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☆ Ukraine's 'Iron General' was spotted on video rocking an unusual Baby Yoda patch, and it's not immediately clear why
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's military shared a video this week of Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi engaged in war efforts. A mysterious Baby Yoda patch could be spotted on his uniform, and its not exactly clear why. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces published a video on Monday showing Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, sporting a Baby Yoda patch in the center of his uniform as he discusses details on the war with other top officials. The new video includes scenes of Zaluzhnyi hovering over blurred-out information and walking alongside individuals whose faces have been censored. "Retweet if spotted Mr. Baby Yoda."

Persons: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, —, Serhiy Shaptala, Zaluzhnyi, Baby Yoda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Staff of, Armed Forces, Armed Forces of, Twitter, Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Kyiv's, Staff, Facebook Locations: Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine, Moscow, Kherson

☆ 6 ways the Russia-Ukraine war could play out in the wake of Ukraine's counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, there still does not appear to be a clear end in sight. Here are six ways the war could play out and what victory might look like for either side. Russia's war in Ukraine has been raging on for over a year, and there is still no clear end to the conflict in sight. With the largest land war in Europe since 1945 now entering a new phase, here are six ways it could play out. One senior official previously said that a Russian nuclear strike could trigger a "physical response" from NATO.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it's, Seth Jones, Mykhalchuk, Jones, SERGEY SHESTAK, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Putin, He's, Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, LUDOVIC MARIN, they've, Spencer Platt, It's, Mark Cancian, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Scott Peterson, Mark Milley, Eugen Kotenko, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Service, Center for Strategic, Studies ', Security, Leopard, Getty, Anadolu Agency, Marine, intel, 95th Airborne Brigade, US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Publishing, Getty Images, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, South Korean, AFP, Donetsk, Crimea, Russian, Ukrainian, Siversk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, West, Kyiv, China

☆ Ukraine tells African mission no peace talks with Russia before withdrawal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting African leaders in Kyiv on Friday that peace talks with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdraws its forces from occupied Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy added that he failed to understand what could be gained from the leaders meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in St. Petersburg. "We need real peace, and therefore, a real withdrawal of Russian troops from our entire independent land." Ukraine stood by its own peace initiative, based on a complete Russian withdrawal, but invited the African leaders to take part in an international peace summit that is being drawn up. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the leaders had come "to share the African perspective" and saw talks with Russia as part of the mission.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Cyril Ramaphosa, Nelson Mandela Organizations: Moscow Locations: Kyiv, Russia, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, South Africa, Comoros

☆ Putin rebuts key elements of African peace plan for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Putin opened Saturday's talks with representatives of Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, Congo Republic, Comoros and South Africa in a palace near St Petersburg by stressing Russia's commitment to the continent. But after presentations from the Comoran, Senegalese and South African presidents, he stepped in to challenge the assumptions of the plan - predicated on acceptance of internationally recognised borders - before the round of statements could go any further. And he said Russia had never refused talks with the Ukrainian side, which had been blocked by Kyiv. Peskov said Putin had shown interest in the plan, whose 10 points South African President Cyril Ramaphosa laid out in his presentation, and Russia would continue dialogue with the African countries. Since the International Criminal Court indicted Putin in March on war crimes charges - which he rejects - South Africa, as a member of the court, finds itself in the awkward position of being obliged to arrest him if he sets foot there.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Putin, Pavel Bednyakov, Sergei Lavrov, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Cyril Ramaphosa, Lavrov, Zelenskiy, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Cawthorne, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Saturday, South, RIA Novosti, REUTERS, Russian, Criminal, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, Congo Republic, Comoros, South Africa, St Petersburg, Africa, RIA, Black, Russian, Brazil, India, China

☆ African leaders arrive for Ukraine talks with Russia's Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 17 (Reuters) - African leaders hoping to mediate in the Ukraine conflict were welcomed to a government palace near St Petersburg on Saturday by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said after meeting the leaders in Kyiv on Friday that peace talks with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdrew its forces from occupied Ukrainian territory. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in Kyiv that the leaders had come "to share the African perspective" and saw talks with Russia as part of the mission. Television footage showed them shaking hands with Putin and then being welcomed into a room with a circular conference table. The African leaders are seeking agreement on a series of "confidence building measures" even as Ukraine last week began a counteroffensive to push back Russian forces from Ukrainian territory they occupy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Cyril Ramaphosa, Putin, South Africa's, Nelson Mandela, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Moscow, Putin, South, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, St Petersburg, Kyiv, Russia, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, Congo Republic, South Africa, Gulf of Finland

