Ukraine’s Zelensky expected to attend G-7 summit in Japan in person
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to attend the Group of Seven nations summit in person this weekend, significantly amplifying his warnings about Russia’s potential to escalate the war in Ukraine by visiting Hiroshima, a site of nuclear destruction in World War II.
Zelensky, who has displayed a knack for understanding symbolism and capturing the world’s attention, has been pressing for more Western support for planes and military equipment, and he earned new commitments for billions of dollars in additional military support during his recent trips to Germany, France, Italy and the Britain — all G-7 members.
In the lead-up to his arrival, the G-7 leaders released a lengthy statement supporting Ukraine and reiterating efforts to bolster the country in its fight against Russia.
Read the full story here.
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to attend the Group of Seven nations summit in person this weekend, significantly amplifying his warnings about Russia’s potential to escalate the war in Ukraine by visiting Hiroshima, a site of nuclear destruction in World War II.
Zelensky, who has displayed a knack for understanding symbolism and capturing the world’s attention, has been pressing for more Western support for planes and military equipment, and he earned new commitments for billions of dollars in additional military support during his recent trips to Germany, France, Italy and the Britain — all G-7 members.
In the lead-up to his arrival, the G-7 leaders released a lengthy statement supporting Ukraine and reiterating efforts to bolster the country in its fight against Russia.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky, on surprise Saudi visit, seeks Arab League support in war
In an Arab League meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday delivered an emotional appeal for support from leaders who have voiced only muted criticism of Russia’s invasion and from some, like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who have maintained strong ties to Moscow.
Zelensky, who has built global support for Ukraine’s defense and obtained billions of dollars in weapons from the West, sought to make common cause with countries that have experienced years of violent strife as he pleaded for condemnation of Russian aggression.
“Look at how much suffering the long-term wars have brought to Libya, Syria, Yemen; how many lives have been wasted by years of fighting in Sudan and Somalia, in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “Everyone who adds to suffering by his new aggressions, everyone who sows enmity, everyone who wants to bring back the old days of invading … every aggressor … will be cursed by the people.”
Read more here.
In an Arab League meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday delivered an emotional appeal for support from leaders who have voiced only muted criticism of Russia’s invasion and from some, like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who have maintained strong ties to Moscow.
Zelensky, who has built global support for Ukraine’s defense and obtained billions of dollars in weapons from the West, sought to make common cause with countries that have experienced years of violent strife as he pleaded for condemnation of Russian aggression.
“Look at how much suffering the long-term wars have brought to Libya, Syria, Yemen; how many lives have been wasted by years of fighting in Sudan and Somalia, in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “Everyone who adds to suffering by his new aggressions, everyone who sows enmity, everyone who wants to bring back the old days of invading … every aggressor … will be cursed by the people.”
Read more here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken was a major force within the administration in pushing to allow U.S. allies to make the transfers and had also worked extensively with countries within NATO to move the policy forward, said U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Arab nations to work with Kyiv to secure the release of Ukrainians in Russian detention, in an address at the Arab League summit in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. He criticized unnamed countries in the Arab League and the world for “turn[ing] a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations."
- In Japan, President Biden and other leaders of the Group of Seven nations gathered for a three-day summit, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine among the top agenda items.
- Air-raid alerts were heard in different parts of Ukraine early Friday. Kyiv municipal authorities warned residents to take cover.
More live updates here.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken was a major force within the administration in pushing to allow U.S. allies to make the transfers and had also worked extensively with countries within NATO to move the policy forward, said U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Arab nations to work with Kyiv to secure the release of Ukrainians in Russian detention, in an address at the Arab League summit in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. He criticized unnamed countries in the Arab League and the world for “turn[ing] a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations."
- In Japan, President Biden and other leaders of the Group of Seven nations gathered for a three-day summit, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine among the top agenda items.
