Live blog: Switzerland rejects Denmark's arms request

Friday, June 3, 2022

Switzerland rejects Denmark's arms request

Switzerland’s government said it won’t honor a request by Denmark to send nearly two-dozen Swiss-made armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, citing Swiss “neutrality law” that bans the export of war material to a country at war.

The announcement testified to the fine line Swiss authorities are treading to hold to Switzerland’s legal requirement to remain neutral as laid out in the War Materiel Act, which bars the transfer of Swiss-made weapons systems, ammunition and other war material to a country involved in an international conflict.

Denmark had requested that Switzerland transfer 22 Swiss-made Piranha III wheeled armored personnel carriers, which Denmark had procured and stored in Germany, to Ukraine. Previously, the Swiss rejected a German request to send Swiss-made 35mm ammunition for Gepard anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.

Ukraine's foreign fighters join Sievierodonetsk battle

Foreigners fighting for Ukraine arrived in the embattled city of Sievierodonetsk in the eastern province of Luhansk this week, vowing to repel the Russian advance as Moscow pursues its push to seize the last Ukrainian-held territories in the east. 

Since being driven back from the capital Kiev, Russia has launched a huge new assault in Luhansk and Donetsk, two provinces that make up the eastern region of Donbass. 

Both sides have suffered punishing losses in the street-by-street battles but the stakes are high: If Sievierodonetsk falls, neighbouring Lysychansk would be the last city that Russia needs to have full control of Luhansk. 

Putin made 'historic' error in Ukraine: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had committed a "historic and fundamental error" by attacking Ukraine and was now "isolated".

"I think, and I told him, that he made a historic and fundamental error for his people, for himself and for history," he said in an interview with French regional media.

"I think he has isolated himself," Macron said. "Isolating oneself is one thing, but being able to get out of it is a difficult path".

Ukraine has retaken about 20% of territory lost in Sievierodonetsk - regional head

Ukrainian forces have recaptured around 20 percent of the territory they lost in the city of Sievierodonetsk during fighting with Russia, the head of the eastern region of Luhansk said.

"Whereas before the situation was difficult, the percentage (held by Russia) was somewhere around 70 percent, now we have already pushed them back by approximately 20 percent," Serhiy Gaidai told national television.

Russia has poured forces into the battle for the city which Moscow must capture to achieve its stated aim of holding all of Luhansk province. 

Putin says 'no problem' to export grain from Ukraine

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said there was "no problem" to export grain from Ukraine, after Moscow's operation in Ukraine raised fears of a global food crisis.

"There is no problem to export grain from Ukraine," he said in a televised interview, saying it could be done via Ukrainian ports, via others under Russian control, or even via central Europe.

Putin accused the West of "bluster" by claiming Moscow was preventing grain exports from Ukraine. He mentioned the possibility of exporting via the Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov, which gives access to the Black Sea.

UN aid chief had 'frank, constructive' talks in Moscow on Ukraine grain exports 

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths "had frank and constructive discussions" with Russian officials in Moscow on facilitating exports of Ukraine grain from Black Sea ports, a UN spokesperson said.

Griffiths met with Russian foreign affairs and defence officials on Thursday and Friday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. Since Russia's attacks in Ukraine started, Ukrainian grain shipments from its Black Sea ports have stalled and more than 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in silos.

"We've said clearly what we can do and what we cannot do," Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told Reuters on Friday. "We have not installed the mines in the coastal area, that was the Ukrainians. If they demine the area we are prepared to provide the safe passage for the ships carrying grain." 

UN in 'complex' talks with Russia to unblock Ukraine ports

The UN has said that it is leading intense negotiations with Russia to unblock Ukrainian ports and release tens of millions of tonnes of grain to avert a global food crisis.

The UN crisis coordinator for the war-torn country, Amin Awad, stressed the high stakes of the "very, very complex" talks to try and end the impasse.

