Blinken, Finnish Foreign Minister, talks about Finland’s offer to NATO
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto discussed Finland’s offer to join NATO during a meeting in Washington.
Finland and Sweden have moved to become members of the military alliance during Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. They will have to get the approval of all 30 NATO members, including a skeptical Turkey.
Haavisto said the countries “are now in an open process of direct and constructive dialogue to clarify all issues” related to Turkey’s concerns.
Blinken said the United States fully supports NATO’s bids.
“Jacob Pramuk.”
Blinken discusses military support and food aid with Ukraine’s foreign minister
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba make a statement after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on April 7, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke about US military support in Ukraine and efforts to resolve a food crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine. Russia, the State Department said.
The Biden administration is set to send more weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the coming months after Congress approved a nearly $ 40 billion assistance package.
Diplomats discussed the food shortage caused by the blockades of Ukrainian ports, noting that “the Kremlin continues to use food as a weapon and spreading false claims about US sanctions,” said the spokesman for the US Department of Defense. ‘State, Ned Price, in a written statement.
“The secretary reiterated that the United States and its allies and partners will continue to work closely together to support Ukraine and address the global consequences of the Kremlin’s election war,” Price said.
“Jacob Pramuk.”
Officials clear water bodies in the Kyiv region
The Ministry of State Emergency Situations of Ukraine clears a body of water in the village of Gorenka in the Kyiv region. The area was bombed by Russian artillery in March.
An employee of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine is inspecting the lake with the help of a drone in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 27, 2022.
Oleg Pereverzev | Nurfoto | Getty Images
Demining of water bodies from the Kyiv region in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 27, 2022.
Oleg Pereverzev | Nurfoto | Getty Images
Demining of water bodies from the Kyiv region in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 27, 2022.
Oleg Pereverzev | Nurfoto | Getty Images
Ukrainian experts in bomb disposal and demining equipment clean up a lake and an unexploded ordnance and minefield in the suburb of Horenka on May 27, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Christopher Furlong | Getty Images
Demining of water bodies from the Kyiv region in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 27, 2022.
Oleg Pereverzev | Nurfoto | Getty Images
Demining of water bodies from the Kyiv region in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 27, 2022.
Oleg Pereverzev | Nurfoto | Getty Images
At least 4,031 civilians killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded, according to UN
Relatives of Mykhailo Romaniuk, 58, who was shot dead on his bicycle on March 6, are helping to bury his coffin in a Bucha cemetery on April 19, 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Yasuyoshi Chiba | AFP | Getty Images
At least 4,031 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24, according to the United Nations.
The number includes 261 dead children.
The UN has also so far registered 4,735 civilian casualties in the conflict.
Most of the deaths were recorded in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where Russia has focused its assault in recent weeks. At least 2,274 people have died in these areas, according to the UN.
“Jacob Pramuk.”
Biden destroys Putin, says Russian leader has Europe “in NATO”.
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the 2022 U.S. Naval Academy class graduation and commissioning ceremony at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland on May 27. May 2022.
Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images
U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has united European nations against Moscow and galvanized Western allies to re-engage with NATO.
Putin is not only “trying to take over Ukraine, but he is literally trying to eliminate the culture and identity of the Ukrainian people,” Biden said. “Attacking schools, kindergartens, hospitals, museums, with no other purpose than to eliminate a culture. A direct assault on the fundamental principles of the rules-based international order.”
Biden, who spoke at a graduation ceremony at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, recalled his recent talks with Finnish and Swedish leaders before both nations decided to apply to join the military alliance. .
Putin “has turned NATO across Europe. And all of this is illustrative of a foreign policy that was built around the power to work together with allies and partners,” Biden said. “Expanding our strength to solve problems, projecting our power beyond what we can do alone and preserving stability in an uncertain world.”
“Thomas Franck.”
Zelenskyy talks with Italian Draghi about unblocking Ukrainian wheat exports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, during which the Italian leader affirmed his support for Ukraine and spoke of the country’s wheat exports, the halt of which has led to fears of a global food crisis.
Ukraine is one of the world’s leading exporters of wheat and other major agricultural products and supplies more than 80% of the wheat and grain that feed several countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Due to the invasion of Russia, farmers are under fire and trade-critical ports and logistics corridors have been blocked. Now Kyiv is asking for help from Western allies to unblock ports and ensure a safe passage for Ukrainian sailing ships.
“We expect more defense support from our partners. He raised the issue of fuel supply. Ways to prevent the food crisis were discussed. We need to unblock (Ukrainian) ports together,” Zelenskyy said in a tweet.
– Natasha Turak
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Ukraine should have more long-range rocket systems
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, said that Ukraine should be provided with long-range rocket launch (MLRS) systems to fight against Russia’s constant incursion into the Donbas. But he did not promise to send the powerful rocket system, which Kyiv has urgently requested.
The MLRS would allow Ukrainian forces to “defend themselves against such brutal Russian artillery, and this is where the world should go,” Johnson said in an interview with Bloomberg.
The statements came as Ukrainian forces lost ground in parts of eastern Ukraine in the face of a strong Russian artillery attack.
Russian forces “continued to chew land” in the Donbas region, making progress “slow, but I’m afraid it’s palpable,” Johnson added. Forces have surrounded the strategically important city of Severodonetsk, the easternmost city under Ukrainian control.
– Natasha Turak
Sweden’s foreign minister rejects allegations of terrorist support from Turkey
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde has criticized the Turkish government’s claim that Sweden supports the Kurdish militant separatist group, the PKK. This accusation by Turkey is a key issue that hinders its support for the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.
Linde dismissed the idea in a tweet, saying: “Incorrect information that Swedish politicians in democratic assemblies represent the PKK terrorist organization. These are serious allegations that have no basis. Violence, terrorism and extremism have no place in our democratic society “.
Turkish leadership accuses Sweden of supporting the PKK, which has carried out numerous attacks in Turkey and which Sweden has designated as a terrorist organization since 1984. Sweden supports other Kurdish political organizations, but says they are not related to the PKK, while Ankara says they are one. and the same.
– Natasha Turak
Turkey’s Foreign Minister demands that Sweden and Finland reduce support for “terrorism” before joining NATO
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrives for a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin, Germany, on May 14, 2022.
Michele Tantussi | Reuters
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu remained steadfast in his demands in Sweden and Finland after meetings with delegations from those countries in Ankara earlier this week.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Cavusoglu said: “A concrete step needs to be taken with regard to Turkey’s concerns. They need to cut back on support for terrorism.”
He referred to what Ankara says is the support of the Nordic countries for the Kurdish militant separatist organization, the PKK, which the countries refuse to support. The issue, and the opposing definitions of what constitutes a PKK member and a terrorist, are at the heart of Turkey’s blockade of Sweden’s and Finland’s bids for NATO membership.
Accession to a new NATO member requires the consensus approval of all member states.
Following the meeting of country delegations, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that there was optimism about the lifting of the arms embargo by Sweden and Finland that was imposed on Turkey in 2019.
– Natasha Turak
Russia’s war is “genocidal,” says an independent report by genocide scholars and experts
Evidence shows that Russia is inciting genocide in Ukraine with the intention of “destroying” the Ukrainian people, said an independent report signed by more than 30 lawyers and genocide experts.
The report was the first to investigate allegations of genocide by Russian forces in Ukraine. He cited examples of mass killings and rapes of civilians, the dehumanizing language of Russian officials to describe Ukrainians and mass deportations.
“What we have seen so far is that this war is genocidal in nature, in terms of the language used and the way it is executed. That is very, very clear,” said Azeem Ibrahim, director of the United States. based …