G7 summit: Zelensky and Fumio Kishida lay wreaths at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima
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Ukraine is trying to encircle Russian troops in Bakhmut as President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected claims by his counterpart Vladimir Putin that he had finally captured the city after nine months of Europe’s bloodiest fighting in decades.
Putin congratulated his troops after the Wagner Group claimed its mercenaries had seized the city of Donetsk on Saturday afternoon with “virtually no” help from the Russian military.
But speaking from the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Zelensky insisted that Bakhmut, where US President Joe Biden claimed 100,000 Russian soldiers had died in recent months, “has not been captured by” Moscow.
The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, also claimed that Kiev troops were advancing on Russian forces in the suburbs and were approaching a “tactical encirclement” of the city.
Echoing these claims, Kiev’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said: “Our forces have taken the city in a semi-encirclement, which gives us the opportunity to destroy the enemy. .. [who] he must defend himself in the part of the city he controls”.
key points
Ukraine “seeks to encircle” Vladimir Putin’s troops in Bakhmut. Russia does not control Bakhmut, insists Volodymyr Zelensky. Putin congratulates the troops as the Wagner Group claims control of Bakhmut. Moscow says Show latest update
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“Critical situation” in Bakhmut
Ukraine has denied claims by Russia that it has taken full control of Bakhmut, but has warned that the situation in the key battleground city is “critical”.
Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s defense minister, rejected Yevgeny Prigozhin’s claim that his mercenary group Wagner had seized the city by lunchtime.
“Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical,” he said on the Telegram messaging app.
“As of now, our defenders control some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector.”
Matt MathersMay 20, 2023 3:28 p.m
Zelensky draws parallels between Bakhmut and Hiroshima
Speaking at the G7 summit in Japan on Sunday, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky drew a parallel between the destruction of Bakhmut and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
“I will tell you openly: the photographs of Hiroshima in ruins absolutely remind me of Bakhmut and other similar settlements,” Zelensky told reporters after laying flowers at the cenotaph to the victims of the 1945 atrocity.
“There is nothing alive, all the buildings are ruined.”
(AP/Eugene Hoshiko)
Andy GregoryMay 22, 2023 06:01
Brazil’s Lula says the meeting failed because Zelensky was late
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said a scheduled meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan fell through because the Ukrainian president arrived late.
“I had an interview, a bilateral one with Ukraine here in this room at 15.15. We waited and received the information that arrived late,” Lula said, quoted by Reuters.
He added that Mr Zelensky “didn’t show up… He obviously had appointments and couldn’t come”.
Earlier, Zelensky had played down the fact that he did not meet with Lula.
On the sidelines of the summit, Lula also said that the war between Russia and Ukraine should be discussed at the UN and not at the G7 meeting.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference after attending the Group of Seven Summit
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Sravasti DasguptaMay 22, 2023 05:30
Modi promises “everything possible” to find solution in Ukraine to Zelensky at G7
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of “everything possible” to find a solution to end the ongoing war amid Russia’s full-scale invasion as the two leaders meet in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the G7 summit. my partner Arpan Rai reports
“For the past year and a half, we have spoken on the phone, but … after a long time, we have the opportunity to meet. The war in Ukraine is a very important issue for the whole world. It has had many different impacts around the world,” Modi told the Ukrainian president as the two leaders sat down for their first face-to-face talks with their delegation on Saturday.
Modi added: “But I don’t see it as a political or economic issue, for me it’s a humanity issue, a human values issue.”
Andy GregoryMay 22, 2023 05:02
Russia says transfer of F16s to Ukraine would raise questions about NATO involvement
Russia has warned of a response, saying the transfer of F16 fighter jets to Ukraine would raise the question of NATO’s involvement in the conflict.
In statements released early Monday, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, told the embassy’s Telegram messaging channel: “There is no infrastructure for the operation of the F16 in Ukraine and the necessary number of pilots and maintenance staff is also not there.
“What will happen if US fighters leave NATO airfields, controlled by foreign ‘volunteers’?”
He added: “It is important that the United States is fully aware of the Russian response.”
The remarks come days after US President Joe Biden endorsed training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F16 fighter jets on Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured Biden that the plane would not be used to enter Russian territory.
(Armed Forces of Ukraine/Reuters)
Sravasti DasguptaMay 22, 2023 04:30
Watch: Ukrainian President Zelensky arrives in Japan for G7 summit
Ukrainian President Zelensky arrives in Japan for the G7 summit
Andy Gregory22 May 2023 04:05
Russia accuses prosecutor and ICC judge who issued Putin’s arrest warrant
Russia has announced indictments in absentia against an International Criminal Court (ICC) judge and prosecutor who issued a war crimes warrant against President Vladimir Putin.
A statement from Russia’s National Investigative Committee said the judge, Rosario Salvatore Aitala, and prosecutor Khan Karim Asad Ahmad are accused of “preparing to attack a representative of a foreign country enjoying international protection to complicate international relations”.
The committee also said other ICC officials are being investigated.
The March order against Putin accuses him of personal responsibility for Ukraine’s child abductions, and the court also indicted Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights.
Andy GregoryMay 22, 2023 03:02
Russian victory at Bakhmut opens door to more hard-fought battles nearby, analyst says
Russia’s claimed victory in Bakhmut would open the door to more bitter battles nearby, an analyst has said.
These would take place in the direction of Sloviansk or Kostiantynivka, 12 miles from Bakhmut, Kateryna Stepanenko of the US Institute for the Study of War think tank told The Associated Press.
Andy GregoryMay 22, 2023 02:02
Gains around Bakhmut facilitate delivery of supplies, Ukrainian commander says
The flanks retaken by Ukraine around Bakhmut in recent days are near two roads leading to Chasiv Yar, a town 6 miles from the city that serves as a key logistics supply route, a so-called “road of life “.
Ukrainian forces passing this road often came under fire from the Russians located on the strategic heights nearby. Armored vehicles and trucks driving into the city to resupply Ukrainian troops were frequently destroyed. With the high plains now under Ukrainian control, their forces have more breathing room.
“This will help us design new logistics chains to deliver ammunition and evacuate the wounded or killed children,” said Taras Deiak, commander of a special unit of a volunteer battalion, speaking from inside the city on Thursday. two days before Russia claimed. controlled the city.
“Now it’s easier to deliver supplies, rotate troops, [carry out] evacuations”.
Ukraine “may have taken advantage of weak Russian lines” outside Bakhmut
Some analysts have said that Ukraine’s tactical gains in the countryside outside the urban city of Bakhmut could be more significant than meets the eye.
“It was almost as if the Ukrainians were taking advantage of the fact that the Russian lines were actually weak,” said Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews.
“The Russian army has suffered such high losses and is so worn out around Bakhmut that it…can no longer go forward.”
Andy GregoryMay 21, 2023 11:59 p.m
