Closing Summary
It is slightly past 10pm in Kyiv. Here is a wrap up of the day’s key events:
The Biden administration has halted the exports of a slew of consumer goods to Russia including clothes dryers, snow plows and milking machines out of concern that the goods may be repurposed to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. The list of banned consumer goods comes as the Biden administration also added 71 companies to a trade blacklist, Reuters reports.
Australia has imposed a new set of sanctions and an export ban on Russia. On Friday, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong announced sanctions that will target 21 entities and three individuals. The entities include the major Russian oil company Rosneft, gold company Polyus PJSC, steel company Severstal PJSC and five banks.
Denmark will train Ukrainian F-16 pilots following a US decision to support the training. “Denmark has been working for this together with close allies,” the NATO country’s ministry of defense said, Reuters reports.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has addressed Arab League leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He said asked them not to turn a blind eye to what was happening in Ukraine, saying, “Unfortunately there are some among the world, and here among you who turn a blind eye to those cases and illegal annexations. I am here so everyone can take an honest look, no matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must be independence.”
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 Zelenskiy and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, whose RAF will be involved in the initiative.
Russia has sanctioned former US president Barack Obama, in response to a US sanctioning 300 individuals, companies and institutions. The US measures are largely targeted at energy production.
Ukrainian air defence has 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,” Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television. Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of Lviv, has posted to Telegram to say that five drones were 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 he said that the sanctions were helping unite the Russian people rather than divide them. In comments reported by Reuters, he said: “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 that 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.
More than 100,000 people have enlisted in the Russian army so far this year, former president Dmitry Medvedev has said, as Moscow seeks to recruit volunteers for its offensive in Ukraine.
Five members of a Belarusian regiment fighting with Ukrainian forces have been killed in the flashpoint east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a Belarusian opposition leader living in exile said Friday. “Heartbroken by the death of five members of the Belarusian Kastus Kalinouski regiment fighting for Ukraine in Bakhmut,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter.
The UK unveiled a swathe of new sanctions ahead of the meeting. The British prime minister, Rishi 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.
The G7 group of nations has urged Russia to stop its objection to the renewal of the Black Sea grain deal and told it to halt “threatening global food supplies”.
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.
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we close the blog for today. Thank you for following along.
The US’s decision to support fighter jet training for Ukrainian pilots marks a major boost of western allies’ support to Ukraine in its war against Russian forces.
According to a senior Biden administration official, president Biden has already informed fellow leaders attending the G7 summit in Japan about his decision.
Just exactly how will F-16 fighter jets change the tide of war?
Dan Sabbagh explains:
In part, it is a question of how many F-16s Ukraine could obtain. The country’s air force has boldly asked for 200, a number that even a generous west may be reluctant to provide in the first instance.
Justin Bronk, an air analyst with the Rusi thinktank, cautioned that the strength of the Russian air defences meant traditional close air support – bombing enemy positions – was hard to achieve because planes were forced to fly low to evade detection. As a result, their advantages in terms of weapons and radar may only be incremental.
“Western fighters with stand-off weapons would offer Ukraine an improved capability to destroy fixed Russian targets near the frontlines from a safer distance,” he tweeted, but “they would be adding to existing strike options like Himars [rocket artillery] and drawing from limited stockpiles”.
For more on F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine, read here:
US halts exports of consumer goods to Russia
The Biden administration has halted the exports of a slew of consumer goods to Russia including clothes dryers, snow plows and milking machines out of concern that the goods may be repurposed to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“You can’t even ship contact lenses or sunglasses now,” Washington lawyer Kevin Wolf, a former US commerce department official, told Reuters.
Wolf said “it would be simpler to describe the items that are not controlled for export to Russia.”
The list of banned consumer goods comes as the Biden administration also added 71 companies to a trade blacklist, Reuters reports.
The companies include 69 Russian entities, one Armenian one and one Kyrgyzstani one. The companies include aircraft repair, parts production plants, gunpowder, tractor and automobile factories, as well as shipyards and engineering centers in Russia.
“We will continue to impose costs on the Kremlin for continuing this war both by further restricting their access to additional items, as well as through aggressive enforcement,” under secretary of commerce Alan Estevez said in a statement that summarized the additional sanctions, according to Reuters.
Australia has imposed a new set of sanctions and an export ban on Russia.
On Friday, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong announced sanctions that will target 21 entities and three individuals.
The entities include the major Russian oil company Rosneft, gold company Polyus PJSC, steel company Severstal PJSC and five banks.
The sanctions will also bid to ban machinery exports to Russia and Russian-controlled regions in Ukraine.
“Australia stands with Ukraine. We pay tribute to the unwavering resilience and courage displayed by the Ukrainian people,” said Albanese.
“Australia again calls on Russia to cease its illegal and immoral war against the people of Ukraine,” he added.
Denmark to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots after US U-turn
Denmark will train Ukrainian F-16 pilots following a US decision to support the training.
“Denmark has been working for this together with close allies,” the NATO country’s ministry of defense said, Reuters reports.
“Denmark is ready to support this. We will with close allies work on the details with priority,” it added.
Updated
Summary
The time in Kyiv is now approaching 9pm on a day where Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the Arab League not to turn a “blind eye” to Russian aggression.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has addressed Arab League leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He said asked them not to turn a blind eye to what was happening in Ukraine.
Zelenskiy said: “Unfortunately there are some among the world, and here among you who turn a blind eye to those cases and illegal annexations. I am here so everyone can take an honest look, no matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must be independence.”
