Ukraine updates: Putin says Russia ready for talks with Kyiv

Speaking at a forum in Vladivostok, President Vladimir Putin said he "will back" Vice President Kamala Harrisover ex-President Donald Trump in the upcoming US election.

"He has withdrawn from the race but asked his supporters to back Ms Harris. This is what we are doing; we will back her," he said with a wry smile.

In what was interpreted by reporters to be sarcasm, he said he liked Harris' "infectious" laugh, playing off a slight that Trump had tried to use against the vice president. 

Ukraine's Parliament has accepted the resigation of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba has become a familiar figure since the outbreak of the war, pressing Ukraine's cause abroad amid bids for aid from Western powers. His resignation is the latest in a major government reshuffle President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said is necessary for the country's military goals this fall.

Kuleba gave no reason for his stepping down in his letter of resignation.

Zelenskyy proposed Kuleba's first deputy, Andrii Sybiha, as the new foreign minister and parliament approved the appointment later on Thursday. Sybiha, 49, is also expected to spend much of his time soliciting foreign aid.

In one of his final posts as Foreign Minister, Kuleba thanked his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock for her "significant effort" and "courage" in support of Ukraine:

Following a visit to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that one of the plant's cooling towers requires demolition.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest atomic energy plant, has seen heavy fighting on and off since the beginning of Russia's invasion, prompting fears of a nuclear disaster.

The cooling tower in question was recently damanged in a fire. Ukraine has blamed Russia for the fire, while Moscow insisted it was due to a Ukrainian drone attack.

"This big structure is not usable in the future, so it will probably be demolished at some point," IAEA director Rafael Grossi said during a visit to the nuclear power plant.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia's main objective in Ukraine is to fully control the Donbas region.

Putin has repeatedly reframed Russia's objective since first launching its invasion in February 2022.

After initially appearing rattled at Ukraine's advances into Russia's Kursk region throughout August, Putin insisted that Moscow's forces were "gradually" pushing them back.

"The aim of the enemy (in Kursk) was to force us to worry, hustle, divert troops and to stop our offensive in key areas, especially in the Donbas, the liberation of which is our main primary objective," Putin said in Vladivostok.

President Zelenskyy will visit a US military base in western Germany on Friday, Der Spiegel magazine reported.

Zelenskyy is to travel to Ramstein Air Base as part of a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group, an alliance of about 50 countries that support Kyiv.

The meeting was convened by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the state of Western aid for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is set to call for fresh weapons deliveries, including long-range missiles and anti-aircraft systems, in the wake of a fresh spate of Russian attacks.

At least 54 people were killed in one of Russia's deadliest strikes since its invasion began in February 2022, Kyiv has confirmed.

Missiles struck the Poltava military communications institute on Tuesday. It is unknown as of yet how many victims were military and how many were civilians.

"The death toll rises to 54 after the Russian strike on educational institution in Poltava. Another 297 people were injured," Ukraine's emergency services said, adding that as many as five people could still be trapped under the rubble two days after the strike.

The attack prompted an international outcry, but also criticism from within Ukraine as to why the military was conducting an outdoor ceremony when the threat of attack was known.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the strike.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his government was ready for peace talks with Ukraine, after having previously said that the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk made negotiations impossible.

He said that a deal that was outlined during earlier peace talks in Istanbul, but never implemented, could serve as a basis for a new truce.

"Are we ready to negotiate with them? We have never refused to do so, but not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, but on the basis of those documents that were agreed and actually initialled in Istanbul," Putin said at a forum in Vladivostok.

Putin suggested that fellow BRICS members China, Brazil, and India could act as mediators. Russia chairs this group of emerging economies, which also includes South Africa.

es/nm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)