Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that the “Akhmat” group of Chechen special forces were waging an offensive near the town of Mariinka, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
Together with the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, troops from Russia’s Chechen Republic have been one of the main driving forces behind Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov said on Thursday that his forces were being moved to “another area” in preparation for a counter-offensive, but did not say where the troops were or where they were going.
Unlike Prigozhin, who has repeatedly lambasted Russia’s military leadership, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has recently refrained from echoing criticism of the defence ministry.
Meanwhile, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “war of aggression” against Ukraine as a “strategic failure.”
Speaking in Finland, the newest member of the NATO alliance, Blinken confirmed that the U.S is working with Ukraine and other allies to build consensus around the core elements of a “just and lasting peace” to end the war with Russia.
Key Points
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U.S. seeks ‘just and lasting peace’ for Ukraine, Blinken says
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Russia attacks Ukraine with 15 cruise missiles, 18 drones in overnight aerial attack
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Russia claims it thwarted three cross-border attacks in Belgorod
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Russia has lost more than 200,000 troops since the beginning of invasion, Kyiv authorities claim
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Russian missiles kill two children in Kyiv
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At least 10 short-range ballistic missiles downed in overnight attacks, says Ukraine
Russia: Chechen special forces waging offensive in east Ukraine
16:20 , Eleanor Noyce
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that the “Akhmat” group of Chechen special forces were waging an offensive near the town of Mariinka, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
Together with the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, troops from Russia’s Chechen Republic have been one of the main driving forces behind Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov said on Thursday that his forces were being moved to “another area” in preparation for a counter-offensive, but did not say where the troops were or where they were going.
Unlike Prigozhin, who has repeatedly lambasted Russia’s military leadership, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has recently refrained from echoing criticism of the defence ministry.
Members of the two groups have since openly sparred, with one of Kadyrov’s close allies on Thursday casting Prigozhin as a blogger who yells all the time about problems.
Russia’s Belgorod governor: two hurt, industrial site ablaze after shelling
16:55 , Eleanor Noyce
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Friday that two people had been injured and an industrial facility had caught fire after shelling around the border town of Shebekino.
Both Belgorod region and the town of Shebekino, which are adjacent to Ukraine‘s Kharkiv region, have come under repeated fire in recent weeks from the Ukrainian side of the border.
Watch: Antony Blinken delivers speech on Russia’s ‘failure’ in Ukraine during Finland trip
16:50 , Eleanor Noyce
Watch as Antony Blinken delivers a speech on how Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has “failed” as part of his trip to Finland on Friday, 2 June.
The US secretary of state was expected to talk about how the US will continue to support Ukraine in pursuit of lasting peace.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Blinken met his Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto in Helsinki to sign a joint statement and make short remarks.
Mr Blinken has made a trip to Europe to “deepen transatlantic cooperation on top national security and economic priorities.”
He is visiting Helsinki to highlight the US’s relationship with Nato’s newest ally.
Watch:
Watch: Antony Blinken delivers speech Ukraine war during Finland trip
Brics nations mull new trading currency to ‘not become victims’ of Western sanctions
15:50 , Eleanor Noyce
The Brics group of nations is mulling a new, common currency as an alternative to the US dollar for international trade so they can avoid the brunt of the West’s sanctions on Russia amid its war in Ukraine.
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa’s foreign ministers convened in Cape Town for a two-day summit to assert their aspirations in the face of rival Western countries.
The bloc was briefed by the New Development Bank, a Shanghai-based lender created by it in 2015, about the potential use of alternative currencies to the current internationally traded currencies, said Naledi Pandor, the foreign minister of host nation South Africa.
Without directly mentioning Russia, she said the aim was “to ensure that we do not become victim to sanctions that have secondary effects on countries that have no involvement in issues that have led to those unilateral sanctions”.
The bloc’s joint statement after the summit, that concluded on Friday, was titled “The Cape of Good Hope”.
Shweta Sharma reports:
Brics nations mull new trading currency to ‘not become victims’ of Western sanctions
How Dmitry Medvedev went from being Russia’s president to Vladimir Putin’s attack dog
15:20 , Eleanor Noyce
When Dmitry Medvedev gave back the top spot in the Kremlin to Vladimir Putin in 2012, many observers hoped that the more liberal of the two men would continue to use his position to gently steer Russia in the direction of democratic reforms.
What they did not expect was how, a decade on, Medvedev has become Moscow’s primary mouthpiece for nuclear sabre-rattling, as well as death threats to the leaders of Western nations, following his mentor’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A law graduate and then assistant professor at St Petersburg State University in the 1990s, Medvedev entered politics as a consultant to Putin during his time as an official in the St Petersburg city administration, before leading Putin’s first presidential election campaign.
Arpan Rai reports:
How Dmitry Medvedev went from being Russia’s president to Vladimir Putin’s attack dog
Russian-backed official says Ukraine shelled port of Berdyansk
15:10 , Eleanor Noyce
A Russian-installed official in Ukraine‘s Zaporizhzhia region said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had shelled the Russian-controlled port city of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov and that a number of people had been injured.
“Information on the fatalities is being clarified,” Vladimir Rogov said on the Telegram messaging app. He was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency that British “Storm Shadow” missiles had been used in the attack.
Zaporizhzhia is one of five Ukrainian regions, including the Crimea peninsula, that Russia claims to have annexed.
The notorious Russian jail holding US journalist Evan Gershkovich
14:50 , Eleanor Noyce
For decades, Lefortovo prison has been a symbol of oppression and control in Russia, especially for those who dare to challenge power. It is within these walls that American journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested in March, remains detained, awaiting trial on espionage charges – which he, the White House and Gershkovich’s employer, The Wall Street Journal, strongly deny.
Lefortovo serves as a pre-trial detention centre. Still, prisoners can spend years there. Paul Whelan, a former US marine, was at the prison for two years before being convicted on charges of espionage, and is now serving a 16-year sentence at a penal colony.
Based on descriptions by inmates, lawyers and prison monitors, including letters and sketches, as well as documentaries and photos of Lefortovo, we have built a portrait of what life is like inside the prison.