- Air-raid alerts were heard in different parts of Ukraine early Friday. Kyiv municipal authorities warned residents to take cover.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
—President Biden is likely to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when both leaders are in Japan for the Group of Seven summit this weekend, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
— Zelensky will arrive boosted by Washington’s decision not to block allied nations from sending Kyiv the U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets it has long requested. The United States will also support the joint effort to provide training to Ukrainian pilots, Sullivan said.
— A Russian airstrike on Kyiv early Saturday damaged residential areas, Ukrainian officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Russia has launched almost a dozen air attacks on the Ukrainian capital so far this month as it seeks to exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses, the officials said on Telegram.
Read more updates.
—President Biden is likely to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when both leaders are in Japan for the Group of Seven summit this weekend, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
— Zelensky will arrive boosted by Washington’s decision not to block allied nations from sending Kyiv the U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets it has long requested. The United States will also support the joint effort to provide training to Ukrainian pilots, Sullivan said.
— A Russian airstrike on Kyiv early Saturday damaged residential areas, Ukrainian officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Russia has launched almost a dozen air attacks on the Ukrainian capital so far this month as it seeks to exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses, the officials said on Telegram.
Read more updates.
Bowing to pressure, Biden relents on F-16s to Ukraine
After months of U.S. insistence that Ukraine did not need F-16s to fight its war with Russia, Washington finally relented to pressure, agreeing not to stop allied nations from sending Kyiv the advanced Western fighter jets it has long desired.
Ukraine now hopes to have U.S.-made F-16s flying as early as this fall, following U.S. agreement to allow third countries to transfer the aircraft, according to an adviser to Kyiv’s Ministry of Defense.
“If we all pull our weight … and decisions are made quickly,” Yuri Sak said Friday, “I would estimate that end of September, early October, we could see the first F-16s flying in the Ukrainian airspace.”
Read the full story here.
After months of U.S. insistence that Ukraine did not need F-16s to fight its war with Russia, Washington finally relented to pressure, agreeing not to stop allied nations from sending Kyiv the advanced Western fighter jets it has long desired.
Ukraine now hopes to have U.S.-made F-16s flying as early as this fall, following U.S. agreement to allow third countries to transfer the aircraft, according to an adviser to Kyiv’s Ministry of Defense.
“If we all pull our weight … and decisions are made quickly,” Yuri Sak said Friday, “I would estimate that end of September, early October, we could see the first F-16s flying in the Ukrainian airspace.”
Read the full story here.
These are the Western air defense systems protecting Ukraine
Air defense systems have proved essential to Ukraine as Russia bombards critical infrastructure and civilian targets.
This week, the newly arrived U.S.-made Patriot air defense system shot down missiles aimed at Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said, including advanced missiles that have previously eluded outmatched air defense equipment.
The Patriot is just one of several systems that Western allies have sent to Ukraine. The systems form a grab bag of different capabilities and technologies that are vital in defending the skies from missiles, fighter jets and Iranian-made drones that have terrorized the capital.
But according to leaked U.S. intelligence documents, the supply of air defense systems and their munitions pose a significant and growing problem, as Ukraine uses up their limited stocks to keep up with constant bombardments.
Here is a rundown of the Western-provided systems Ukraine now has, and what they can do.
Air defense systems have proved essential to Ukraine as Russia bombards critical infrastructure and civilian targets.
This week, the newly arrived U.S.-made Patriot air defense system shot down missiles aimed at Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said, including advanced missiles that have previously eluded outmatched air defense equipment.
The Patriot is just one of several systems that Western allies have sent to Ukraine. The systems form a grab bag of different capabilities and technologies that are vital in defending the skies from missiles, fighter jets and Iranian-made drones that have terrorized the capital.
But according to leaked U.S. intelligence documents, the supply of air defense systems and their munitions pose a significant and growing problem, as Ukraine uses up their limited stocks to keep up with constant bombardments.
