On the 108th day of the war in Ukraine from the US comes a veiled accusation by President Joe Biden against Volodymyr Zelensky : "He did not want to hear" the American warnings before the Russian invasion. "I know a lot of people thought I was exaggerating," Biden said, "but I knew we had the information to support (the analysis)." “Putin would have crossed the border. There was no question, and Zelensky did not want to listen, as did many other people. I understand why, but in the end Putin did it. "
Zelensky, presidential spokesman Sergei Nikiforov replied, asked Western partners for preventive sanctions against Russia before it invaded Ukraine, but was not listened to. A question and answer with lots of accusations between the US president and the Ukrainian one.
And intense fighting continues in the streets of Severodonetsk , the city in eastern Ukraine at the center of the conflict for days. This was reported by the British Ministry of Defense referring to its latest intelligence updates, according to which both sides, Ukrainian and Russian, are also recording significant losses. In the Azot chemical plant, where 800 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians are barricaded, a fire broke out following Russian bombing .
It is also the day of the meeting in Kiev between Ursula Von der Leyen and Zelensky . "Ukraine is on the right track to join the European Union, we will do everything", said the president of the EU Commission, also praising the "strength and determination" of the Ukrainian people who, she said, "will overcome this war terrible".
Zelensky for his part, recalling that "Moscow wants to weaken" the EU, said that "this is the decisive moment" and to expect a "positive response" from Brussels on the entry of Kiev into the Union. He also asked Europe a seventh package of sanctions to "block the activities of all Russian banks , without distinction and in particular Gazprombank".
And soon, according to Bild, Mario Draghi will fly to Kiev with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French President Emmanuel Macron . The three European leaders would like to meet Zelensky before the G7 summit scheduled for late June.
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The day by the hour:
Kiev, "Elon Musk gave Starlink to our 007"
"Elon Musk not only works on the mission to Mars, he gave our intelligence Starlinks, really necessary for special missions" of the Ukrainian 007: the Kiev Defense Ministry writes on Twitter publishing the image of three military men with dark faces and a box with the system. The Starlink network for the global internet is already available in 32 countries and is by far the largest satellite fleet ever put into orbit. In February, media speculation had spoken of a supply to the Azov Battalion in Mariupol.
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Use: expensive gasoline, for the first time it rises to 5 dollars a gallon. White House: "Putin's fault"
Expensive-gasoline in the United States, where the average price rises to $ 5 per gallon (3.8 liters) for the first time. A leap that increases the pressure on Joe Biden. In fact, at five dollars the price of gasoline is more than double what it was when the president took office. The White House has been repeating for weeks that the dear energy is the fault of Vladimir Putin, without however being able to calm the anger of the Americans.
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Putin signs the law against the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law according to which Russia is not obliged to respect the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. According to the new legislation, the judgments of the Court against Russia adopted after 15 March 2022 (date on which Moscow announced its exit from the Council of Europe) will not be implemented , while the compensation according to the judgments of the same Court will be made only in rubles and only to accounts in Russian banks. The Russian Attorney General's Office will be able to make payments according to court decisions until January 1, 2023.
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"Scholz, Draghi and Macron soon in Kiev"
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is preparing a visit to Kiev with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and French President Emmanuel Macron. This was revealed by Bild, citing French and Ukrainian government circles. He added that the three European leaders would like to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the G7 summit, scheduled for late June.
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Fire at the Azot chemical plant
Russian bombing of the Azot chemical plant in the city of Severodonetsk caused a violent fire to break out after a loss of tons of oil. The governor of Lugansk Serhiy Gaidai reported this on national TV, without specifying whether the fire was extinguished. About 800 people have taken refuge in the plant.
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Mariupol, Freedom Square becomes Lenin Square
In Mariupol the Russians renamed 'Freedom Square' to 'Lenin Square'. This was announced by the councilor of the mayor of the city Petro Andryushchenko, according to reports from Ukrainska Pravda. "The occupants changed the name of the square and raised their flag," he added, posting the photos.
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UN commission of inquiry arrived in Ukraine
The UN-led Independent International Commission of Inquiry into Ukraine has arrived in Ukraine. Ukrinform reports it citing a post on Facebook by Olena Kondratiuk, vice president of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament.