Former inmates describe a facility designed to instil fear, isolation and despair, write Mary Ilyushina, Francesca Ebel and Júlia Ledur:
The notorious Russian jail holding US journalist Evan Gershkovich
Kremlin says Europe knows risks of Ukraine joining NATO, but U.S. calls the tunes
14:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Many European countries are aware of the problems that would arise if Ukraine were to join NATO but it is the United States that “calls the tunes” for the alliance, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Asked at a regular news briefing about Ukraine‘s push to join the Western military alliance, Peskov said Kyiv’s NATO ambitions underscored its unwillingness to resolve problems at the negotiating table.
Peskov added that Ukrainian membership of NATO would cause problems for many years to come and that Russia would protect its own security and interests.
U.S.: Tanks, F-16 jets part of long-term strategy for Ukraine, won’t be ready for upcoming offensive
14:20 , Eleanor Noyce
Training for Ukrainian forces on advanced U.S. Abrams tanks has begun, and while those systems will not be ready in time for the imminent counteroffensive, those weapons will be critical in the longer-term to Ukraine ultimately pushing Russia out of its occupied territories, Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley said.
Tank training began as the U.S. and allies began to work out agreements to train Ukrainians on F-16 fighter jets — another long-wished-for advanced capability. Ultimately, while the tanks are needed to expel Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, the F-16s would be part of a longer-term security plan to deter future attacks, Milley said Thursday.
“Everyone recognizes Ukraine needs a modernised Air Force,” Milley said. “It’s going to take a considerable amount of time.”
Tara Copp reports:
U.S.: Tanks, F-16 jets part of long-term strategy for Ukraine, won’t be ready for upcoming offensive
Ukraine’s Zelensky: NATO membership ‘impossible’ until Russia war ends
14:10 , Eleanor Noyce
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he knew it would be “impossible” for Ukraine to join NATO while Russia was waging war on his country.
Zelensky has pressed for Ukrainian membership of the military alliance but allies are divided over how fast that should happen. Western governments are wary of any move that might take the alliance closer to war with Russia.
In a joint briefing in the Ukrainian capital with Estonian President Alar Karis, he said joining the alliance was still the best security guarantee for Kyiv.
“But we are adequate people and understand that we will not pull any NATO country into a war,” Zelensky said. “And that’s why we understand that we won’t be a member of NATO while this war is ongoing. Not because we don’t want to, because it’s impossible.”
Voices: The drone attack on Moscow imperils Putin like never before
13:50 , Eleanor Noyce
A review of the months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would turn up a succession of events that, depending on the outcome, could one day be seen as turning points. From the retreat of the huge Russian armoured convoy threatening Kyiv, to the ending of early ceasefire talks, to Russia’s capture of Mariupol (and so the land route to Crimea), and more recently its victory at Bakhmut – possibly opening Russia’s way to seize more of the Donbas.
To these potential landmarks must now be added the 30 May drone attacks on the Moscow suburbs, which appeared to target, among other places, the elite suburb of Rublyovka, home to the hidden mansions of the capital’s rich and powerful. The president’s official residence is not quite in the same area, but it is not far away.
Kyiv denied responsibility for the Rublyovka attack, as it had done with the drone attack on the Kremlin earlier in the month, and with the growing number of small-scale attacks in regions of Russia closer to the border. This time, though, the denial was more muted.
If the war spreads, so the possible scenarios for its fallout in Russia need to be urgently broached, writes Mary Dejevsky:
The drone attack on Moscow imperils Putin like never before | Mark Dejevsky
Kremlin: Discussions on peace in Ukraine must consider Russia
13:40 , Eleanor Noyce
The Kremlin said on Friday that it noted there were more and more discussions about peace in Ukraine, but that they had not shown the “political will” to take Russia’s concerns into account.
‘Path is open’ for Ukraine to join NATO – British defence minister
13:22 , Eleanor Noyce
Britain supports adding Ukraine to NATO and “that path is open” to them, although political realities may slow the process, defence minister Ben Wallace said on Friday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meetings in Singapore.
He noted that it is not possible to add members in the middle of a war, and that the way forward was to continue aiding and arming Ukraine for both short- and long-term security.
“The best thing we can do to help Ukraine is now to help them defeat Russia,” Mr Wallace said in an interview. “After that is to make sure they’re ready and capable and resilient.”
Ukraine‘s membership of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is on the agenda for the group’s July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Kyiv wanted “a clear decision” on its accession at the summit.
In pictures: Ukrainian military helicopters host drills in country’s north
13:20 , Eleanor Noyce
On Thursday (June 1), Ukrainian military carried out drills in the north of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defenses shot down more than 30 Russian cruise missiles and drones in Moscow‘s sixth air attack in six days on Kyiv, local officials said on Friday.
The Ukrainian capital was simultaneously attacked from different directions by Iranian-made Shahed drones and cruise missiles from the Caspian region, senior Kyiv official Serhii Popko wrote on Telegram.
A 68-year-old man and an 11-year-old child were wounded in the attack, with private houses, outbuildings and cars sustaining damage from falling debris, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.
China weighs next Ukraine peace mission after first yields little progress
12:50 , Eleanor Noyce
The Chinese envoy who toured European capitals last month seeking to promote Ukraine peace talks said on Friday that Beijing is considering another mission, after acknowledging that his trip may not produce immediate results.
At a news conference, Li Hui rejected a media report saying he promoted a ceasefire that would leave its ally Russia occupying parts of Ukraine and said Beijing would “do anything” to ease tensions.
However, there are high hurdles to finding common ground between the warring sides, he added.
“We felt that there is a big gap between both sides’ positions … Getting all sides to negotiate now would still face a lot of difficulties,” said Li, China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs and a former long-serving ambassador to Moscow.
“China is willing to actively consider sending another delegation to relevant countries to engage in dialogue on resolving the Ukraine crisis,” said Li, without elaborating on which countries.
In May, Li completed a 12-day tour of Kyiv, Warsaw, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Moscow in what China said was a bid to find common ground for an eventual political settlement.
White House wants to engage Russia on nuclear arms control in post-treaty world
12:20 , Eleanor Noyce
The White House is ready to have talks with Russia without preconditions about a future nuclear arms control framework even as it is enacting countermeasures in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s decision to suspend the last nuclear arms control treaty between the two countries.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will make clear the Biden administration’s desire for talks on building a new framework during an address to the Arms Control Association on Friday, according to two senior administration officials who previewed the address on the condition of anonymity.
