Closing summary
The blog is now closed for today. Here is what you might have missed:
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Saturday claimed full control of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the focus of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. Reuters could not independently confirm the claim. Prigozhin made it in a video in which he appeared in combat fatigues in front of a line of fighters holding Russian flags and Wagner banners. “Today, at 12 noon, Bakhmut was completely taken,” Prigozhin said. He said that his forces would withdraw from Bakhmut from 25 May for rest and retraining.
Ukraine’s military denied that Russia’s Wagner private military unit had taken full control of the ruined eastern city and said its troops were continuing to fight there. “This is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut,” military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters.
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said the situation in Bakhmut was critical, with Ukrainian troops maintaining a defence in the south-western part of the city. “Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical,” she said on the Telegram messaging app. “As of now, our defenders control some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector.”
The G7 has condemned Russia’s “brutal” war on its neighbour Ukraine “in the strongest possible terms”, calling it a “serious violation of international law”, in its final communique from this week’s summit. As part of the statement, the world leaders called for “just and lasting peace” and recommitted their intention to provide Ukraine with military, financial and humanitarian support.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he invited India to join Ukraine’s peace formula during his talks with the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Saturday in Japan. Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app that they also discussed Ukraine’s needs in de-mining and mobile hospitals during their first face-to-face meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters reported.
The US president, Joe Biden, will announce a $375m military aid package for Ukraine while in Hiroshima, Japan, where he is attending G7 summit, a US official has said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that the package would include artillery, ammunition and Himars rocket launchers, Reuters reported.
Western countries will be running “colossal risks” if they supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, the Tass news agency quoted the Russian deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, as saying on Saturday. The US president, Joe Biden, told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters, senior US officials said.
Pope Francis has tasked a leading Italian cardinal with a mission in hopes it can “ease tensions” in the Ukraine war and lead to a path of peace, the Vatican said Saturday. In a brief written statement, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that Francis had entrusted the mission to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who is close to the pontiff. The Associated Press reports that Bruni said the timetable and the mechanics of the mission “are currently under study.”
The international criminal court said on Saturday that it was “undeterred” after Russia put prosecutor Karim Khan on a wanted list over his issuance of an arrest warrant for president Vladimir Putin. Khan, who is British, issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. Khan’s picture could be seen in the Russian interior ministry’s database on Friday.
An aide to the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, has said the object that entered Poland’s airspace last year and was found in April was a Russian-made rocket. Associated Press reports that the aide, Paweł Szrot, said on Radio RMF FM on Friday that the nose of the rocket had been found and that it was “peculiar” because it was made of concrete. It was being examined by experts.
The US has said it will back a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other modern fighter jets, marking a significant boost to western support for Kyiv as it prepares a major counteroffensive. The news was welcomed by Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, whose RAF will be involved in the initiative.
Zelenskiy has addressed Arab League leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and asked them not to turn a blind eye to what is happening in Ukraine. After the visit, the Saudi foreign minister declared the country to be neutral in the conflict.
The US has halted exports of a slew of consumer goods to Russia including clothes dryers, snow ploughs and milking machines out of concern the goods may be repurposed to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The list of banned consumer goods came as the Biden administration also added 71 companies to a trade blacklist.
Russia has sanctioned the former US president Barack Obama in response to the US sanctioning 300 individuals, companies and institutions. The US measures are largely targeted at energy production.
Western leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Japan have urged Russia to stop its objection to the renewal of the Black Sea grain deal and told it to halt “threatening global food supplies”.
The UK unveiled a swathe of new sanctions ahead of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima. Sunak announced a UK ban on imports of Russian diamonds and Russian-origin copper, nickel and aluminium. Sunak also has a self-declared mission to push India into showing greater support for Ukraine.
Hungary has stepped up threats to block further EU funds for weapons to aid Ukraine, marring a show of unity from western nations at the G7 summit.
Australia has imposed a new set of sanctions and an export ban on Russia. The sanctions will target 21 entities and three individuals, with entities including the major Russian oil company Rosneft, gold company Polyus PJSC, steel company Severstal PJSC and five banks.
