Live blog: Ukraine's NATO membership 'impossible' until Russia assault ends

Friday, June 2, 2023

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he knew it would be "impossible" for Ukraine to join NATO while Russia was waging war on his country.

Zelenskyy has pressed for Ukrainian membership of the military alliance but allies are divided over how fast that should happen. Western governments are wary of any move that might take the alliance closer to war with Russia.

In a joint briefing in the Ukrainian capital with Estonian President Alar Karis, Zelenskyy said joining the alliance was still the best security guarantee for Kiev.

"But we are adequate people and understand that we will not pull any NATO country into a war," he added.

"And that's why we understand that we won't be a member of NATO while this war is ongoing. Not because we don't want to, because it's impossible."

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1329 GMT – Ukraine war shifted security policy in Baltic Sea region: German foreign minister

Russia's war on Ukraine has shifted the security policy in the Baltic Sea region, as states lost trust in a partnership established in 1992, the German foreign minister said.

Annalena Baerbock was referring to the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), a political forum for regional cooperation from which Moscow withdrew last May. Its membership was suspended over its “special military operation” in Ukraine two months ago.

"With its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia shifted the security policy coordinates in the Baltic Sea region as well. The trust we had placed in a partnership since 1992 was gone," Baerbock said.

1323 GMT — Blinken: No Ukraine ceasefire without deal including Russia's withdrawal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine cannot be declared unless it is part of a “just and lasting” peace deal that includes Russia’s military withdrawal.

Blinken said that “a ceasefire that simply freezes current lines in place" and allows Russian President Vladimir Putin "to consolidate control over the territory he has seized, and rest, rearm, and reattack — that is not a just and lasting peace”.

Russia must also pay a share of Ukraine’s reconstruction and be held accountable for launching its full-scale operation on its neighbour in February 2022, Blinken said in a speech during a visit to Finland, which recently joined NATO and shares a long border with Russia.

1308 GMT — Tanks, F-16 jets part of long-term aid for Ukraine, says US

America's top military officer has said training for Ukrainian forces on advanced US Abrams tanks started but the weapons, crucial over the long term in trying to expel Russia from occupied territory, will not be ready in time for Kiev's imminent counteroffensive.

The tank training got underway as the United States and its allies began to work out agreements to train Ukrainians on F-16 fighter jets, another long-sought advanced system.

Those aircraft would be part of a security plan to deter future attacks, US Army General Mark Milley said, adding: "It's going to take a considerable amount of time.”

1245 GMT — Russian-backed official says Ukraine shelled port of Berdyansk

A Moscow-affiliated official in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region has said Ukrainian forces shelled the Russian-controlled port city of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov and that nine people had been reported injured.

"Information on the fatalities is being clarified," Vladimir Rogov said on the Telegram messaging app. He shared a video that appeared to show a large cloud of grey smoke rising from near the port area.

Zaporizhzhia is one of five Ukrainian regions, including the Crimea peninsula, that Russia claims to have annexed.

1134 GMT — Russia says struck Ukraine air defence systems overnight: ministry

Russia said its forces struck Ukraine's air defence systems protecting "key" military infrastructure in the pro-Western country.

"Overnight Russia's aerospace forces carried out multiple strikes using long-range precision-guided air-launched weapons against enemy air defence systems covering key critical military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine," the Russian defence ministry said.

"All assigned targets have been hit."

1112 GMT — Russia: Chechen special forces waging offensive in east Ukraine

Russia's Defence Ministry has said the "Akhmat" group of Chechen special forces were waging an offensive near the town of Mariinka, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

Together with the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, troops from Chechenya have been one of the main driving forces behind Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov said on Thursday that his forces were being moved to "another area" in preparation for a counter-offensive, but did not say where the troops were or where they were going.

1100 GMT — Russia repels border attack, kills 50 Ukrainian troops – Moscow

Moscow has reportedly thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to penetrate its southwestern border as it pounded Kiev with missiles, killing three including a child.

As Kiev deployed its air defences against a fresh volley of Russian missiles, Moscow said it pushed back an attempt by Ukrainian troops to invade its southwestern Belgorod region at about 0000 GMT (03:00 AM local).

"Overall, the attack involved up to 70 militants, five tanks, four armoured vehicles, seven pickup trucks and a Kamaz truck," the Russian defence ministry said in the evening, reporting at least three attempted crossings.

It said it used the air force and artillery to repel the attacks, killing more than 50 Ukrainian fighters.

1016 GMT — Kiev defences thwart Russia's sixth air assault in six days

Ukrainian air defences have shot down more than 30 Russian cruise missiles and drones in Moscow's sixth air attack in six days on Kiev, local officials said.

