Since we don’t cover the war in Ukraine today, here’s a brief update on what happened since this morning.
One of the most significant news stories is the United Kingdom accusing China of offering or providing deadly aid to Russia to use in the war against Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said at a press conference this morning that U. S. and British intelligence services have proof: “lethal causes, or will flow, from China to Russia and Ukraine. “
He considers it a “significant breakthrough. “
The Kremlin also said this morning that a “deep dialogue” is needed to ease rising tensions between Russia and the West, especially regarding nuclear issues.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the “collective West” of refusing to interact with Russia despite the potential dangers.
Here are some standout stories:
For the time being, we are postponing our war policy in Ukraine.
Scroll down the blog to stay up-to-date on today’s developments.
Vladimir Putin praised the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, calling him a “reliable partner. “
Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash near the border with Azerbaijan over the weekend along with his foreign minister and seven others.
Speaking of the leader, Putin said he is “a man of his word” who fulfilled all the agreements reached through the two men.
“He was a trustworthy partner, a self-confident man, acting in the national interest,” Putin quoted Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, as saying.
“Of course, he was a man of his word and it was great to work with him. What I mean is that if we come to an agreement on something, you can be sure that the agreement will be respected. “
The Kremlin leader asked Volodin, who will host the commemorations in Iran, to convey “our sincerest condolences for this tragedy. “
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has strengthened its political, commercial and military ties with Iran as part of a deepening relationship that the United States and Israel view with concern.
Heavy fighting in the Pokrovsk region of eastern Ukraine has forced Ukrainian troops to engage in “maneuvers,” the Ukrainian army general said.
Their report said Pokrovsk, northwest of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, remains the “hottest” sector of the front.
“In some areas, the scenario calls for our troops to engage in maneuvers,” the General Staff report said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the region and adjacent spaces “extraordinarily difficult” in his nightly video address.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said allies were taking too long to make decisions about the military for Ukraine.
In an interview with Reuters, the Ukrainian leader said each and every resolution was adopted “about a year late. “
“But that’s the way it is: a big step forward, but first two steps back. That’s why we want to replace the paradigm a little bit,” he said.
“When we’re fast, they fall behind. And then there’s a hole — six, eight months of undelivered (help) packages, then two or three months of materials — and a year goes by. We’d like to lose the lead. “
Zelensky said Ukraine had never used Western weapons on Russian territory.
A senior Russian diplomat said the EU’s plan to channel profits from frozen Russian assets into Ukraine would have “unpredictable” consequences, he told the TASS news agency.
According to TASS, Kirill Logvinov, Russia’s acting permanent representative to the EU in Brussels, told Russian journalists: “What is foreseeable is that EU citizens will be forced sooner or later to return to our country what they have been stolen. “
Recall that in March the European Commission proposed to Ukraine to transfer the profits generated by the assets of the Russian central bank frozen in Europe.
The plan would channel 90% of it into the European Peace Fund fund to buy weapons for Ukraine.
The remainder would be used for reconstruction.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had introduced a number of tactical nuclear weapons.
The trainings were announced through the Russian government this month in reaction to comments by senior Western officials about deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine.
It was the first time Russia had publicly announced tactical nuclear weapons exercises, even though its strategic nuclear forces conduct exercises.
According to the ministry’s statement, the first level of the new exercises will include nuclear-capable Kinzhal and Iskander missiles.
The maneuvers are taking place in the Southern Military Region, which is the southern region of Russia.
A Moscow court has ordered a Russian journalist covering the trials of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other dissidents to remain detained pending an investigation and trial for extremism.
Antonina Favorskaya arrested in March.
She is accused of compiling material, generating and editing videos and publications for the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, which Russian authorities had banned as extremist, before judicial officials.
Today, the Basmanny District Court in Moscow ordered that she remain in detention until at least August 3.
Kira Yarmysh, a spokeswoman for Navalny, said earlier that Favorskaya had not posted anything on the foundation’s platforms and warned that the Russian government had targeted her because she was wearing down her work as a journalist.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson hosted his own exhibition in Russia.
The questionable American media personality, who this year was the first Western journalist to interview Vladimir Putin since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will present his exposé on the public channel Russia 24 (Rossiya 24).
In the first episode, Carlson will talk about the risks of ticks and Lyme disease.
Who is Carlson?
Carlson, who has been a staunch supporter of Putin in the past, was fired from Fox News in April of last year.
He made the impression on Fox News’ weekday primetime in 2016 with his show Tucker Carlson Tonight, and temporarily established himself as a key player on the network and an influential voice in Republican politics.
The presenter has embraced conspiracy theories and far-right issues. He has continually questioned the efficacy of Covid vaccines and compares them to “Nazi experiments”.
While it has been a hit with viewers, its incendiary comments cause some advertisers to distance themselves from the show.
After leaving Fox News, he relaunched his show on X last year, calling Elon Musk the last remaining prime platform for a relaxed speech.
Ukraine claims to have destroyed the Russian warship armed with cruise missiles stationed on the occupied Crimean peninsula.
This follows earlier comments by the Ukrainian military, which claimed to have hit the Russian Tsiklon missile (see 15:09 message).
Ukraine’s military said it carried out a long-range strike on Sunday that destroyed Russia’s military bomb disposal device and said it had more time to check what other parts had been damaged.
“According to updated information, the Defense Forces of Ukraine attacked a Russian missile of mission 22800 Tsiklon in Sevastopol, on the afternoon of May 19,” the General Staff said today.
The Ukrainian Navy said later in the X that the shipment had been “destroyed. “
Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said the Tsiklon is the “last Russian cruise missile carrier” founded on the peninsula.
Tsiklon never fired a cruise missile while on active duty, Tsiklon said. Plentenchuk in a TV commentary.
Crimea was annexed through Russia in 2014 and is home to the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
The Russian Defense Ministry had no comment.