The Russian government has put the British prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, on a wanted list in an act of retribution after the Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for allegedly overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Ukrainian air defence claimed it destroyed 19 drones and missiles out of 28 launched on Friday morning. “Three Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea and 16 drones were shot down. Shelling continues on an almost daily basis,” a Ukrainian air force spokesperson, Yuriy Ihnat, told Ukrainian television. Lviv’s governor, Maksym Kozytskyi, posted to Telegram to say five drones had been shot down overnight above his western Ukrainian region.
Pope Francis has tasked a leading Italian cardinal with a mission in hopes it can “ease tensions” in the Ukraine war and lead to a path of peace, the Vatican said Saturday.
In a brief written statement, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that Francis had entrusted the mission to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who is close to the pontiff.
The Associated Press reports that Bruni said the timetable and the mechanics of the mission “are currently under study.”
Just a week earlier, Francis held talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Vatican.
Afterwards, Zelenskiy, when asked about their meeting, indicated he thought that any mediation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was impossible.
At the end of April, flying back to Rome from a pilgrimage in Hungary, Francis indicated to reporters aboard the plane that the Vatican was involved in some kind of peace mission but declined to give details.f
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said:
I can confirm that Pope Francis has tasked Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops Conference, with conducting a mission, in agreement with the (Vatican) Secretariat of State, that would contribute to easing the tensions in the conflict in Ukraine, in the hope, never given up by the Holy Father, that this can launch paths of peace.
The timings of such a mission, and its ways, are currently under study.
Providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets would be a “colossal risk” for western nations, a senior Russian minister has warned, as Washington and London reasserted their commitment to equipping the embattled nation with the military hardware it needs.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been pushing western allies to supply the jets for months, with Downing Street saying on Saturday that the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had again discussed the matter with him at the G7 summit in Japan.
Russia’s warning comes after the US president, Joe Biden, told allies on Friday that Washington would back a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other modern fighter jets.
Read more: Providing Ukraine with F-16 jets a ‘colossal risk’ for west, Russia says
The international criminal court said on Saturday that it was “undeterred” after Russia put prosecutor Karim Khan on a wanted list over his issuance of an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.
Agence France-Presse reports that The Hague-based tribunal said in a statement:
The ICC finds these measures unacceptable. The court will remain undeterred in the conduct of its lawful mandate to ensure accountability for the gravest crimes.
Khan, who is British, issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.
The war crimes court added that it was “aware and profoundly concerned about unwarranted and unjustified coercive measures … by the authorities of the Russian Federation”.
The ICC statement urged the court’s 123 member states to “enhance their efforts to protect the court, its officials and its personnel”.
Khan’s picture could be seen in the Russian interior ministry’s database on Friday.
Russia, which is not a member of the ICC, has previously said the warrant against Putin is “void”.
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted a video on social media updating Ukrainians on his first day at the G7 summit, which is taking place in Hiroshima, Japan.
The Ukrainian president said he had productive meetings with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, French president, Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
Peace Formula. We attract as many countries and leaders as possible for the sake of Ukraine. Defense. Long-term support programs for Ukraine. Finance and economy. First day in Hiroshima ahead of the #G7 is very powerful. The second day will be even more powerful. pic.twitter.com/67paT2NDOp
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 20, 2023
Updated
Earlier we reported comments from the head of the Russia’s Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that his troops have taken control of the city of Bakhmut.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern command, has denied Prigozhin’s claim that his forces have taken Bakhmut
He told the Associated Press his claim “is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut”.
Ukrainian deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, released a video shortly Prigozhi’s claim and said that heavy fighting was continuing and the situation in the region was “critical”.
Updated
Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said today that decisions taken by the G7 at its summit in Japan were aimed at the “double containment” of Russia and China.
Addressing a televised conference, Lavrov reiterated Russia’s claim that the west is using Ukraine as a tool to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.
Reuters reports that Lavrov said:
The task was set loudly and openly – to defeat Russia on the battlefield, but not to stop there, but to eliminate it as a geopolitical competitor,” Lavrov said.
Look at the decisions that are being discussed and adopted today in Hiroshima at G7 summit of the Seven, and which are aimed at the double containment of Russia and China.
In a statement earlier, the G7 agreed to tighten sanctions against Moscow and pare back exposure to China.
