"Document the atrocities," US secretary of state says about reports of Izium mass burial site
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
Members of the Ukrainian Emergency Service work on an exhumation of a mass burial site in the town of Izium, Kharkiv region on September 16. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he has seen the reports about a mass burial site in Izium, saying it was “part, horrifically, of a continuing, ongoing story” of Russian brutality in Ukraine.
Blinken said there is a need to “build the evidence and document the atrocities that have been committed,” even as Ukrainian forces retake territory.
“In many instances, these will amount to war crimes,” Blinken said at a news conference at the State Department Friday.
Blinken reiterated that the US does not intend to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terror, saying that as a practical matter, the US is applying the penalties that would come with that designation. He also said the designation could have “unintended consequences.”
“What we are doing is working with Congress right now to see if there is another way forward that achieves could be achieved through the use of the SST designation without any of the unintended consequences that would make it more counterproductive than productive,” Blinken said.
12:10 p.m. ET, September 16, 2022
Bodies of family with young daughter found at Izium site, Ukrainian official says
From CNN's Tim Lister and Yulia Kesaieva
A Ukrainian official at a mass burial site near Izium said the bodies of an entire family have been identified there.
The Ukrainian Parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said in a video statement from the site that "there is a whole family right next to me ... This is a young family ... The father was born in 1988, the wife was born in 1991; their little daughter was born in 2016."
"We have testimonies from local people that they all died as a result of an airstrike" carried out by the Russian air force, Lubinets said.
"There are many, many similar cases," he added.
"Also we saw here a mass burial of servicemen of the Ukrainian army. The way they were buried; you will see evidence that their hands were tied, they were killed at close range," Lubinets said.
At least 440 graves were found at a mass burial site in the city in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying that some of the bodies have "signs of torture."
Ukraine recaptured the city from Russian forces last Saturday during its counteroffensive. The Russian military used it as a key base and resupply route for its forces in eastern Ukraine.
12:03 p.m. ET, September 16, 2022
Relationship between Russia and China is one "of convenience, not necessarily one of trust," US official says
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Friday that she thinks the relationship between Moscow and Beijing is one “of convenience, not necessarily one of trust or one that will combine their efforts on all things.”
“This is not a full-flown marriage in all ways, shapes and form, but they are certainly going to work together, but they will also work for advantage with each other,” Sherman said in a conversation with Washington Post Live.
“It was quite interesting that President Putin made a remark that he knew that Xi Jinping had concerns about what he was doing in Ukraine,” she said. “Very interesting for Putin to say that.”
On Thursday, in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin acknowledged China’s “questions and concerns” regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
Sherman said she is “sure that Xi Jinping is looking for advantage while Russia is continuing its unprovoked, premeditated and horrifying invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign country.”
“Xi Jinping has constantly talked about sovereignty and territorial integrity so this doesn’t square with the principles he wants for his own views, whether it’s about Hong Kong or Tibet or Taiwan,” she said.
11:44 a.m. ET, September 16, 2022
Modi urges "cessation of hostilities" in Ukraine while meeting with Putin, Indian government says
From Rishabh Pratap
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16. (Sergei Bobylev/Pool/Sputnik/AP)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that “today’s era is not of war” in what appears to be a direct rebuff of the Ukrainian invasion during a face-to-face meeting today.
“I know that today's era is not of war and we have talked to you many times over the phone on the subject that democracy and diplomacy and dialogue are all these things that touch the world,” Modi told Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
“Today we will definitely get a chance to discuss about how we can move on the path of peace in the coming days, I will also get an opportunity to understand your point of view,” he added at a meeting between the two leaders, held on the sidelines of the summit.
“In the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Prime Minister reiterated his call for an early cessation of hostilities and the need for dialogue and diplomacy,” the MEA said in a statement.
Modi and Putin “appreciated the sustained momentum in bilateral ties, including contacts at various levels.”
They also discussed “important issues of bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global issues of interest. Discussions also pertained to global food security, energy security and availability of fertilizers in the context of the challenges emanating from the current geo-political situation,” the statement said.
This is the first time Modi and Putin have met this year. “They agreed to remain in touch,” according to the statement.