He also referred to the historic Crimean Tatar Muslims and reiterated that “Ukraine has not chosen the war”.
In the aftermath of the visit Saudi Arabia declared itself neutral in the conflict, its foreign minister said.
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 Zelenskiy and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, whose RAF will be involved in the initiative.
Russia has sanctioned former US president Barack Obama, in response to a US sanctioning 300 individuals, companies and institutions. The US measures are largely targeted at energy production.
Ukrainian air defence has 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,” Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television. Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of Lviv, has posted to Telegram to say that five drones were 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 he said that the sanctions were helping unite the Russian people rather than divide them. In comments reported by Reuters, he said: “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 that 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.
More than 100,000 people have enlisted in the Russian army so far this year, former president Dmitry Medvedev has said, as Moscow seeks to recruit volunteers for its offensive in Ukraine.
Five members of a Belarusian regiment fighting with Ukrainian forces have been killed in the flashpoint east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a Belarusian opposition leader living in exile said Friday. “Heartbroken by the death of five members of the Belarusian Kastus Kalinouski regiment fighting for Ukraine in Bakhmut,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter.
The UK unveiled a swathe of new sanctions ahead of the meeting. The British prime minister, Rishi 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.
The G7 group of nations has urged Russia to stop its objection to the renewal of the Black Sea grain deal and told it to halt “threatening global food supplies”.
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.
That’s all from me today, I’ll now be handing you to my colleague over in the US, Maya Yang. Thanks for following along.
Updated
Zelenskiy thanks US for agreeing to train Ukrainian pilots
President Zelenskiy has welcomed the US announcement that it will support the training of Ukrainian pilots in F-16s in Europe.
In the announcement on Friday, it said it would support European countries in helping Ukrainian pilots learn how to use its F-16 jets along with other modern jet fighters, ahead of them being provided to the country to help defend itself against Russia.
Zelenskiy tweeted: “I welcome the historic decision of the United States and [Biden] to support an international fighter jet coalition. This will greatly enhance our army in the sky. I count on discussing the practical implementation of this decision at the #G7 summit in Hiroshima.”
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak also said he supported the announcement, adding that the UK would work with the US, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to provide the training.
Saudi Arabia declares neutrality after Zelenskiy visit to Jeddah
Saudi Arabia has said it is officially neutral in the Russia and Ukraine conflict, its foreign minister has said on the day Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Jeddah to address the Arab League.
Reuters reports Faisal bin Farhan’s comments. He said Saudi Arabia had chosen “active neutrality”.
It could be a positive outcome for Zelenskiy, after last year relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia seemed to be at an all time high.
In Sepember Riyadh negotiated the release of prisoners captured during fighting in Ukraine.
Kremlin denies US attempts to visit Wall Street Journal reporter Gerschkovich in prison
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.
This move was triggered by the US refusal last month to give visas to media traveling with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to the United Nations, it said in a statement.
“Washington should have learned a long time ago that not a single hostile attack on Russia will go unpunished,” it added.
Russia had previously denied access late in April, ahead of a proposed visit on 11 May. He was arrested on 29 March on espionage charges that he, his employers and the US government deny.
Updated
Barack Obama added to latest Russian list of sanctions
Russia’s foreign ministry on has said former US president Barack Obama was among 500 US citizens who would be banned in response to the latest round of sanctions announced by Washington.
Earlier on Friday the United States announced sanctions against more than 300 targets, aiming to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and intensifying one of the harshest sanctions efforts ever implemented.
US adds hundreds more Russian companies to sanctions list
The US has sanctioned hundreds more Russian companies and people in its latest announcement.
Agence France-Presse reports that the new announcement was aimed at firms and research institutions involved in Russia’s investments in energy production. It includes those that use resources in the Arctic.
AFP reports that the US also sought to shut down networks for acquiring restricted technologies that operated surreptitiously out of Liechtenstein, India, Finland, Estonia, and the Netherlands, and Russian financial networks operating out of Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
And they targeted companies supplying components that Russia needs to produce its Orlan reconnaissance drone, including a Chinese firm.
In all about 300 individuals, companies, institutes, ships and aircraft involved in alleged sanctions-violating activities were added to US Treasury and state department blacklists.
The announcement came in parallel with the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, where leaders vowed to increase global economic pressure on Moscow to end its unprovoked 15-month-old invasion of Ukraine.
“Today’s actions will further tighten the vice on (Russia President Vladimir) Putin’s ability to wage his barbaric invasion,” said US treasury secretary Janet Yellen.
“Our collective efforts have cut Russia off from key inputs it needs to equip its military and is drastically limiting the revenue the Kremlin receives to fund its war machine,” she said in a statement.
The new sanctions included dozens of Russian defense industry firms and technology traders, the country’s leading gold miner and aides to already-blacklisted senior Russian officials.
They include Russia’s top gold producer Polyus, and companies and individuals allegedly involved in stealing grain from Ukraine.
A particular focus was on institutions involved in Russian energy development, including universities that develop and train people in mining and energy processing technologies, oil and coal industry support firms, and institutions financing future developments.
“Today’s actions implement new commitments made at the G7 leaders’ summit and demonstrate our shared resolve to hold Russia accountable for its mounting atrocities in Ukraine,” said secretary of state Antony Blinken.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for backing Ukraine’s sovereignty during his visit, a statement from the presidency said.
“The president thanked the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia for supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” Zelensky’s office said, adding that he had invited bin Salman to visit Ukraine.