Putin announced in February he was suspending Russia’s cooperation with the New START Treaty’s provisions for nuclear warhead and missile inspections amid deep tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Russia, however, said it would respect the treaty’s caps on nuclear weapons.
Read more:
White House wants to engage Russia on nuclear arms control in post-treaty world
Putin: We will not let enemies destabilise Russia
11:54 , Eleanor Noyce
President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of his Security Council on Friday that “ill-wishers” were increasingly trying to destabilise Russia and that this must be prevented.
“We must do everything we can to make sure that under no circumstances will they be allowed to do this,” Putin said.
China Ukraine envoy urges governments to ‘stop sending weapons to the battlefield,’ negotiate peace
11:50 , Eleanor Noyce
China’s Ukraine envoy appealed Friday to other governments to “stop sending weapons to the battlefield” and hold peace talks but gave no indication that his trip to the region made any progress toward a settlement.
Li Hui’s appeal came as Washington and its European allies are ramping up supplies of missiles, tanks and other weapons to Ukrainian forces that are trying to take back Russian-occupied territory.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government says it is neutral and wants to serve as a mediator but has supported Moscow politically.
“China believes that if we really want to put an end to war, to save lives and realize peace, it is important for us to stop sending weapons to the battlefield, or else the tensions will only spiral up,” Li told reporters.
Li visited Ukraine, Russia, Poland, France, Germany and the European Union headquarters during a May 15-28 trip.
Read more:
China Ukraine envoy urges governments to ‘stop sending weapons to the battlefield,’ negotiate peace
U.S. seeks ‘just and lasting peace’ for Ukraine, Blinken says
11:26 , Eleanor Noyce
The United States is working with Ukraine and other allies to build consensus around the core elements of a “just and lasting peace” to end the war with Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
Washington would also encourage initiatives by other countries to end the conflict, as long as they upheld the United Nations Charter and Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, he said in a speech.
“We will support efforts – whether by Brazil, China, or any other nation – if they help find a way to a just and lasting peace,” Blinken added.
Still, Washington would continue to support Ukraine militarily as the prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy is that Kyiv is capable of deterring and defending against any future aggression.
“Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine has been a strategic failure,” Blinken said.
Speaking in Finland, the newest member of the NATO alliance, Blinken said the United States would help build a “Ukrainian military of the future”.
Sanctions on Russia over Ukraine must be maintained, Japan says
11:14 , Eleanor Noyce
Japan and like-minded countries must be united and maintain sanctions on Russia until it ends its aggression in Ukraine, Japan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said on Friday.
“Judging from the situation and especially what Russia is saying and doing, I think it’s important that the G7 and like-minded countries still remain united and continue severe sanctions against Russia,” Hayashi told a press conference.
He said he hoped sanctions would encourage Russia to put an “end its aggression as soon as possible so that we can reach the phase that we can use the dialogue and peace talks”.
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries met in the city of Hiroshima last month and renewed their commitment to sanctions against Russia, while vowing to work to prevent them being circumvented.
The G7 countries said they would restrict exports of industrial machinery, tools, and technology useful to Russia’s war effort, and would limit its revenue from trade in metals and diamonds.
Pro-Kyiv group reports second day of fighting in Russia’s Belgorod
11:57 , Eleanor Noyce
A group of pro-Ukrainian forces said on Friday they were fighting Russian troops on the outskirts of a village just inside Russia’s western border, a day after Moscow said it had repelled three cross-border attacks.
The attacks follow a major incursion into Russia’s western Belgorod region on May 22-23 and an increase in cross-border shelling in recent weeks as Ukraine prepares to launch a big push to recapture Russian-occupied land in its east and south.
“We have active fighting on the outskirts of the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka (in Belgorod region). Unfortunately, there are wounded legionnaires, but freedom is won through blood,” the Freedom of Russia Legion said in a statement.
Reuters was unable to verify the situation in Belgorod region.
The group describes itself as Russians fighting against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government to create a Russia that would be part of the “free world”.
Along with the Russian Volunteer Corps founded by a far-right Russian nationalist, they say they Russian volunteers attacking under their own steam, and not on the orders of Ukraine, which denies involvement.
Russia says Ukraine hit western regions in overnight attacks
10:50 , Eleanor Noyce
Several regions in western Russia were hit by shelling and drones on Friday in overnight attacks from Ukraine, but no one was injured, local officials said in posts on the Telegram messaging app.
The governor of Russia’s western Bryansk region said Ukrainian forces had shelled two villages close to the Ukrainian border, while the governor of the neighbouring Kursk region said some buildings had been damaged in an overnight drone attack.
Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions and says they are conducted by Russian volunteer fighters.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Friday at least one incident of shelling had been reported overnight in the Shebekino district, and over 2,500 people were being evacuated from the area.
US to offer to keep nuclear arms curbs until 2026 if Russia does same
10:30 , Eleanor Noyce
The United States on Friday will offer to abide by the nuclear weapons limits set in the New START treaty until its 2026 expiration if Russia does the same, in order to bolster global security, two senior administration officials said.
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan will make the offer in a speech to the Arms Control Association, the oldest U.S. arms control advocacy group, the officials said on Thursday on condition of anonymity.
Sullivan will say President Joe Biden’s administration is open to resuming unconditional talks with Moscow on managing nuclear dangers, including replacing New START with a new pact, the sources said.
He also will repeat that the U.S. is ready to begin a risk reduction dialogue with China, which is expanding its nuclear arsenal, a call that Beijing so far has rejected amid deep strains with Washington.
“When political relations are at a low, when tensions are high, we find that arms control and nuclear risk reduction to be most important and we would argue that we find ourselves in that moment today,” said one official.
Man strips naked on Vatican church altar in protest over Ukraine war
10:20 , Eleanor Noyce
An unidentified man stripped naked on the main altar of St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The man had an inscription painted on his back which read that children in Ukraine should be saved.
The incident took place on Thursday just before the church was to be closed, Reuters reported.
According to a source, the Vatican guards later handed over the man to the Italian police.
