributed funding for buying drones and strengthening Ukrainian air defence.
Norway contributed NOK 570 million ($53 million) to the British-led International Fund for Ukraine.
The funds will be used for the acquisition of drones and strengthening 🇺🇦 air defense.We are grateful to our Norwegian friends for their unwavering support. Together, we are… pic.twitter.com/FIs00tSr6j
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 4, 2024
Dmytro Kuleba calls on Kyiv’s partners to deliver on promised assistance in resignation post
Dmytro Kuleba, who has tendered his resignation as Ukraine’s foreign minister, has just shared a lengthy post on social media calling on Kyiv’s partners to deliver on promised assistance and for neighbouring countries to use their own systems to help protect Ukraine.
To put an end to this terror, Ukraine’s partners must promptly deliver the promised air defense systems and ammunition, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities and allow us to launch long-range strikes on all legitimate military targets in Russia.
Partner air defense can and must be used to protect civilian people in Ukraine. Shooting down pieces of deadly metal in the air does not constitute a country’s participation in the war. The simple act of saving human lives cannot be considered an escalation. The decision to allow neighbouring countries to use air defense systems must finally be made.
This night, Russia launched another brutal attack on the residential areas of two major cities, Lviv and Kryvyi Rih. There are civilians who have been injured or killed, including children.
Russia used missiles and drones to attack people in their homes while they were sleeping…
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) September 4, 2024
Lisa O’Carroll
The Irish prime minister, Simon Harris, is in Kyiv today to discuss EU support for Ukraine and its accession to the bloc as well as its specific support to help the country’s efforts to return children abducted to Russia and Belarus.
He will meet with Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, and is set to discuss Kyiv’s EU membership bid and other issues.
Harris will also sign a bilateral support and cooperation agreement with Ukraine pledging support for “as long as it takes”.
Ireland, which is politically neutral in war, contributes to EU funding of Ukraine but money is ringfenced for non-lethal activities such as land-mine clearance.
Speaking ahead of the meeting Harris said the killing of at least 50 people in Poltava was a “grim and horrific reminder of the threat Ukraine is facing every day”.
The Kremlin said today that Russia was adjusting its nuclear doctrine, Reuters reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that revision of the nuclear doctrine was at an early stage.
The spokesperson said that the current tensions would be analysed carefully and then form the basis of proposed changes. He linked the decision to the “threats” created by the West.
Here are the latest images from Lviv.
7 killed in Russian attack on Lviv, mayor says
Russia’s attack early today on Lviv killed seven people, including three children, the mayor, Andriy Sadovy, said, Reuters reported.
The US ambassador in Kyiv, Bridget Brink, has thanked “Ukraine’s brave defenders for your work to protect us all.”
Overnight Russia attacked Ukraine with 13 missiles & 29 drones. Seven Ukrainians lost their lives, and more than 50 buildings, including schools, were damaged in Lviv.
Thank you to Ukraine’s brave defenders for your work to protect us all. pic.twitter.com/KMK7ircJAW
— Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) September 4, 2024
‘Terror must be stopped’: Zelenskiy underscores importance of air defence after Lviv strike
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spoken out after 5 people were killed in a Russian strike on Lviv, including a teenage girl.
“Every one of our partners around the world who helps Ukraine with air defense is a true defender of life,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media.
“Anyone who convinces partners to provide Ukraine with more long-range capabilities, enabling us to respond justly to terror, is working to prevent such Russian terrorist strikes on Ukrainian cities. Terror must be stopped,” he added.
Russian missiles against our cities and people. The strike on Lviv killed 5 people, including a 14-year-old girl. My condolences go out to the families and loved ones of the victims. More than 30 people were injured. Ordinary residential buildings, schools, and medical facilities… pic.twitter.com/RYeA2k1PY8
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 4, 2024
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict as it is reported that Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, has tendered his resignation.
The parliamentary speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said the resignation request would be discussed by lawmakers.
The reported move on Wednesday comes amid a wider reshuffle of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s cabinet. There have been rumours of an imminent government shake-up for months.
Zelenskiy said in a Tuesday evening address that changes would be made to strengthen the government. He said: “The autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions must be set up so that Ukraine achieves all the results that we need … We must strengthen some areas in the government, and personnel decisions have been prepared.”
It comes as the country reels from one of the most deadly attacks of the war after a Russian missile strike on the central city of Poltava hit a military training institute and a nearby hospital, killing more than 50 people and injuring more than 200 others.
The strike has triggered anger on Ukrainian social media after unconfirmed reports said it had targeted an outdoor military ceremony, or roll call, with many blaming officials who allowed the event to take place despite the threat of Russian attacks.
In other news:
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Seven people were killed, including three children, and residential buildings were on fire in Lviv, officials reported, as Ukraine’s military said Russia had launched missiles and drones on Wednesday morning against the western Ukrainian city.
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Russian president Vladimir Putin received a red-carpet welcome to Mongolia as the country ignored calls to arrest him on an international warrant for alleged war crimes stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. His visit on Tuesday was Putin’s first to a member country of the international criminal court since it issued the warrant in March 2023.
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Washington’s escalation of the war in Ukraine and the actions of the “collective West” have made it necessary for Russia to revise its nuclear doctrine, Russian agencies cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying on Wednesday.
Russia has said recently it was set to make changes to the policy setting out the circumstances for its use of nuclear weapons, but has not yet detailed the changes.