The group of world leaders also urged China to press Russia to halt its military aggression and immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
Updated
Afternoon summary
The time in Kyiv is 6pm. Here is a roundup of the day’s headlines:
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Saturday claimed full control of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the focus of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. Reuters could not independently confirm the claim. Prigozhin made it in a video in which he appeared in combat fatigues in front of a line of fighters holding Russian flags and Wagner banners. “Today, at 12 noon, Bakhmut was completely taken,” Prigozhin said. He said that his forces would withdraw from Bakhmut from 25 May for rest and retraining.
Ukraine’s military denied that Russia’s Wagner private military unit had taken full control of the ruined eastern city and said its troops were continuing to fight there. “This is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut,” military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters.
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said the situation in Bakhmut was critical, with Ukrainian troops maintaining a defence in the south-western part of the city. “Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical,” she said on the Telegram messaging app. “As of now, our defenders control some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector.”
The G7 has condemned Russia’s “brutal” war on its neighbour Ukraine “in the strongest possible terms”, calling it a “serious violation of international law”, in its final communique from this week’s summit. As part of the statement, the world leaders called for “just and lasting peace” and recommitted their intention to provide Ukraine with military, financial and humanitarian support.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he invited India to join Ukraine’s peace formula during his talks with the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Saturday in Japan. Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app that they also discussed Ukraine’s needs in de-mining and mobile hospitals during their first face-to-face meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters reported.
The US president, Joe Biden, will announce a $375m military aid package for Ukraine while in Hiroshima, Japan, where he is attending G7 summit, a US official has said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that the package would include artillery, ammunition and Himars rocket launchers, Reuters reported.
Western countries will be running “colossal risks” if they supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, the Tass news agency quoted the Russian deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, as saying on Saturday. The US president, Joe Biden, told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters, senior US officials said.
An aide to the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, has said the object that entered Poland’s airspace last year and was found in April was a Russian-made rocket. Associated Press reports that the aide, Paweł Szrot, said on Radio RMF FM on Friday that the nose of the rocket had been found and that it was “peculiar” because it was made of concrete. It was being examined by experts.
The US has said it will back a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other modern fighter jets, marking a significant boost to western support for Kyiv as it prepares a major counteroffensive. The news was welcomed by Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, whose RAF will be involved in the initiative.
Zelenskiy has addressed Arab League leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and asked them not to turn a blind eye to what is happening in Ukraine. After the visit, the Saudi foreign minister declared the country to be neutral in the conflict.
The US has halted exports of a slew of consumer goods to Russia including clothes dryers, snow ploughs and milking machines out of concern the goods may be repurposed to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The list of banned consumer goods came as the Biden administration also added 71 companies to a trade blacklist.
Russia has sanctioned the former US president Barack Obama in response to the US sanctioning 300 individuals, companies and institutions. The US measures are largely targeted at energy production.
Western leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Japan have urged Russia to stop its objection to the renewal of the Black Sea grain deal and told it to halt “threatening global food supplies”.
The UK unveiled a swathe of new sanctions ahead of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima. Sunak announced a UK ban on imports of Russian diamonds and Russian-origin copper, nickel and aluminium. Sunak also has a self-declared mission to push India into showing greater support for Ukraine.
Hungary has stepped up threats to block further EU funds for weapons to aid Ukraine, marring a show of unity from western nations at the G7 summit.
Australia has imposed a new set of sanctions and an export ban on Russia. The sanctions will target 21 entities and three individuals, with entities including the major Russian oil company Rosneft, gold company Polyus PJSC, steel company Severstal PJSC and five banks.
The Russian government has put the British prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, on a wanted list in an act of retribution after the Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for allegedly overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Ukrainian air defence claimed it destroyed 19 drones and missiles out of 28 launched on Friday morning. “Three Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea and 16 drones were shot down. Shelling continues on an almost daily basis,” a Ukrainian air force spokesperson, Yuriy Ihnat, told Ukrainian television. Lviv’s governor, Maksym Kozytskyi, posted to Telegram to say five drones had been shot down overnight above his western Ukrainian region.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. My colleague Joe Middleton will be along shortly to continue bringing you all the news from Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Updated
Situation in Bakhmut 'critical', says Ukraine
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said on Saturday the situation in Bakhmut was critical, with Ukrainian troops maintaining a defence in the south-western part of the city.
“Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical,” she said on the Telegram messaging app. “As of now, our defenders control some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector.”
Updated
Ukraine denies Russia's Wagner has captured Bakhmut
Ukraine’s military denied on Saturday that Russia’s Wagner private military unit had taken full control of the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut and said its troops were continuing to fight there.
“This is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut,” military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters after the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said his forces had taken full control of the city.
Wagner group claims full control of Bakhmut
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Saturday claimed full control of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the focus of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war.
Reuters could not independently confirm the claim. Prigozhin made it in a video in which he appeared in combat fatigues in front of a line of fighters holding Russian flags and Wagner banners.
“Today, at 12 noon, Bakhmut was completely taken,” Prigozhin said.
He said that his forces would withdraw from Bakhmut from 25 May for rest and retraining.
“We completely took the whole city, from house to house,” he said.
Distant explosions could be heard in the background as Prigozhin spoke during the video.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. The claim from Prigozhin, who has gained a reputation for making grand statements in relation to the conflict, remains unverified.
Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed sanctions on Russia and the possibility of Kyiv receiving fighter jets when they met in Hiroshima earlier today, Downing Street has said.
A statement read:
Following their discussion at Chequers earlier this week, the prime minister reiterated that the UK would continue to provide Ukraine with the military assistance needed to win the war and secure a just peace.
The prime minister updated President Zelenskiy on the very positive progress at the G7 so far, including new sanctions against Russia and the provision of fighter jets.
The leaders looked forward to progressing talks with G7 countries and other partners on support for Ukraine and action against Russia’s destabilising and illegal behaviour.
Updated
Meanwhile, back in Ukraine, here are some of the latest images coming through from photographers:
We reported earlier that Russia’s deputy foreign minister had warned the west against supplying jets to Ukraine. Here is his full quote:
We see that western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. It involves colossal risks for themselves.
In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the goals we have set.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he invited India to join Ukraine’s peace formula during his talks with the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Saturday in Japan.
Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app that they also discussed Ukraine’s needs in de-mining and mobile hospitals during their first face-to-face meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters reported.
Updated
Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meet during the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
Updated
The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has met Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the G7 summit in Hiroshima after the Ukrainian president closed in on obtaining the F-16 fighter jets he wants to fight off Russia.
“Good to see you,” the prime minister said, slapping him on the back after they greeted each other with an embrace. “You made it.”
Asked by reporters if it was a good day for Ukraine, Zelenskiy smiled, nodded and said: “Thank you so much.”
He is on course to receive the boost of being donated advanced fighter jets after the US president, Joe Biden, authorised western allies to transfer them to Kyiv.
Updated
Moscow warns west against sending jets to Ukraine
Western countries will be running “colossal risks” if they supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, the Tass news agency quoted the Russian deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, as saying on Saturday.
The US president, Joe Biden, told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters, senior US officials said.
Updated
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on his way to attend the G7 nations’ meetings earlier today.
Updated
An aide to Polish president Andrzej Duda has said the object that entered Poland’s airspace last year and was found in April was a Russian-made rocket.
Associated Press reports that the aide, Pawel Szrot, said on Radio RMF FM on Friday that the nose of the rocket had been found and that it was “peculiar” because it was made of concrete. It was being examined by experts.
Szrot said it was “Russian technology” and most probably intended to give weight to the nose and allow the projectile to try to confuse Ukraine’s air defence systems in trying to repel Russian attacks.
The nose of the rocket contained no explosives, Szrot said.
The nose of the rocket contained no explosives, Szrot said.
Poland’s defence officials had been facing questions about an object that crash-landed on Polish territory in December and whose parts were found by a civilian in the woods near the city of Bydgoszcz in April.
The matter of air security while there is a war in neighbouring Ukraine became especially sensitive in Poland after two Polish men were killed when a missile landed in eastern Poland in November. Western officials said they believed a Ukrainian air defence missile went astray as Ukraine tried to repel a large-scale attack by Russia.