☆ Kremlin says Putin open to any contacts on 'Ukrainian problem'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 16 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is still open to any contacts to discuss a resolution of the Ukraine conflict, Russian news agencies reported. "President Putin was and is open to any contacts to discuss possible scenarios for solving the Ukrainian problem," Interfax quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. Russia has long said it is open to negotiations, but says Ukraine must recognise the "new realities" on the ground, where its forces control some 18% of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine says its own peace plan, which envisages the withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian land, must be the basis for any settlement of the war. The African delegation was due to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday before meeting Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Crimea, St Petersburg

☆ Russia tries to signal normalcy as Ukraine forces advance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But corpses of Russian soldiers and burnt-out armoured vehicles lining the roadside in villages newly recaptured by Ukrainian troops attested to Kyiv's biggest advances since last year. Several bodies of Russian soldiers lay in the streets of ruined and depopulated villages. Ukrainian troops in Storozheve told Reuters they had killed around 50 Russians and captured four there. Kyiv says any elections staged by Russians on Ukrainian territory would be invalid and illegal. Ukrainian troops have yet to reach the heaviest Russian defensive fortifications, which are set back from the front line.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Moscow's, Oleksii Hromov, Vladimir Putin, Ella Pamfilova, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Vitalii, Pavel Polityuk, Peter Graff, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Ukrainian, Troops, TASS, Defence Ministry, Federal Security Service, U.S . Defense, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Storozheve, Donetsk region, UKRAINE, Russia, Ukrainian, Neskuchne, Moscow, Mala Tokmachka, Bakhmut, Europe, Kyiv, Brussels, U.S, Washington

Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine CNN —Under clear and sunny skies, a Ukrainian soldier speeds down a long, straight road toward forward positions close to the front line. Combat medic "Winnie" says he and his fellow physicians try to provide first aid to advancing Ukrainian forces as soon as possible and reduce the amount of casualties. Vasco Cotovio/CNNUkrainian forces have been working to stabilize some of the liberated villages but when CNN visited Velyka Novosilka, the situation remained very fluid. But I think we will win.”The frontline town of Velyka Novosilka bears the scars of a year and a half of shelling. That superiority was on full display during the CNN team’s visit when the Ukrainian forces came under repeated attack by Russian Su-25 ground attack fighter jets.

Persons: Velyka Novosilka, swerves, ”, Vasco Cotovio, “, Winnie, “ There’s, ” Velyka, Jaeger, Mara, ” Skrypal, Novosilka, Jaeger Brigade’s, Vasyl Matyiev, ” Matyiev, Ukraine's, Russian Su, Velyka, “ I’ve, Tatiana, – Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, CNN Ukrainian, Vasco, intel, 68th Jaeger, Ukrainian, “ Volunteers Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Velyka, Neskuchne, Russia, Western, Moscow, Russian, Bakhmut, Velyka Novosilka

☆ Russia calls Ukraine's MH17 accusations at World Court 'fiction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

THE HAGUE, June 14 (Reuters) - A lawyer for Russia on Wednesday dismissed Ukraine's account of the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in World Court hearings earlier this week as "fiction". Ukraine repeated the Dutch court findings in its case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), but Russia's lawyer Michael Swainston dismissed it as "fiction". "This did not happen, no BUK Telar came from Russia," he told the court on the final day of hearings. In its final submissions on Monday, Ukraine asked the ICJ to find Moscow guilty of breaching its treaty obligations and order it to pay reparations. It has asked the court to throw out Ukraine's claim which stems from 2017 and was filed well before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Michael Swainston, Stephanie van den Berg, William Maclean Organizations: HAGUE, Russia, Wednesday, Malaysian Airlines Flight, International Court of Justice, ICJ, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Tatars, Crimea