Zelenskiy “noted the successful participation of Saudi Arabia in the return of ten prisoners of war” and said he hoped to continue joint efforts on the issue, according to Agence France-Presse.
Zelenskiy also met with Iraq’s prime minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, who he thanked for “Iraq’s solidarity” and its “firm position in supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state.”
Zelenskiy also held talks with the heads of the delegations from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Kuwait, with whom he discussed Ukraine’s peace formula.
The formula refers to Zelenskiy’s peace plan, which includes the full withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders.
The Ukrainian leader discussed issues relating to trade and investment as well as “global food security and the work of the Black Sea Grain Initiative” with the UAE delegation head.
He “emphasised the importance of supporting Ukraine’s peaceful efforts by the countries of the region” in discussions with Oman’s Asaad bin Tarik Al Said.
Zelenskiy also “expressed gratitude to Kuwait for its consistent support … repeatedly confirmed in the course of voting for the relevant resolutions of the UN general assembly.”
Here’s the statement in full from the US as they confirmed they will help train Ukrainian pilots.
It says:
Today, President Biden informed G7 leaders that the United States will support a joint effort with our allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s, to further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force. As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them.
This training will take place outside Ukraine at sites in Europe and will require months to complete. We hope we can begin this training in the coming weeks.
To date, the United States and our allies and partners have focused on providing Ukraine with the vast majority of the systems, weapons, and training it requires to conduct offensive operations this spring and summer. Discussions about improving the Ukrainian Air Force reflect our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s self-defence.
Together with the short-term and medium-term security assistance packages we are providing Ukraine, President Biden is sending a powerful signal of how the United States and our allies and partners are fully united in ensuring Ukraine remains sovereign, independent, and secure with the ability to defend against and deter future attacks.”
G7 calls on Russia to extend Black Sea grain deal
The G7 group of nations has urged Russia to stop its objection to the Black Sea grain deal and told it to halt “threatening global food supplies”.
In a statement jointly released on Friday, they said: “We will continue to support the export of Ukrainian agri-products including through the EU-Ukraine solidarity lanes. In this regard, we support the expansion and extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) and we call upon Russia to stop threatening global food supplies and allow the BSGI to operate at its maximum potential.
“We remain committed to the Grain from Ukraine initiative. Our contributions support the delivery of humanitarian food assistance to the most vulnerable countries in partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
“We remain dedicated to concrete collaborative actions in order to enhance energy security and achieve climate commitments. We will continue to work together in solidarity to limit the impacts from the global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to support vulnerable and affected countries, such as through the International Energy Agency taskforce on Natural Gas and Clean Fuels Market Monitoring and Supply Security.”
Russia recruited more than 100,000 soldiers so far this year - Medvedev
More than 100,000 people have enlisted in the Russian army so far this year, former president Dmitry Medvedev has said, as Moscow seeks to recruit volunteers for its offensive in Ukraine.
Moscow has conducted an aggressive military recruitment campaign in recent months as Kyiv gears up for an offensive after months of stalemate in eastern Ukraine.
“Between 1 January and 19 May, 117,400 people have been accepted into the ranks of the armed forces on a contractual basis and as part of our voluntary formations,” Medvedev said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Mededev, who is now deputy chairman of the Kremlin’s Security Council, said Russian officials were continuing to recruit soldiers on contract.
In September, president Vladimir Putin announced a “partial” military mobilisation – Russia’s first since the second world war – sending shock waves across the country and prompting tens of thousands to flee.
Unwilling to announce a second mobilisation drive, Moscow has instead opted for a massive PR campaign, hoping to lure Russians with financial incentives.
Authorities have not disclosed their targets but various estimates say Moscow could be trying to recruit 400,000 volunteers.
Defence minister Sergei Shoigu said in December it was necessary to increase the number of combat personnel to 1.5 million.
Russian authorities have not disclosed the current losses but in September the defence ministry said nearly 6,000 Russian troops had died in Ukraine.
According to western estimates, about 150,000 Russian soldiers and about 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and wounded.
Dan Sabbagh has more on the news that the US will support an international initiative to train pilots to fly its F-16 jets.
The US will back a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other modern fighter jets, according to a western official.
Joe Biden has already informed fellow leaders attending a G7 summit in Japan of his decision, the official said. The training will begin in the next few weeks at an unspecified site in Europe and will take a few months to complete. Such training would be a prerequisite to the transfer to Kyiv of F-16s and other western warplanes.
The decision represents a dramatic shift in stance by Washington which had previously presented the supply of F16s to Ukraine as unfeasible. The speed of the about-turn took some allies by surprise. There had been reports that the US would give a green light to other states to make preparations to supply western jet fighters, but even close allies did not expect Biden to support direct US involvement in a training programme.
Read more:
Biden says US will support training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets - reports say
US president Joe Biden has told G7 leaders that Washington will support a joint effort with allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, CNN reported on Friday, citing a senior US official.
According to CNN the training is unlikely to happen in the US, instead taking place in Europe. But in a new development, US pilots will be taking place alongside them.
“As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them,” the official said.
The official added that “to date, the United States and our allies and partners have focused on providing Ukraine with the vast majority of the systems, weapons, and training it requires to conduct offensive operations this spring and summer. Discussions about improving the Ukrainian Air Force reflect our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s self-defence.”
In March, two Ukrainian pilots visited a US airbase in Tucson, Arizona for evaluation, where they used flight simulators. Congress set aside money in the 2023 budget for training.
CNN reported on Thursday that the Biden administration has indicated to European allies that the US would allow them to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, sources familiar with the discussions said.