G7 leaders condemn Russia's 'brutal' war on Ukraine, calling for 'lasting peace'
The G7 has condemned Russia’s “brutal” war on its neighbour Ukraine “in the strongest possible terms”, calling it a “serious violation of international law”, in its final communique from this week’s summit.
As part of the statement, the world leaders called for “just and lasting peace” and recommitted their intention to provide Ukraine with military, financial and humanitarian support.
Here is the section on the war in Ukraine:
We once again condemn in the strongest possible terms the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, which constitutes a serious violation of international law, including the UN Charter.
Russia’s brutal war of aggression represents a threat to the whole world in breach of fundamental norms, rules and principles of the international community. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
We issued the G7 leaders’ statement on Ukraine, and with the clear intention and concrete actions set forth in it, we commit to intensifying our diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine, to increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war efforts, and to continuing to counter the negative impacts of the war on the rest of the world, particularly on the most vulnerable people.
Updated
Zelenskiy arrives in Japan as he bids to boost western support for Kyiv
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has landed in Japan, where he is due to discuss greater military assistance from the US and other G7 countries as his forces prepare for a major counteroffensive in the war with Russia.
Zelenskiy arrived in Hiroshima, which is hosting G7 leaders this weekend. On Saturday afternoon he was seen exiting a French government plane, amid tight security, ahead of a full day of bilateral and group talks with G7 leaders designed to boost western support for Kyiv.
Moments after his arrival he tweeted:
Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today.
Zelenskiy arrived in Hiroshima a day after the White House announced it would permit allied countries to supply Ukraine with US-built F-16 fighter planes. Before leaving for Japan, Zelenskiy described the decision as “historic”, adding that he looked forward to “discussing the practical implementation” with G7 countries.
Updated
The US president, Joe Biden, will announce a $375m military aid package for Ukraine while in Hiroshima, Japan, where he is attending G7 summit, a US official has said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that the package would include artillery, ammunition and Himars rocket launchers, Reuters reported.
Updated
Zelenskiy lands in Japan
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in Hiroshima, Japan, to attend the G7 leaders’ summit in the city.
Reuters reports that live footage broadcast by multiple media outlets showed Zelenskiy disembark from a French government aircraft.
Japan, this year’s G7 chair, earlier on Saturday announced Zelenskiy’s in-person attendance at the meeting in the world’s first city attacked by an atomic bomb, as nuclear threats from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, have unsettled the west.
Updated
Moscow pushing to capture Bakhmut so it can claim 'some success' in war, says UK MoD
Russia has very likely redeployed battalions to reinforce Bakhmut and sees capturing the city as key so it can “claim some degree of success” in the war, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.
In its latest intelligence update, the ministry said Russia’s redeployment of “up to several battalions” in the area over the past four days followed Ukrainian tactical gains on the flanks of the largely destroyed city and publicly aired doubts about the commitment of Wagner Group forces to continue fighting there.
The update, posted on Twitter, said:
With Russia likely maintaining relatively few uncommitted combat units in Ukraine, the redeployment represents a notable commitment by the Russian command.
Russia’s leadership likely continue to see capturing Bakhmut as the key immediate war aim which would allow them to claim some degree of success in the conflict.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 20 May 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 20, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/PpkFJHAKP8
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/aszpdcuUbs
Updated
The Russian branch of Greenpeace has announced it will close after the authorities declared Greenpeace International to be an undesirable organisation.
The national prosecutor general’s office said it had determined that the environmental group posed “a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation” and pointed in particular to the conflict in Ukraine, the Associated Press reports.
The prosecutor’s office said:
Since the beginning of the special military operation of the Russian Federation to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine, Greenpeace activists have been engaged in anti-Russian propaganda, calling for further economic isolation of our country and tougher sanctions.
But Greenpeace’s Russian office said:
We are sure that the declaration of Greenpeace International as an undesirable organisation is due precisely to the fact that we tried to prevent the implementation of plans that are destructive to nature and in many cases did it successfully.
This decision makes it illegal for any Greenpeace activity to continue in Russia. Therefore, the Russian branch of Greenpeace is forced to close.
