G7 summit: Zelensky and Fumio Kishida lay wreaths at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima
Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending more troops into Bakhmut, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday, despite claims that Russia had captured the city.
Putin congratulated his troops after the Wagner group claimed its mercenaries had taken the front-line city of Donetsk on Saturday afternoon with “virtually no” help from the Russian army.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday at the G7 conference that Russia no longer occupies the city.
“Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation today. There are no two or three interpretations of those words,” he said.
Malians claimed that Ukrainian troops are still advancing on the flanks of the eastern Ukrainian city, but the “intensity” of their movement has decreased and Russia is bringing in more forces.
In televised remarks, she said Ukraine had a small foothold in Bakhmut, denying Russia’s claim that it has established full control of the city.
The city has been the focus of a long-running bloody battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces for the past nine months.
ICYMI: Biden pledges ‘shared and unwavering commitment’ to stand with Ukraine at G7 summit
Biden pledges “shared and unwavering commitment” to stand with Ukraine at G7 summit
Joe Middleton23 May 2023 at 02.00 am
The world summits’ “family photos” show Putin’s isolation
They are known as “family photos,” pictures of world leaders posed in mock relaxation during global summits.
And like a portrait of a family that has isolated a dysfunctional member, the latest “family photos” from the G7 and G8 – the world’s most industrialized nations – show how Russian President Vladimir Putin has been ostracized.
The Russian president has faced unprecedented international isolation since his nation invaded Ukraine in February 2022. An International Criminal Court arrest warrant hangs over his head, clouding his prospects for travel to many destinations, including those considered Moscow’s allies.
Joe Middleton23 May 2023 at 01.00
Rare earths, Ukraine top agenda on French President Macron’s historic visit to Mongolia
Access to rare earth metals and Russia’s war on Ukraine topped the agenda of French President Emmanuel Macron’s historic visit to Mongolia.
Macron met his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Sunday in the capital Ulaanbaatar and pledged cooperation on the extraction and trade of minerals used in satellites, cellphones and other key technologies.
The visit was the first by a French head of state to Mongolia, a landlocked democracy of 3 million people twice the size of Texas sandwiched between Russia and China.
Joe MiddletonMay 22, 2023 11:59 p.m
Who is the Wagner Group and why are they so involved in Ukraine?
Vladimir Putin has relied on military contractors to win victories in Ukraine, but their leader’s frank dispatches have increasingly rattled the Moscow establishment, writes Liam James.
Joe Middleton22 May 2023 at 23.00
The head of the Russian Wagner Group claims to have captured Bakhmut
Watch: The head of the Russian Wagner Group claims to have captured Bakhmut
Joe Middleton22 May 2023 at 10.30 p.m
South Korea and EU agree to increase pressure on Russia, condemn North Korean missile tests
The leaders of South Korea and the European Union agreed on Monday to increase pressure on Russia over its war on Ukraine and condemn North Korea’s ballistic missile tests.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Seoul after attending the weekend’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
“We agree to maintain and increase collective pressure on Russia, in particular through the effective implementation of respective restrictive measures,” they said in a joint statement. “We are committed to supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction and are committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Joe MiddletonMay 22, 2023 9:45 p.m
Ukraine’s cultural counter-offensive: rush to erase Russia’s monuments
The erasure of the past has prompted a debate unlike any in Britain and the US: how to contend with the physical monuments to a fraught history? Ruby Mellen, Zoeann Murphy, Kostiantyn Khudov and Kasia Strek Report.
Joe Middleton22 May 2023 at 21.00
Fears after Ukraine’s nuclear power plant was left without power after Russian shelling
Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia was left without power today after a barrage of Russian shelling, the UN nuclear watchdog said.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), appealed for protection of the facility after warning that the situation is “extremely vulnerable”.
He said the facility was forced to switch to emergency diesel generators after losing its external power supply for the seventh time since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion.
Joe Middleton22 May 2023 at 20.00
Putin has blown Bakhmut to smithereens. Why does he want it so bad?
Even if Russia and its mercenary Wagner Group have finally captured the city, its loss will not be the moral or strategic victory that Russia desperately needs, writes Kit Macdonald.
Joe MiddletonMay 22, 2023 7:15 p.m
Attempts to freeze the conflict in Ukraine where it is are wrong, says Sunak
Attempts to “freeze” the conflict in Ukraine where it is are “absolutely wrong” and should be “called out”, the Prime Minister has said.
Rishi Sunak earlier responded to Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, who called for a truce.
The Prime Minister said he could not disagree more with Corbyn, an independent MP, and said a temporary halt to the fighting would not be a “just and lasting peace” for Ukraine.
Joe MiddletonMay 22, 2023 6:29 p.m
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