Agence France-Presse has more details on Russia’s ban on Greenpeace for “propaganda” reasons.
It has said that it wanted to “change power in the country,” the general prosecutor said.
The designation criminalises the work of organisations carrying the brand and puts staff at risk of prosecution. However it will continue to operate in Russia.
The office of the general prosecutor said the climate advocacy group posed “a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security” of the country.
Since the start of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, Greenpeace activists have been engaged in “anti-Russian propaganda” and called for Russia’s economic isolation, the statement said.
Greenpeace’s efforts have been “aimed at destabilising the socio-political situation and attempting to change power in the country in an unconstitutional way,” the office of the general prosecutor said.
“The environmental activities of Greenpeace are in fact accompanied by the active promotion of a political position, attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the state and are aimed at undermining its economic foundations,” the statement said.
Authorities are taking the crackdown on freedoms in Russia to an unprecedented level over a year into Moscow’s assault on Ukraine, with independent media and rights groups shut down and most key opposition figures behind bars or in exile.
In March, the justice ministry labelled the World Wildlife Fund a “foreign agent.”
The “foreign agent” label has Soviet-era connotations and has been widely used against Kremlin critics.
The designation is however less harsh than the “undesirable organisation” tag and allows bodies to continue operations in the country.
Leaders of the G7 call for a 'world without nuclear weapons'
Leaders of the G7 have called for a “world without nuclear weapons”, urging Russia, Iran, China and North Korea to cease nuclear escalation and embrace non-proliferation, a statement released by the White House showed.
Russia’s nuclear rhetoric and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus “are dangerous and unacceptable,” and Russia should return to full implementation of new Start (strategic arms reduction treaty) treaty, the leaders said in the statement.
We underscore the importance of the 77-year record of non-use of nuclear weapons. Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, undermining of arms control regimes, and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are dangerous and unacceptable.
We recall the statement in Bali of all G20 leaders, including Russia. In this context, we reiterate our position that threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible.
We recall the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States issued on 3 January 2022, on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, and affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. We call on Russia to recommit – in words and deeds – to the principles enshrined in that statement.
The overall decline in global nuclear arsenals achieved since the end of the cold war must continue and not be reversed.
Updated
More from Ukraine’s efforts to repel a counteroffensive from Russian forces that are trying to recapture land it had lost around Bakhmut.
A Ukrainian mortar unit near the city told Reuters it had advanced this week, but was facing heavy fire from Russian forces who appeared to have significant strength in manpower and stocks of ammunition.
“The fire was intensive this week. Our forces pushed forward a little, stopped near the canal. It’s hard to push them (the Russians) out of there,” said a soldier with the call sign Medvid, which means “bear” in Ukrainian.
The unit’s troops said they were firing about 100 mortar rounds a day at Russian positions. They said their location could not be disclosed.
Ukraine says it has made small advances this week on the flanks of the city in the industrial Donbas region even as Russia’s Wagner private army has inched closer to capturing the city itself.
Deputy Ukrainian defence minister Hanna Maliar said the Russian forces had gained some ground inside Bakhmut in fierce fighting but did not control the city.
“The enemy is trying to regain what they have lost... but our forces are repulsing the attacks,” she said in televised remarks.
“It’s very difficult to carry out combat missions there and every metre (of advance) is like 10 kilometres in other conditions.”
She said the Russian forces had made “some progress” inside Bakhmut but did not say how far forward they had advanced.
The head of Russian mercenaries fighting in Bakhmut said the city was unlikely to fall in the next two days. Ukrainian soldiers, he said, were holed up in a makeshift “fortress” in the south of the city.
Ukraine says it would consider resumption of Russian ammonia exports
Kyiv would consider allowing Russian ammonia to transit its territory for export on condition the newly renewed Black Sea grain deal is expanded to include more Ukrainian ports and a wider range of commodities, a government source told Reuters.
The comments are the first time Kyiv has publicly laid out its stance on Russian ammonia, which Moscow wants shipped via the Black Sea under the agreement.
The Black Sea grain initiative brokered by Turkey and the UN in July last year facilitates “the safe navigation for the export of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilisers, including ammonia” from three Ukrainian ports.
The Ukrainian government source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters the language of the deal does not cover the transit of Russian ammonia across Ukraine.
Only three of Ukraine’s major Black Sea ports are included in the agreement. Kyiv has repeatedly said it would like the deal to cover more goods and ports.
The government source said the text agreed on Wednesday made no mention of the Togliati-Odesa ammonia pipeline and transit and a further agreement would be needed if the Ukraine route is to be covered. In return, Ukraine would make demands.
“We say the following – if it includes an ammonia pipeline, then Ukraine should get some additional things which will serve our national interests,” the source said. “That is the expansion of the agreement’s geography and the list of [permitted] goods.”
Here is an image issued by the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, during an inspection he has carried out in occupied Zaporizhzhia, one of the regions Russia partially occupied and claims to have annexed from Ukraine.
Updated
Reuters reports that Igor Krasnov, the Russian prosecutor general, has declared the environmental group Greenpeace an “undesirable organisation”.
An air battle over Kyiv may have been the first time some of the world’s most advanced strike missiles and air defences were engaged in intense combat over a major capital city in the west, the Kyiv Independent’s Illia Ponomarenko writes in his latest newsletter.
Ponomarenko called the air battle that lasted 20 minutes in the skies of the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday night “historic”.
“Two days later, it’s obvious that this was a decisive Ukrainian air defence victory,” he wrote.