Here is a rundown of the Western-provided systems Ukraine now has, and what they can do.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
— Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with President Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Japan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to suggest Ukraine is no longer in control of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, and that there is nothing left there. “For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts,” Zelensky told reporters, when asked whether Bakhmut was still in Ukraine’s hands, given that the Russians say they’ve taken control.
— President Biden announced a new tranche of military assistance for Ukraine, including ammunition, artillery and vehicles. "The United States continues to help Ukraine respond, recover and rebuild. We’re also supporting peace,” Biden said.
— Zelensky and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had their first face-to-face meeting since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. India is one of the few countries that has been reluctant to join the Western coalition against the Russian invasion.
More live updates.
— Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with President Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Japan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to suggest Ukraine is no longer in control of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, and that there is nothing left there. “For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts,” Zelensky told reporters, when asked whether Bakhmut was still in Ukraine’s hands, given that the Russians say they’ve taken control.
— President Biden announced a new tranche of military assistance for Ukraine, including ammunition, artillery and vehicles. "The United States continues to help Ukraine respond, recover and rebuild. We’re also supporting peace,” Biden said.
— Zelensky and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had their first face-to-face meeting since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. India is one of the few countries that has been reluctant to join the Western coalition against the Russian invasion.
More live updates.
Opinion | Anna Nemtsova: I’ve never seen the Kremlin so rattled
A mysterious drone attack on the Kremlin. A car bombing that wounded a key advocate of the invasion of Ukraine. Four military aircraft shot down in a single day — inside Russia’s borders.
If the Ukrainians and their allies wanted to rattle the Russian leadership, it’s working.
Never, in more than two decades of covering Vladimir Putin’s regime, have I seen it in such an obvious state of chaos and disarray. These days, Kremlin-watchers don’t have to read tea leaves or decode cryptic utterances from the leadership to spot the signs of intrigue — it’s all out in the open, thanks to Putin confidant Yevgeniy Prigozhin.
Top officials in Kyiv must have been rubbing their hands in glee. While the Kremlin is primarily to blame for its own troubles, given its obvious corruption and incompetence, the Ukrainians have been doing everything they can to undermine morale and exacerbate divisions among their enemies.
Read the full opinion here.
A mysterious drone attack on the Kremlin. A car bombing that wounded a key advocate of the invasion of Ukraine. Four military aircraft shot down in a single day — inside Russia’s borders.
If the Ukrainians and their allies wanted to rattle the Russian leadership, it’s working.
Never, in more than two decades of covering Vladimir Putin’s regime, have I seen it in such an obvious state of chaos and disarray. These days, Kremlin-watchers don’t have to read tea leaves or decode cryptic utterances from the leadership to spot the signs of intrigue — it’s all out in the open, thanks to Putin confidant Yevgeniy Prigozhin.
Top officials in Kyiv must have been rubbing their hands in glee. While the Kremlin is primarily to blame for its own troubles, given its obvious corruption and incompetence, the Ukrainians have been doing everything they can to undermine morale and exacerbate divisions among their enemies.
Read the full opinion here.
Inside a Ukrainian military hospital, gruesome wounds and resilience
DNIPRO, Ukraine — The doctor pushed open the hospital room’s door, revealing four beds inside. In each one lay a Ukrainian soldier recently wounded on the front line of the nearly 15-month war with Russia.
Mykhailo, 34, lay on the first bed to the right. It was time to change his bandages. He turned to two visiting journalists, joking through the pain. “I put on nice underpants for you!” he said. Then he winced and grabbed the bar hanging above his head to steady himself.
“Shrapnel injuries of the lower limbs,” explained Vadym, the traumatologist treating Mykhailo’s many injuries. The Washington Post visited the hospital and interviewed patients and staff this month on the condition that they would not be identified with full names to maintain security and privacy.
Read the full story here.
DNIPRO, Ukraine — The doctor pushed open the hospital room’s door, revealing four beds inside. In each one lay a Ukrainian soldier recently wounded on the front line of the nearly 15-month war with Russia.
