Russia-Ukraine war live: War could be ‘closer to end’ than people think says Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk has been speaking to journalists. In comments carried by Reuters, he said that 60% of the foreign parts found in Russian weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine come via China.

He said:

If you take all the usual types of weapons and count the foreign made components – about 60% would be coming from China. We have had lengthy discussions with some manufacturers about this. The PRC (China) is the biggest problem I would say.

At a summit in Washington over the summer, Nato accused Beijing of becoming “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine” and demanded China halt shipments of “weapons components” and other technology vital to the Russian military.

The final communique, approved by the 32 Nato members at the summit, also said that Beijing had become a large-scale supporter of Russia’s “defence industrial base”.

“This includes the transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment, and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia’s defence sector,” the declaration said. Beijing has denied providing direct military aid to Russia and has presented itself as a mediator trying to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the table to agree to a peace plan.

We are restarting our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine and will give you the latest updates throughout the day.

Here are the latest developments:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes the war with Russia is “closer to the end” than many believe and called on allies to strengthen Ukraine’s army. In excerpts of an interview with ABC News’ Good Morning America, set to be broadcast in full on Tuesday, the president said: “I think that we are closer to the peace than we think … We are closer to the end of the war.” He added: “That’s why we’re asking our friends, our allies, to strengthen us. It’s very important.” Zelenskyy told ABC that Vladimir Putin is “afraid” of Ukraine’s Kursk operation, in which it has taken more than 1,000 square km of Russian territory.

• Zelenskyy is in the US to attend sessions at the UN general assembly as well as to present a “victory plan” to US President Joe Biden and presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

• After a bipartisan meeting with members of the US Congress, Zelenskyy said “decisive action now could hasten the just end of Russian aggression against Ukraine next year”. The US played a “critical role” in protecting freedom around the world, he said in a Telegram post, and praised the US Congress and both main parties for their “unwavering commitment to this cause”.

• His comments came as Republican presidential candidate Trump suggested Zelenskyy wanted Harris to win the November election. “I think Zelenskyy is the greatest salesman in history. Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with 60 billion dollars,” Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania. “He wants them [the Democrats] to win this election so badly.” Trump said if he wins the election, he would call Putin and Zelenskyy and urge them to reach a deal to end the war.

• Zelenskyy also held talks in New York with German, Indian and Japanese leaders on Monday trying to shore up support for Kyiv’s war efforts. “We talked about how to make a just peace closer,” Zelenskiy said on his Telegram messaging app after meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz. “The main thing is to maintain unity.” He said he had discussed energy aid with Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida, and that Delhi and Kyiv were “dynamically developing” their relations after a meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi.

• Jails controlled by Russia are deliberately withholding medical care for Ukrainian prisoners, with doctors in one prison even taking part in what it called “torture”, according to a commission mandated by the UN rights council. The commission, set up by the Human Rights Council to investigate violations in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, had already concluded that Moscow’s occupying forces were using torture “systematically”. But in his oral report to the council, commission chair Erik Mose said torture had become a “common and acceptable practice”, with Russian authorities acting with “a sense of impunity”.

• Russian forces launched the latest of a series of strikes on Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday evening, killing one person, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said. A city official, quoted by public broadcaster Suspilne, put the injury toll at five, including a 13-year-old girl. Strikes on the city earlier in the day and the previous night wounded at least 23.

• Russian forces have begun storming the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a stronghold that has resisted Russian attack since the beginning of the war, according to Russian war bloggers and state media. Russian state media said the hilltop town in the Donetsk region, which some cast as a fortress due to its enduring resistance to Russian attack, was caught in a pincer movement by Russian forces and that battles were under way in the east of the settlement.

• Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it was clear that Russia was receiving new weapons, including Iranian missiles despite Tehran’s repeated denials.