Updated
Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the Ukrainian presidency, has given a little more detail on Telegram about today’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
“The working visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began with the meeting of the president with the crown prince, prime minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud. The president invited Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud to visit Ukraine,” said Yermak.
Updated
Five members of a Belarusian regiment fighting with Ukrainian forces have been killed in the flashpoint east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a Belarusian opposition leader living in exile said on Friday.
“Heartbroken by the death of five members of the Belarusian Kastus Kalinouski regiment fighting for Ukraine in Bakhmut,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya tweeted.
Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Minsk in 2020 despite claiming victory in presidential elections, is a vocal critic of Belarusian strongman and Kremlin ally Alexander Lukashenko.
Lukashenko allowed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to send columns of Russian tanks to Ukraine last February from Belarusian territory.
“The regiment reported that a commander was killed as he enabled the evacuation of the wounded,” Tsikhanouskaya said according to Agence France-Presse.
“Four dead soldiers remain buried under the rubble after their building was hit by enemy artillery fire and can’t be retrieved now.”
Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region once had a population of around 70,000 but has been almost entirely reduced to ruin after months of fighting.
Updated
Putin says west is trying to break up Russia
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 he said that the sanctions were helping unite the Russian people rather than divide them.
In comments reported by Reuters, he said: “There are attempts to drive a wedge between peoples of our country. They say Russia should be divided up into tens of different states.”
Updated
Zelenskiy urges Arab League leaders not to turn a blind eye to war in Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskiy is addressing the Arab League of leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
We have only seen a partial clip of the speech so far. However, Zelenskiy opened by paying tribute to the “warriors” he was representing and the Ukrainian people.
He said: “Ukrainians has never chosen the war. Our troops didn’t go to other lands. We do not engage in annexation and plunder of other nation’s resources. But we will never submit to any foreigners or colonisers. That’s why we fight.
“I am sure you will understand our main emotion, the main call I want to leave in Jeddah, a noble call to all of you to help protect our people including Ukrainian Muslim community.”
He had travelled with the Ukrainian Tatar people who live in Crimea, which is home to a Muslim community.
Zelenskiy continued: “The Crimea and Tatar should remain an integral part of the Muslim community of the world, but Crimea were the first to suffer from the Russian occupation. Most of all, those who have had to suffer the occupation are Muslims.
“Unfortunately there are some among the world, and here among you who turn a blind eye to those cases and illegal annexations. I am here so everyone can take an honest look, no matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must be independence.”
He thanked Saudi Arabia for helping negotiate the return of prisoners, and mentioned the Arab students who have visited and studied in Ukraine.
Against a backdrop of ongoing discussions around the Black Sea grain deal, which Russia is currently holding out on agreeing, Zelenskiy reminded them of the grain that is grown in Ukraine and sold to the Middle East.
He said was sure none of the other leaders would let another country take their children, as Russia has with forced repatriations of children from east Ukraine, without a “fight”.
“I greet everyone who is ready to join us on the path of justice. Ukraine posted the peace formula to end the war. You can see how it works on the example of food security,” he said. “Even when the war is thrown into our home, we do everything so the homes of other people survive. We managed to launch the Black Sea grain intitative and lift the partial Russian blockade of our ports. This stabilised food markets and helped many, many including the nations of the Arab League.
“It will also help many to return home of all captives and deportees. Each of the honourable delegation was given a document in your language with the points of the peace plan.”
Updated
Poland hopes China will put pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine, the Polish foreign ministry has said, after a meeting between a Polish deputy foreign minister and China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs.
Reuters reports that Poland said it hopes China will “exert pressure on Russia to return to compliance with the principles of international law and will condemn Russia’s aggression”.
Deputy foreign minister Wojciech Gerwel said Poland would never recognise the parts of Ukraine that Russia had illegally seized as Russian.
Updated
As ever with Ukrainian politicians, the international visits continue as Zelenskiy’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, is in Portugal on Friday.
He will meet the Portuguese foreign minister, João Gomes Cravinho, and the defence minister, Helena Carreiras, in Lisbon, the foreign ministry website reports.
In the bulletin on the Ukrainian government website, it said they will discuss more military aid for Ukraine, Zelenskiy’s peace plan and the upcoming Nato summit in Vilinius, Lithuania.
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Zelenskiy to meet Mohammed bin Salman
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on his first-ever trip to Saudi Arabia.
He said after arriving in Saudi Arabia that his priorities were to discuss Ukraine’s peace formula for ending Russia’s war on his country, protection of the Muslim community in Ukraine, and the return of political prisoners from Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia.
Beginning my first-ever visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enhance bilateral relations and Ukraine’s ties with the Arab world. Political prisoners in Crimea and temporarily occupied territories, the return of our people, Peace Formula, energy cooperation. KSA plays a…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2023
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The Russian security council secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, has claimed that 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, Russian news agencies reported according to Reuters.
Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in a cafe after he was handed a bust containing explosives, which went off. A woman, Darya Trepova, has been accused of being behind the bombing and is in custody.
Zakhar Prilepin, a pro-war blogger and writer, was injured when a car bomb went off just over a fortnight ago. He suffered severe injuries to his legs, according to reports from Russia.
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Summary of the day so far …
Ukrainian air defence has 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,” Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television. Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of Lviv, has posted to Telegram to say that five drones were shot down overnight above his western Ukrainian region.
