The situation at the front in the Ukraine war remains largely unchanged. A Russian director in exile spoke out in favor of peace to great applause. And: Moscow is expanding territorial claims. what happened in the night
“That end will come, it will come eventually and it will be peace,” he added, hiding behind his sunglasses.
As the highest-ranking politician from Moscow to date, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Chusnullin visited the partially conquered Zaporizhia region in south-eastern Ukraine. The perspective of the region lies in “working in our harmonious Russian family,” he said in the small town of Melitopol. The regional capital of Zaporizhia is still in Ukrainian hands.
Chusnullin’s demand that Ukraine pay for electricity from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops, caused particular outrage in Kyiv. In Cherson, too, the occupying power is looking for a way to join the area to Russia.
For their part, the Ukrainian forces claimed to have recaptured another village to the north of the city of Kharkiv. In the past few weeks, the Ukrainian army has said it has pushed the Russian troops in the north and north-east of Kharkov further and further towards the border. Like most military reports on both sides, this information was not immediately verifiable.
According to information from Kiev, Russian troops also shelled the north-east Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Chernihiv from their own territory. Russia, in turn, blamed Ukraine for shelling the border village of Tyotkino and other locations in the Kursk Oblast.
US President Biden talks about NATO expansion in the White House with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niniistö. Finland and Sweden have been cooperating with the western defense alliance for a long time and have decided to join under the impression of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Before admission, however, Turkey’s concerns must be dispelled, which does not suit the Kurdish policy of the Nordic countries.
The top NATO military officers responsible for defense will meet in Brussels on Thursday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) visits the Netherlands. Close allies Berlin and The Hague are also cooperating on supplying arms to Ukraine.
Read everything about the political developments surrounding the Ukraine war in the news ticker.
Also Read: The Ukraine Update on May 18 – Ukraine Imposes Martial Law Until At Least August: What Happened Today