Amsterdam-based Greenpeace International said it had no immediate comment. Since launching the Ukraine invasion in February 2022, the Russian government has intensified its crackdown on dissent and toughened legislation against critics.
The United Nations envoy charged with trying to protect children caught in conflicts is in Moscow, where she is reported to be meeting Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, who is charged with war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine.
The Associated Press reports that Human Rights Watch strongly criticised Virginia Gamba’s reported meeting with Maria Lvova-Belova, saying the Russian commissioner should be behind bars and not meeting with senior UN representatives.
Balkees Jarrah, associate director of the group’s International Justice Program, said:
It’s hard to imagine any circumstance that would justify Gamba meeting with a suspected war criminal, when there are clearly other officials she could meet with instead.
UN associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay did not confirm that Gamba was meeting with Lvova-Belova while in Moscow. Pressed on whether there was anyone else Gamba could meet with, Tremblay replied:
Her role is really to do everything she can to improve the protection of children impacted by armed conflict and preventing violations that could be committed against them.
The spokesperson also would not say whether Gamba was discussing the return of Ukrainian children, telling reporters that details would be included in her report to the UN security council, which is expected in early July. Gamba was in Ukraine last week to meet with officials there before traveling to Moscow.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused some Arab leaders of ignoring the horrors of Russia’s invasion of his country during a speech at an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia.
“Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here, among you, who turn a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations,” Zelenskiy told Arab heads of state on Friday, urging them to “take an honest look” at the war.
Agence France-Presse also reports that Zelensky’s surprise trip to the summit in Jeddah was his first to the Middle East since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. It gave him an opportunity to address leaders of a region that has been far less united in its support of Ukraine than his staunch western allies.
Host Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as relatively neutral during the war, highlighting what it describes as the benefits of maintaining ties with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, attending his first Arab League summit in more than a decade, leads one of just five countries to vote against UN security council resolutions demanding that Russia cease hostilities in Ukraine.
After Zelenskiy spoke on Friday, Syria’s pro-government daily Al-Watan reported that the Syrian delegation did not use headphones provided for simultaneous translation of his speech, delivered in English.
Updated
G7 leaders have warned China and North Korea against expanding their nuclear arsenals, as they prepare for the arrival of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The war in Ukraine has dominated discussions in Hiroshima, with Zelenskiy set to arrive in the city late on Saturday, a day after the White House announced it would permit allied countries to supply Ukraine with US-built F-16 fighter planes.
Zelenskiy described the decision as “historic”, adding that he looked forward to “discussing the practical implementation” in Hiroshima.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has raised fears that China, which has been increasing its nuclear arsenal, could be emboldened to invade Taiwan.
Justin McCurry in Hiroshima has the full story:
During Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to Japan to attend the G7 summit in Hiroshima he will also have a bilateral meeting with the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, Japan’s foreign ministry has announced.
Reuters reports that at the G7 Zelenskiy will take part in a session regarding peace and security alongside other western leaders and invited outreach countries, according to the foreign ministry.
The White House has said “it’s a safe bet” President Joe Biden will meet Zelenskiy at the summit.
The Ukrainian president is set to arrive in Hiroshima on Saturday and is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other summit attendees.
Biden to meet Zelenskiy at G7 summit – White House
Joe Biden “looks forward” to meeting Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Hiroshima, the White House has said, confirming the US and Ukrainian presidents would meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
“It’s a safe bet that President Biden will meet him,” the US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Saturday, without offering details on when the talks would happen, Agence France-Presse reports.
Sullivan said:
The president looks forward to the opportunity to be able to sit down face-to-face.
The Ukrainian president was expected to arrive in Japan on Saturday after an earlier stop in Saudi Arabia, according to local media.
Zelenskiy’s surprise appearance at the G7 meeting comes right after the White House announced it would permit allied countries to supply Ukraine with American-built F-16 fighter aircraft.
Ukraine repels 'massive' drone attack on Kyiv, says military
Kyiv’s air defences successfully repelled a new Russian drone attack overnight but falling debris caused some damage in the Ukrainian capital, the military said on Saturday.
Agence France-Presse reports that the head of Kyiv’s civil and military administration, Serhiy Popko, said in an update on Telegram:
This night, the aggressor again carried out a massive drone attack. All detected air targets were destroyed by the forces and means of our air defence. No strikes on Kyiv were performed!