Russian forces are trying to recapture land they have lost around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, but Kyiv’s forces are repelling the attacks, deputy Ukrainian defence minister Hanna Maliar claimed on Friday. Russian forces have gained some ground inside the city itself but they do not control it and fighting rages on, Maliar said in televised comments.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived at Jeddah on his way to the Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia, and he will then go on to attend the G7 meeting in Japan in person.
Russian military forces have been enhancing defensive positions in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine in recent weeks, four witnesses have told Reuters.
The United States and the rest of the G7 major economies will unveil new sanctions and export controls targeting Russia, a US official has said ahead of the G7 summit in Japan. The G7’s latest efforts were aimed at disrupting Russia’s ability to get materials it needed for the battlefield, closing loopholes used to evade sanctions, further reducing international reliance on Russian energy and narrowing Moscow’s access to the international financial system, the official told reporters on Thursday.
The UK unveiled a swathe of new sanctions ahead of the meeting. The British prime minister, Rishi 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.
Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass reports that Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has today inspected a forward command post in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.
Roman Starovoyt, governor of Kursk region in Russia, has posted to Telegram to claim that “the Korenevsky district was shelled by the armed forces of Ukraine”. He said “a total of eight arrivals were counted. Power lines and the fence of the electrical substation were damaged.”
A judge is poised to decide whether a Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents, including sensitive information about the war in Ukraine, will remain behind bars while he awaits trial. Jack Teixeira is due back in federal court today in Worcester, Massachusetts, where a magistrate judge is expected to hear arguments on prosecutors’ request to keep the 21-year-old locked up before issuing a ruling.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in Jeddah
Reuters has a quick snap that according to Saudi media, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in Jeddah. He will be attending an Arab League meeting before flying on to Japan for the G7 summit.
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Roman Starovoyt, the governor of Kursk region in Russia, has posted to Telegram to claim that “the Korenevsky district was shelled by the armed forces of Ukraine”.
He said “a total of eight arrivals were counted. Power lines and the fence of the electrical substation were damaged.”
The claims have not been independently verified. The Kursk region borders Ukraine and is to the north of Sumy.
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The UK’s foreign secretary James Cleverly has tweeted about the latest tranche of sanctions against Russia, saying “Putin will pay the price for his illegal invasion of Ukraine”.
Putin will pay the price for his illegal invasion of Ukraine.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) May 19, 2023
Today we’re increasing economic pressure – cracking down on Russia’s theft of Ukrainian grain and the remaining revenue sources that support its military machine.
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Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass reports that Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has today inspected a forward command post in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine. Tass reports:
The ministry noted that Shoigu heard reports from the commander of the Vostok group and headquarters officers. They reported on the current situation, the nature of the enemy’s actions and the performance of combat missions by the Russian troops in the main tactical areas.
“At the headquarters of the grouping of troops, the Russian defence minister held a meeting with the commander of the grouping, at which he noted the high efficiency of identifying and destroying military equipment and concentrations of enemy personnel in the main directions of the grouping,” the defence ministry added.
Zaporizhzhia is one of the partially occupied regions of Ukraine that the Russian Federation claims to have annexed.
In recent days, the Wagner mercenary group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had suggested Shoigu visit Bakhmut, which was widely perceived as a challenge to the defence minister’s authority.
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The G7 has issued a statement ahead of its summit in Hiroshima in Japan. It said:
We, the Leaders of the G7, reaffirmed our commitment to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We condemn, in the strongest terms, Russia’s manifest violation of the Charter of the UN and the impact of Russia’s war on the rest of the world.
15 months of Russia’s aggression has cost thousands of lives, inflicted immense suffering on the people of Ukraine, and imperiled access to food and energy for many of the world’s most vulnerable people. We express our full sympathy and condolences to the Ukrainian people for their loss and suffering.
We salute the Ukrainian people for their brave resistance. Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not tire in our commitment to mitigate the impact of Russia’s illegal actions on the rest of the world.
Russian forces are trying to recapture land they have lost around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, but Kyiv’s forces are repelling the attacks, deputy Ukrainian defence minister Hanna Maliar claimed on Friday.
Russian forces have gained some ground inside the city itself but they do not control it and fighting rages on, Reuters reports Maliar said in televised comments.
It has been impossible for journalists to independently verify the battle situation on the ground, in the city which has been fiercely contested for months.
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Zelenskiy to attend Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia – reports
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is on his way to the Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia, a source familiar with the meeting has told Reuters.
Zelenskiy will then travel on to the G7 meeting in Hiroshima in Japan from the Saudi city of Jeddah on a French government plane, the source told Reuters.
Reuters has a quick snap to say the Russian government has announced the prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, will visit China on 23-24 May where he will meet the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.
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Anton Gerashchenko, a former ministry of the interior in Ukraine and an adviser to Kyiv’s government, has described last night as “another massive Russian attack on Ukraine”. In a tweet, Gerashchenko said:
Another massive Russian attack on Ukraine last night. [The] tenth Russian air attack on Kyiv in 19 days of May. Another sleepless night for many of us.
Air defence shot down 16 drones and three Kalibr cruise missiles. There have been damages in several Ukrainian regions. A 64-year old woman was seriously injured. [The] terrorist state tries to exhaust Ukrainian air defence and Ukrainian people.
Another massive Russian attack on Ukraine last night. Tenth Russian air attack on Kyiv in the 19 days of May. Another sleepless night for many of us.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 19, 2023
Air defense shot down 16 drones and 3 Kalibr cruise missiles. There have been damages in several Ukrainian regions, a 64-year old… pic.twitter.com/BrGfxujcVw
Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of Lviv, has posted to Telegram to say that five drones were shot down overnight above the western Ukrainian region. He cautioned residents to take note of air alerts, saying “this is the best help for our defenders”. He said “there are no casualties or damage in our region”.
