Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 198

Here is the situation as it stands on Friday, September 9.

Fighting

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces reclaimed 1,000 square kilometres (385 square miles) of territory in the south and east since September 1. Russia made no immediate comment.
• Heavy fighting was reported in areas near the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station after Ukraine said it might have to shut down the plant to avoid disaster.
• United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, said the war was at a “pivotal moment” and pledged $2.2bn in new security assistance.
• Ukraine was using its modern Western weapons to devastating effect, striking hundreds of Russian targets with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Grain deal

• The US saw no indication that a United Nations-brokered Ukrainian grain export deal was unravelling, the White House said, after Russian President Vladimir Putin raised fears Moscow could withdraw its support.

Energy and sanctions

• European Union energy ministers are set to hold urgent talks in Brussels to discuss a price cap on Russian gas and cuts in consumption.
• The proposed cap went against Europe’s and Hungary’s interests, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, ahead of the meeting.
• Meanwhile, a US Treasury Department official told reporters the price cap that G7 countries want to impose on Russian oil to punish Moscow should be set at a fair market value minus any risk premium resulting from its invasion of Ukraine.
• The US imposed sanctions on an Iranian company it accused of coordinating military flights to transport Iranian drones to Russia and three companies it said were involved in the production of Iranian drones. Iran has denied supplying drones to Russia.