"I assured the UN Independent International Commission that the Verkhovna Rada will contribute to the good work of the mission! We discussed the work of the commission in Ukraine, which was set up to record violations of human rights, international humanitarian law and other crimes related to Russian aggression. The main task is to identify suspects, collect evidence and prepare materials so that no one escapes punishment, "Kondratiuk said, pointing out that the mission is led by Erik Mose.
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Zelensky to Biden: "I asked for preventive sanctions"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Western partners for preventive sanctions against Russia before it invaded Ukraine, but was not heard: presidential spokesman Sergei Nikiforov said, commenting on the words of US President Joe Biden, according to which Zelensky " he did not want to hear "American warnings about the danger of a Russian attack.
According to Nikiforov, Zelensky had three or four telephone conversations with Biden: the leaders exchanged views and assessments on the situation regarding the threat of the Russian invasion. "Therefore, the phrase 'he did not want to hear' probably needs clarification. Also, if you remember, the president called on the partners to introduce a package of preemptive sanctions to push Russia to withdraw troops and reduce the tension. And in this case we can. to say that our partners 'didn't want to hear from us', "the spokesperson added.
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Von der Leyen: "Kiev will overcome this war"
"The Ukrainian people have shown that they have a lot of strength and determination and I am convinced that together you will overcome this terrible war." This was stated by the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the press conference in Kiev with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. "We are by your side, Slava Ukraini!", He added, at the end greeting with the now symbolic phrase: 'Glory to Ukraine'.
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Kiev counter-offensive in the Kherson region
The Ukrainian army launched a three-way counterattack in the Russian-occupied Kherson region. This was announced by the city council of the city in the south of the country, as reported by UNIAN. The attacks are carried out "in the direction of Kyselivka, Soldatske and Oleksandrivka, while the village of Tavriiske has been completely liberated".
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Zelensky: "EU blocks Gazprombank"
"Unfortunately the war continues and we need a seventh package of sanctions. The activities of all Russian banks, without distinction, and in particular Gazprombank in particular, must be stopped." This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the joint statement with Ursula von der Leyen. "Ukraine can export energy to European countries," he added.
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Von der Leyen: "Kiev on the right track to join the EU"
"Kiev was already on the right track before the war, it has a solid parliamentary democracy, it has a functioning administration. We see a highly digitized country. It is a country that already has trade and association agreements. There are still reforms to be done on the corruption and administration to attract investors ". This was stated by the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in the joint statement with Volodymy Zelensky in Kiev. "We appreciate the enormous efforts" of Kiev, he added.
Zelensky: "Decisive moment, we await the EU's yes"
"This is a decisive moment not only for Ukraine but for the whole European continent: Russia wants to divide and weaken the EU. Europe is its goal". This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the joint statement with Ursula von der Leyen, underlining how Kiev "expects a positive response" from the EU on the Ukrainian candidacy. "We await this support for the European summit which promises to be historic", added Zelensky.
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Kiev: "10 thousand soldiers killed since the beginning of the war"
About 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the Russian invasion began on 24 February. This was announced by Oleksiy Arestovich, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, quoted by the Dpa. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said earlier this week that around 100 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day.
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On Friday the EU Commission decides on Kiev candidacy status
According to Ansa, the opinion of the EU Commission on the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine is expected on Friday. On Monday there will be a first meeting of the European Commissioners on the dossier. Then, on Friday, the panel of commissioners - exceptionally set at the end of the working week - will decide whether to give a green light to Kiev's candidacy. In this case, the final decision will lie with the European Council, probably already at the summit at the end of June. Ukraine's approach to the EU is one of the dossiers that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will address with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.
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Ukraine, 24 more children killed by bombs on Mariupol discovered
Ukraine's attorney general said it learned that another 24 children - compared to the count available so far - died in the Russian bombing of Mariupol in May. "During the compilation of the list of crimes, it emerged that another 24 children died in Mariupol following indiscriminate bombing by the Russian military," the prosecutor, cited by the Guardian, wrote on Telegram. In total, since the beginning of the Russian invasion - the note continues - more than 287 children have died and over 492 have been injured: "These figures are not final, our work continues to try to update them, in the areas where there is fighting, in those temporarily occupied and in those released ".
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Biden: "Zelensky didn't want to hear about the Russian invasion"
US President Joe Biden said his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky "did not want to hear" American warnings prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "I know a lot of people thought I was exaggerating," Biden said, "but I knew we had the information to back it up. Putin would cross the border. There was no question, and Zelensky didn't want to listen, as did many other people. I understand why, but in the end Putin did it. "
(Unioneonline)