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UK formally announces new sanctions against Russia
In a statement the UK government has said it has introduced “a new wave of sanctions against Russia, targeting businesses and individuals connected to Russia’s capacity to fund and wage the war”.
The announcement encompasses 86 individuals and organisations which the government says are “connected to Russia’s energy, metals, defence, transport, and financial sector”. It claims this will ramp up “pressure on Putin’s remaining revenue and attempts to use these sectors to support the military machine”.
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Russian military forces have been enhancing defensive positions in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine in recent weeks, four witnesses have told Reuters.
New trenches have been dug around the city and more mines have been laid. Surveillance cameras at the plant are pointing north across a wide reservoir towards Ukrainian-controlled territory.
The Russians have had firing positions set up atop some of the plant’s buildings for several months. Nets have also been erected in a possible deterrent to drones, according to the reports.
The measures were described by two Ukrainians who work at the power plant and two other residents in the city of Enerhodar who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for their safety in a city under Russian occupation.
Petro Kotin, the chief of Ukraine’s Energoatom nuclear agency, told Reuters he did not believe Ukrainian forces would stage an attack directly on the site, but could instead try to force the Russians to retreat by cutting off supply lines.
Russia seized the power plant in the first few days of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has held it ever since.
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That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. My colleague Martin Belam will bring you the latest from Ukraine (and the G7 in Japan) for the next while.
The British Ministry of Defence has some analysis of what yesterday’s train derailment near Simferopol means for Russia.
Rail traffic was suspended between Simferopol, capital of the Crimean peninsula, and the city of Sevastopol after a freight train carrying grain derailed, the region’s Russian-installed leader said on Thursday. The derailment was caused by “interference by outsiders”, Crimean railways said.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 19 May 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 19, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/eUVGkPAewS
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/j4PmEWbVnn
The defence ministry says that Russia “will move to repair the line quickly, but the incident will disrupt deliveries of supplies and potentially also weaponry, such as Kalibr cruise missiles, to the BSF [Black Sea fleet].”
And that: “Any sabotage in this sensitive area will further increase the Kremlin’s concerns about its ability to protect other key infrastructure in Crimea. The peninsula retains a vital psychological and logistical role in enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
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Ukrainian air defence destroyed 19 drones and missiles out of 28 launched on Friday morning, Ukrainian military said.
“Three Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea and 16 drones were shot down. Shelling continues on an almost daily basis,” Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television.
“Not all targets were hit,” he added.
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European Council president Charles Michel said on Friday that the EU would call on China to step up pressure on Russia to stop its military aggression in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 in Hiroshima, Michel also said that it was in the EU’s interest to maintain a “stable and constructive” cooperation with China.
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Ukrainian official confirms Zelenskiy's in-person appearance at G7
We now have official confirmation of Zelenskiy’s planned in-person visit to the G7.
Zelenskiy will travel to Japan for a G7 summit in Hiroshima, a top Ukrainian security official told state television on Friday.
“Very important things will be decided there and it is therefore the presence of our president that is absolutely essential in order to defend our interests,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said.
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G7 leaders have laid flowers at a memorial to the victims of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima in a sombre opening to a summit overshadowed by fears of a potential nuclear conflict in Ukraine.
As the heavy early morning rain began to ease, the summit’s host, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida, and his wife, Yuko, welcomed leaders and their spouses at the entrance to the city’s Peace Memorial Museum, where they viewed graphic reminders of the attack on the city on 6 August 1945 and its gruesome aftermath.
The Japanese leader – whose wife wore a gold pin shaped like an origami crane, a symbol of the city’s nuclear legacy – has said that achieving a world free of nuclear weapons is his “life’s work”.
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A judge is poised to decide whether a Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents, including sensitive information about the war in Ukraine, will remain behind bars while he awaits trial, AP reports.
Jack Teixeira is due back in federal court today in Worcester, Massachusetts, where a magistrate judge is expected to hear arguments on prosecutors’ request to keep the 21-year-old locked up before issuing a ruling.
Prosecutors said in court papers filed this week that Teixeira was caught by superiors months before his April arrest taking notes on classified information or viewing intelligence not related to his job.
Teixeira, who faces charges under the Espionage Act, is accused of sharing secret military documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other top national security issues in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.
Explosions were reported this morning in widely separated regions, Reuters reports, including Kriviy Rih in central Ukraine and Rivne and Lutsk in the west.
Ukraine’s military had said on Telegram that Russian aircraft were in the air and there was a threat of strikes from hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. An earlier military statement said some airborne targets had been downed, but gave no details.
The military had warned that central regions and Kyiv were at risk from drones.
Russia’s Tass news agency, quoting Russian-installed officials in the Moscow-controlled area of Donetsk region, said Ukrainian forces had fired eight grad missiles into the Russian-held city of Donetsk after midnight.
There were no details of damage or casualties.
Reuters was unable to verify details of any of the reported military activity.
Russia launched 10th widespread attacks this month, early Friday morning
Air raid alerts sounded throughout Ukraine early on Friday, with some areas later reporting explosions and officials saying anti-aircraft units were in action in several regions.
The alerts extended to all regions of the country for about an hour from 2am local time, Reuters reports.
But there were no reports of strikes on infrastructure or civilian targets and no indications of casualties as the alerts were withdrawn in Kyiv and in central and southern regions.