The talks are being led by UN aid chief Martin Griffith and Rebeca Gynspan, who heads the UN trade and development agency, Awad said via video link to reporters in Geneva.

Black Sea blockage imperils global food security

UN officials have warned that the conflict in Ukraine poses the threat of famine, destabilisation, and mass migration worldwide as Russia blockades the Black Sea ports that can send grain to the world. 

"Today, we are marking 100 days since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine on 24 February; a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations," Amin Awad, UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine, said at a Geneva UN news conference from Kiev.

"The impasse on the Black Sea imperils global food and commodity security. Food insecurity is set to become even more worrying, with 1.7 billion people at risk of increased poverty due to the crisis."

AU head tells Putin Africans 'victims' of Ukraine conflict

African Union head Macky Sall urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take into account the suffering in African countries from food shortages caused by Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Putin hosted Senegalese President Macky Sall, who chairs the African Union, at his Black Sea residence in Sochi on the 100th day of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, with global food shortages and grain supplies stuck in Ukrainian ports high on the agenda.

Sall asked Putin to "become aware that our countries, even if they are far from the theatre (of action), are victims on an economic level" of the conflict.

Russia hits out at German 'remilitarisation'

Russia accused Germany of "remilitarising", using language that summoned up its Nazi past. 

Germany's government and conservative opposition struck a deal on Sunday to release 100 billion euros ($107 billion) to build up its army after Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

"We take that as another confirmation that Berlin is on the path to a new re-militarisation," said Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. 

Russian patriarch removed from latest EU sanctions list after Hungary’s objection

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, was excluded from the latest EU sanctions list after Hungary’s objection.

The European Union officially adopted the sixth sanctions package against Russia.

The blacklist targeting individuals with a travel ban and asset freeze does not include Patriarch Kirill, contrary to the original proposal.

Ukrainian police investigate allegations of sexual violence by Russian soldiers

Ukrainian police have received around 50 complaints and opened 16 criminal investigations into allegations of sexual violence committed by Russian soldiers against civilians, Ukraine's deputy interior minister said.

Ukraine, its international allies and the United Nations human rights office have been investigating potential war crimes, including sexual violence, in Ukraine since Russia launched its offensive in February.

Moscow denies committing war crimes or targeting civilians during a war that has killed thousands and forced millions of people, mostly women and children, to flee abroad.

EU targets Russian officers in new sanctions

The European Union says it has targeted Russian military officers linked to atrocities in Ukraine in its latest round of sanctions, including top brass accused of war crimes in Bucha and the siege of Mariupol.

The EU froze the assets of 65 people and imposed travel bans on them. The bloc has now targeted almost 1,160 people, including President Vladimir Putin, pro-Kremlin oligarchs and other top officials over Russia’s actions in Ukraine since 2014.

The EU said that Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov and Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, known as the ‘Butcher of Mariupol,’ were among those on the list.

On 100th day of Russian offensive, Zelenskyy vows victory

Ukraine will emerge victor in the fighting started by Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, as Moscow's offensive entered its 100th day with Russian troops pounding the eastern Donbass region.

Zelenskyy said Russia will not prevail, appearing in a video accompanied by the same key political leaders also shown in a video posted on February 24 when they vowed to defend their country.

"Our team is much bigger. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are here. The most important — the people, the people of our state are here. Defending Ukraine for 100 days already," he said. "Victory will be ours," he declared.

Russia will continue 'operation' in Ukraine until all goals are achieved

Russia will continue its military operation in Ukraine until all its goals have been achieved, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said.

"One of the main goals of the operation is to protect people in the DNR and LNR. Measures have been taken to ensure their protection and certain results have been achieved," Peskov said, referring to Donetsk and Luhansk, the two breakaway regions of Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.

"Many settlements have been liberated from the pro-Nazi armed forces of Ukraine and directly from nationalist elements," he said. "The opportunity has been provided for people to start establishing a peaceful life," Peskov said. 