Mykhailo, 34, lay on the first bed to the right. It was time to change his bandages. He turned to two visiting journalists, joking through the pain. “I put on nice underpants for you!” he said. Then he winced and grabbed the bar hanging above his head to steady himself.
“Shrapnel injuries of the lower limbs,” explained Vadym, the traumatologist treating Mykhailo’s many injuries. The Washington Post visited the hospital and interviewed patients and staff this month on the condition that they would not be identified with full names to maintain security and privacy.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky says destroyed Bakhmut now lives ‘only in our hearts’
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, imploring the world’s wealthy democracies to continue supplying Ukraine with arms and money, stood in a place once synonymous with utter military devastation to mourn the destruction of his country’s own city of Bakhmut.
Visiting Hiroshima, decimated by an atomic bomb in 1945, Zelensky warned urgently that Ukraine’s cities could face a similar fate if the world does not help him rebuff Russia’s onslaught. “The pictures of ruined Hiroshima totally reminded me of Bakhmut and other similar settlements and towns,” Zelensky told reporters after visiting the memorial museum dedicated to those who died in the atomic bombing.
Pointing to Hiroshima’s rebuilding — as well as the blue-and-yellow flags planted around the city to greet his arrival and show solidarity — Zelensky called on democracies to unite in ensuring that “war has no place in the world.”
Read the full story here.
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, imploring the world’s wealthy democracies to continue supplying Ukraine with arms and money, stood in a place once synonymous with utter military devastation to mourn the destruction of his country’s own city of Bakhmut.
Visiting Hiroshima, decimated by an atomic bomb in 1945, Zelensky warned urgently that Ukraine’s cities could face a similar fate if the world does not help him rebuff Russia’s onslaught. “The pictures of ruined Hiroshima totally reminded me of Bakhmut and other similar settlements and towns,” Zelensky told reporters after visiting the memorial museum dedicated to those who died in the atomic bombing.
Pointing to Hiroshima’s rebuilding — as well as the blue-and-yellow flags planted around the city to greet his arrival and show solidarity — Zelensky called on democracies to unite in ensuring that “war has no place in the world.”
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- President Biden unveiled a $375 million military assistance package for Ukraine at the Group of Seven summit on Sunday, the latest pledge from Washington of aid that totals $37 billion since Russia’s war began.
- Bakhmut is “just dead and a lot of dead Russians,” Zelensky told reporters, lamenting the city’s destruction. “They came to us. Our defenders in Bakhmut, they did strong work, and of course we appreciate them” for their effort, he said. Russia claimed control of the eastern Ukrainian city on Saturday, but the Ukrainian armed forces said Sunday that battles were continuing there.
- The United States will support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly fighter jets, including the coveted F-16s, Biden said Sunday, with the understanding that Kyiv would not use the jets to escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders.
More live updates here.
- President Biden unveiled a $375 million military assistance package for Ukraine at the Group of Seven summit on Sunday, the latest pledge from Washington of aid that totals $37 billion since Russia’s war began.
- Bakhmut is “just dead and a lot of dead Russians,” Zelensky told reporters, lamenting the city’s destruction. “They came to us. Our defenders in Bakhmut, they did strong work, and of course we appreciate them” for their effort, he said. Russia claimed control of the eastern Ukrainian city on Saturday, but the Ukrainian armed forces said Sunday that battles were continuing there.
- The United States will support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly fighter jets, including the coveted F-16s, Biden said Sunday, with the understanding that Kyiv would not use the jets to escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Ukrainian forces are staging counterattacks on Russian troops on the outskirts of Bakhmut, even as their presence in the eastern city dwindles just to small footholds.
- Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. suggested that any transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv would bring NATO partners into the conflict.
- Workers are focusing on restoring electricity supplies in the Zaporizhzhia area after what a local official described as an “emergency situation” at one of its energy facilities.
