LIVE UPDATES: Biden to Announce New $800 Million Security Aid to Ukraine as Early as Friday

The United Kingdom will spend 36 million pounds (some $43 million) on humanitarian aid for Ukraine, Syria and Eastern African nations, the Foreign Office said.

"£36 million in UK funding committed to provide emergency care to those enduring conflict in Ukraine and Syria and food shortages in East Africa," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The announcement was made on Thursday which is the United Nation’s World Humanitarian Day.

"The UK continues to be a global leader supporting vulnerable people experiencing devastating conflict, extreme weather and lasting impacts of the pandemic," the statement added.

Ukraine has not yet requested a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 Summit on Bali, Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Jose Tavares told Sputnik.

"Ukraine has not requested for that but Indonesia would be very glad to assist in holding such a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit," the ambassador said.

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) has not been damaged during the night shelling, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozhye regional administration's main council, told Sputnik, adding that the radiation level is normal.

On late Thursday, the authorities of the Russian-controlled part of the Zaporozhye Region accused Ukraine of shelling the city of Enerhodar where the nuclear power plant is located.

"No shells hit the NPP territory ... The situation at the station is calm, the staff is working. The radiation level is normal," Rogov said.

The Biden administration is set to announce approximately $800 million in additional security aid to Ukraine as early as this Friday, Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

The $800 million would be authorized using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows for the transfer of excess military equipment from US stocks, the sources said on Thursday.

Earlier in August, Biden announced up to $1 billion in security aid to Ukraine for military equipment, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), surface-to-air missile systems and munitions.

Ukrainian troops began shelling the city of Energodar, located near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, from heavy artillery at 22:50 local time, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozhye regional administration's main council, said.

"Zelensky’s militants opened massive fire from heavy artillery on the city of Energodar from 22.50," Rogov said on Telegram.

The city authorities confirmed the information about the shelling and asked the residents to move to a safe place. Information about the places of shell explosions, as well as casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure is being specified, the city administration said in a statement.

According to preliminary data, an unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down near the Belbek airport north-west of Sevastopol by means of air defense, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev said on Thursday.

"Recently, according to preliminary data, an unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down near the Belbek airport by means of air defense. There is no damage," Razvozhaev said on Telegram, adding that there are no casualties either.

"I decided to establish a Fact-Finding mission. The Terms of Reference of the mission were shared with Ukraine and the Russian Federation, as well as the make-up of the team. It is my intention to appoint General Carlos dos Santos Cruz of Brazil to lead this mission," Guterres said.

"There is nothing in terms of travel to Russia at this stage," Haq told reporters.

"I maintain my belief that the war will eventually end at the negotiating table. Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Guterres agree on this issue," he said.

"Shutting down the reactor is not a problem, it's 5-10 seconds. But then it will have to be cooled down for 2 years, and these are millions of cubic meters that will have to be driven away so that a dangerous process does not occur. In fact, then an energy crisis will begin in Ukraine," he emphasized.

"Today in Lviv Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kurbanov and Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the restoration of infrastructure, which envisages participation of the Turkish side in the restoration of Ukraine," the ministry wrote on its Telegram channel.

The Elenovka detention center hosting prisoners of war from the Azov regiment (designated as a terrorist organization in Russia) was shelled by Ukrainian troops in late July, the Russian Defense Ministry said. According to the DPR territorial defense, the death toll from the strike has reached 53, and the number of wounded has surpassed 130.

"The President and the UN Secretary General agreed on the parameters of a possible IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia (Zaporozhye) nuclear power plant. It must be carried out in a legal way through the territory free from the invaders," Zelenskyy's office said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he discussed the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) and the grain initiative implementation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during a meeting on Thursday.

"I had a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Lvov. We agreed to continue the coordination of the grain initiative implementation …Particular attention was paid to the topic of Russia's nuclear blackmail at the Zaporozhye NPP … Therefore, the UN must ensure the security of this strategic object, its demilitarization and complete liberation from Russian troops," Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.

Russia is not ruling out that the European Union may decide to suspend issuance of Schengen visas to Russians, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechaev said on Thursday.

"We cannot rule out the full-scale adoption of such discriminatory decisions both at the EU level and by individual states, even in the absence of a pan-European consensus. I repeat once again - these steps will not remain without a due reaction from the Russian side. You will hear about them soon," Nechaev told a briefing.

The Ukrainian Finance Ministry received on Thursday a loan worth 450 million Canadian dollars ($349 million) from Ottawa for the purchase of fuel as part of financial aid provided by West to Kiev.

"The state budget of Ukraine received CAD [Canadian dollars] 450 million (equivalent – USD [US dollars] 350 million) concessional loan from Canada. The funds were provided through the mechanism of the Administrated Account of the IMF," the ministry said in a statement, adding that "the total amount of the loan from Canada is CAD 1.45 billion".

On Wednesday, Ottawa said it would allocate 450 million Canadian dollars in a loan to Ukraine as the country needed funding to purchase heating fuel before winter.

The European Union countries continue holding consultations on issue of visas to Russians and are about to discuss this topic at the informal meeting in Prague on August 30-31, European Commission Spokeswoman for Home Affairs, Migration and Internal Security Anitta Hipper said on Thursday.

The commission is promoting a coordinated response at EU level with discussions taking place with member states to update on the latest developments and also to ensure a coordinated approach, Hipper said during the midday briefing.

"I would also like to remind that on the 30th and 31th of August we have the informal meeting of Foreign Affairs ministers, which will take place in Prague, and the discussions there will also cover the issuance of visas for Russians traveling to EU," Hipper added.