Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The agency that oversees agricultural exports from Ukraine said it had approved six ships to leave the besieged country. The Joint Coordination Center, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, said the ships were carrying a total of 96,181 metric tons of grain and other food products. The ships are expected to depart on Saturday and are destined for Spain, Italy, Greece, Libya and Turkey. — Amanda Macias
IAEA director-general says fresh shelling in Zaporizhia has led to power outage in nearby town
A Russian serviceman stands guard outside the second reactor of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Energodar on May 1, 2022. Andrey Borodulin | AFP | Getty Images The UN nuclear watchdog said the infrastructure supplying the city of Enerhodar has been damaged by shelling at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “Enerhodar has gone dark and we have seen that once the infrastructure has been repaired, it has been damaged once again,” International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement. “This is an unsustainable situation and it is becoming more and more precarious. This is completely unacceptable. It cannot stand,” he said, adding that the city has no running water, electricity or sewage. “I therefore urgently call for an immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire region. Only this will ensure the safety of operational personnel and allow the permanent restoration of power to Enerhodar and the power plant,” he said. Earlier this month, Grossi led a team of IAEA investigators to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. — Amanda Macias
EU states are struggling to find a common approach on energy prices
EU lawmakers have repeatedly accused Russia of rigging energy exports to drive up commodity prices and sow uncertainty across the bloc. Moscow denies using energy as a weapon. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images European Union states have struggled to find a consensus on ways to protect the population from skyrocketing energy prices that threaten to plunge millions into cold and poverty this winter as Russia chokes off natural gas supplies. As tensions with Moscow rise over the war in Ukraine, the 27-nation EU’s energy ministers have been unable to spell out differences over whether and how to impose a price cap on Russian gas, with an increasingly recalcitrant Hungary refusing to agree, saying it would conflict with its supply interests. Other countries differed on whether a price ceiling should apply only to Russia or to other producers as well. No immediate solution was foreseen to all the proposals to restore gas and electricity prices to affordable prices, but energy ministers gave general recommendations to the European Commission, the EU’s executive, on options such as introducing windfall levies to some energy companies whose profits have risen along with soaring prices. — Associated Press
G-7 plans to enlist more countries with Russian oil before negotiating details, officials say
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron pose for a family photo of G7 leaders during a NATO summit at the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels on March 24, 2022. Michael Kappeler | AFP | Getty Images Two months after agreeing to explore price caps on Russian oil sales, G-7 nations are still trying to recruit more countries to join their efforts before starting more detailed discussions on the specifics of the policy, according to US and European officials. “The coalition must be broader and this is the diplomatic phase [negotiators] are coming in,” said one European official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Their goal is to limit the amount of revenue the Kremlin receives, but keep Russian oil on the market to avoid supply disruptions. The main importers of Russian oil – China, India and Turkey – have not yet said whether they will join the coordinated price cap or negotiate their own side deals with Russia. Their participation could determine how much power Western nations have to set prices. “It’s premature to start talking about the price before the coalition comes together,” a senior Treasury official told CNBC. Read more here. — Kayla exchange
Rebuilding Ukraine will cost at least $349 billion, new World Bank report estimates
Firefighters at the ruins of a building destroyed by Russia’s missile attack in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on September 06, 2022. Methane Acta | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The Ukrainian government, the European Commission and the World Bank have estimated that it will cost at least $349 billion to rebuild Ukraine after the Russian invasion. The joint report, called Rapid Assessment of Damage and Needs, covers the effects of the war between 24 February and 1 June. The report lists material damage to Ukrainian infrastructure totaling more than $97 billion. “The destruction was concentrated in Chernihivska, Donetska, Luhanska, Kharkivska, Kyivska and Zaporizka regions,” the report’s authors wrote. — Amanda Macias
‘He knew and worked with all NATO secretaries general’: Blinken, Stoltenberg honor Queen Elizabeth II before meeting on Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) in Brussels on September 9, 2022, a day after his unannounced visit to Ukraine. Jonathan Ernst | AFP | Getty Images US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg took a moment to honor the reign of Queen Elizabeth II before meeting on the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Today the NATO flag and the flags of 30 allies are at half-mast to honor Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Stoltenberg said alongside Blinken in Brussels. “He was a strong supporter of the transatlantic alliance of our armed forces and our values. He has known and worked with all NATO Secretaries General since the founding of NATO. “She was a strong, unifying force, a source of comfort and resilience for millions of people from all walks of life. On behalf of the United States, I extend our deepest condolences to our British friends, the UK government and the royal family,” he said Blinken. — Amanda Macias
100 ships carrying agricultural products left Ukrainian ports
The cargo ship Razoni, which departed from the port of Odessa, Ukraine as part of the grain shipment agreement, is pictured in the Bosphorus on August 3, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey. Hakan Akgu | Getty Images The agency that oversees Ukraine’s agricultural exports said 100 ships have left the besieged country since ports reopened. The Joint Coordination Center, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey established in July, said the ships carried 2,334,850 metric tons of grain and other food products. — Amanda Macias
EU energy ministers meet to discuss a price cap on Russian natural gas
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the region is facing an extraordinary situation.
Thierry Monasse | News Getty Images | Getty Images
European Union energy ministers met in Brussels for emergency talks on how to protect households from rising gas and electricity prices ahead of the colder months.
Ahead of the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a five-point plan to tackle skyrocketing energy bills. This included a price cap on Russian natural gas, a windfall tax on fossil fuel profits, a mandatory target to reduce electricity use and emergency credit lines for power companies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned he is prepared to let Europe “freeze” this winter by scrapping existing supply contracts if a cap is imposed on Russian energy exports.
— Sam Meredith
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry quotes Queen Elizabeth in tweet listing Russian casualties
Ukraine’s defense ministry released a list of the losses of Russian military personnel and equipment since the start of the war on February 24, along with a quote from the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8. The quote, broadcast in a 1940 radio broadcast by Queen Elizabeth II to the children of the Commonwealth when she was still a princess, read: “When peace comes, remember that it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place”. The ministry claimed that Russian forces had lost an additional 650 soldiers, bringing the total to 51,900 Russian soldiers killed since the invasion began. It also said that Russia has so far lost 2,122 tanks, 4,575 armored fighting vehicles, 239 military aircraft, 211 helicopters and 15 warships or boats. CNBC could not independently verify the information. — Natasha Toorak
Nearly 400 square miles of land were retaken, Zelenskyy says
A tank of the Ukrainian army advances on the frontlines in the northeastern regions of Kharkiv, Ukraine on September 8, 2022. Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images More than 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Ukrainian territory have been recaptured by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after a surprise…