What the Kremlin says: In an earlier statement, the Kremlin said Putin told Modi that Russia would "do everything" to end the conflict in Ukraine, and the Russian president said he acknowledged the Indian leader's "concerns."
On Thursday, in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin also acknowledged China’s “questions and concerns” regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
12:02 p.m. ET, September 16, 2022
Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials say some bodies found in Izium show "signs of torture"
From CNN's Tim Lister, Maria Avdeeva, Yulia Kesaieva and Victoria Butenko
Experts work at a place of mass burial during an exhumation in the town of Izium, Kharkiv region on September 16. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted a photograph of the ongoing exhumation of bodies at a mass burial site near the city of Izium.
In a text accompanying the photograph on his Telegram channel, Zelensky wrote: "The whole world should see this. A world in which there should be no cruelty and terrorism. But all this is there. And its name is Russia."
"More than 400 bodies were found at the mass burial site in Izium. With signs of torture, children, those killed as a result of missile attacks, warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Zelensky said. "Russia leaves only death and suffering," he continued, before pledging: "You won’t run away. You won’t hide. Retribution will be justly dreadful."
As the exhumation continues, it's unclear how each victim died and when. Scores of civilians and soldiers were killed in the weeks-long bombardment of Izium by Russian forces in March and April. A CNN team at the site said that the graves they saw were predominantly of individuals, some marked only with numbers and others with full names and other details.
The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said that "the scale of the crimes committed by the invaders in Izium is enormous. This is bloody brutal terror."
"450 bodies of civilians with traces of violent death and torture were buried in a forest belt. It is difficult to imagine something like this in the 21st century, but now it is a tragic reality in Izium," he said.
Syniehubov asserted that "among the bodies exhumed today, 99% show signs of violent death. There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck. Obviously, these people were tortured and executed. There are also children among the buried."
"About 200 law enforcement officers and experts are currently on the scene. The bodies will be sent for a forensic examination to determine the exact cause of death. After identifying the faces of the dead, they will all be buried with due respect," he said.
"Each death will be investigated and become evidence of Russia's war crimes in international courts," Syniehubov said.
10:29 a.m. ET, September 16, 2022
Kremlin: Putin says Russia will "do everything" to stop Ukraine conflict and acknowledges "concerns"
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova
Russian President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand on Friday. (Alexandr Demyanchuk/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Russia would "do everything" to end the conflict in Ukraine, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
The two leaders met at the end of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Putin blamed Ukraine for the continuation of the conflict. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
The Kremlin statement quoted Putin as telling Modi Friday:
“I know your position regarding the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns which you continuously express. We will do everything for all of this to end as soon as possible." "Unfortunately, the leadership of Ukraine announced its refusal from the negotiation process and that it wants to achieve its goals by military means."
Some context: Earlier in the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly called on Putin to hold negotiations with him. Last week, Zelensky said negotiations with the Russian Federation surrounding the end of the war are currently "impossible."
On Thursday, in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin also acknowledged China’s “questions and concerns” regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
2:23 p.m. ET, September 16, 2022
There are no plans for Blinken and Lavrov to meet at UNGA, but US won't rule out meeting on detained Americans
From CNN's Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler
US State Department spokesman Ned Price holds a press briefing in Washington in August. (Kevin Lamarque/AFP/Getty Images)
At the United Nations General Assembly next week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will find themselves in the same city for the third time in three months, but there are no current plans for the two diplomats to meet, a senior administration official said.
But US State Department spokesperson Ned Price would not rule out the possibility of a meeting if it could fuel efforts to bring home Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, two wrongfully detained Americans in Russia.
“What I can say is that we will take every step that we feel would be would help move the process forward. If a senior level intervention with a senior Russian official would help us take one step closer to seeing the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, we wouldn't hesitate to do that,” Price said on Thursday, noting that the negotiation process with the Russian government “certainly hasn't moved with the speed we would like.”
Lavrov and Blinken are likely to be in the same room for a UN Security Council meeting next week. But being in the same room doesn’t ensure direct contact — though it could mean awkwardly avoiding one another.
