Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv under Russian drone attack with apartment building hit
A mass drone attack struck several districts of Kyiv early on Tuesday, causing injuries and damage, said officials in the Ukrainian capital. 'Enemy drones are coming over the city from three directions. There is also the danger of missiles,' posted the mayor, Vitali Klitschko. One strike damaged the top floor of an apartment block and non-residential areas in the Solomianskyi district near the city centre, putting six out of the 11 injured in hospital. Rescue teams went to strikes in three other districts of Kyiv and air defence units were in operation.
'Russia is continuing its war on civilians,' said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, said there was a fire in Darnytskyi district on the eastern edge of the capital. 'This is a very difficult night,' he wrote, adding that there had been power cuts in some areas. In Russia, the defence military said 51 Ukrainian drones attacked the border Belgorod region over three and a half hours late on Monday.
Europe should not restart buying Russian gas even if there is peace in Ukraine, according to the EU's energy commissioner, Dan Jorgensen. The European Commission aims to ban EU Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by the end of 2027. Jorgensen said 'in my view if there is peace in Ukraine we should still not restart Russian gas imports', Reuters news agency reported.
Jorgensen said EU countries and companies would not be offered compensation but would be legally safe in breaking their contracts with Russia. 'We have a very clear opinion from the legal team of the commission, stating that since this will be a prohibition, a ban, the companies will not get into legal problems. This a force majeure,' said Jorgensen, meaning the ban was outside their control.
North Korean troops have sustained more than 6,000 casualties fighting for Russia against Ukraine – more than half of the about 11,000 soldiers initially sent to the Kursk region by Kim Jong-un's regime, according to the British defence ministry.
Zelenskyy on Monday said that he wanted to discuss buying US weapons with Donald Trump, adding that getting them for free was not on the agenda. Zelenskyy was in Vienna before travelling to the G7 summit in Canada; however, Trump left the G7 on Monday early, citing the situation in the Middle East. Earlier, Zelenskyy said he wanted to discuss with Trump 'the defence package that Ukraine is ready to buy'.
'I can't imagine and I don't want to imagine … how to live without and fight without the help of the United States,' Zelenskyy continued. 'I think we all have to work to make sure that the alliance between America and Europe doesn't fall apart.' Zelenskyy said he viewed the G7 summit as a 'very important' opportunity to see 'what kind of pressure we can all exert to stop [Vladimir] Putin, so that he stops the fire, stops the war … we will discuss frozen Russian assets with the leaders, and we will also discuss sanctions'.
Trump has shied away from imposing further sanctions on Russia – on Monday saying 'I'm waiting to see whether or not a deal is signed', of which there has been no sign. He also wants Russia readmitted to the G7. Trump said over two weeks ago that he would know in about two weeks whether Putin is 'tapping him along' and not genuine about peace negotiations.
The Guardian's Russian affairs reporter, Pjotr Sauer, says Ukraine's daring Operation Spiderweb will make military commanders across the world rethink national security. On 1 June, Ukraine launched a daring attack on Russian air bases, inflicting billions of dollars of damage to warplanes using inexpensive drones smuggled in on top of lorries.
Russia has returned 1,245 more bodies to Ukraine, Kyiv said on Monday, the final stage of a deal to repatriate more than 6,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers. Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement on a large-scale exchange of prisoners and the bodies of killed soldiers – the only visible result from two rounds of direct talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The Ukrainian defence minister, Rustem Umerov, said Kyiv had received more than 6,000 bodies in total over the past week.
The Ukrainian interior minister, Igor Klymenko, accused Russia of 'deliberately complicating the identification process … Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies are in different bags,' he said, and Ukraine also 'received bodies of Russian soldiers mixed with those of Ukrainians'.
Zelenskyy said Moscow had offered to swap Ukrainian children it has kidnapped for Russian soldiers held prisoner by Ukraine. 'Russians proposed this: we give them their soldiers, and they give us children,' he said. 'It is simply beyond comprehension and beyond international law, but it is in their spirit,' he added, calling the idea 'madness'. Hundreds of children have been forcibly taken by Russia during its invasion, and Ukrainian negotiators handed a list of some of their names to Moscow's delegation at the talks in Istanbul.
In Vienna, Zelenskyy said that he and the Austrian president, Alexander Van der Bellen, spoke about an eventual Austrian contribution to Ukraine's postwar reconstruction, including clearing landmines, energy cooperation and food security. The Austrian president said his country was militarily neutral but 'it is not so politically'. Austria had good relations with Russia before the invasion of Ukraine, and still has some economic links, but ties have deteriorated over the past three years. Austria's far-right opposition FPOe party, which is polling first in voter surveys, criticised Zelenskyy's visit.
