Live blog: All targets 'destroyed' in overnight Ukraine strikes – Russia

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Russia has said its forces hit all targets in a series of strikes on Ukraine overnight, despite Kiev saying it downed all but one of 30 missiles.

"All assigned targets have been destroyed," the Russian defence ministry said Thursday, adding that its forces hit "a significant stock of weapons and ammunition of the Ukrainian armed forces."

Russia did not specify which targets had been hit, only saying it aimed at "large depots of foreign weapons and equipment as well as enemy reserves."

Ukraine said that Russian forces had launched 30 cruise missiles from land, sea and air, targeting several regions and killing one person in the southern port city of Odessa.

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1409 GMT — Japan, United States to continue Russia sanctions and Ukraine support, Kishida says

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has agreed with US President Joe Biden to continue sanctions against Russia and support of Ukraine, Kishida told reporters as the two leaders met in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Leaders of Japan and the United States met on Thursday ahead of a broader summit of the Group of Seven nations (G7) who gather in Hiroshima on May 19-21 to discuss a wide range of topics from climate change and food security to tightening sanctions on Russia.

"We are in unison about working closely with like-minded countries including the G7 members, and we agreed to continue strict sanctions against Russia as well strong support for Ukraine," Kishida told reporters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to join a G7 session on Sunday via a teleconference, according to Kishida. In addition to the United States and Japan the G7 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy.

1131 GMT — Kremlin says it needs to see more progress after Black Sea grain deal renewal

The Kremlin has confirmed that Russia had renewed the Black Sea grain deal for two months after achieving some results in talks which had given it "certain hopes", but said more progress had to be made to advance its own interests.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced the extension in a televised speech on Wednesday and it was later confirmed by Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations.

The United Nations and Türkiye brokered the agreement - which allows Ukraine to export grain from Black Sea ports - for an initial 120 days in July last year to help tackle a global food crisis that has been aggravated by Russia's attacks on Ukraine, something it calls "a special military operation."

0933 GMT — Chinese envoy meets Ukrainian president

China's Eurasian affairs envoy Li Hui held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Beijing said.

"The two sides exchanged views on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and China-Ukraine relations," a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Li, who was picked by Chinese President Xi Jinping last month as the special envoy on Ukraine, paid a two-day visit to Kiev that ended Wednesday.

The statement said Li also met with other senior Ukrainian officials, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

An earlier statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said Kuleba and Li discussed topical issues between Kiev and Beijing, both at the bilateral level and within the framework of international organizations.

0903 GMT — UK welcomes grain deal extension, accuses Russia for 'using food as weapon'

The British foreign secretary welcomed the extension of the Black Sea Grain Deal, calling on Russia to commit to the deal's “full implementation.”

"The continuation of the BSGI (Black Sea Grain Deal) is a positive step but Russia's false deadline destabilised the deal and slowed food reaching those most in need," James Cleverly said on Twitter.

He thanked Türkiye and the UN for their efforts on the deal extension.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the deal, which was set to expire on May 18, was extended for two months.

0818 GMT — Russia fires 30 cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets; Ukraine says 29 were shot down

One person died and two were wounded by a Russian missile that got through and struck an industrial building in the southern region of Odessa, according to Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the region's military administration.

Loud explosions were heard in Kiev as the Kremlin’s forces targeted the capital for the ninth time this month in a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons.

Ukraine also shot down two Russian exploding drones and two reconnaissance drones, according to authorities.

The bombardment across Ukraine included six Russian Kinzhal aero-ballistic hypersonic missiles — the most fired in a single attack in the war so far, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat.

0824 GMT — Japan military hospital to treat injured Ukrainian soldiers

Japan will treat two injured Ukrainian soldiers at a Tokyo hospital run by its military, the Defence Ministry said, Tokyo's latest support measure following Russia's attack against Ukraine.

The Self-Defence Force Central Hospital plans to admit them next month for rehabilitation treatment, the ministry said in a statement, without providing details about the nature of the soldiers' injuries or if the hospital would receive more wounded troops from Ukraine in the future.

This was the first time the hospital has treated foreign soldiers, a senior member of Japan's ruling coalition said ahead of the official announcement.

The lawmaker, who declined to be named because the deal was not yet public, said related costs would likely be shouldered mostly by the Japanese side.

The development comes just before leaders from Group of Seven (G7) rich nations gather in Hiroshima for a summit meeting from May 19-21, where support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia are set to be high on the agenda.

0816 GMT — Sierra Leone leader urges end of Ukraine war for 'sake of humanity'

Sierra Leone's president expressed hope that a new African mediation mission would help end Russia's war in Ukraine which has hit the "poorest of the poor" around the world.

Speaking a month before the West African nation's presidential vote, Julius Maada Bio, who is seeking a second five-year term, said the war had wreaked havoc in his country and other places.

"We are all suffering as a result of the war in Ukraine... For the sake of humanity, for what is happening, let's end the war," he said in an interview in the capital Freetown. "I think even those who sympathise with Russia are in favour of stopping this war," he said.

The leaders of Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia will next month visit Moscow and Kiev to try and broker peace.

Africa, the world's poorest continent, has been hit hard by higher prices of food and basic goods as a result of the war's impact on supply chains.

0757 GMT — Ukraine says at least 6 killed, 16 injured in fresh Russian strikes in Kiev, other regions

At least six people were killed and 16 others were injured in Russian military strikes in various regions of Ukraine, including the capital Kiev.

“On May 17, Russians killed 1 resident of Donetsk region — in Kostiantynivka. In addition, the body of a child killed during the occupation was exhumed in Tetyanivka,” Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a statement early Thursday.

