Ukraine, the news from the cities
5.29
- Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, for the expected face-to-face, the first in two weeks, aimed at agreeing a ceasefire in Ukraine, or at least an agreement on humanitarian relief for displaced persons.
The BBC reports.
"We are not trading in people, land or sovereignty," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in this regard.
"The minimum target will be humanitarian corridors and the maximum will be reaching an agreement on a ceasefire," he told national television, while Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said he was skeptical about the possibility of a change.
A senior US State Department official also expressed similar doubts about hopes for progress, adds the BBC.
stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not seem ready to compromise to end the war.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was important that the talks continue, even though they have not so far produced substantial progress.
5.16
- The Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that they had forced Russian troops to retreat 40-60 kilometers from the southern city of Kryvyi Rih, where they were headed for an attack.
This was stated by the governor of the region, Oleksandr Vilkul, in a video message quoted by Ukrainska Pravda.
"The enemy is not only stopped in all directions, but also pushed away in his attempt to get closer to the city," he said, adding that Russian troops have also been removed from the Kherson area.
According to Vilkul, the Ukrainian armed forces confiscated the equipment of the Russians, "with which it will continue to defend Kryvyi Rih".
3.46 -
Russia has no plans to attack any NATO country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told US broadcaster PBS, unless it is "a reciprocal act".
Tass reports it.
Responding to a question on the possible enlargement of the conflict to NATO countries, Peskov said that "if there is no reciprocal act, if they do not make it, we cannot think about it and we do not want to think about it".
2.37
- Ukrainian forces "continue to defend Mariupol".
The Ukrainian general staff said its forces "continue to maintain circular defense" within the port city of Mariupol, even as Russian forces have consolidated control around the city.
The Kyiv Independent reports it.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces, according to the same source, have also announced that they have shot down 17 Russian air targets: in detail, eight aircraft, four drones, three helicopters and two missiles.
2.19 -
"Nobody in Russia is considering the idea of using nuclear weapons".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Pbs.
Asked by the reporter whether Russian President Vladimir Putin ever threatened to use nuclear weapons if a third party intervened in the conflict in Ukraine Peskov replied: "I don't think so. Instead, he clearly stated that if someone were to interfere, the Russian would have all the means necessary to react and punish those who do ".
1.10 -
Joe Biden returns to define Vladimir Putin a dictator, but he does so from his personal Twitter account and not on the official @POTUS one.
"A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase a people's love for freedom. Brutality will never destroy the will to be free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia," Biden posted on his own. account @JoeBiden.
The tweet comes a few hours after the press conference in which the president made it clear that his comments on the Kremlin leader are "personal".
00.29
- "We are creating a group of Ukrainian and international experts in the President's Office, which will constantly analyze the sanctions against Russia with the aim of monitoring their effective effectiveness and making sure that they cannot be circumvented. This should be a goal for the entire democratic world without exception ".
Ukrainian President Zelensky said this in a new video posted on Telegram.