☆ Ukraine denounces Russian MH17 'rambling conspiracy theory' at World Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Antonio Bronic/File PhotoJune 12 - Lawyers for Ukraine at the top U.N. court on Monday rejected Russia's account of the downing of a Malaysian airliner as a "rambling conspiracy theory", in a case alleging Moscow backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Last week, in hearings before the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, Russia said Ukraine's MH17 case was based on "nonsense" and offered a host of alternative explanations for what happened. Kyiv has asked the court to find Moscow guilty of breaching its treaty obligations and order it to pay reparations. The World Court case stems from 2017 and was filed well before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The International Court of Justice is expected to rule on the case before the end of this year.

Persons: Antonio Bronic, Ukraine's, Marney Cheek, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Malaysia Airlines, REUTERS, Malaysian Airlines Flight, International Court of Justice, Court, Kyiv, Court of, Thomson Locations: Hrabove, Donetsk, Ukraine, Malaysian, Moscow, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia, Tatars, Crimea

☆ Ukraine Claims First Gains, if Slight, in Counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a week of mostly silence about its newly launched campaign to drive Russian occupying forces from Ukrainian territory, Ukraine’s military on Sunday claimed its first small gains as fighting raged in at least three sectors of the front. The military operation is expected to be vast, but for the moment it appears to consist mostly of probing attacks and feints. Ukraine’s 68th Brigade posted video on Facebook of its soldiers raising the nation’s blue-and-yellow flag over the village of Blahodatne, in the eastern region of Donetsk. A deputy defense minister said Ukraine’s forces had also taken the nearby village of Makarivka, and the Ukrainian Volunteer Army said it had reclaimed a neighboring settlement, Neskuchne. Ukraine will be victorious.”

Persons: “, ” Organizations: Sunday, Brigade, Facebook, Ukrainian Volunteer Army Locations: Ukraine’s, Blahodatne, Donetsk, Makarivka, Neskuchne, Ukraine

☆ As Ukraine Struggles With Floodwaters, Russia Strikes Odesa
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The number of fortifications Russia has installed in the Zaporizhzhia region since 2022 is more than double those erected in other regions of Ukraine where fighting is taking place, the report found, citing satellite data. Zaporizhzhia has become a focal point of intensified fighting in recent days as Ukrainian forces mount an offensive that military analysts say is an effort to sever Moscow’s hold on territory connecting Russia to occupied Crimea. Satellite images suggest that at least some of the Russian fortifications are of low quality, Mr. Jones said. Others sit on top of the earth, when they are supposed to be partly underground, or appear to be eroded by weather, it added. Ultimately, Mr. Jones said, regardless of their quality, fortifications “are only as good as the forces that are defending them.”

Persons: ”, Seth G, Jones, Alexander Palmer, Joseph S, Bermudez Jr, — Organizations: Center for Strategic, International Studies, ” Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Europe, Washington, Dnipro, Crimea, Melitopol, France

☆ Russia and Ukraine say ammonia pipeline was damaged, in potential blow to grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

They have been provided with necessary medical assistance," the Russian ministry said in a statement. "At present ammonia residues are being blown out of the damaged sections of the pipeline from Ukrainian territory. REPAIRSResumption of supplies via the Tolyatti-Odesa pipeline, the world's longest ammonia pipeline, may be key to the renewal of the Black Sea grain export deal. Russia has repeatedly cast doubt on whether it will continue to renew the grain deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, which facilitates agricultural exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea. "The ammonia pipeline was one of the linchpins of the implementation of the agreements made in Istanbul on July 22, The (pipeline) was key to global food security," Zakharova said.

Persons: Stephane Dujarric, Dujarric, We're, Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Felix Light, Andrew Osborn, Jon Boyle, Jason Neely, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson, Diane Craft Organizations: Kyiv, Reuters, United, Togliatti, United Nations, Russian Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Masyutivka, Kharkiv, Russian, Ukraine's Kharkiv, United Nations, Turkey, Odesa, Istanbul

☆ Ukraine has not yet launched counteroffensive, senior security official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Sergiy Karazy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine has not yet launched a planned counteroffensive to win back territory occupied by Russia, and its start will be obvious to everyone when it happens, a senior security official said on Wednesday. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, dismissed statements by Russian officials who have said the counteroffensive has already begun. "When we start the counteroffensive, everyone will know about it, they will see it." Russian forces, who began their full-scale invasion in February 2022, are fighting Ukrainian troops along large parts of the frontline. He reiterated the Ukrainian position that there could be no talks until the Russian forces leave the Ukrainian territory.

