Metsola visits Kiev: 'Start EU membership'. Moscow: "We advance on all fronts".

We welcome the opening of the European Parliament Office in Ukraine, which will strengthen coordination between our parliament and the European Parliament. Thank you for all the support. Thank you to all those who are helping us". This was stated on X by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The time has come to finally make progress on your candidature to join the European Union. On this the European Parliament is absolutely clear: your future is Europe and this is part of the necessary security guarantees that your country needs. but that Europe also needs on this continent". This was stated by the President of the European Parliament, Metsola, during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President VZelensky during his visit to Kiev. Metsola recalled the very recent opening of the new EU representation in the heart of Kiev, 'another symbol of our unwavering commitment'. For the Eurochamber president, the EU wanted to 'bring Europe closer to the Ukrainian people. It will be the voice of the European Parliament directly on the ground, working with you, listening to you and supporting you on your path to peace and EU membership,' she concludes

Ukraine expects some $3.5 billion to be available in a fund for arms purchases from the US by next month. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The financial arrangement known as the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, collects contributions from Nato members, with the exception of the United States, for the purchase of American weapons, ammunition and equipment. "We have received more than $2 billion from our partners specifically for the PURL programme," Zelensky said at a joint press conference in Kiev with European Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola, who is visiting the country, "we will receive additional funds in October. I think we will have about $3.5-3.6 billion'. Zelensky declined to give details of the weapons that will be included in the first shipments, but said they will definitely contain missiles for Patriot air defence systems and ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or Himars.

Meanwhile, in the evening, Moscow made it known that 'our troops in the special military operations zone are advancing on practically all fronts'. This was stated by the chief of staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, quoted by Tass. "Troops are advancing in the city of Kupyansk and successfully in the direction of Krasnolimansk, where the liberation of Kirovsk is almost complete," he explained. The troops "have entered the village of Yampol, where they are conducting combat operations. The enemy has been completely driven out of the Serebryanskoye forest'. Assault units 'are advancing into the village of Seversk. In the direction of Aleksandro-Kalinovsky, they are fighting in the immediate vicinity of Konstantinovka and our units have entered Pleshcheyevka. The destruction of the enemy, blocked south of the Kleban-Bykskoye reservoir, continues', Gerasimov continued, adding that the Russian forces continue their offensive 'in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions'.