The Russian President spoke at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. The European Commission has recommended granting Ukraine candidate status for the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen announced. The leaders of the Twenty-Seven have yet to give the green light. The UN also assesses the humanitarian situation in Ukraine as “extremely alarming”. Follow the situation live.
2:53 p.m .: Vladimir Putin speaks at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum
Vladimir Putin considers the Western sanctions “ruthless” because they were designed on the basis of a “wrong prognosis”: the one according to which Russia had “no economic sovereignty”.
“Russia will continue to look for partners among those who want to continue working with Moscow. These partners represent the majority of countries in the world,” continues Vladimir Putin, who announces that the Russian economy will “export to Africa”.
According to the Kremlin master, the Russian decision to launch “a special military operation” in Ukraine was “difficult to make, but “necessary”.
1:50 p.m.: Strikes in Lyssytchank kill several people
In Lysychansk, Severodonetsk’s sister city, a rocket attack on the House of Culture, whose residents were refugees, killed three and wounded seven, according to Kyiv. Another civilian was killed in the middle of the street in a bombardment in this city of Donbass.
The British Defense Ministry estimates that Russian forces may have tried to regain momentum on the Popasna axis, “from where they hope to encircle the Severodonetsk pocket from the south”.
According to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), they launch ground attacks against Ukrainian positions and lines of communication towards Lysychansk. The ISW also reports clashes north and north-east of the city of Kharkiv (in the north-east of the country), but without any change in territorial ownership.
1:40 p.m.: Russia strikes Mykolayiv, still controlled by Kyiv
A Russian attack on a residential area of Mykolayiv (south) on Friday morning left at least two dead and twenty wounded, according to the region’s governor, who revealed a preliminary assessment. The port and industrial city, which had almost half a million inhabitants before the war, is still under Ukrainian control. It is near the Kherson region, now occupied by the Russians.
The Ukrainian Navy also claimed to have destroyed a Russian tugboat, the Vasiliy Bekh, which was transporting weapons and ammunition in the Black Sea to the Island of Snakes.
According to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Russians continue to consolidate their rear positions in the north-west of the Kherson region “probably in anticipation of Ukrainian counter-offensives”.
1:30 p.m .: Macron “on the wrong side of history” on Ukraine, according to Garry Kasparov
Emmanuel Macron is “putting himself on the wrong side of history” by “urging” the Ukrainian president to “cede territories” to Russia, former chess champion Garry Kasparov said on the sidelines of the VivaTech show in Paris. “It’s a shame to see how the French President has placed himself on the wrong side of history by pushing President Zelenskyy to cede territories to Russia,” Vladimir Putin’s notorious opponent told AFP.
Garry Kasparov, who still has Russian citizenship but lives in exile, is addressing a recurring criticism of Ukrainian officials and some of their allies. The French President called for not giving in to the “temptation” to “humiliate” Russia.
However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured yesterday that Ukraine “turned the pages” of this episode. In Kyiv, the Ukrainian President welcomed the French President, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
1:15 p.m .: Ukraine introduces visa regulations for Russians from July 1st
Ukraine will introduce a visa regime for Russians from July 1, announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy almost four months after the Russian invasion of his country began.
The Ukrainian government must make a corresponding formal decision later today “to counter the unprecedented threats to the national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state,” the head of state said on Telegram.
1:01 p.m .: Zelenskyy welcomes “historic decision” after Brussels’ announcement to recommend EU candidate status to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the European Commission’s “historic decision” to grant Ukraine candidate status.
“Grateful to Ursula von der Leyen and to all members of the European Commission for a historic decision,” he wrote on Twitter.
12.15 p.m .: The European Commission is in favor of granting EU accession candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine
The European Commission has recommended that Ukraine be granted EU candidate status, EU Executive President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference. The European executive recommended the same status to Moldova, a neighbor of Ukraine.
This opinion will be discussed at the European summit on 23-24 June. The heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries must unanimously give the green light.
10.30 a.m .: According to network manager GRTgaz, France no longer receives Russian gas via pipeline
The manager of the French gas transmission network GRTgaz has announced that since June 15 he will no longer receive Russian gas by pipeline, as “the physical flow between France and Germany” is a consequence of the war in Ukraine.
GRTgaz does not know the cause of this cut, but it comes at a time when Russian giant Gazprom has significantly reduced its supplies to European countries, particularly Germany via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which may have caused the disruption in supplies to France. But the French manager calmed down on the replenishment of French stocks, which totals 56% versus 50% normally on the same day.
10.10 a.m .: According to the governor, the Azot factory in Severodonetsk cannot be evacuated without a “full ceasefire”.
The large Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, where around 500 civilians have taken refuge in recent days, cannot be evacuated without a “full ceasefire”, said the governor of the Lugansk region.
“Leaving the factory is only possible with a full ceasefire,” Serguii Gaidai said on Telegram. With Russian forces trying to take control of this key Donbass city for weeks, he said it was “impossible and dangerous” to leave “due to constant shelling and fighting.”
9.35 a.m .: The UN considers the humanitarian situation in Donbass to be “extremely alarming”.
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine is “extremely alarming” after almost four months of Russian invasion, the UN worried. While fighting between Ukrainian and Russian armies is raging in the east of the country.
“The humanitarian situation across Ukraine, particularly in eastern Donbass, is extremely alarming and continues to deteriorate rapidly,” Ocha, the United Nations humanitarian agency, said in a statement.
9 a.m.: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Mario Draghi return to Poland after their visit to Ukraine
The three European leaders Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Mario Draghi arrived in Przemysl, Poland, on Friday morning in a special train after a surprise visit to Kyiv the day before, according to an AFP journalist.
An hour before the train arrived at the Polish-Ukrainian border, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi climbed into the French President’s car for a bilateral meeting. The evening before, shortly after the train left Kyiv, Emmanuel Macron and the Chancellor met to discuss the results of the visit.
4am: First reaction on Friday to Ukraine’s European aspirations
The European Commission decides on Friday to give Ukraine EU candidate status, but any green light comes with conditions and must be unanimously approved by the 27 before lengthy negotiations begin.
Never before has an opinion been issued in such a short time on a candidacy application, an emergency due to the war that Russia has been waging for more than three months and which is part of the support that the Europeans are giving Ukraine to Moscow.
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1:01 a.m.: Russia has “strategically lost,” says a senior British military
“President Putin has used 25% of his army’s power to make tiny territorial gains,” British Army Chief of Staff Admiral Tony Radakin said in a remark reported by Britain’s PA agency on Friday.
“Any claim that this is a success for Russia makes no sense. Russia is losing,” he said. “She could have some tactical successes in the next few weeks,” he admitted. “But Russia has already lost strategically,” he said, stressing that “NATO is more powerful,” let alone “Finland and Sweden are trying to join the organization.” According to him, Russia “will never take control of Ukraine.”
With AFP