TOP HEADLINES

· President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin "impossible," but leaving the door open to talks with Russia. READ MORE BELOW

· Ukrainian forces have broken through Russia's defenses in the south of the country while expanding their rapid offensive in the east, seizing back more territory in areas absorbed by Moscow and threatening supply lines for Russian troops. Kyiv appears on course to achieve several of its key battlefield objectives as it strengthens its military position against Russia ahead of the winter, a senior Pentagon official said.

· The Kremlin said it favored a "balanced approach" to the issue of nuclear weapons, not based on emotion, after a key ally of President Putin called over the weekend for Russia to use a "low-yield nuclear weapon" in Ukraine.

· The upper house of Russia's parliament voted to approve the incorporation of four Ukrainian regions into Russia, as Moscow sets about formally absorbing territory it seized from Kyiv. In a session on Tuesday, the Federation Council unanimously ratified legislation to absorb the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, following a similar vote in the State Duma, Russia's lower house

· The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) voiced support for Russia's absorption of areas of Ukraine that its troops occupy, and accused the U.S. and its allies of acting like a gangster by leading a drive at the United Nations (UN) against Moscow's behavior. 

· UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly is set to declare that the country has the "strategic endurance" to see Ukraine "through to victory" over Russia. In a speech to his Conservative Party's annual conference, Cleverly will say Ukraine has Britain's unwavering support in its efforts to push back Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces.

· Western sanctions on Moscow are "suffocating" the Russian economy and should not be abandoned, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told parliament. "Our objective has been the same from the start: making the cost of the war unbearable for Russia, hitting its economy hard to prevent it from financing its offensive," Borne told the National Assembly. "Moscow is trying to keep up its illusion. But the facts are there. Russian propaganda shouldn't fool us. The Russian economy is suffocating," she added.

· Swamped by panic-stricken requests for help to avoid being drafted, Russian lawyers say they are working flat out to offer advice to those at risk of being sent to fight in Ukraine. Lawyers and civil society groups say they have been overwhelmed by demands for support since Putin announced on September 21 that 300,000 people would be mobilized to boost Russia's flagging war effort.

· U.S. billionaire Elon Musk was embroiled in a social media spat with Ukrainian officials including Zelenskyy over his ideas on ending the conflict. Musk sparked the controversy on Twitter by proposing a peace deal involving re-running referendums in Moscow-occupied Ukrainian regions under UN supervision, acknowledging Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and giving Ukraine a neutral status. 

Zelenskyy signs decree declaring talks with Putin 'impossible'

President Zelenskyy signed a decree formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin "impossible," but leaving the door open to talks with Russia.

The decree formalized comments made by Zelenskyy on Friday after the Russian president proclaimed four occupied regions of Ukraine to be a part of Russia, in what Kyiv and the West said was an illegitimate farce.

"He [Putin] does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia," Zelenskyy said on Friday.

Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian defenses in the south of the country and expanded a rapid offensive in the east, seizing back territory in areas absorbed by Russia.

Putin, who turns 70 this week, has dominated Russia's political landscape for more than two decades and could run for office two more times under constitutional reforms he presided over, potentially remaining in power until 2036.