Falling debris caused a fire in a residential building in Darnytskyi district but it was extinguished without casualties, he said.
Debris also caused some damage in three other districts, he said, but there was no immediate report of casualties.
Popko said it was the 11th air attack on Kyiv since the start of May.
At 12.45am on Saturday local time, the Ukrainian army said drones were heading towards the Kyiv region.
Explosions were reported there by authorities and also in the city of Chernihiv, north-east of Kyiv. The exiled council of Russian-occupied Mariupol also reported explosions in the city on the Sea of Azov.
Air defence systems were active in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, according to the Ukrainian military.
Opening summary
Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. I’m Adam Fulton and here’s a run through the latest developments.
Russia renewed air attacks on the Ukrainian capital overnight, with authorities reporting falling debris in three districts of Kyiv and a fire on the roof of a residential building.
Explosions were also reported in Chernihiv, north-east of Kyiv, and in Mariupol in the country’s south-east.
Meanwhile, the White House has said President Joe Biden “looks forward” to meeting Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Tokyo.
More on those stories shortly. In other news:
The US has said it will back a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other modern fighter jets, marking a significant boost to western support for Kyiv as it prepares a major counteroffensive. The news was welcomed by Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, whose RAF will be involved in the initiative.
Zelenskiy has addressed Arab League leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and asked them not to turn a blind eye to what is happening in Ukraine. After the visit, the Saudi foreign minister declared the country to be neutral in the conflict.
The US has halted exports of a slew of consumer goods to Russia including clothes dryers, snow plows and milking machines out of concern the goods may be repurposed to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The list of banned consumer goods came as the Biden administration also added 71 companies to a trade blacklist.
Ukraine said on Friday it had repelled attacks by Russian forces trying to recapture land they had lost around Bakhmut, where Kyiv says it has inflicted heavy Russian casualties. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary group leading the assault on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city, said in a Telegram message that “heavy, bloody battles” were continuing and claimed his men were close to completing the capture of Bakhmut itself.
Russia has sanctioned former US president Barack Obama in response to the US sanctioning 300 individuals, companies and institutions. The US measures are largely targeted at energy production.
Western leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Japan have urged Russia to stop its objection to the renewal of the Black Sea grain deal and told it to halt “threatening global food supplies”.
The UK unveiled a swathe of new sanctions ahead of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima. Sunak announced a UK ban on imports of Russian diamonds and Russian-origin copper, nickel and aluminium. Sunak also has a self-declared mission to push India into showing greater support for Ukraine.
Hungary has stepped up threats to block further EU funds for weapons to aid Ukraine, marring a show of unity from western nations at the G7 summit.
Australia has imposed a new set of sanctions and an export ban on Russia. The sanctions will target 21 entities and three individuals, with entities including the major Russian oil company Rosneft, gold company Polyus PJSC, steel company Severstal PJSC and five banks.
The Russian government has put the British prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, on a wanted list in an act of retribution after the Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for allegedly overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Ukrainian air defence claimed it destroyed 19 drones and missiles out of 28 launched on Friday morning. “Three Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea and 16 drones were shot down. Shelling continues on an almost daily basis,” a Ukrainian air force spokesperson, Yuriy Ihnat, told Ukrainian television. Lviv’s governor, Maksym Kozytskyi, posted to Telegram to say five drones had been shot down overnight above his western Ukrainian region.
Vladimir Putin has said the west is trying to break up Russia into different states based on ethnic and national lines. In a speech on Friday the Russian president said the sanctions were helping unite the Russian people rather than divide them. “There are attempts to drive a wedge between peoples of our country. They say Russia should be divided up into tens of different states.”
The Russian security council secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, has claimed the US was involved in the killing of a pro-war military blogger in a bomb blast in St Petersburg in April, and the car bombing of a nationalist writer and politician earlier in May.
Five members of a Belarusian regiment fighting with Ukrainian forces have been killed in Bakhmut, a Belarusian opposition leader living in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has said on Twitter.
Russia had refused the latest US request for consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in March on suspicion of spying.
With Reuters
Updated