Another five people were injured in the region, Kyrylenko said, adding that it is impossible to determine the number of victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha because they are under Russian control.

Separately, Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram early Thursday that three people were killed and eight more were injured by Russian forces strikes in the region in the past day.

“Over the past day, the enemy carried out 90 shelling, firing 529 shells from heavy artillery, grads, tanks, drones, and aviation. The enemy shelled the city of Kherson 3 times,” Prokudin said. He added that 147 people have been evacuated from the entire region.

0721 GMT — Moldova, fearing Russia, wants to join EU 'as soon as possible'

Moldova hopes for a decision to start negotiations "in the next months," President Maia Sandu said.

The small nation of 2.6 million people, nestled between EU neighbour Romania and war-ravaged Ukraine, will on June 1 hold its first major summit of wider Europe.

That gathering of the European Political Community - a forum created last year that brings together leaders of all 27 EU countries with 20 neighbours of the bloc -- will be an occasion for Moldova to burnish its candidate credentials.

For Sandu, EU membership is the only guarantee against becoming Russia's next target. Her country, a former Soviet republic, already has a breakaway region, Transnistria, where Russia has stationed a small number of troops.

"Of course, nothing compares to what is happening in Ukraine, but we see the risks and we do believe that we can save our democracy only as part of the EU," she said.

"We do believe that Russia will continue to be a big source of instability for the years to come and we need to protect ourselves," added Sandu, on the sidelines of a Council of Europe summit in Iceland that wrapped up on Tuesday.

0712 GMT — Moldova no longer using Russian natural gas: PM

Moldova is no longer using Russian natural gas or electricity after cutting its dependence since war started in Ukraine, Prime Minister Dorin Recean said.

"If at the start of the war 100 percent of energy consumed in Moldova originated in... Russia, today Moldova can exist with absolutely no natural gas or electricity from Russia," he told a security conference in Bucharest.

0529 GMT — China envoy in Kiev: 'No panacea' to end Ukraine war

Beijing's special envoy has noted there was no panacea to the conflict in Ukraine during a visit to Kiev earlier this week, but urged all parties to create conditions for peace talks, China's foreign ministry said. Special envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visited Kiev, where he exchanged views with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian foreign minister and other state leaders on ways to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict through a political settlement, the foreign ministry statement said.

"China is willing to promote the international community to form the greatest common denominator for resolving the Ukrainian crisis, and make its own efforts to stop the fighting and (establish a) ceasefire and restore peace as soon as possible," the statement said.

"China has always played a constructive role in alleviating the humanitarian situation in Ukraine in its own way and will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine within its capacity," it added.

Ukraine's foreign minister told Li that Kiev would not accept any proposals to end the war that involved losing territory or freezing the conflict, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

0518 GMT - Loud explosions heard as Russia targets Kiev with cruise missiles, debris causes building fire

Loud explosions were heard in Kiev, and the city’s Military Administration said falling debris caused a fire in a non-residential building.

The scope of the Russian attack against the capital was unclear, and there was no immediate information on casualties.

It was the ninth time this month that Russian air raids have targeted the capital, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons.

0355 GMT - China, Ukraine should work together, keep cooperation - foreign ministry

China and Ukraine agreed they should work together to continue their mutual respect and keep their mutually beneficial cooperation moving forward, the Chinese foreign ministry said in statement.

The statement comes after China's Special Envoy of Eurasian Affairs Li Hui met with the president of Ukraine.

"China has always played a constructive role in alleviating the humanitarian situation in Ukraine in its own way and will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine within its capacity," the foreign ministry said.

0347 GMT - Ukraine slams Russia's 'unprecedented' air attacks after grain deal

Ukraine said "unprecedented" air attacks had rocked its capital and other areas a day after it reached an agreement with Russia to extend a Ankara-brokered deal allowing grain exports across the Black Sea.

But doubts about the viability of the deal were quickly raised after Ukraine accused Russia of launching an extraordinary series of air attacks on Kiev and other regions early Thursday.

"A series of air attacks on Kiev, unprecedented in their power, intensity and variety, continues," said Serhii Popko, head of Kiev's civil and military administration, adding that no casualties had been reported in the capital.

0234 GMT - G7 to press Russia, weigh risk of China's 'economic coercion'

G7 leaders arrive in Japan's Hiroshima to weigh tighter sanctions on Russia and protections against China's "economic coercion", surrounded by reminders about the harrowing cost of war.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will host leaders from six other wealthy democracies in his hometown -- a city synonymous with nuclear destruction now peppered with peace monuments.

Over three days, leaders including US President Joe Biden will try to forge a united front on Russia, China and a host of other pressing issues where the allies' interests do not always neatly align.

0130 GMT — We need more consolidation to put pressure on Russia – Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kiev needs more consolidation of the world to put more pressure on Russia.

After a Ukrainian delegation visit to South Korea and the final resolution, which supports Ukraine Peace Formula, of the Council of Europe in Iceland, Zelenskyy said Ukraine can continue its pressure on Moscow.

"Based on this consolidation, we will continue to limit the ability of the terrorist state to continue this aggression and will further increase our ability to bring justice, liberate our land, and save our people," he said in his address.

1900 GMT — EU's Borrell asks for $3.8B boost to fund used for Ukraine military aid

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has proposed adding $3.85 billion to a fund used to finance military aid for Ukraine, EU sources said.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Borrell had asked EU governments to raise the financial ceiling on the European Peace Facility (EPF), a fund that has already allocated some 4.6 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine.

A senior EU official said Borrell had decided to ask for a boost as the fund was running low and the EU's foreign policy service wanted to be sure the EPF had enough cash to finance military aid for other countries as well as Ukraine.

For our live updates from Wednesday (May 17), click here.