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☆ Zelensky, Ukraine's president, plans to appear in person at Japan's G7 summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

G7 member countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, include the largest backers of Ukraine’s defense. Diplomatic pushEarlier this week, Zelensky completed a whirlwind European tour, where he made a bid to restock Ukraine’s military arsenal during stops in Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Zelensky will also attend the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday, two Arab diplomats confirmed to CNN. Zelensky met with envoy Li Hui earlier this week, China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry earlier that day had confirmed Li met Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and discussed “ways to stop Russian aggression.”

☆ Putin wants China to think he can defeat Ukraine. But his expensive military gambit is yet to yield results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Kremlin claimed it had hit one of the United States’ prestigious Patriot missile defense systems. The Kremlin claimed it had hit a US Patriot missile defense system. The White House rebuffed Moscow's claims that the attack hit a Patriot missile defense system. Ankara on the diplomatic fenceXi isn’t the only leader with skin in the Ukraine war that Putin appears to be trying to sway his way right now. There is no guarantee either that Xi cares about Putin’s missile salvo targeting Kyiv’s Patriot missile batteries either, but he will have been paying attention.

☆ Angelina Jolie unveils new sustainability-focused fashion venture
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has become the latest celebrity to announce their own fashion brand with the launch of Atelier Jolie. The Oscar-winning actor announced the new fashion venture in a post on Instagram on Wednesday. “I’m starting something new today — a collective where everyone can create,” wrote Jolie. “Atelier Jolie is a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors, pattern makers and artisans from around the world,” she added. From Angelina JolieThe brand also has its own Instagram account, and one post provides further explanation of its purpose.

☆ Preaching Tolerance Abroad, as Hatred Surges at Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Elizabeth Williamson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A year ago, Deborah Lipstadt, newly confirmed as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, attended a White House reception and reintroduced herself to President Biden as he passed by. “I know who you are,” Dr. Lipstadt recalled the president telling her. “And you have a big job.”Mr. Biden was right, but for reasons neither of them fully imagined. “My predecessors could go to countries and say, ‘You have a problem, and we take this seriously, and you should take it seriously.’ I can’t do that. I have to go and say, ‘We have a problem.’”

☆ Visiting Ukraine, China's envoy urged all sides to create space for peace talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, May 18 (Reuters) - Beijing's special envoy noted there was no panacea to the war in Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv earlier this week, but urged all parties to create conditions for peace talks, China's foreign ministry said on Thursday. Ukraine's foreign minister told Li on Wednesday that Kyiv would not accept any proposals to end the war that involved losing territory or freezing the conflict, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said. Li, who is a former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany and finally Russia during a multi-day trip. He is the most senior Chinese official to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. During Li's visit to Kyiv, bilateral relations were also discussed, and both sides agreed to work to maintain mutual respect and keep moving forward with mutually beneficial co-operation, China's foreign ministry said.

☆ Li Hui: Beijing attempts to play peacemaker with planned trip by special envoy to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A source within the Ukrainian government told CNN earlier this week that a Chinese envoy would be in Kyiv Tuesday and Wednesday, though Ukraine has not released further details. Beijing’s ties with Moscow have been under close scrutiny over the past week as European officials discussed a recalibration of the bloc’s China strategy. On Monday ahead of Li’s expected arrival in Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for Ukraine’s peace plan to be the basis of efforts to resolve the conflict. It is therefore the one that should set out the core principles for a just peace,” she said in Brussels. Ukraine, the US and more than 100 nations have called for peace predicated on the unconditional withdrawal of Russia troops from Ukrainian territory.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska asked South Korea to provide non-lethal military hardware when she met with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Tuesday, both countries have reported. But an official from Yoon’s office said Zelenska stopped short of asking for lethal weapons, acknowledging that South Korea would have found it difficult to oblige had any such request been made. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, South Korea has maintained its stance of not providing lethal weapons to a warring country, although Yoon has hinted at a possible major policy shift. The Ukrainian first lady handed Yoon “a personal letter and an invitation from the president of Ukraine” to visit her country, the Ukrainian side said. Last year, she met US first lady Jill Biden privately at the White House to discuss American support for Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine tells Chinese envoy it won't accept ceding land to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, May 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine's foreign minister told a top Chinese envoy at talks in Kyiv on Wednesday that Kyiv would not accept any proposals to end the war with Russia that involved it losing territory or freezing the conflict, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said. Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, visited Ukraine on Tuesday and Wednesday, and met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the ministry said in a statement. The visit is the first to Kyiv by a senior envoy from China, which has burgeoning ties with Russia, since Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022. "He stressed that Ukraine did not accept any proposals involving the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict," it said. The senior Chinese official's trip to Europe is expected also to include talks in Russia, Poland, France and Germany.

