TOP HEADLINES

· Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised "victory" on a visit to the strategic city of Izyum that was recently recaptured from Russia by Kyiv's army in a lightning counter-offensive. The visit came at a decisive moment in Russia's six-month-old 'special military operation,' with Ukraine expelling Moscow's forces from swathes of the east and seriously challenging the Kremlin's ambition to capture the entire Donbas region. READ MORE BELOW

· Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for their first face-to-face talks since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan. In the face of changes of the world, of the times and of history, China will work with Russia to fulfill their responsibilities as major countries and play a leading role in injecting stability into a world of change and disorder, Xi told Putin at the talks.

· Russian President Vladimir Putin said he understood China's Xi Jinping had concerns about the situation in Ukraine, a surprise acknowledgement of friction with Beijing over the conflict. "We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis," Putin told Xi at their first meeting since the war began. "We understand your questions and concern about this. During today's meeting, we will of course explain our position."

· Floods could hit the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine after a Russian strike damaged infrastructure causing the Inhulets River to flood, the Ukrainian presidency warned. "At the point of impact, we have observed a water flow of 100 cubic meters per second, which is a large volume," said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office. "The water level of the Inhulets River is changing every hour," he added.

· The prospects for peace in Ukraine are "minimal" at present, the United Nations chief lamented after a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he and Putin discussed efforts to overcome "obstacles" that remain related to Russia's food and fertilizer exports, but warned it would be "naive" to believe there has been sufficient progress towards a rapid end to the conflict in Ukraine. READ MORE BELOW

· Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country wanted to join the European single market ahead of a decision on whether to grant Kyiv full EU membership. "For us, a pressing issue is the question of Ukraine joining the EU single market while we're on the way to EU membership status. I'm sure it will happen and it will be one of our country's most important victories," Zelensky said at a press conference with EU president Ursula von der Leyen, who came to Kyiv to work out a roadmap for Ukraine's long-standing aspiration to join the union. 

· President Putin told UN chief Antonio Guterres during a phone call that the "priority" should be to send Ukrainian grain to countries in greatest need, the Kremlin said. The conversation "mainly focused on implementing the Istanbul agreements on exporting Ukrainian grain" from Black Sea ports, and the export of Russian food and fertilizer, the Kremlin said.

· President Putin hailed "constructive cooperation" with the UN's nuclear watchdog over Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected the plant in early September following repeated bombardment. The Kremlin said that in a phone call with UN chief Antonio Guterres, "Vladimir Putin made a positive assessment of the constructive cooperation with the agency."

· Vladimir Putin still believes he was right to launch an attack on Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after a 90-minute-long telephone call with the Russian president. "Sadly, I cannot tell you that the impression has grown that it was a mistake to begin this war," Scholz told journalists a day after his exchange with Putin. "And there was no indication that new attitudes are emerging," the German leader added at a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Garibashvili.

· Russia's Foreign Ministry said if the United States decides to supply Kyiv with longer-range missiles for U.S.-made HIMARS systems in use by Ukraine it would cross a "red line" and become "a party to the conflict".

IN DETAIL

Zelenskyy: 'We're moving towards victory'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised "victory" on a visit to the strategic city of Izyum that was recently recaptured from Russia by Kyiv's army in a lightning counter-offensive.

The visit came at a decisive moment in Russia's six-month-old 'special military operation,' with Ukraine expelling Moscow's forces from swathes of the east and seriously challenging the Kremlin's ambition to capture the entire Donbas region.

"Our blue-yellow flag is already flying in de-occupied Izyum. And it will be so in every Ukrainian city and village," Zelenskyy said in a statement on social media.

"We are moving in only one direction – forward and towards victory."

Pictures distributed by his office showed the Ukrainian leader wearing dark green and flanked by guards as he took selfies with soldiers and thanked troops at a flag-hoisting ceremony.

In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said that "almost the entire region (of Kharkiv) is de-occupied".

"It was an unprecedented movement of our soldiers – the Ukrainians once again managed to do what many thought was impossible."

Ukraine has recently claimed sweeping successes in the northeastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia, and has said it has clawed back territory along a southern front near the Kherson region on the Black Sea.

Guterres: 'We are still far away from peace'

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he and Putin discussed efforts to overcome "obstacles" that remain related to Russia's food and fertilizer exports, but warned it would be "naive" to believe there has been sufficient progress towards a rapid end to the war in Ukraine.

"I have the feeling we are still far away from peace. I would be lying if I would say it could happen soon," Guterres told a press conference.

"I have no illusion; at the present moment the chances of a peace deal are minimal," he added, noting that even a ceasefire is "not in sight."

Despite his bleak assessment about the conflict, Guterres stressed he was maintaining contact with both sides and expressed hope that "one day it will be possible to go to a higher level of discussion."

In the meantime talks continue on Russian exports. Guterres said he spoke with Putin and they discussed the exports initiative "and its extension and its possible expansion." 

A two-part agreement – allowing both the flow of Ukraine's grain exports blocked by the war and Russia's food and fertilizer exports – was brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye in July and is scheduled to last 120 days.

While some three million tons of grain have been allowed to leave Ukraine, Russia says exports of its own foodstuffs and fertilizer continue to suffer under Western sanctions.

"There are some exports of Russian food and fertilizers but much lower that what is desirable and needed," Guterres said, adding there is discussion about the possibility of Russian ammonia exports though the Black Sea.