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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
EU readies ban on Russian gas imports by end of 2027
LUXEMBOURG, June 17 (Reuters) - The European Commission is set to propose on Tuesday a ban on EU imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027, using legal measures to ensure the plan cannot be blocked by EU members Hungary and Slovakia. The proposals will set out how the European Union plans to fix into law its vow to end decades-old energy relations with Europe's former top gas supplier Russia, made after Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. An internal Commission summary of the upcoming proposal, seen by Reuters, said it would fix into law a ban on imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG from January 1, 2026, with longer deadlines for certain contracts. Short-term Russian gas deals signed before June 17, 2025 would have a one-year transition period, to June 17, 2026, it said. Imports under existing long-term Russian contracts would then be banned from January 1, 2028 - effectively ending the EU's use of Russian gas by this date, the summary said. Companies including TotalEnergies ( opens new tab and Spain's Naturgy ( opens new tab have Russian LNG contracts extending into the 2030s. EU LNG terminals would also be gradually banned from providing services to Russian customers, and companies importing Russian gas would have to disclose information on their contracts to EU and national authorities, Reuters previously reported. The plans could still change before they are published. EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Monday the measures were designed to be legally strong enough for companies to invoke the contractual clause of "force majeure" - an unforeseeable event - to break their Russian gas contracts. "Since this will be a prohibition, a ban, the companies will not get into legal problems. This is force majeure, as it [would be] if it had been a sanction," Jorgensen told reporters. Slovakia and Hungary, which have sought to maintain close political ties to Russia, still import Russian gas via pipeline and say switching to alternatives would increase energy prices. They have vowed to block sanctions on Russian energy, which require unanimous approval from all EU countries, and have opposed the ban. To get around this, the Commission's proposals will use an EU legal basis that can be passed with support from a reinforced majority of countries and a majority of the European Parliament, EU officials said. While most other EU countries have signalled support for the ban, officials said some importing countries have raised concerns about the risk to companies of financial penalties or arbitration for breaking contracts. Around 19% of Europe's gas still comes from Russia, via the TurkStream pipeline and LNG shipments - down from roughly 45% before 2022. Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain are among those that import Russian LNG. "We fully support this plan in principle, with the aim of ensuring that we find the right solutions to provide maximum security for businesses," French industry minister Marc Ferracci told reporters on Monday.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Starmer set to announce new Russia sanctions at G7
The UK is expected to unveil new sanctions against Russia designed to "restrict Putin's war machine" alongside other Ukraine allies on Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the measures would increase economic pressure on the Kremlin to show Vladimir Putin "it is in his and Russia's interests to demonstrate he is serious about peace".However, it appeared unlikely that the US would join the move after Donald Trump signalled his opposition to further measures during the G7 summit in Canada, saying the sanctions "cost [the US] a lot of money".Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said 16 people were injured after another wave of drone and missiles struck buildings across Kyiv overnight. Downing Street said the new sanctions package would aim to keep up "pressure on Russian military industrial complex" but did not provide further a statement, Sir Keir said he and other G7 partners were finalising the new measures at the Alberta summit, and that they would "squeeze Russia's energy revenues and reduce the funds they are able to pour into their illegal war"."The fact is, Russia doesn't hold all the cards," he why limited information had been released about the contents of the sanctions package, a No 10 spokesman said: "It's just a point of fact that the G7 has only just begun... it would be premature to get ahead of what those sessions will yield."Earlier on Monday, Trump - who announced he would leave the summit early due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East - indicated he did not back the sanctions said: "You're talking about billions and billions of dollars. Sanctions are not that easy. It's not just a one-way street."Trump said he was "waiting to see whether or not a deal" could be agreed between Russia and Ukraine to end the war before signing up to a new sanctions package. During a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump also called Russia's removal from the G7 group "a mistake" and said it "makes life more complicated".In 2014, then-US President Barack Obama and other world leaders decided to expel Russia from the group of major economies after Russia's annexation of Crimea.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump talks down prospect of US sanctions on Russia despite G7 push
Splits have opened up in the G7 approach to Russia after Donald Trump signalled his reluctance to impose more US sanctions on Moscow despite a European push to heap further pressure on Vladimir Putin. The US president said he wanted to 'see whether or not a deal is done' over the Ukraine war before targeting the Kremlin with further measures, insisting they would cost Washington 'a tremendous amount of money'. During an appearance next to Sir Keir Starmer, who earlier on Monday announced allies at the leaders' summit would 'squeeze' Russia with more sanctions, Mr Trump said the prospect of fresh action was 'not easy'. Asked whether Washington supported European efforts to impose further measures, he told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with the UK Prime Minister, he said: 'Well Europe is saying that, but they haven't done it yet. 'Let's see them do it first.' Asked why he wanted to wait to impose sanctions, Mr Trump said: 'Because I'm waiting to see whether or not a deal is done… and don't forget, you know, sanctions cost us a lot of money. 'When I sanction a country that costs the US a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money. 'It's not just, let's sign a document. You're talking about billions and billions of dollars. Sanctions are not that easy. It's not just a one-way street.' His remarks will prove awkward for Sir Keir, with whom he appeared to announce the completion of the US-UK deal, after the Prime Minister said G7 allies would seek to target Russian energy revenues used to fund its war machine. Downing Street would not expand on what the sanctions package was likely to include but said it would aim to keep 'up the pressure on Russian military industrial complex'. A Number 10 spokesman earlier dismissed suggestions that the limited detail about the announcement reflected divisions within the G7 on the issue of Moscow, which Donald Trump on Monday said should not have been kicked out of the former G8. 'I don't agree with that characterisation at all,' the official said. 'It's just a point of fact that the G7 has only just begun. 'The sessions are just beginning now, and it would be premature to get ahead of what those sessions will yield.' In a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday, Mr Trump said the decision to oust Russia from the former G8 had been a 'mistake'. Moscow was expelled from the group following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Sir Keir said: 'The fact is, Russia doesn't hold all the cards. 'So, we should take this moment to increase economic pressure and show President Putin it is in his, and Russia's interests, to demonstrate he is serious about peace. 'We are finalising a further sanctions package and I want to work with all of our G7 partners to squeeze Russia's energy revenues and reduce the funds they are able to pour into their illegal war.' UK intelligence has assessed Russia's forces as likely having sustained approximately 1,000,000 casualties since it launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, but it continues pounding Ukraine with drone and missile attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the conference in Kananaskis, along with leaders from Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain. Mr Zelensky has accepted a US-backed ceasefire proposal and offered to talk directly with Mr Putin, but the Russian leader has so far shown no willingness to meet him and resisted calls for an unconditional truce.
