A Ukrainian military personnel stands beside a crater near the damaged headquarters of the Kharkiv administration building following an overnight missile strike in Kharkiv, on August 29, 2022, amid Russia鈥檚 military invasion launched on Ukraine. AFP
KYIVe 鈥� Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
IAEA team heads to nuclear plant
Chief of the UN鈥檚 nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi says he and his team are on their way to Europe鈥檚 largest nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia, which has been the target of strikes in recent weeks, and will arrive later this week.
The plant has been occupied by Russian troops since the start of the war.
Moscow and Kyiv are trading blame for shelling around the complex of six Soviet-designed nuclear reactors in the city of Energodar, in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine鈥檚 Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warns the mission will be the agency鈥檚 hardest to date.
鈥淭his mission will be the hardest in the history of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), given the active combat activities undertaken by the Russian Federation on the ground and also the very blatant way that Russia is trying to legitimise its presence,鈥� Kuleba says during a visit to Stockholm.
Ukraine begins Kherson counter-offensive
Ukrainian forces begin a counter-attack to retake the southern city of Kherson currently occupied by Russian troops, a local government official says.
鈥淭oday there was a powerful artillery attack on enemy positions in鈥� the entire territory of the occupied Kherson region,鈥� Deputy of Kherson Regional Council Sergey Khlan tells Ukraine鈥檚 Pryamyi TV channel.
鈥淭his is the announcement of what we have been waiting for since the spring 鈥� it is the beginning of the de-occupation of Kherson region,鈥� he says.
Russian forces seized Kherson on March 3.
It was the first major city to fall following Moscow鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Germany backs Ukraine鈥檚 EU membership
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz throws his weight behind Ukraine and other nations hopeful of joining the European Union, underlining however that enlarging the bloc to 鈥�30 or 36鈥� would require reforms.
The bloc needs to reduce its 鈥渙ne-sided dependencies鈥�, be it on the economic, energy or defence fronts, he urges, calling for a 鈥済eopolitical, sovereign and enlarged EU鈥�.
He says he is 鈥渃ommitted to鈥� having the six nations of the western Balkans, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine accede to the bloc.
鈥淭heir EU accession is in our interest,鈥� he says.
But as the bloc widens, each member鈥檚 veto right would have to go, he says, with a transition to a 鈥渕ajority voting鈥� system so as not to slow down EU decision-making.
US to meet allies
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet fellow ministers from allied countries on September 8 in Germany to discuss support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
The 鈥渋n-person Ukraine Defense Contact Group鈥�, which will also include senior military officials, will hold talks at the US Ramstein Air Base, says the US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa.
EU gets tough on Russian visas
The European Union plans to make it harder for Russians to travel to the bloc by suspending a deal that eases their visa applications, an EU diplomat says.
鈥淲e cannot continue the visa policy as it has been up to now,鈥� the diplomat says, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague to discuss Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.
The measure, which could come into force in October if approved by member states, does not amount to a formal ban on tourism visas demanded by some of Russia鈥檚 EU neighbors.
But it would complicate the process of obtaining travel permission and could slow the flow of Russians travelling to Europe, increasing Moscow鈥檚 international isolation.
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