The Ukrainian capital was simultaneously attacked from different directions by Iranian-made Shahed drones and cruise missiles from the Caspian region, senior Kiev official Serhii Popko wrote on Telegram.

A 68-year-old man and an 11-year-old child were wounded in the attack, with private houses, outbuildings and cars sustaining damage from falling debris, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

1005 GMT — Addressing Russia, Blinken says only strong Ukraine can bring peace

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has insisted that a strong Ukraine in control of its own territory was a prerequisite for talks with Russia, warning against a "Potemkin" or fake peace through a ceasefire.

In a speech in Finland, which after Russia's attack on Ukraine shed its historic prudence and joined NATO, Blinken said the war launched by President Putin was a "case study in failure".

"When you look at President Putin's long-term strategic aims and objectives, there is no question: Russia is significantly worse off today than it was before the full-scale invasion," Blinken said in Helsinki City Hall before a stage of US flags.

1003 GMT — Sanctions on Russia over Ukraine must be maintained, Japan says

Japan and like-minded countries must be united and maintain sanctions on Russia until it ends its aggression in Ukraine, Japan's foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has said.

"Judging from the situation and especially what Russia is saying and doing, I think it's important that the G7 and like-minded countries still remain united and continue severe sanctions against Russia," Hayashi told a press conference.

He said he hoped sanctions would encourage Russia to put an "end to its aggression as soon as possible so that we can reach the phase that we can use the dialogue and peace talks".

0851 GMT — Two dead in shelling in Russian border region near Ukraine: governor

Two civilians have died in shelling in the Russian region of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine, which has witnessed intensified attacks and border incursions recently, the regional governor said.

"Shrapnel hit cars passing by. Two women travelling in one of them died on the spot from their wounds," Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, adding that Ukrainian forces had fired at a road in the village of Maslova Pristan, in the Shebekino district.

0633 GMT — Two long-range drones hit west Russian towns overnight: governor

Two long-range drones attacked fuel and energy infrastructure in Russia's western Smolensk region overnight, but no injuries or fires were reported, the region's acting governor said.

He said the attacks hit the towns of Divasy and Peresna near the region's capital Smolensk, some 270 kilometres (168 miles) from the Ukrainian border, but did not say who was responsible.

The incident comes a day after the governor of Russia's Belgorod region said Ukraine's armed forces shelled the border town of Shebekino, setting alight a dormitory and damaging an administrative building. Ukraine, meanwhile, denies it is responsible for attacks within Russian territory.

2152 GMT — Swiss MPs reject allowing weapons transfer to Ukraine

Switzerland's lower house of parliament has voted against a proposal that would have specifically authorised the transfer of Swiss-made arms to Ukraine.

The vote in parliament came as Swiss President Alain Berset met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the European Political Community summit in Moldova, where the pair discussed the subject of exports of war material.

The National Council in Bern voted 98-75 against a parliamentary initiative put forward by a committee.

2100 GMT — Brazil to remain neutral in Russia-Ukraine conflict

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that Brazil will remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Nothing will happen until Ukraine and Russia make the decision that they want peace," said Lula after meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

"Therefore, Brazil is part of a group of countries that want to remain neutral to build the possibility of an end to the war," said Lula at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia.

2100 GMT — Slowdown in Ukraine grain exports a 'serious situation'

The UN secretary general's office has expressed concern over a slowdown in Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea, citing the "specter of food inflation" as Russia demands better treatment of its own agricultural products.

A crucial agreement allowing Ukrainian grain to reach the global market despite Moscow's offensive — signed in July 2022 by Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the United Nations — was renewed again in May but for only two months, until July 17.

Moscow is demanding guarantees on another agreement concerning its own exports, in particular of fertiliser components.

2030 GMT — US retaliates following Russia's withdrawal from New START Treaty

The US has announced retaliatory actions following Russia's exit from the last remaining arms pact between the nuclear powers earlier this year.

The actions include Tuesday's decision not to provide a biannual date update to Russia that includes comprehensive databases on New START Treaty-accountable facilities and nuclear forces, the State Department said in a statement.

The decision came after Russia confirmed it "would not fulfill its obligation to provide its biannual data update on March 30, 2023." The databases are supposed to be exchanged twice per year, once in March and again in September.

2000 GMT — Netherlands want to buy Leopard One tanks for Ukraine

The Netherlands will ask the Swiss government for permission to buy Leopard 1 battle tanks from a Swiss company with the aim of delivering them to Ukraine, Dutch press agency ANP reported, citing sources.

The Dutch government in February said it would deliver at least 100 Leopard One tanks to Ukraine in cooperation with Germany and Denmark.

The Defence Ministry said the possible delivery reported by ANP was part of that original plan but did not immediately reply to a request for further details.

For our live updates from Thursday (June 1), click here.