UN official: More talks needed to allow Russian exports

More talks are needed to strike a deal on allowing exports from Russia as part of an envisaged accord to resume Ukrainian food exports, the United Nations crisis coordinator for Ukraine has said.

"There was in principle agreement from Russia that they will agree to that, however there is more negotiation to be done to also...facilitate the exports of Russia," Amin Awad told an online UN news briefing from Geneva.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said on Wednesday he was hopeful of easing the food crisis prompted by the conflict in Ukraine, but cautioned that any agreement to unblock shipments of commodities such as grain was still some way off.

Russia oil sanctions to hit Slovakia, expects EU 'solidarity'

Slovakia has said it would be hardest hit by European Union sanctions on Russian oil and it expected solidarity from Brussels to mitigate the impact.

"The embargo...was approved in a version with direct impact on the market for motor fuels and their production in Slovakia," the ministry said in a statement.

"Within the declared solidarity, we expect individual access to resources from REPower EU," it said, referring to the EU's plan to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels and tackle the climate crisis.

Lukashenko to allow transit of Ukrainian grain in exchange for use of Baltic ports

Minsk is ready to allow the transit of Ukraine's grain to Baltic sea ports via Belarus if it is allowed to ship Belarusian goods from these ports, the Belta news agency quoted Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko as saying.

The topic was discussed in a phone call between Lukashenko and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Belta added.

Ukraine sees European future, says Russia isolated

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says his country has a democratic future in Europe, while Russia is increasingly isolated.

"For 100 days Ukraine has been moving confidently towards its goal of living as a free democratic country within the European family," Shmyhal wrote on social media. "Russia is clearly moving towards life behind the Iron Curtain and isolation from the developed world," he added.

EU formally approves embargo on Russia oil

The European Union has formally approved an embargo on Russian oil and other sanctions targeting major banks and broadcasters over Moscow’s assault on Ukraine.

EU headquarters says Russian crude oil will be phased out over six months, and other refined petroleum products over eight months. EU leaders say the move means that around 90% of Russia’s oil exports to Europe will be blocked by year’s end.

EU says that “a temporary exception is foreseen” for landlocked countries – like Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – that “suffer from a specific dependence on Russian supplies and have no viable alternative options.” Bulgaria and Croatia will also get “temporary derogations” for certain kinds of oil.

Kiev: NATO should consider 'de facto' Ukraine membership  

NATO should consider granting Ukraine "de facto" rather than "de jure" membership of the alliance when it discusses its strategy for the next 10 years at a summit in June, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said.

"I think that if we are talking about the membership of Ukraine with NATO de facto, not de jure, It could be the good idea in this strategy," Reznikov told the GLOBSEC 2022 Bratislava Forum by video link.

"Ukraine will be also part of the strategy because we also are the part of eastern flank of Europe, the eastern flank of NATO countries, eastern flank of the EU. I think it will be a win-win situation for all countries," Reznikov said.

Ukraine: Russia trying to move fighting into 'protracted phase'

Ukraine's defence minister says he believes the Kremlin was trying to move the conflict into a "protracted phase" by building layered defences in occupied regions in the south of the country.

"The Kremlin is trying to move the war into a protracted phase," Reznikov told the GLOBSEC 2022 Bratislava Forum by video link. "Instead of advancing, the Russian armies are constructing layered defences" in southern occupied regions, primarily Kherson, he said.

Russia summon heads of US media outlets, warns of 'stringent measures'

Russia's Foreign Ministry has said it will summon the heads of US media outlets in Moscow to a meeting next Monday to notify them of tough measures in response to US restrictions against Russian media.

"If the work of the Russian media — operators and journalists — is not normalised in the United States, the most stringent measures will inevitably follow," ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

UN asserts Ukraine 'war will have no winner'

The United Nations has said there will be no victor from Russia's offensive against Ukraine, as the conflict entered its 100th day and Moscow's forces pressed deeper into the eastern Donbass region.