Persons: Oleksiy Danilov, Danilov, Hanna Maliar, Sergiy Karazy, Olena Harmash, Timothy Organizations: National Security, Defence, Reuters, Deputy, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Kyiv, Dnipro, Kherson, Moscow

☆ Ukraine dam blast a result of Russian invasion -UK minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Stefaniia Bern | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On a visit to Ukraine, Cleverly reaffirmed London's support for how Kyiv defends itself against the Russian invasion and said Britain would continue to help provide Ukraine with the weaponry it needs. Speaking to Reuters in Hrebelky, east of Kyiv, Cleverly said he had heard reports of an explosion at the Kakhovka dam in a Russian controlled-part of southern Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia traded blame, saying it was an intentional attack by the other's forces. "But it’s worth remembering that the only reason this is an issue at all is because of Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine." He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday to discuss how Britain could continue to best support Ukraine "from the battlefield to banking guarantees".

Persons: Development Affairs James, James, I’ve, ”, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmytro Kuleba, Elizabeth Piper, Timothy Heritage, Bernadette Baum Organizations: State, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Affairs, Halo Trust, REUTERS, Ukraine Says Britain, British, Kyiv, Reuters, Ukraine, Stefaniia, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Hrebelky, Kyiv region, U.S, Britain, Kyiv, Russian, Russia, Russia's, Belgorod, United States, Stefaniia Bern

☆ Russia says it thwarts another major attack in Ukraine, inflicting heavy losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

On Monday, Russia said Ukrainian forces over the weekend had begun a major offensive in the southern part of the Donetsk region, which it had also thwarted. The latest Russian defence ministry statement said Russian forces had inflicted huge personnel losses on attacking Ukrainian forces and destroyed 28 tanks, including eight Leopard main battle tanks and 109 armoured vehicles. It said total Ukrainian losses amounted to 1,500 troops. Russia and Ukraine have often made claims of inflicting heavy human losses on each other which could not be independently verified. In a promotional video released on Sunday and urging silence in regards to any military actions, Ukraine's defence ministry said: "Plans like silence - the beginning will not be announced."

Persons: Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Bakhmut, John Kirby, I'm, Dmytro Kuleba, Hanna Maliar, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Reuters bureaux, Lidia Kelly, Ron Popeski, David Brunnstrom, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Defence Ministry, Sunday Ukraine, KYIV, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Reuters, Washington Post, White House, Monday Ukraine, Ukraine's, Staff, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Crimean, Kiev, Kyiv, Crimea

☆ Russia says it thwarts big attack in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Asked to comment, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said: "We do not have such information and we do not comment on any kind of fake." Further north, near the long-contested city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces were reported to have been "moving forward" by the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Russia has launched hundreds of drones and missiles on Ukraine since early May, chiefly on Kyiv, with Ukraine saying it was targeting military facilities but also hitting residential areas. Russia now controls at least 18% of what is internationally recognised to be Ukrainian territory, and has claimed four regions of Ukraine as Russian territory. Ukraine vows to eject every last Russian soldier from its territory and casts the invasion as an imperial-style land grab by Russia.