He also reportedly had self-inflicted wounds and cuts on his back from his fingernails.
Maroosha Muzaffar reports:
Man strips naked on Vatican church altar in protest over Ukraine war
Russian-installed official says Ukraine hit ‘hospital camp’ in Zaporizhzhia region
10:00 , Eleanor Noyce
A Russian-installed official said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had hit a “hospital camp” in the region of Zaporizhzhia, without providing details.
“Information about casualties and damage is being clarified,” Russian-installed official Vladimir Rogov said on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reported attack. Zaporizhzhia is one of four regions in Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.
Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine and Nato exit from Eastern Europe
09:50 , Eleanor Noyce
Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke asset manager turned Republican presidential hopeful, has a plan for ending Russia‘s year-and-a-half war on Ukraine – sort of.
The 38-year-old political newcomer will unveil what he describes as a plan to bring the brutal conflict to a close by halting American support for Kyiv and “negotiating a peace treaty with Russia that achieves a vital US security objective: ceasing Russia’s growing military alliance with China”.
In remarks to be delivered on Friday in New Hampshire to the Belknap County GOP Lincoln Day, Mr Ramaswamy will say his plan is the mirror-image approach of the late US president Richard Nixon’s effort to break up the Soviet Union’s alliance with the People’s Republic of China, citing what he describes as Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s status as “the new Mao”.
Andrew Feinberg reports:
Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine
Kyiv defenses thwart Russia’s 6th air assault in 6 days against Ukraine capital
09:20 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukrainian air defenses shot down more than 30 Russian cruise missiles and drones in Moscow‘s sixth air attack in six days on Kyiv, local officials said Friday.
The Ukrainian capital was simultaneously attacked from different directions by Iranian-made Shahed drones and cruise missiles from the Caspian region, senior Kyiv official Serhii Popko wrote on Telegram.
A 68-year-old man and an 11-year-old child were wounded in the attack, with private houses, outbuildings and cars sustaining damage from falling debris, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.
A recent spate of attacks on the capital has put strain on residents and tested the strength of Ukraine’s air defenses while Kyiv officials plot what they say is an upcoming counteroffensive to push back the Kremlin’s forces 15 months after their full-scale invasion. Kyiv was the target of drone and missile attacks on 17 days last month, including daylight attacks.
Moscow’s strategy could backfire, however, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.
Susie Blann reports:
Kyiv defenses thwart Russia’s 6th air assault in 6 days against Ukraine capital
UN warns of new threat to global food security after Russia limits Ukraine grain shipments
08:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Warning of a new threat to global food security, the United Nations said Thursday that Russia is limiting the number of ships allowed to pick up Ukrainian grain at Black Sea ports in its campaign to get Kyiv to open a pipeline for a key ingredient of fertilizer to get to world markets.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed serious concern that only 33 ships departed from Ukrainian ports in May, half the number compared to April, and exports of grain and other foodstuffs totaled just 1.3 million metric tons last month, less than half the amount of the previous month.
He said Russia informed the center in Istanbul coordinating the arrivals, departures and inspections of ships involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative “of its decision to limit registrations in the port of Yuzhny as long as ammonia is not exported, and currently it’s not.”
UN warns of new threat to global food security after Russia limits Ukraine grain shipments
US retaliates for Russia’s suspension of New START treaty by revoking visas of nuclear inspectors
08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Biden administration is retaliating for Russia’s suspension of the New START nuclear treaty, announcing Thursday it is revoking the visas of Russian nuclear inspectors, denying pending applications for new monitors and canceling standard clearances for Russian aircraft to enter U.S. airspace.
The State Department said it was taking those steps and others in response to Russia’s “ongoing violations” of New START, the last arms control treaty remaining between the two countries, which are currently at severe odds over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The United States is committed to full and mutual implementation of the New START treaty,” it said. “Consistent with that commitment, the United States has adopted lawful countermeasures in response to the Russian Federation’s ongoing violations of the New START treaty.”
US retaliates for Russia’s suspension of New START treaty by revoking visas of nuclear inspectors
Zelensky salutes ‘powerful support’ from allies at Moldova summit – as he increases pressure over jets
08:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a summit of more than 40 European leaders in Moldova, where he said he had received “powerful support” from his allies as he sought to ratchet up the pressure on the West to provide weapons and security guarantees for Ukraine.
In what has become a familiar refrain for Mr Zelensky, the president spoke of the need to overturn Russian air supremacy with a “sky shield” – a combination of Patriot missile defence systems and F-16 jets provided by Western nations.
While his allies have talked a good game, Mr Zelensky will know that speed is important – given both the barrage of Russian missiles and drones that are hitting Ukrainian cities, and the preparations being made for a long-awaited counteroffensive to try to retake land occupied by Russian forces in the country’s east and south.
Zelensky salutes ‘powerful support’ from allies at Moldova summit
Two long-range drones hit west Russian towns overnight – governor
07:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Two long-range drones attacked fuel and energy infrastructure in Russia‘s western Smolensk region overnight on Friday, but no injuries or fires were reported, the region’s acting governor said.
He said the attacks hit the towns of Divasy and Peresna near the region’s capital Smolensk, some 270 km (168 miles) from the Ukrainian border, but did not say who was responsible.
The incident comes a day after the governor of Russia‘s Belgorod region said Ukraine‘s armed forces shelled the border town of Shebekino, setting alight a dormitory and damaging an administrative building.
Ukraine denies it is responsible for attacks within Russian territory.
Ukraine says it downed more than 30 missiles and drones
07:09 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukrainian forces in the capital, Kyiv, said on Friday they shot down more than 30 Russian missiles and drones overnight and two people were injured by falling debris, before authorities lifted air raid alerts across most of the country.
Russia has launched about 20 separate missiles and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities since the beginning of May.
Kyiv military authorities, writing on Telegram, said Russia had launched drones and cruise missiles at the same time.
“According to preliminary information, more than 30 air targets of various types were detected and destroyed in the airspace over and around Kyiv by air defence forces,” they said in a statement.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who earlier reported two separate waves of attacks, wrote on Telegram that there had been no calls for rescue services.
Ukraine‘s military said Russia had launched 15 missiles and 18 drones.
Kyiv region authorities said two people were injured as a result of falling debris, including a child.