- Russia will probably need to send in reinforcements to hold on to Bakhmut and its surroundings “at the expense of operations in other directions,” analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said.
- Authorities in Kyiv issued the all-clear early Monday after yet another air raid alert in the capital, following a recent string of attacks by Russian drones and missiles.
- Russian and Chinese officials will hold security talks in Moscow on Monday.
More live updates here.
- Ukrainian forces are staging counterattacks on Russian troops on the outskirts of Bakhmut, even as their presence in the eastern city dwindles just to small footholds.
- Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. suggested that any transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv would bring NATO partners into the conflict.
- Workers are focusing on restoring electricity supplies in the Zaporizhzhia area after what a local official described as an “emergency situation” at one of its energy facilities.
- Russia will probably need to send in reinforcements to hold on to Bakhmut and its surroundings “at the expense of operations in other directions,” analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said.
- Authorities in Kyiv issued the all-clear early Monday after yet another air raid alert in the capital, following a recent string of attacks by Russian drones and missiles.
- Russian and Chinese officials will hold security talks in Moscow on Monday.
More live updates here.
As hold on Bakhmut slips, Ukrainian forces push to encircle city
KOSTYANTYNIVKA, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have been reduced to small footholds in the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which despite its limited strategic importance has emerged as the war’s bloodiest battlefield. But they have made gains on the Russian flanks, in a move to encircle the city and extend the fight there, according to Ukrainian officials and military personnel in the field.
“I’m in the trenches. We’ve fortified ourselves in the positions” that Russia once held, Yuriy, a soldier in the Ukrainian army’s 5th Separate Assault Brigade, wrote in a text message from a position to the south of Bakhmut.
“Around us are a lot of dead Russians,” he said.
Ukraine still holds slivers of the city, including the area around what has become a landmark of Ukraine’s last redoubt: a destroyed sculpture of a Soviet MiG fighter jet, according to multiple military personnel involved in defending the position.
Read the full story here.
KOSTYANTYNIVKA, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have been reduced to small footholds in the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which despite its limited strategic importance has emerged as the war’s bloodiest battlefield. But they have made gains on the Russian flanks, in a move to encircle the city and extend the fight there, according to Ukrainian officials and military personnel in the field.
“I’m in the trenches. We’ve fortified ourselves in the positions” that Russia once held, Yuriy, a soldier in the Ukrainian army’s 5th Separate Assault Brigade, wrote in a text message from a position to the south of Bakhmut.
“Around us are a lot of dead Russians,” he said.
Ukraine still holds slivers of the city, including the area around what has become a landmark of Ukraine’s last redoubt: a destroyed sculpture of a Soviet MiG fighter jet, according to multiple military personnel involved in defending the position.
Read the full story here.
Meet the people caught up in Russia’s crackdown on dissent
In wartime Russia, citizens are risking decades in prison for previously permissible acts: denouncing the government and the army on social media, making political speeches — even criticizing the invasion of Ukraine in private with friends.
The Kremlin is jailing its critics at a turbocharged rate. After invading Ukraine, the government of President Vladimir Putin introduced draconian censorship laws that criminalize antiwar protest, make independent journalism almost impossible and outlawed calling its “special military operation” a war.
Here are some of Russia’s most distinctive wartime political prisoners and those facing the longest jail terms. Theirs are a small fraction of the cases now being prosecuted.
Read the full story here.
In wartime Russia, citizens are risking decades in prison for previously permissible acts: denouncing the government and the army on social media, making political speeches — even criticizing the invasion of Ukraine in private with friends.
The Kremlin is jailing its critics at a turbocharged rate. After invading Ukraine, the government of President Vladimir Putin introduced draconian censorship laws that criminalize antiwar protest, make independent journalism almost impossible and outlawed calling its “special military operation” a war.
Here are some of Russia’s most distinctive wartime political prisoners and those facing the longest jail terms. Theirs are a small fraction of the cases now being prosecuted.
Read the full story here.