Ukraine-Russia battle newest: Zelensky confirms new incursion into Putin’s Belgorod area for first time
Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian troops are operating in Russia’s Belgorod border region.
The Ukrainian president said the war must “return to where it came from”, stating that the incursions are defensive missions designed to protect Ukraine’s own Sumy and Kharkiv border regions.
Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi has presented Mr Zelensky with a report “on the frontline, our presence in the Kursk region and our presence in the Belgorod region”.
Mr Zelensky added: “We continue active operations in the enemy’s border areas and this is absolutely justified.”
The battlefield update came as Kyiv prepared to send representatives to the US for fresh talks on a rare earth minerals deal. After his bitter spat with Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office, Donald Trump has proposed a more expansive minerals deal which could give the US access to valuable resources including titanium, lithium, and uranium, according to economy minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.
Mr Trump has urged Russia to stop bombing Ukraine after a ballistic missile strike in Kryvyi Rih killed 20, including nine children.
Putin’s envoy hails US-Russia space cooperation
Vladimir Putin’s business envoy, who has been closely involved in discussions between Washington and Moscow, has hailed Russia-US space cooperation after a joint mission took off on Tuesday.
A Soyuz MS-27 blasted off carrying an American Nasa astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts. It was expected to dock at the International Space Station at 09:04 GMT (10:04 BST), Russia’s space agency said.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy for international cooperation, said Tuesday’s launch from Kazakhstan was the latest example of an enduring relationship which traced its history back to 1975.
That was when the first crewed international space mission carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union saw an Apollo and a Soyuz dock in space.
He wrote on Telegram: “Russian and US cooperation in the space industry continues today.”
Russia shares picture of destroyed US-made tank
Three killed and 19 injured in attacks over past day
At least three people have been killed and 19 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, according to regional officials.
Moscow’s forces launched 46 drones overnight, according to the Ukrainian military, nine of which were shot down by air defences.
In Donetsk, two residents were killed by Russian shelling in Kostyantynivka and Hryshyno, the Kyiv Independent quoted regional governor Vadym Filashkin as saying.
One man was killed and five were injured in the Kharkiv region, while eight were injured in the Kherson region, the governors said.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, artillery and drone strikes wounded four.
More than 30 remain in hospital after Kryvyi Rih attack
A total of 33 people from Kryvyi Rih who were injured in the deadly Russian ballistic missile attack over the weekend remain in hospital, according to local authorities.
Among the injured are four children, two of whom are in a serious condition. Sixteen other adults are also in serious conditions.
The huge missile attack on Friday killed 20 people, including nine children. The city is still reeling in the aftermath of the strike, head of Kryvyi Rih city council Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram.
The Independent Debate | Your views on conscription – from ‘necessary evil’ to ‘waste of time’
Sir Alex Younger’s warning that Britain is no longer prepared for war has sparked intense debate about the future of defence and national service in the UK.
The former MI6 chief told Independent TV that the UK has “largely dismantled” its military and industrial base, and must urgently rebuild both its capabilities and culture of national resilience in the face of rising global threats from Russia and beyond.
When we asked for your views, many agreed that the British military has been left hollowed out by decades of underinvestment, with some recalling how training areas and barracks were gradually closed, leaving the Army overstretched and under-resourced.
Read your views on conscription here:
Trump condemns Russia for ‘bombing like crazy’
Donald Trump has condemned Russia for “bombing like crazy” in the past week, after Moscow’s forces have continued deadly drone and missile attacks across Ukraine.
“I’m not happy about what’s going on with the bombing, because they [the Russians] are bombing like crazy right now,” Mr Trump said, adding that it is “not a good situation”.
Speaking during a meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Mr Trump also referenced the recent peace discussions between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv.
“We’re getting sort of close. But I’m not happy with all the bombing that’s going on the last week or so. Horrible. It’s a horrible thing,” he said.
Over the weekend, Russia killed 20 people, including nine children, with a ballistic missile attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.
Canada undecided on participation in Ukraine peacekeeping, says PM
Canada is yet to decide on whether to participate in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, prime minister Mark Carney has said.
The new leader said that Ottawa’s decision on joining mission would depend on the circumstances, in an interview with Radio-Canada.
But Canada is “part of the coalition of the willing, led by Macron and Starmer. I attended several meetings of this coalition and this was one of the topics of my discussions with those two leaders”, he said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“I am very proud of Canada’s role, the role played by Mr Trudeau’s government and the role we are continuing to play, as well as the Canadian people’s support for the Ukrainian people.”
Countries will acquire nuclear weapons due to Ukraine war – Medvedev
More countries will develop nuclear weapons as a result of the war in Ukraine, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has asserted.
The West has pushed the world towards the brink of World War Three by fighting a proxy war in Ukraine, he said, pushing countries to acquire nuclear weapons.
In pictures: Wounded Ukrainian troops on the vicious Donetsk frontline
Source: independent.co.uk