Persons: Oleksiy Danilov, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Bakhmut, Oleksii Reznikov, Semyon Pegov, Gonzo, Staff Valery Gerasimov, William Burns, Vladimir Putin's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, UKRAINE Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, David Ljunggren, Philippa Fletcher, Nick Macfie Organizations: Ukraine's Security, Defence Council, Reuters, Ukraine's General Staff, Strategic Communications, Ukrainian Defence, Twitter, Staff, Russian, CIA, Wall Street, UKRAINE, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, KYIV, Moscow, Ukraine's Donetsk, Bakhmut, Donetsk, South Donetsk, Ukrainian, Berkhivka, Luhansk, Russia's Belgorod, Velyka, Vuhledar, Russian, Kyiv

☆ Belgium investigating whether its weapons were used in Russia, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 5 (Reuters) - Belgium will ask Ukraine for clarification on reports that rifles made in Belgium had been used by pro-Ukrainian forces to fight Russian troops inside Russia's western border, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Monday. "European weapons are delivered to Ukraine under the condition that they are used on Ukrainian territory with the purpose of defending that territory. De Croo declined to comment on possible consequences if the reports were confirmed. "We must not get ahead of ourselves here," the prime minister said. Reporting by Bart Meijer; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexander De Croo, De Croo, Bart Meijer, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Belgian, Washington Post, Kremlin, Belgium's, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Belgium, Ukraine, Russian Belgorod region, United States, Poland, Czech Republic

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke in Finland Friday about peace talks in Ukraine. "The prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy and real peace is a stronger Ukraine," he said. Blinken described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a catastrophic strategic failure for Moscow that had strengthened NATO, the European Union and Ukraine. Ukrainian officials acknowledged their forces were responsible and claimed Russian ships were evacuating the port. The U.K. Ministry of Defense said the incursions could be a Ukrainian strategy to disperse Russian forces before a counteroffensive.

Persons: Antony Blinken, —, Blinken, Potemkin, Grigory Potemkin, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Washington, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Serhii Popko, Denis Pushilin, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Roman Starovoit, Alexander Bogomaz Organizations: Service, —, Kremlin, NATO, European Union, General's, Gov, Russia Legion, Air, Ministry of Defense Locations: Finland, Ukraine, United States, Russia, China, Moscow, Kyiv, Crimean, Sweden, Baltic, Beijing, Brazil, Western, Azov, Berdyansk, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Donetsk province, Russia's Belgorod, Belgorod, Kursk, Russia's Bryansk, Russia's, Smolensk, Belarus

☆ Zelenskiy says Ukraine ready to launch counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, June 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine is ready to launch its long-awaited counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Saturday. "We strongly believe that we will succeed,” Zelenskiy told the Wall Street Journal. Zelenskiy said last month Ukraine needed to wait for more Western armoured vehicles arrived before launching the counteroffensive. Russia holds swaths of Ukrainian territory in the east, south and southeast. A long spell of dry weather in some parts of Ukraine has driven anticipation that the counteroffensive might be imminent.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, ” Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Olena Harmash, William Mallard Organizations: Wall Street, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Donetsk, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine has 'plan B' to continue exports if grain deal collapses - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Future of Black Sea grain deal looks uncertainUkraine's farm minister floats "Plan B"Exports could continue without Russia, he saysOfficial suggests government insurance guaranteesKYIV, June 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine would be ready to continue exporting grain across the Black Sea as part of a "plan B" without Russian backing if Moscow pulls the plug on the current grain export deal and it collapses, Ukraine's farm minister said on Friday. The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Moscow and Kyiv last July to help tackle a global food crisis aggravated by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a leading global grain exporter. He said in an interview in Kyiv: "That's not how it works and then we will be ready for a plan B, which depends on us, depends on the U.N. "Plan B... excludes the fourth party (Russia) in this relationship," he said. He said Ukraine still hoped the current Black Sea grain initiative would work despite the current difficulties while any new option would need a new agreement or format.

Persons: Russia's, Mykola Solsky, Solsky, Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth, Hugh Lawson Organizations: United, Reuters, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, United Nations, Turkey, Pivdennyi, Kyiv, Ukrainian

NATO Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) surveillance aircraft will watch the skies over the summit venue through Friday, the alliance said in a statement. Missile debris from the war in Ukraine has been found in Moldova several times since Russia invaded 15 months ago. "NATO AWACS can detect aircraft, missiles and drones hundreds of kilometres away, making them an important early warning capability," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. The summit will also touch on a range of strategic issues, ranging from energy to cybersecurity and migration. Reporting by John Irish, Andrew Gray and Alexander Tanas; writing by John Irish; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Nicu Popescu, Ana Revenco, Oana Lungescu, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Ursula von der, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, ” Borrell, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Alexander Tanas, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: High Representative, European Union for Foreign Affairs, Moldova's, Russia, NATO, Kyiv, Control Systems, European, Kosovo, EU, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Ukraine, Kosovo, Moldovan, Romania, Russia, Ursula von der Leyen, KOSOVO, Slovakia, defusing, Serbian, Europe, Azerbaijan, Armenia