“In addition, the falling debris damaged five private houses,” the state administration said on the Telegram messaging service.
Ukraine regularly says its defences destroy the majority of the missiles and drones Russian forces use in their attacks.
Armenia is not Russia’s ally, PM claims
06:52 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia is not Russia’s ally in its war on Ukraine.
“This has never been said out loud, but I think it shows: in the war with Ukraine, we are not an ally of Russia. And our feeling from this war, from this conflict is anxiety, because it directly affects all our relations” Mr Pashinyan said in an interview with CNN.
“In the West, they notice that we are an ally of Russia, they notice this more. And in Russia, they see that we are not their ally in the war with Ukraine. And it turns out that we are not an ally to anyone in this situation, which means we are vulnerable.”
Russia attacks Ukraine with 15 cruise missiles, 18 drones in overnight aerial attack
06:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Russia attacked Kyiv overnight with 15 cruise missiles and 18 Iranian-made Shahed drones in its latest attack on the capital, Ukrainian authorities said.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Facebook that all the drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defences.
Earlier, Kyiv reported that more than 30 Russian drones were shot down overnight on 2 June.
“Unfortunately, the attacks have killed and wounded civilians, including children. Also, a children’s clinic, apartment buildings, private houses, and other civilian infrastructure have been damaged,” Kyiv said.
“The likelihood of missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high.”
Man strips on the altar of St Peter’s Basilica to protest Ukraine war
06:05 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A man visiting St Peter’s Basilica yesterday reportedly took off his clothes and stood naked on the church’s main altar, a Vatican source was quoted as saying by Reuters.
It appeared that the man was protesting the war in Ukraine.
The unidentified man had an inscription painted on his back calling for the children of Ukraine to be saved.
The source said that the man had self-inflicted wounds and cuts on his body from his fingernails.
He was later handed over to the Italian police by the Vatican guards.
Russian authorities claim drone attacks in the city of Kursk
05:50 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Russia claimed that several Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight in the city of Kursk in the western part of the country.
Kursk Oblast governor Roman Starovoyt wrote in a Telegram post: “Tonight the air defence system near Kursk shot down several Ukrainian drones.”
Kyiv has, however, neither denied nor confirmed the drone strike.
A day before, Mr Starovoyt claimed that “drone munition” had been dropped on a substation in the village of Gogolevka in Kursk Oblast, resulting in power blackouts, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron say Ukraine needs security guarantees from Nato members
05:33 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor and France’s Emmanuel Macron both emphasised the necessity of security guarantees for Ukraine over Nato membership status.
Speaking at the second European Political Community Summit [EPC] in Moldova yesterday, Mr Scholz said that Ukraine and its allies are still “very far away” from any kind of peace agreement and added that the security guarantees for Ukraine should take precedence over Nato membership, Reuters reported.
“Given the current situation, it is not about establishing membership … We all have to focus on how we as individuals can support Ukraine,” he said.
“They must be designed in such a way that they give Ukraine the security it needs against the danger of being attacked, that they also stabilise Ukraine at the same time, … and of course, it is always part of the security guarantee that it is taken seriously.”
Mr Macron also said that he favoured “stronger, concrete very clear security guarantees” for Ukraine by Nato members.“We have to give a long-term perspective to Ukraine.”
Russia claims it thwarted three cross-border attacks in Belgorod
05:02 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Russia’s defence ministry claimed that it thwarted three cross-border attacks near the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region.
“Overall, the attack involved up to 70 militants, five tanks, four armoured vehicles, seven pick-up trucks and a Kamaz truck,” the Russian defence ministry said yesterday evening.
The ministry claimed to have killed more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia has lost more than 200,000 troops since the beginning of invasion, Kyiv authorities claim
04:34 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Russia has lost about 208,000 troops since the beginning of the invasion, according to Ukraine.
Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that this was more than the 170,000 Russian forces he says were involved in the initial invasion in 2022.
Meanwhile, Sky News reported that Russia has suffered over 60,000 casualties as of 1 June in its assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Last month, Russia declared its success in capturing Bakhmut after approximately a year-long battle.“We judge that capturing Bakhmut has likely cost Russia at least 60,000 casualties in that Bakhmut-Popasna sector over the course of the year-long battle,” it reported citing a Western official.
Yesterday, Russia shelled Ukraine’s position in Bakhmut at least 476 times, according to Mr Cherevatyi.“We are doing everything to exhaust their logistics — we are hitting the accumulation of equipment and personnel, headquarters.”
US to stop giving Russia some New START nuclear arms data
04:21 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The United States has decided to stop providing Russia with some notifications required under the New START arms control treaty — including updates on its missile and launcher locations.
In a fact sheet on its website, the State Department said it would also stop giving Russia telemetry information — remotely gathered data about a missile’s flight — on launches of US intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
The move is aimed to reiterate Moscow’s “ongoing violations” of the accord, Reuters reported.
The New START treaty was signed in 2010 by then-presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev and limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The agreement envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.
“Beginning 1 June 2023, the United States is withholding from Russia notifications required under the treaty, including updates on the status or location of treaty-accountable items such as missiles and launchers,” the State Department factsheet said.
Kyiv authorities lift air raid alerts and claim 30 Russian missiles and drones were downed
04:02 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Authorities in Ukraine today lifted air raid alerts across most of the country, it was reported.
Officials in Kyiv said defences downed more than 30 missiles and drones fired by Russia.
“According to preliminary information, more than 30 air targets of various types were detected and destroyed in the airspace over and around Kyiv by air defence forces,” military officials said in a statement shared on Telegram.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, who earlier reported two separate waves of attacks, wrote on Telegram that there had been no calls for rescue services.
Reminder: Fresh Russian bombardment of Kyiv kills at least three
02:50 , Jane Dalton
Russian forces began June with a fresh aerial bombardment of Kyiv on Tuesday, killing at least three people and wounding others, authorities said.
Two of the dead were children, according to city officials:
Fresh Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s capital kills at least 3 people, wounds others
Revealed: Life inside the notorious Russian jail holding a US journalist
01:40 , Jane Dalton
For decades, Lefortovo prison, where American journalist Evan Gershkovich is being held, has been a symbol of oppression and control in Russia.