The head of Kyiv’s military administration said Russian forces had sent successive waves of drones towards the capital, the 10th attack this month and the second in less than 24 hours.
“This Kremlin tactic is an attempt to overwhelm our anti-aircraft forces and put psychological pressure on civilians. It won’t happen!” Serhiy Popko wrote on Telegram.
“All air targets sent toward Kyiv were destroyed by our anti-aircraft defences.”
Several regions reported anti-aircraft units in operation.
Japanese media say that the G7 leaders’ communique is expected to include a call for countries to stop providing weapons to Russia to prosecute its war in Ukraine.
Citing unnamed Japanese government officials, the Asahi Shimbun said discussions would focus on how G7 countries could close loopholes to strengthen sanctions against the Kremlin.
The communique is expected to resemble a statement issued by G7 foreign ministers last month that urged countries to stop providing Russia with products that could be converted for military use “or face severe costs”, the newspaper said.
US sanctions would “cut off roughly 70 entities from Russia, and other countries, from receiving US exports by adding them to the commerce blacklist. And there will be upwards of 300 new sanctions against individuals, entities, vessels and aircraft” an American officials said.
The US and its allies, including the EU and Britain, have continued to ratchet up sanctions and export-control pressure on Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
G7 leaders to unveil new sanctions
At the G7 today and over the weekend, leaders of the group of major economies will unveil further sanctions and export controls targeting Russia over its war against Ukraine, as it was reported that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, would attend the Hiroshima summit in person.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its second year, will be high on the agenda as G7 leaders gathered in Hiroshima on Friday. The US has spearheaded tough sanctions on Russian companies, banks and individuals; the forthcoming announcements are designed to reaffirm world powers’ resolve to support Ukraine and squeeze Moscow.
A US official, speaking to reporters ahead of the gathering, said the G7’s latest efforts were aimed at disrupting Russia’s ability to get materials it needs for the battlefield, close loopholes used to evade sanctions, further reduce international reliance on Russian energy, and narrow Moscow’s access to the international financial system.
Zelenskiy to attend G7 in person, reports say
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Japan to join G7 leaders at the summit in Hiroshima, a European Union source has told Reuters.
Bloomberg is also reporting Zelenskiy’s surprise in-person visit, citing people familiar with the matter.
Zelenskiy had been expected to make a virtual appearance.
Opening summary
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine with me, Helen Sullivan.
Our top stories this morning: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Japan to join the G7 summit in Hiroshima in person, Reuters and Bloomberg report, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. Zelenskiy had been expected to appear via video link.
G7 leaders are set to announce new sanctions against Russia during the gathering in Hiroshima. The measures are expected to disrupt Russia’s ability to get materials it needs for the battlefield, close loopholes used to evade sanctions, further reduce international reliance on Russian energy, and narrow Moscow’s access to the international financial system.
More on these stories shortly.
In the meantime, here are the other key recent developments:
The United States and the rest of the Group of Seven major economies will unveil new sanctions and export controls targeting Russia, a US official has said ahead of a G7 summit in Japan. The G7’s latest efforts were aimed at disrupting Russia’s ability to get materials it needed for the battlefield, closing loopholes used to evade sanctions, further reducing international reliance on Russian energy and narrowing Moscow’s access to the international financial system, the official told reporters on Thursday.
The UK unveiled a swathe of new sanctions ahead of the meeting. The British prime minister, Rishi 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.
The Pentagon overestimated the value of the ammunition, missiles and other equipment it sent to Ukraine by about $3bn, a Senate aide and a defence official told Reuters on Thursday, an error that may lead the way for more weapons being sent to Kyiv for its defence against Russian forces.
Jack Teixeira, the US air national guard member charged with being behind the so-called Pentagon leaks, was warned repeatedly over his mishandling of classified material, court documents show. The leaked documents appear to detail US and Nato aid to Ukraine and show real-time details from February and March of Ukraine’s and Russia’s battlefield positions and the amounts of battlefield gear flowing into Ukraine from its allies.
Ukraine has used the long-range Storm Shadow missiles provided by Britain, the British defence minister, Ben Wallace, said. He also said on Thursday there was no doubt Russia had “the intent and the ability” to target the west’s underwater energy and communication lines.
Ukraine said it had repelled a day of Russian attacks in and around the ruined eastern city of Bakhmut on Thursday and made gains of a kilometre in some places while buying time for “certain planned actions”.
Russia launched missiles overnight at Kyiv again, with falling debris causing a fire at a business building, authorities reported. It was the ninth time this month that Russian air raids have targeted the capital, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.
A person was killed in Russian missile strikes on Odesa, military administration spokesperson Serhiy Bratchuk has said on Telegram. Two people were injured. A person was also killed in Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region.
The Russian defence ministry has said it struck Ukrainian military targets using high-precision missiles. The claim on Thursday came a day after a major wave of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, the Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported.
The Black Sea grain corridor designed to ensure the safe supply of Ukrainian food to world markets has not yet resumed operation despite statements by Turkey and Russia on extending the agreement, a senior Ukrainian official said on Thursday. The deal was extended for two months on Wednesday.
Rail traffic was suspended between Simferopol, capital of the Crimean peninsula, and the city of Sevastopol after a freight train carrying grain derailed, the region’s Russian-installed leader said on Thursday. The derailment was caused by “interference by outsiders”, Crimean railways said.
The Kremlin has confirmed that a delegation from African countries hoping to present their initiative to end the conflict in Ukraine would visit Moscow. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would be ready to listen to “any proposals” that helped resolve the conflict.
