Riyadh. The Ukrainian president is in Riyadh to encourage Saudi Arabia to participate in the peace conference. – China criticizes the new sanctions against Russia. The news in summary.
Ahead of the summit of the group of leading democratic industrial nations (G7), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sought support for the kingdom during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
A meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also discussed preparations for the Swiss peace summit, Zelensky said yesterday on social media. The Ukrainian president was actually expected in Riyadh at the beginning of June. But later it was said in diplomatic circles that Saudi Arabia did not want to participate in the summit in Switzerland because Russia was not there.
Zelensky thanked Bin Salman for his support of Ukraine and mediation efforts. At the meeting, they discussed the expected results of the peace conference and ways to implement them, Zelensky wrote. However, it is not clear from the statements whether Saudi Arabia will actually send a delegation to Bürgenstock, Switzerland, near Lucerne, on June 15th and 16th, to participate in the summit.
Today Zelensky is expected back in the Italian coastal city of Bari, where the G7 summit begins. There he wants to sign a bilateral security agreement with US President Joe Biden, among others. According to Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, negotiations have been completed and the document is ready for signature. Ukraine has already concluded 15 agreements of this type, including with Germany.
China criticizes sanctions against Russia
China criticizes the new US sanctions package against Russia. “We call on the United States to stop indiscriminate, illegal and unilateral sanctions,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in Beijing. The United States, on the other hand, should play a constructive role in restoring peace. China is neither a party nor a cause of the “Ukraine crisis”. Lin said Beijing wants to take necessary measures to protect the rights of Chinese companies and citizens.
Yesterday, the US introduced a new package of sanctions in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. According to the US government, the punitive measures target more than 300 people and entities – including Chinese companies – that allowed Russia to continue the war. China is considered Russia’s most important ally and supports Moscow in the war through its position on the international scene.
Lithuania supplies armored vehicles to Ukraine
Although details about the content of the agreement with the US are not yet known, Lithuania’s offer is more concrete: NATO’s Baltic State will support Ukraine with more military aid in its defensive fight against Russia.
The Vilnius government decided to deliver 14 M113 armored vehicles. The personnel carriers are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine this week and will reinforce the Ukrainian army’s mine clearance capabilities, the Defense Ministry in Vilnius announced.
Many killed in Russian airstrike in Kryvyi Rih
Ukraine has been defending itself from the Russian war of aggression for more than two years. A Russian missile attack on the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih in southern Ukraine killed at least eight people and injured more than 20, local media reported.
“Every day and every hour, Russian terror proves that Ukraine must strengthen its air defense together with its partners,” President Zelenskyj wrote on social media. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in his hometown and reiterated the need for modern anti-aircraft defense to provide the greatest possible protection to people.
The shelling of Ukrainian cities by the Russian army causes casualties among the civilian population almost every day. In Kiev, firefighting work, triggered by a Russian missile attack in the morning, only ended in the evening. And according to Ukrainian military intelligence, the situation at the front remains difficult.
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Thus, the Russian summer offensive has already begun. In its nightly situation report, the Ukrainian General Staff wrote about about 90 major battles along the front. The most intense fighting is taking place in the Pokrovsk area of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have managed to gain ground in recent weeks.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240613-99-377457/4 (dpa)