☆ Biden administration looking at arranging high-profile visits to China by senior officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

There are ongoing discussions about visits for four top Biden administration officials — Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Climate Envoy John Kerry – but the order of those visits remains unclear, even among US officials who will be involved in the planning. Inside the administration, some officials have strong views about who should travel first, while others are less concerned about the sequence, multiple US officials told CNN. There are no specific dates currently under consideration for a possible Blinken visit, the officials said. But administration officials now believe that Kerry’s trip is unlikely to come first with the other three officials having discussed possible visits for months. Sullivan and Wang met for more than 8 hours over the course of two days and covered a wide range of topics, administration officials explained to reporters.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia hits Kyiv with massive air attack as intense 'flash' and explosions light up the night sky
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine's capital Kyiv has been hit by another Russian air attack overnight, officials in the city said, noting that the latest strike was "exceptional" in its intensity and involved drones, cruise and probably ballistic missiles. During the night, Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported a number of explosions in the city on his Telegram channel, saying falling rocket and drone debris had damaged buildings and cars in several of the city's districts, as well as started some fires. In addition, a bright flash lit up the sky in Kyiv early Tuesday morning as the attack took place, video obtained by Reuters showed. The news agency said it was able to verify the location and date of the video but was unable to verify the cause of the flash. The attack on Kyiv comes as a top Chinese envoy is set to begin a two-day visit to Ukraine on Tuesday as Beijing tries to position itself as a peace broker between Ukraine and Russia.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Kyiv defends against heavy air raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Monday, the Ukrainian military hailed advances made in its first successful counterattack against Russian forces besieging the eastern city of Bakhmut. * A top Chinese envoy, Li Hui, was due to begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European countries on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the crisis. * Zelenskiy, in his evening video address, said he was returning home with new military help and newer, more powerful weapons. French President Emmanuel Macron told TF1 television France was open to training Ukrainian fighter jet pilots. * Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that it had downed a long-range Storm Shadow missile supplied to Ukraine by Britain.

☆ Opinion: How will Russia’s war end? Zelensky’s representative in the US has an unflinching view
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives in Washington on December 21, 2022. From the start, our president has been very vocal, saying that we need to liberate Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We heard it also from our strategic partners here, and even at the recent phone call of our president with President Xi. Andelman: So why did President Zelensky recently have a long conversation with Xi Jinping? Andelman: You know President Zelensky very well personally.

☆ Ukraine's first lady meets with South Korea's Yoon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as a special presidential envoy, South Korea's presidential office said on Tuesday. Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is visiting South Korea to participate in a media conference. In an interview with South Korea's Yonhap news agency published on Tuesday, Zelenska expressed willingness to invite Yoon to her country, saying such a visit would be "very supportive" to Ukrainians. She also warned against the risk of war fatigue and called for "more radical" support for Ukraine to fight against Russia's aggression. South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, has said it was not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia.

☆ Morning Bid: Debt impasse dominates in big day for politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Politics has the spotlight at the start of a new week, falling chiefly - still - on the U.S. debt ceiling standoff. Talks between President Joe Biden and lawmakers look likely to resume on Tuesday, after getting postponed on Friday. Despite that setback, and deep partisan rifts, both Biden and analysts say there are signs of progress. Biden is confident enough that he's still planning on boarding a Wednesday flight to Hiroshima for the G7 summit. However, the liberal Move Forward party and the populist Pheu Thai Party will not only need to broker a deal with each other, but also somehow win the backing of the junta-appointed senate to form a government.

☆ Top Chinese envoy to visit Ukraine, Russia on 'peace' mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, May 15 (Reuters) - A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the Ukraine crisis. "The visit ... is a testament to China's efforts towards promoting peace talks, and fully demonstrates China's firm commitment to peace," foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing. He is the most senior Chinese official to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, and his trip could coincide with the beginnings of a long anticipated counteroffensive by Ukraine to recapture territory seized by Russia. Ukraine is scheduled to be Li's first stop on his trip, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The visit comes weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy in late April, in the first talks between the two leaders since the war began.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: France, Germany step up military aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

France said it will send dozens of armoured vehicles and light tanks, including the AMX-10RCs fighting vehicles, to Ukraine in the coming weeks. During the past 24 hours, Russian forces launched air strikes, along with missile, drone and heavy rocket attacks, on targets in Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian air force also counted 17 striks on areas where Russian personnel and military equipment were concentrated. * A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the Ukraine crisis. Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany on the multi-day trip.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: China launches peace mission as envoy heads to Ukraine, Russia; Zelenkskyy travels to London
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

China's attempts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia step up a gear this week, with Beijing's special envoy set to visit both countries on a peace mission. Beijing's special representative on Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, is visiting Europe for talks "on a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis," China's Foreign Ministry said Friday, with the envoy set to visit Ukraine and Russia as well as Poland, France and Germany for talks "on a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis." There is skepticism over Beijing's ability to manage and resolve a conflict as complex, bitter and deeply entrenched as the one between Ukraine and Russia. Its neutrality has also been questioned because of its closeness to Moscow.

