Live blog: Russia, Ukraine to receive African mission on peace plan

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Six African leaders plan to travel to Russia and Ukraine "as soon as is possible" to help find a resolution to the war, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have "agreed to receive the mission and the African heads of state, in both Moscow and Kiev," Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa said he had held "separate telephone calls" with Putin and Zelenskyy over the weekend, where he presented an initiative drawn up by Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa.

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1844 GMT — UK and Dutch pledge fighter jet support for Ukraine

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have pledged to build an "international coalition" to provide fighter jet support for Ukraine.

"The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Rutte agreed they would work to build (an) international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F16 jets," a spokesman for Sunak's Downing Street office said in a statement following a meeting at the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland.

After visiting Sunak at his Chequers country estate outside London on Monday, Zelenskyy said he was "very positive" about creating a "jets coalition."

1758 GMT — UN says talks on extending Black Sea grain deal in 'delicate stage'

The UN has said that talks continue to extend the Black Sea grain deal which is to expire Thursday, noting: "We're obviously in a delicate stage."

"Contacts are going on at different levels.” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, adding that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been kept abreast of the situation.

The spokesman said the grain initiative, brokered by the Türkiye, along with the memorandum of understanding with Russia on fertiliser and grain exports from Russia are critical to keeping global food prices down.

1405 GMT — Ukraine recaptures 20 square kilometres near Bakhmut in recent days

A Ukrainian deputy defence minister has said that Kyiv's troops have pushed Russian forces from chunks of territory around the embattled city of Bakhmut in the east of the country.

"In the last few days, our troops liberated around 20 square kilometres (7.7 square miles) in the north and south of the outskirts of Bakhmut," deputy defense minister Ganna Malyar said in a statement on social media.

"At the same time, the enemy is advancing in some measure inside Bakhmut itself and is completely destroying the town with artillery," Malyar added.

1210 GMT — European leaders meet in Iceland

European leaders are meeting in Iceland for a two-day summit meant to show their support for Ukraine.

In only the fourth summit of the Council of Europe (CoE) since it was founded after World War Two, the 46 members of the leading human rights body, which is entirely separate from the European Union, will gather to discuss emerging threats as the war in Ukraine rages on.

"The Council of Europe is often underestimated in its importance," Frank Schwabe, a German lawmaker who was closely involved in the planning of the summit told Reuters.

1144 GMT — Mines could ruin Ukraine farmland for years: Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that mines and unexploded shells in the Ukrainian countryside could have serious long-term implications for agriculture, a vital part of the country's economy.

Unexploded bombs, shells and mines not only threaten human life in Ukraine but also risk rendering swathes of fertile farmland unusable for years, the Red Cross said.

1122 GMT — Ukraine downs Russian barrage as China envoy due

Ukraine has said it had downed an entire barrage of Russian drones and missiles overnight — including six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles — hours ahead of a visit from China's special envoy.

The wave of strikes came just over a week after Kiev announced it had shot down a Kinzhal nuclear-capable hypersonic missile for the first time, using US-supplied Patriot systems.

1052 GMT — Kremlin says 'unanswered questions' remain over Ukraine grain deal extension

Russia has said it was still undecided on the extension of a landmark grain export deal with Ukraine, brokered by the UN and Türkiye and due to expire May 18.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding our part of the deal ... now we have to make a decision," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

1024 GMT — Head of Ukraine's Supreme Court detained: Anti-corruption prosecutor

The head of Ukraine's Supreme Court has been detained over an alleged bribery scheme, a prosecutor from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said.

The prosecutor did not name the official detained, but told a briefing that he was the head of the Supreme Court and had not yet been served with a formal "notice of suspicion".

The Supreme Court is headed by Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniaziev, who could not be reached for comment. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and SAPO announced on Monday that they had "exposed large-scale corruption" at the court, and shared a photograph of piles of dollars neatly lined up on a sofa.

1014 GMT — S. Korea's president vows to expand non-lethal aid to Kiev in meeting with Ukraine's first lady

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to expand the country's non-lethal aid to Kiev when he met with Ukraine’s first lady in Seoul.

Olena Zelenska visited South Korea as a special envoy of Zelenskyy. During her meeting with Yoon, Zelenska requested South Korea expand its support of non-lethal military supplies, including equipment for detecting and removing mines and ambulance vehicles, according to Yoon’s office.

Yoon replied that his government would closely coordinate with NATO and other international partners to “actively support the Ukrainian people,” his spokesperson Lee Do Woon said during a briefing.

0914 GMT — Three injured in overnight Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s capital

At least three people have been injured in Russian airstrikes on Ukraine’s capital Kiev late Monday, local authorities said.

“The eighth air attack on Kiev since the beginning of May! This time, the enemy launched a complex attack from different directions simultaneously, using UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), cruise missiles and probably ballistic missiles,” Serhiy Popko, the head of Kiev City Military Administration, said in a statement on Telegram.

Popko said that the attack was “exceptional in its density” due to the number of strikes in the shortest period of time, adding that the vast majority of attempts in the airspace of Kiev were detected and destroyed.

0844 GMT — Kiev says it shoots down volley of Russian hypersonic missiles

Ukraine said it had shot down six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in a single night, thwarting a superweapon Moscow had previously touted as all but unstoppable.

It was the first time Ukraine had claimed to have struck an entire volley of multiple hypersonic missiles, and if confirmed would be a dramatic demonstration of the effectiveness of newly deployed Western air defences.

The six Kinzhals, ballistic missiles which travel at up to 10 times the speed of sound, were among a volley of 18 missiles Russia launched at Ukraine overnight, lighting up Kiev with flashes and raining debris after they were blasted from the sky.

The commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said all had been successfully intercepted. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

0055 GMT — US confirms arrival of 31 Abrams tanks in Germany

The US Defense Department said that 31 M1 Abrams training tanks had arrived in Germany ahead of the US-led training of Ukrainian forces.

"I can confirm that the 31 M1 Abrams training tanks have arrived at Grafenwoehr, Germany in preparation for subsequent training of Ukrainian tankers," Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder told reporters during a daily press briefing.

"As we’ve discussed previously, this extensive training programme for Ukrainian crews and maintainers is intended to prepare them for their critical roles ahead in effectively operating the M1 tank and defending Ukrainian people," he added.

In January, President Joe Biden announced that the US would provide Ukraine with 31 M1 Abrams tanks in its fight against Russia, which came after Germany agreed to send its Leopard 2 tanks.

0011 GMT — Explosions rock Kiev as Russia launches new wave of air attacks

Explosions have rocked Kiev as air defence systems were repelling Russian air attacks on the capital and other places in Ukraine, Ukraine's officials said.

"Air defence is working on targets," the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, Andriy Yermak, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

He gave no further details. "Explosions in Kiev. A few - in the Solomyanskyi district," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram channel.

He added that falling debris fell onto the city's zoo in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Kiev's military administration officials said on Telegram that air defence systems were repelling attacks on the capital.

For our live updates from Monday (May 15), click here.