"This war has and will have no winner. Rather, we have witnessed for 100 days what is lost: lives, homes, jobs and prospects," Amin Awad, Assistant Secretary-General and United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine, said in a statement.

After being repelled from around capital Kiev, Moscow's troops have set their sights on capturing the east, prompting warnings the fighting could drag on. Some of the fiercest fighting is now centred on Sievierodonetsk, 80 percent of which the Russians have seized, but Ukrainian forces are putting up stiff resistance.

Kiev 'has no plans' to attack Russia with US missiles

Ukraine does not plan to use multiple-launch rocket systems it receives from the United States to attack facilities in Russia, a Ukrainian presidential advisor has said.

"Ukraine is waging a defensive war and does not plan to use the MLRS to attack facilities in Russia," Mykhailo Podolyak said in a Twitter post. "Our partners know where their weapons are used."

Ukraine probes deportation of children to Russia as possible genocide

Prosecutors probing what Ukrainian authorities describe as war crimes cases are examining allegations of forcible deportation of children to Russia as they seek to build a genocide indictment, the country’s top prosecutor has told Reuters news agency.

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova "we have more than 20 cases about forcible transfer of people" to Russia from various regions across the eastern European country since February 24, the day Moscow's forces attacked Ukraine.

International humanitarian law classifies the forced mass deportation of people during a conflict as a "war crime". And "forcibly transferring children" in particular qualifies as genocide.

Venediktova declined to provide a number for how many victims had been forcibly transferred. A Kremlin spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

UK: Russia has missed its Ukraine objectives

Britain's defence ministry says Moscow has failed to achieve its initial objectives to seize Kiev and Ukrainian centres of government but was achieving tactical success in the Donbass.

"Measured against Russia's original plan, none of the strategic objectives have been achieved," Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a Twitter update, but it said it was achieving tactical success in the eastern region of Donbass and was controlling more than 90 percent of Luhansk Oblast.

Russia is close to capturing all of Luhansk, one of two Ukrainian regions that make up the swathe of land known as Donbass.

Russian service sector shrinks again in May on weak demand

Russia's service sector has shrunk for the third consecutive month in May, under pressure from the impact of Western sanctions and weak demand at home.

The S&P Global purchasing managers index (PMI)'s headline figure of business activity climbed to 48.5 in May from 44.5 in April, though remained below the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction.

"The fall in output reflected weak domestic and foreign demand conditions, with total inflows of new work and new export business decreasing sharply," S&P Global said in a statement.

US to hold Russia accountable for Ukraine 'crimes'

The United States and its allies have vowed to hold Russia accountable for "war crimes" committed by its military forces since they entered Ukraine on February 24, completing 100 days of fighting that has killed thousands and displaced millions of Ukrainians.

US Undersecretary of State Uzra Zeya told a UN Security Council meeting on strengthening accountability and justice for serious violations of international law that in 100 days the world has seen Russian forces bomb maternity hospitals, train stations, apartment buildings and homes and even kill civilians cycling down the street.

Zeya said the United States is working with its allies to support a broad range of international investigations into atrocities in Ukraine.

Ireland's Attorney General Paul Gallagher welcomed efforts over the last three months to support calls for justice in Ukraine, saying Ireland was one of 41 countries that quickly referred the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court.

Zelenskyy: Brutal fighting under way in Donbass

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the fighting was brutal in the eastern Donbass but there has been "some progress" in the city of Sievierodonetsk, where Russian forces have been tightening their grip. He said it was too early to give specifics.

"It’s the toughest there right now. As in the cities and communities nearby – Lysychansk, Bakhmut and others," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. "There are many cities where the Russian attack is powerful."

Zelenskyy said Russian forces were mobilising people from areas of the Donbass that were already under their control and sending them into battle in the first line of attack, with Russian troops coming in behind them. "The longer the war goes on, the more vile, shameful and cynical things Russia is forever inscribing in its history."

For live updates from Thursday (June 2), click here