☆ US urges Mali to investigate, hold accountable those to blame for Moura attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday urged Mali's transition government to pursue an "independent, impartial, efficient, exhaustive, and transparent investigation" to hold accountable those responsible for the likely execution of hundreds of people in one village. The identity of the white men was not clear, U.N. Human Rights Office regional spokesperson Seif Magango said. But Western countries have raised concerns over Russian private military contractor Wagner Group's activities in Mali since late 2021, including allegations of its role in Moura. "The United States continues to stand with the Malian people in the fight against terrorism," Miller said in a statement. "Human rights abuses and violations like those committed at Moura will serve only to drive aggrieved civilians into the ranks of terrorists and other armed groups."

☆ China’s Power Politics Clouds Its Ukraine Peace Efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Brian Spegele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING—A Chinese envoy tasked with helping broker an end to the fighting in Ukraine will find himself contending with doubts raised by Beijing’s close ties to Moscow and questions about its respect for other countries’ sovereignty as he travels through Europe this week. Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, will visit Ukraine and Russia, as well as Poland, France and Germany beginning Monday, in a trip that represents China’s most concrete step yet to insert itself into diplomacy aimed at ending the war.

☆ Russia says European armed forces treaty contrary to its security interests
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 15 (Reuters) - The European armed forces treaty from which Moscow is to withdraw is contrary to Russia's security interests, Russia's envoy in charge of the withdrawal said in remarks published early on Monday. Russia's parliament is to decide on Monday when to formally denounce the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), following President Vladimir Putin's decree on May 10. "The CFE Treaty, due to the changed situation, is contrary to our security interests. Ryabkov was appointed last week to represent Putin during parliamentary proceedings on denouncing the treaty, which aimed to regulate the number of forces deployed by Warsaw Pact and NATO countries. Russia announced in 2015 that it was completely halting its participation in the treaty.

☆ China unlikely to play peacemaker role in Ukraine war, Western officials and experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Dan De Luce | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian soldier controls a drone at a training camp during the Russia-Ukraine war in Donetsk, Ukraine, on May 11, 2023. The Biden administration and U.S. allies doubt China can play a decisive role in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, given Beijing's tendency to play it safe in the diplomatic arena and its reluctance to alienate Russia, Western diplomats and former U.S. officials say. "I think they're appropriately skeptical of the role that China might actually play," Medeiros said. "And I have to say, until recently, it was very unclear whether China accepted that basic principle. China's position on the Ukraine conflict "is consistent and clear," said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

☆ Wendy Sherman, US official who led diplomacy with China and Russia, to retire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the country's number two diplomat, said on Friday she will retire at the end of June after three decades in Washington's foreign policy establishment. Sherman is the first woman to serve in her current role, in which she has headed up the Biden administration's diplomacy with China and led unsuccessful talks with Russia to avert Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken credited Sherman with breaking barriers for women and working on "some of the toughest foreign policy challenges of our time." "Our nation is safer and more secure, and our partnerships more robust, due to her leadership," Blinken said in a statement. "(N)othing lent itself to straightforward answers," Sherman wrote in the note seen by Reuters.

☆ EU envoy to China hails Xi's call with Ukraine president as positive step
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, May 9 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was a very positive step, the European Union ambassador to China said on Tuesday, while urging greater efforts to achieve peace. Xi's hour-long call with Zelenskiy for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fulfilled one of Kyiv's long-standing goals, which it had publicly sought for months. "We would like China to go further and help more to reach a just peace, which involves withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine," Jorge Toledo Albinana told a press conference in the Chinese capital. State media had reported that during their call, Xi told Zelenskiy China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace. Borrell reportedly wrote in an opinion piece in the Journal du Dimanche that European navies should patrol the Strait.

Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, urging her to help drop the pending extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and allow him to return to Australia. The "Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group" said it had informed the U.S. envoy of "the widespread concern in Australia" about the continued detention of Assange, an Australian citizen. "There are a range of views about Assange in the Australian community and the members of the Parliamentary Group reflect that diversity of views. But what is not in dispute in the Group is that Mr Assange is being treated unjustly," the lawmakers said in a statement after meeting Kennedy in Canberra. Albanese, who has been advocating for the release of Assange, last week aired his frustration for not yet finding a diplomatic fix over the issue.

☆ Ukraine's envoy to Japan urges G7 to condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations must condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons and vow "decisive action" against such a move when they hold a summit next week in the city of Hiroshima, Ukraine's envoy to Japan said. read more"It should be a very clear statement from specifically those nuclear powers among the G7 that the use of nuclear weapons or nuclear terrorism will not be tolerated and will be met with almost decisive actions from major powers," he said. "It's most important that the summit when we have a real threat of nuclear terrorism, that summit will be in Hiroshima," Korsunsky added. He called for G7 talks on nuclear security and the global architecture, as both the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council lacked power. Last week, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his government was examining how Russian assets could be used to help Ukraine's war effort.

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