Earlier in the week, Price reiterated that US President Joe Biden's administration does not believe it can do business as usual with the Russians, but the Biden administration has put an emphasis on getting the Americans home as public pressure has mounted. Price would not say if the administration feels that a meeting with Lavrov and Blinken could move the ball forward.
Blinken spoke to Lavrov by phone in late July for the first time since the Russian war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24, and "pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner,” the top US diplomat said at the time.
Blinken and Lavrov were in the same cities for international summits just weeks before that phone call and just weeks after it – in Bali in early July and in Cambodia in early August – but Blinken and Lavrov did not meet. In Cambodia, they were just seats away from one another for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers meeting and attended the same dinner, but they did not speak at the dinner, CNN reported at the time.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said that they will not engage in diplomacy with Russia unless they think that it can be productive, and Russia has signaled no desire to diplomatically engage.
“We have seen no indications, our Ukrainian partners have seen no indications, our European allies and partners who have been in contact with senior Russian officials have seen no indications that the Russians are prepared to negotiate, prepared to engage in this dialogue,” Price reiterated this week.
Biden is set to meet with the families of Griner and Whelan today at the White House.
9:14 a.m. ET, September 16, 2022
Switzerland suspends exchange of tax information with Russia as Ukraine war continues
From CNN’s Arnaud Siad in London
Switzerland is suspending its exchange of tax information with Russia to prevent “inappropriate” use of sensitive information as the war in Ukraine continues, the Swiss Federal Council announced in a statement on Friday.
“Due to the unclear and uncertain situation in the in connection with Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, there is no guarantee that the sensitive information to be exchanged will not be used inappropriately,” a spokesperson for the State Secretariat for International Finance told CNN.
“The suspension is not a sanction, but a measure to protect local and foreign tax payers,” the spokesperson added.
Switzerland is “reacting in the same way, as for example, all European Union member states, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom,” the spokesperson said.
According to the council’s website, tax authorities exchange information — for example, on financial accounts and advance tax rulings — “in order to increase transparency and prevent cross-border tax evasion.”
8:29 a.m. ET, September 16, 2022
Russian shelling of liberated areas of Ukraine injures several people, Ukrainian military says
From CNN's Tim Lister
Women stand near a residential building destroyed by a military strike in the town of Izium recently liberated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on September 15. (Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Reuters)
Much of Ukraine's Kharkiv region has been retaken by Ukrainian forces, but the military said liberated areas are now being heavily shelled by Russian artillery.
The Kharkiv regional civil military administration said Friday that "during the past day, the enemy massively shelled the recently liberated settlements of the Kharkiv region in the Kharkiv, Kupyansk, and Izium districts. Residential buildings were destroyed; there are injured."
The administration said 10 people were injured in the Kupiansk district, including two children. One more person was wounded in the Izium district, and one was injured in the Kharkiv district, it said.
Areas of Kharkiv near the Russian border also came under attack, it said, adding that there had been rocket attacks on the village of Zolochiv north of the city of Kharkiv.
Elsewhere, in Luhansk: The administration in the eastern Luhansk region said battles continue along the line of contact but there had been no further change in territory held by Ukraine. It said long-range artillery strikes by Ukrainian forces had inflicted heavy casualties on Russian units in the Perevalsk area, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) behind the front lines.
Donetsk: In Donetsk, regional authorities said Russian forces continued to shell settlements around Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Toretsk, killing five civilians. Despite a mandatory evacuation from the region, thousands of civilians have not left their homes.
Dnipropetrovsk: Further south, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the cities of Kryvyi Rih and Nikopol have come under fire. Local authorities reported widespread damage in Nikopol from Russian rocket attacks. "The Russians aimed their missiles at critical infrastructure. There is severe destruction of hydraulic structures," Valentyn Reznichenko, head of Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said about Kryvyi Rih.
Kherson: The regional military administration in the southern Kherson region implied there had been little further progress for Ukrainian forces there, saying "the situation in the region remains difficult."
It said Russian forces had tried to conduct an assault toward the town of Ivanivka but retreated with losses. It also said Ukrainian rocket and artillery units performed 140 fire missions.