Kinmen, Taiwan CNN —As the sun sets over Taiwan’s Kinmen islands, the neon lights of mainland China dazzle in the distance just 2.5 miles away. That lingering potential for invasion might make it seem like an unlikely place to construct a bridge to mainland China. Anti-invasion spikes along the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen islands. During a recent trip to Kinmen, Taiwan Vice President and DPP presidential candidate William Lai said he recognized the sacrifices of the islanders during decades of conflict. “The Taiwanese government looks at the Chinese military threat as something that cannot be accepted and we condemn it,” he added.

Persons: John Mees, Ko Wen, ”, Xi Jinping, Ho Chih, Sam Yeh, Kinmen, Yang Chien, ” Yang, “, Yang, Yang Pei, Huang Li, cheng, Tsai Ing, William Lai, Wu Chia, chiang, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Joseph Wu, ” Wu, Maestro Wu Tseng, Maestro Wu Organizations: Taiwan CNN —, Communist, People’s Liberation Army, CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s Presidential, Mainland Affairs Council, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Mainland Affairs, Russo, Getty, Communist China's, Tourism Association, Communist Party, Xi, United States, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Locations: Kinmen, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, Taiwan’s, Xiamen –, Xiamen, Chinese, Ukrainian, Russia, Taiwan's, AFP, Jinsha, “, Fujian, California, Beijing’s

☆ Ukrainian drone sparks fire at Russian refinery - governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MOSCOW/KYIV, May 31 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia and shelling hit a Russian town close to the border for the third time in a week, damaging buildings and setting vehicles ablaze, Russian officials said on Wednesday. The Afipsky refinery is not far from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, near another refinery that has been attacked several times this month. There was no immediate information on who launched the drone but Moscow has accused Kyiv of increased attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, while Russia has repeatedly pounded Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles. Russian drone attacks killed one person and wounded four in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials. Civilian targets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have since the earliest days of the war been struck repeatedly by Russian drones and missiles.

Persons: Veniamin Kondratyev, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Mykhailo Podolyak, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Karine Jean, Pierre, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, David Ljunggren, Guy Faulconbridge, Max Hunder, Olena Harmash, Pavel Polityuk, Valentyn Ogirenko, Gleb Garanich, Lidia Kelly, Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland, Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel Organizations: Kyiv, Residents, Civilian, Washington, Russian, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, . Security, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, KYIV, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia's Krasnodar, Novorossiisk, Russian, Kyiv, Shebekino, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Washington, United States, Zaporizhzhia

The incidents come one day after a drone attack on Moscow, for which Russia has blamed Ukraine. Kyiv has not yet commented on the drone attack or on Wednesday’s incidents in Belgorod and Krasnodar. Elsewhere on Wednesday, a drone attack was launched on Russia’s Bryansk region, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Five people were killed and 19 injured in Ukrainian shelling of the village of Karpaty, in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Luhansk, the acting head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic said on Telegram. Measures are being taken.”A damaged multi-storey apartment following a reported drone attack in Moscow on Tuesday.

Persons: Gladkov, Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Rogov, ”, Mykhailo Podolyak, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, Lev Sergeev, Reuters “, “, Strategic Communications John Kirby, “ We’re, ” Kirby, Biden, Vladimir Putin, ” Putin, Peskov, Ian Stubbs Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Defense, RIA Novosti, RIA, Putin, Wednesday, Luhansk People’s, ”, Reuters, Russian, National Security, Strategic Communications, “ Kyiv, Russia Legion, Kremlin, Russia Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Belgorod, Shebekino, Krasnodar, Crimea, Moscow, Bryansk, Karpaty, Russian, Luhansk, Luhansk People’s Republic, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Russia's Belgorod Oblast Russia, ”, Vienna, Kyiv

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