Testimony from inmates, lawyers and prison monitors say it is designed to instil fear, isolation and despair, with psychological pressure that defines the torment of prisoners:
The notorious Russian jail holding US journalist Evan Gershkovich
Brazilian leader hopes to broker peace talks
Friday 2 June 2023 00:30 , Jane Dalton
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has reiterated his country’s criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but said he has been trying to remain neutral so he could broker potential peace talks.
After a meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto in Brasilia, Mr Lula said he was looking to create conditions for both countries to engage in peace negotiations to “stop the war when they are ready”.
“Brazil is working with other countries to achieve peace but nothing will happen until Ukraine and Russia want to,” Mr Lula said, adding that he had recently discussed the theme with other leaders including Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Grain exports have halved, says UN
Thursday 1 June 2023 23:15 , Jane Dalton
The United Nations is concerned about the continuous slowdown of the implementation of a Black Sea grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine, a spokesman said.
Only 33 vessels left Ukrainian ports in May, less than half the number seen last month.
He said the UN would engage with the parties toward full resumption of the deal.
Ukraine says the export deal has been halted again because Russia blocked registration of ships to all Ukrainian ports.
Zelensky increases pressure on allies for jets
Thursday 1 June 2023 22:20 , Jane Dalton
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said he received “powerful support” from allies at a summit of more than 40 European leaders, but he ratcheted up the pressure on Western allies to provide weapons:
Zelensky salutes ‘powerful support’ from allies at Moldova summit
‘Pro-Ukrainian militants’ attack Russian border
Thursday 1 June 2023 21:30 , Jane Dalton
Russia says it has repelled an attempted incursion along its border with Ukraine by what it casts as pro-Ukrainian militants, while heavy shelling and a suspected drone attack prompted a partial evacuation of the area by civilians.
Ahead of an expected Ukrainian counter-offensive in the 15-month war, Russia has come under repeated attack in recent days.
Russia’s defence ministry said it repelled three cross-border attacks on Thursday near the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region, and it accused Ukraine of using “terrorist formations” to try to attack Russian civilians.
“The selfless actions of Russian servicemen repelled three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist formations,” the Russian ministry said. “No violations of the state border were allowed.”
Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions into Belgorod and says they were conducted by Russian volunteer fighters.
Opinion: Moscow drone attack highlights threat to Putin
Thursday 1 June 2023 20:45 , Jane Dalton
It’s not impossible that senior officials gagging for more firepower, Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and other paramilitary groups could garner enough support among a disaffected Russian population to organise a rebellion against the Russian leader, writes Mary Dejevsky:
The drone attack on Moscow imperils Putin like never before | Mark Dejevsky
In pictures: Ukraine prepares for counteroffensive
Thursday 1 June 2023 19:45 , Jane Dalton
Girl, 9, and mother killed in Kyiv as air raid shelter stays shut
Thursday 1 June 2023 19:00 , Jane Dalton
A nine-year-old girl, her mother and another woman were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on Thursday after the air raid shelter they rushed to failed to open, witnesses said.
Police opened a criminal investigation into the three deaths near a medical clinic in the Desnyanskyi district of Kyiv after the 18th attack on the capital since the start of May.
“Three people, one of them a child, died near the clinic last night,” Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
“A rocket fragment fell near the entrance to the clinic four minutes after the air alert was announced. And people headed for the shelter.”
Local residents said people were unable to enter the shelter because it was closed. It was not clear why.
“The air alert sounded. My wife took our daughter and they ran to the entrance here,” local resident Yaroslav Ryabchuk told Reuters. “The entrance was closed, there were already maybe five to 10 women with children.
“No one opened up for them. They knocked loudly enough.
“They tried to enter the shelter, [but] no one opened up for them. My wife died,” he said.
The case caused a public outcry and prompted calls for residents to check shelters and report any safety violations. Local media said prosecutors later searched city administration offices as part of the investigation into the deaths.
At a makeshift memorial for the girl, another parent who was woken by the night-time attacks spoke of her terror.
“I grabbed my child and ran into the corridor because I didn’t have any other options. We sat there the whole time, there were a few more explosions,” said 25-year-old Oleksandra, visiting the memorial with her five-year-old son Hryhoriy.
‘At least 60,000′ Russian troops killed in Bakhmut
Thursday 1 June 2023 18:15 , Jane Dalton
Russia has suffered at least 60,000 casualties in its attempt to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a western official has said.
They also said that overall Russian casualties are “well over 200,000” and there are indications the anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive could begin within weeks.
Earlier this month, Russia claimed to have captured Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, after about a year of fighting.
A western official said: “We judge that capturing Bakhmut has likely cost Russia at least 60,000 casualties in that Bakhmut-Popasna sector over the course of the year-long battle.”
They said it was a “conservative estimate” for the number of Russian casualties on that area of the front, and on the estimated breakdown of killed to wounded they said: “I think we would say at least a third killed.”
They reiterated what a number of observers have said in describing Bakhmut as “not strategically significant” in terms of the wider conflict.
Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato, says Sunak
Thursday 1 June 2023 17:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in Nato, Rishi Sunak has said.
The Prime Minister is in Moldova for a gathering of European leaders, with his comments coming after a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Kyiv has long called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato, but allies are divided about when and how any accession might happen as the war with Russia continues.
Mr Sunak, speaking to broadcasters at the European Political Community summit, gave little further detail of the UK position on the Ukrainian path to membership.
The gathering, on the border of Ukraine, comes ahead of a key meeting of Nato leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July.
Dominic McGrath reports:
Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato, says Sunak
Newsmax branded ‘incompetent hacks’ for using images of Iowa building collapse in Russia drone strike report
Thursday 1 June 2023 17:00 , Eleanor Noyce
The far-right network Newsmax has come under fire for using images from a building collapse in Davenport, Iowa, in a report about a drone strike in Moscow, Russia.
The six-storey building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon, with city officials now saying that they’re evaluating if further searches for survivors can safely be conducted as the building is at risk of toppling.
Five people are unaccounted for following the collapse, with Mayor Mike Matson saying on Tuesday that officials think two of them may still be in the building, according to CNN.
