G7 summit: Zelensky and Fumio Kishida lay wreaths at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima
At least one person was killed and 15 wounded in a Russian missile strike on a clinic in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Ukrainian president denounced the attack as a crime against humanity, as the Ukrainian Defence Ministry called it a serious war crime under the Geneva Conventions, which set out how soldiers and civilians should be treated in war.
Pictures show a devastated building with smoke pouring out of it and rescue workers looking on. Much of the upper floor of what appeared to be a three-storey building had been badly damaged, as had cars parked nearby.
“Another (Russian) missile attack, another crime against humanity,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
“The buildings of a psychological clinic and a veterinary clinic in the city of Dnipro were destroyed. As of now, one person was killed and 15 were wounded.”
Russia has denied repeated accusations that its soldiers have committed war crimes in Ukraine.
One killed, 15 wounded in Russian attack on Ukrainian clinic
At least one person was killed and 15 wounded in a Russian missile strike on a clinic in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
He denounced the attack as a crime against humanity, and the Ukrainian Defence Ministry called it a serious war crime under the Geneva Conventions, which set out how soldiers and civilians should be treated in war.
Video footage showed a devastated building with smoke pouring out of it and rescue workers looking on. Much of the upper floor of what appeared to be a three-storey building had been badly damaged, as had cars parked nearby.
“Another (Russian) missile attack, another crime against humanity,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
“The buildings of a psychological clinic and a veterinary clinic in the city of Dnipro were destroyed. As of now, one person was killed and 15 were wounded.”
Russia has denied repeated accusations that its soldiers have committed war crimes in Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said earlier on Friday that air defences had shot down 10 missiles and more than 20 drones launched by Russia in overnight attacks on the capital Kyiv, Dnipro and eastern regions.
Reuters was unable to verify the reports.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago, did not immediately comment on the reported air strikes but said Ukraine had struck two regions in southern Russia with a rocket and a drone.
(via REUTERS)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 10:46
Netherlands ‘seriously considering’ sending F-16’s to Ukraine
The Netherlands is “seriously considering” sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine but has not taken any final decision yet, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday.
Earlier this week the Netherlands said it wanted to start training Ukrainian pilots in flying F-16’s as soon as possible.
Asked if the Netherlands would send fighter jets to Ukraine, Rutte told a news conference no final decision had been taken, but added that “if you start training it’s obvious that is something you are seriously considering”.
Any decision on sending F-16s was dependent on approval from the U.S. to do so, Rutte said. He added that the Netherlands would potentially have fighter jets to pass on as it was currently phasing out its F-16’s.
According to figures from the Dutch defence ministry the Netherlands currently has 24 operational F-16’s which will be phased out by mid-2024. Another 18 of the jets are currently available for sale, of which 12 have been provisionally sold.
Last Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden endorsed training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy assured Biden that the planes would not be used to cross into Russian territory.
The West says it wants to help Ukraine defeat Russia but has repeatedly insisted it does not want to trigger a direct confrontation between the U.S.-backed NATO military alliance and Russia.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 16:45
Poland says it will close border to freight vehicles from Belarus and Russia
Poland will close its eastern border to freight vehicles registered in Belarus and Russia until further notice, according to a draft regulation published on Friday by the interior ministry.
The move comes as a Belarusian court upheld an earlier decision to sentence a journalist of Polish origin to eight years in prison, stoking tensions between the two countries that have been running high in part due to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.
According to the justification of the regulation, the decision was necessary to “ensure public safety”.
While the regulation concerning the border did not mention the case of jailed journalist Andrzej Poczobut, Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Twitter that he would add several hundred Belarusian officials to sanctions lists as a result of the verdict, which he labelled “draconian”.
Poland had previously closed some border crossings with Belarus following Poczobut’s imprisonment and the expulsion of Polish diplomats by Minsk.
The Belarusian foreign ministry could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.
Belarus has previously said that Polish decisions to close border crossings were irrational and dangerous, accusing Warsaw of causing long delays and failing to implement bilateral agreements.
Poland has been an important refuge for opponents of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, and Warsaw has become one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since Belarus’ main ally Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Poland also accuses Belarus of artificially creating a migrant crisis on the border by flying in people from the Middle East and Africa and attempting to push them across the frontier.
