Ukraine: Daily Briefing – September 25, 2018, 5 PM Kyiv time

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reported that in the last 24 hours, no Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in action. In the last 24 hours, Russian-terrorist forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on the Luhansk and Donetsk sectors of the front 27 times in total. Returning fire, Ukrainian forces killed 1 and wounded 4 enemy combatants in the last 24 hours.

The US State Department stated, “The United States strongly supports religious freedom, including the freedom of members of groups to govern their religion according to their beliefs and practice their faiths freely without government interference. The United States respects the ability of Ukraine’s Orthodox religious leaders and followers to pursue autocephaly according to their beliefs. We respect the Ecumenical Patriarch as a voice of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue.

           The United States maintains unwavering support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and the Russian occupation of Crimea. We also support Ukraine as it charts its own path and makes its own decisions and associations, free of external interference.”

CNN reported, “The US Coast Guard plans to transfer two former 110-foot Coast Guard ships to Ukraine during a ceremony on Thursday in Baltimore. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Michael McAllister and Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko are expected to attend the transfer ceremony.

           The transfer of the two armed Coast Guard cutters come as tensions between Ukraine and Russia in the Sea of Azov have increased in recent weeks. […]

          ‘The United States condemns Russia’s harassment of international shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait,’ State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement late last month.

          ‘Russia has delayed hundreds of commercial vessels since April and in recent weeks has stopped at least 16 commercial ships attempting to reach Ukrainian ports,’ she added.

          A US defense official told CNN that the cutters Drummond and Cushin were purchased by Ukraine from the Pentagon’s Excess Defense Articles program. The Island-class cutters are armed with a 25 mm machine gun mount and four .50-caliber machine guns.”

Photo – Ukraine’s Presidential Administration

Ukraine’s Presidential Administration reported, “During the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko met with US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker.

          The interlocutors discussed the latest developments in the Donbas and the prospects for the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping mission under the aegis of the United Nations in its occupied part.

           Petro Poroshenko and Kurt Volker stressed the need for the immediate release of all Ukrainian hostages. Particular attention was paid to cooperation in the field of security and defense between Ukraine and USA, as well as interaction on further implementation of reforms in our country. Kurt Volker also informed the Ukrainian President of increasing the sanctions pressure against the Russian Federation, in particular including 12 more Russian companies into the list of sanctions.”