On Wednesday, Newsmax featured harrowing images of the collapse as host Greta Van Susteren delivered a report on a “disturbing” drone attack in Moscow, Russia, according to Media Matters. In doing so, the network could lead viewers to believe that the drone strike caused the destruction seen in the photo thousands of miles away.
The drone strike was the first to hit a civilian area in Russia since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Gustaf Kilander reports:
Newsmax uses images of Iowa building collapse in report on drone strike in Moscow
Russia, China foreign ministers set for BRICS meet in South Africa with war in Ukraine on agenda
Thursday 1 June 2023 16:30 , Eleanor Noyce
The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers were set to meet with their counterparts from the BRICS economic bloc of developing nations in South Africa on Thursday for discussions that will start with “an exchange of views” on major geopolitical issues, including the war in Ukraine, South Africa’s ambassador to the bloc said.
Most of the BRICS countries differ sharply from the position of the U.S. and its Western allies on the war. Speaking ahead of the meeting, the South African ambassador referred to the West’s military aid to Ukraine as one of the things that “fuels the conflict.”
“Any endeavor that fuels the conflict does not solve the problem,” Anil Sooklal said when asked for his reaction to Western “attempts” to transfer weapons to Ukraine.
“We do not know of any global conflict that has been solved though war,” Sooklal said. “All it does is cause more pain and suffering and, as BRICS countries, this is what we are saying: Let’s focus on finding a peaceful resolution to the challenges, rather than fueling the conflict.”
Gerald Imray reports:
Russia, China foreign ministers set for BRICS meet in South Africa with war in Ukraine on agenda
Administration building burns in Russian border town ‘hit by Ukrainian missiles’
Thursday 1 June 2023 16:00 , Eleanor Noyce
A fire burned in a Russian border town on Thursday, 1 June, as Russian officials reported shelling by Ukrainian forces.
Footage shows an administration building on Lenin Street in Shebekino, Belgorod, up in flames.
Belogrod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that five people were injured on Thursday morning.
“Ukrainian armed forces fired Grad missiles at the center and outskirts of the city,” he said.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the reports.
It comes after Ukrainian officials reported that a mother and her 11-year-old daughter were among three people killed in a Russian attack on Kyiv on Thursday.
Taiwan donates $5 mln towards rebuilding Ukraine with Lithuania
Thursday 1 June 2023 15:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Taiwan has donated five million dollars towards Lithuanian-led reconstruction projects in Ukraine, a Lithuanian government investment agency said on Wednesday.
The funds will be spent towards rebuilding a school in Borodianka and a kindergarten in Irpin, Central Project Management Agency said in a statement.
Lithuanian government has spent 9.8 million euros ($9.2 million) towards the rebuilding, and the Taiwanese contribution will be used to purchase educational equipment.
“Taiwan sees Ukraine as our own image in a different continent. We both face authoritarian regimes which do not shy from using force to impose its world view”, Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Chun Lee said introducing the donation in Vilnius.
“If one day Taiwan is facing an increased level of military intimidation from China, we will be looking for your assistance as well, just as we are helping Ukraine“, he added.
In 2022 China downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania, and told multinationals to sever ties with Lithuania or face being shut out of the Chinese market, after the opening of a representative office by Taiwan in Vilnius.
In response, the European Union launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization, accusing China of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania that it says threaten the integrity of the single market. The challenge was joined by the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
China views self-ruled and democratically governed Taiwan as its territory and has stepped up pressure on countries to downgrade or sever their relations with the island.
Details of Ukraine’s future security guarantees remain to be decided, NATO chief says
Thursday 1 June 2023 15:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine‘s security must be guaranteed when the war ends, but NATO allies still have to work out the details of how to arrange this, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.
“When the war ends we must ensure we have a framework in place to ensure it is not a pause in Russian actions against Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said following an informal meeting of NATO countries’ foreign ministers in Oslo.
“We need to stop the vicious circle of aggression against Ukraine. Details of how that can be done remain to be decided.”
Russia says it seeking third suspect over war blogger killing
Thursday 1 June 2023 14:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Russian investigators said on Thursday they were seeking a third suspect over the April 2 killing of popular pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in an explosion at a cafe in St Petersburg.
In a statement posted on the Telegram messenger app, the Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said that Roman Popkov, a Ukraine-based Russian journalist who was previously a leader of Russia’s banned ultranationalist National Bolshevik Party, was wanted on terrorism and explosives charges.
Tatarsky, a native of eastern Ukraine‘s Donbas whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had been addressing an event in the cafe when the blast occurred. Russian officials later said a bomb had been hidden inside a statuette given to him as a gift during the event.
Russian officials have previously named Russian citizen Darya Trepova and Ukrainian national Yury Denisov as suspects in the killing.
Trepova, an anti-war and feminist activist, was arrested on April 3, while Denisov is believed to be still in Ukraine. Trepova has been charged with terrorist offences.
Trepova’s husband told independent Russian media outlets he believed she had been framed and had not known the statuette she had been told to deliver contained explosives.
In its statement, the Investigative Committee said Popkov had exchanged messages with Trepova over social media and had given her “instructions regarding the preparation of the terrorist act”.
At French Open, Sabalenka of Belarus refuses to answer questions about war in Ukraine
Thursday 1 June 2023 14:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Aryna Sabalenka, a Belarusian tennis player seeded No. 2 at the French Open, declined to answer questions about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after she won a match on Wednesday.
After her first-round win Sunday, Sabalenka had said no Russian or Belarusian athletes support the war, but she was asked Wednesday to personally condemn Belarus’ role in supporting Russia’s invasion.
“I’ve got no comments to you,” the Australian Open champion said in a press conference after her 7-5, 6-2 victory over Iryna Shymanovich in the second round at the Grand Slam tournament.
Sabalenka’s first-round opponent, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, had urged reporters to ask the 25-year-old Sabalenka if she personally supports or opposes the war.
Sabalenka was asked — in the context of potentially becoming the world’s No. 1 player — about whether she supports Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Read more:
At French Open, Sabalenka of Belarus refuses to answer questions about war in Ukraine
Ukraine says Russia has blocked Black Sea grain export deal again
Thursday 1 June 2023 13:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine‘s ministry of renovation and infrastructure said on Thursday the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain export deal had been halted again because Russia had blocked registration of ships to all Ukrainian ports.