While the numbers of migrants crossing are lower than at the peak of the crisis in 2021, the Polish Border guard reports dozens of attempts to enter Poland illegally daily.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 16:13
Lavrov, Chinese special envoy Li discuss prospects for peace in Ukraine, Russia says
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese special envoy Li Hui discussed prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine at a meeting in Moscow on Friday, Russia‘s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Li has been on a tour of European capitals including Kyiv.
In a meeting with officials from the European Union in Brussels on Thursday, Li said China had always upheld an objective and just position on the Ukrainian issue and actively promoted peace talks.
(EPA)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 15:31
Russian attack on Ukrainian clinic kills two and wounds 30, Kyiv says
A Russian missile hit a clinic in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, killing two people and wounding 30 in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky called a crime against humanity.
Video footage showed a devastated building with smoke pouring out of it and rescue workers looking on. Much of the upper floor of what appeared to be a three-storey building had been badly damaged. A covered corpse lay in the road nearby.
“Another (Russian) missile attack, another crime against humanity,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
He said a psychological clinic and a veterinary clinic had been hit, and added: “Only an evil state can fight against clinics. There can be no military purpose in this. It is pure Russian terror.”
Regional governor Serhiy Lysak said a 69-year-old man had been killed as he passed the clinic and another man’s body had been pulled from the rubble.
He said 30 people had been wounded, including two children, and contact had not yet been made with three people thought to have been in the building when it was hit.
Ukraine‘s Defence Ministry called the attack a serious war crime under the Geneva Conventions, which set out how soldiers and civilians should be treated in war.
Russia‘s Defence Ministry said it had carried out an overnight strike on Ukrainian ammunition depots.
“The target of the strike has been achieved. All designated facilities were hit,” the RIA news agency quoted it as saying.
Moscow has dismissed allegations that its soldiers have committed war crimes and denies deliberately targeting civilians although it has bombarded cities across Ukraine since invading 15 months ago.
(EPA)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 15:00
Which companies are leaving Russia and which are staying? Here’s a look
More than 500 companies have suspended their business in Russia, and a similar number have withdrawn completely.
An additional 151 are “scaling back,” 175 are “buying time” and 230 are “digging in,” according to database kept by Yale University. Chinese companies figure prominently in the last category.
Here’s a look at some of the Western companies that have chosen to stay or exit Russia:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 14:25
Swedish foreign minister says ambition is to join NATO by July
Sweden still hopes to be a member of NATO by the time of the alliance’s summit in Vilnius in July, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Friday.
Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine convinced Sweden and Finland last year to ditch long-held policies of military non-alignment and seek security of NATO’s collective defence commitment.
Finland joined NATO last month, but Sweden’s membership has been held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary.
“There isn’t going to be any plan B or anything like that. Plan B is plan A – that is full membership in NATO and that is what I and the government are going to work for all the way to Vilnius,” he told reporters.
Turks vote in the second round of a tight presidential election on Sunday, with incumbent Tayyip Erdogan leading after the first ballot.
Billstrom said he hoped Turkey’s parliament would begin the ratification process after the dust has settled.
“It is time for Turkey to start its ratification process and uphold its part of the bargain,” Billstrom said.
Sweden and Finland struck a three-way deal in Madrid in June last year aimed at addressing Turkey’s security worries.
But Ankara has continued to drag its heels over Sweden, saying Stockholm harbours members of militant groups it considers to be terrorists.
Hungary has also objected to Sweden’s application citing grievances over Swedish criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s record on democracy and the rule of law.
Billstrom said it was unclear what objections Budapest had to Sweden’s membership.
“Hungary gave its support at the summit in Madrid last year for Sweden to be given invitee status without any conditions,” he said. “It is our firm opinion that they should start ratification.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 14:00
Watch: Zelensky receives standing ovation after speech to Johns Hopkins University graduates
Zelensky receives standing ovation after speech to Johns Hopkins University graduates
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 13:30
Russia says it carried out overnight strike on Ukrainian ammo depots
Russia‘s Defence Ministry said on Friday that it carried out an overnight strike on Ukrainian ammunition depots, the RIA news agency reported.
“The target of the strike has been achieved. All designated facilities were hit,” the defence ministry was quoted as saying.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 13:05
Map shows the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine
The UK ministry of defence has published a map which shows the latest Russian attacks and troop locations in the Ukraine war.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain26 May 2023 13:04