“The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul has announced that it is impossible to draw up an inspection plan for June 1 due to another unjustified refusal of the Russian delegation to register the incoming fleet for participation in the Initiative,” the ministry said on Facebook.
Russia did not immediately comment on the status of the wartime initiative, intended to provide safe Black Sea grain exports.
Thursday 1 June 2023 13:00 , Eleanor Noyce
NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has called for a framework of security guarantees for Kyiv designed to stop Russia from again taking military action against the country.
Other allies such as Germany and Luxembourg stressed the risks should NATO rush to let Kyiv join.
“NATO’s open door policy remains in place, but at the same time it is clear that we cannot talk about accepting new members (who are) in the midst of a war,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn warned NATO’s mutual assistance clause meant the alliance would enter the war with Russia if it accepted Ukraine as a member while the fighting goes on.
Ukraine‘s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at a meeting of more than 40 European leaders in Moldova, reiterated Kyiv’s readiness to join NATO.
NATO squabbles over speedy accession of Ukraine as decisive summit looms
Thursday 1 June 2023 12:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Moscow cannot stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member, the alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, as divisions among allies about the speed of Kyiv’s accession became apparent only weeks before a decisive mid-July summit in Vilnius.
“All allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement,” Stoltenberg told reporters as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Oslo, seeking to dispel any signs of discord ahead of the summit.
“We are moving, allies agree that Ukraine will become a member.”
NATO agreed in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance but leaders have so far stopped short of taking steps, such as giving Kyiv a membership action plan, that would lay out a timetable for bringing Ukraine closer to the military pact.
At the Vilnius summit, NATO leaders aim to send a strong message of support to Kyiv. But with only six weeks to go, pressure is building for allies to find common ground on what exactly to offer Ukraine.
While Kyiv and its closest allies in eastern Europe call for concrete steps to bring Ukraine closer to membership, Western governments such as the United States and Germany are wary of any move that might take the alliance closer to war with Russia.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Kyiv had suffered two invasions while waiting for an answer from NATO for 14 years.
“It is high time that we actually sit down and find a very concrete answer as to how Ukraine is going to move closer to NATO and when they become a member of the alliance,” he said.
His call was echoed by his Estonian counterpart who urged allies to offer Kyiv a clear path into NATO and provide it with strong security guarantees after the war, in order not to leave any “grey zones” for Russia to exploit.
“Ukraine needs to get a clear path, and the next steps, on how to enter NATO,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
Biden approves a new $300M military aid package for Ukraine
Thursday 1 June 2023 12:00 , Eleanor Noyce
President Joe Biden has approved a new package of military aid for Ukraine that totals up to $300 million and includes additional munitions for drones and an array of other weapons. It comes as Russia has continued to pummel Ukraine’s capital and unmanned aircraft have targeted Moscow.
U.S. officials have said there is no suggestion that U.S.-made drones or munitions were used in the Moscow strikes, which the Kremlin blamed on Ukraine but Kyiv has not acknowledged. The Biden administration has said it has made clear to Ukraine that U.S.-made weapons should not be used for attacks inside Russian territory.
Aamer Madhani and Lolita C. Baldor report:
Biden approves a new $300M military aid package for Ukraine
Visiting Moldova, Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready for NATO membership
Thursday 1 June 2023 11:30 , Eleanor Noyce
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a trip to Moldova on Thursday that Ukraine was ready to be in the NATO military alliance, and that Kyiv was waiting for the bloc to be ready to admit his country.
He also reiterated Ukraine’s desire to join the European Union after arriving in Moldova, which borders Ukraine, for a summit bringing together more than 40 European leaders.
The summit is intended to show support for both countries as Kyiv prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion.
“We support Moldova and its people who are integrating into the EU. You supported our people, our refugees who fled in the first days of the war, and we will never forget it,” Zelenskiy said, standing beside Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
“Our future is in the EU. Ukraine is ready to join NATO,” he said.
The European Political Community summit is being hosted by Moldova at a castle about 20 km (12 miles) from Ukrainian territory.
Russian mercenary boss slams army ‘clowns’ as he marks birthday at training camp
Thursday 1 June 2023 11:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Russia’s most powerful mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said his Wagner group would fight on in Ukraine if his men got a separate section of the front without having to depend on “clowns” who ran swathes of the Russian armed forces.
Celebrating his 62nd birthday on Thursday at a training camp, Prigozhin also confirmed that his men would finally leave the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on June 5 after handing it to the Russian army. The Wagner mercenaries captured the devastated city in late May after months of grinding warfare.
“If the whole chain (of command) is 100% failed and will only be led by clowns who turn people into meat, then we will not participate in it,” said Prigozhin, known for his blunt, often expletive-laced commentary on the conduct of the war.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” he said to Russian reporters with a smile, gazing at a night sky lit up with blasts and red flares against bursts of automatic gunfire from his mercenaries.
Governor of Russia’s Belgorod: Ukraine shelled border town with Grad rocket system
Thursday 1 June 2023 10:40 , Eleanor Noyce
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces had shelled the border town of Shebekino using Soviet-era Grad rocket systems, setting one residential building in the town ablaze.
Vyacheslav Gladkov said the attacks had also damaged the local administration building and injured a resident.
Earlier Gladkov had reported heavy shelling overnight by Ukrainian forces, saying this had resulted in eight people being wounded and led to the evacuation of local residents.
South Africa mulls options on ICC arrest warrant for potential visitor Putin
Thursday 1 June 2023 10:30 , Eleanor Noyce
South Africa is mulling its options over an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin should he accept an invitation to a BRICS summit in August, a South African government official said.
A member of the ICC, South Africa would theoretically be required to arrest Putin under the warrant issued in March by the court, which accused him of the war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.
Moscow denies the allegations. A senior Russian official also poured cold water on the idea of moving the summit to China.
South Africa had on Jan. 25 already invited Putin to the Aug. 22-24 meeting in Johannesburg of BRICS leaders of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“There has been no firm decision,” said Zane Dangor, director-general of the department of international relations, adding that ministers assigned to the matter would soon meet to consider a report setting out the options.