Live blog: Ukraine has enough weapons to begin counter-offensive - FM

Monday, June 5, 2023

Ukraine has enough weapons to begin its counter-offensive against Russia and the operation will give the country the victory it needs to join NATO, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has told Reuters.

Membership of the military alliance would "probably" only be possible for Ukraine after the end of active hostilities, Kuleba said in an interview in Kiev.

Ukraine has for months feted an upcoming assault to retake territories held by Russia, using tanks, armoured cars and artillery donated by its Western allies.

Kuleba did not say whether the counter-offensive had started when asked.

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1927 GMT — Zelenskyy hails Ukraine soldiers for advances near Bakhmut

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised his troops for advances they claimed near the devastated town of Bakhmut, in attacks which Russia said it had repelled.

"Well done, warriors! We see how hysterically Russia reacts to any step we take there, all positions we take. The enemy knows that Ukraine will win," Zelenskyy said in a video message published on social media accounts.

1910 GMT — EU restrictions on Ukraine grain imports extended to September 15

The European Union will extend to September 15 restrictions on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products imposed by five member states seeking to protect their farmers, the commission has said.

The bloc will "phase out by 15 September" the measures affecting Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed that were adopted due to "logistical bottlenecks" in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, the commission said in a statement.

1421 GMT — Zelenskyy meets UK foreign secretary in Kiev

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has met British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in Kiev and discussed preparations for a NATO summit and Ukraine's formula for ending Russia's offensive.

"We are very grateful for the support that the UK has provided and continues to provide to Ukraine," Zelenskyy said on Telegram under a video showing them meeting.

1050 GMT — Russian governor claims 611 ammunition fired by Ukraine on Belgorod

A Russian governor has claimed that a total of 611 various forms of ammunition were fired by the Ukrainian army on the Shebekinsky district in the country’s Belgorod region.

"611 units of various ammunition were fired in the Shebekinsky urban district... In the city of Shebekino, there are numerous damages to the modules of the central market, commercial facilities, and an industrial enterprise. The number of destroyed and damaged households and cars is being specified," Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

Gladkov further claimed that the shelling of the district was carried out with the help of the Grad multiple launch rocket systems, mortars, and cannon artillery, also claiming that a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance force entered the district, but was stopped while attempting to cross the river near the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka.

Gladkov also reported shellings in the Belgorodsky, Borisovsky, Valuysky, Volokonovsky, and Grayvoronsky districts of Belgorod.

In a later statement, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed it thwarted an attempt by two Ukrainian groups to enter the Belgorod region near the Novaya Tavolzhanka area by crossing the Seversky Donets River.

1046 GMT — Russia says it welcomes any effort aimed at 'peaceful solution'

Russia has said it welcomes efforts aimed at finding a “peaceful solution” to the Ukraine war by any country after Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto floated a peace plan.

"We welcome the efforts of any states that are aimed at a peaceful solution to this conflict," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told state news agency TASS. "As far as I know, we do not have any official information on this but we heard of it from media reports."

The plan, presented at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, calls for an immediate cease-fire, the creation of a demilitarised zone to be monitored by the UN, and referendums in “disputed territories."​​​​​​​

1023 GMT — Kiev dismisses Russian reports of Ukrainian counter-offensive

Ukraine's military has said it had no information about a major offensive which Russia said Kiev had launched at five points along the front line in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

"We do not have such information and we do not comment on any kind of fake," a spokesperson for the Ukrainian armed forces' general staff said in response to a question from Reuters.

1018 GMT — Russia says it thwarts major attack in Ukraine

Moscow has said it had thwarted a major offensive against its forces in eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian officials dismissed the report and both sides said Kiev's military had made small gains elsewhere along the front lines.

It was unclear whether the attacks represented the start of Ukraine's long-heralded counter-offensive against Russia's invasion, and Ukrainian officials made no mention of any broad, significant new campaign or sidestepped questions on the matter.

Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine had attacked on Sunday morning with six mechanised and two tank battalions in southern Donetsk, where Moscow has long suspected Ukraine would seek to drive a wedge through Russian-controlled territory.

"On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction," the defence ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram at 1:30 am Moscow time (2230 GMT).

0933 GMT — Russia's Prigozhin says Ukraine has retaken part of Bakhmut

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has announced that Ukrainian forces had retaken part of the settlement of Berkhivka, north of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, calling it a "disgrace".

Prigozhin's private Wagner army captured Bakhmut last month after the longest battle of the war and handed its positions there to regular Russian troops.

"Now part of the settlement of Berkhivka has already been lost; the troops are quietly running away. Disgrace!" Prigozhin said in an audio message published by his press service.

He urged Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, to come to the front to rally the troops.

"Come on, you can do it!" he said. "And if you can't, you'll die heroes."

Prigozhin has waged a public feud with Shoigu and Gerasimov for months, frequently accusing them of failing to provide sufficient ammunition and support for Wagner in the field, and so causing it to suffer needlessly heavy losses.

Belgium is investigating whether weapons it sent to help Ukraine defend its territory were used in fighting just over the border following a news report that said equipment produced by a Belgian company turned up around Russia's Belgorod region.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned on Monday against jumping to any hasty conclusions since shipments over decades and different regions can make arms turn up in unexpected places.

“Defence and information services started a probe to be absolutely sure what happened there,” De Croo told Belgian broadcaster VRT.

The Washington Post published extensive reporting over the weekend saying that arms from some NATO member countries, including the United States, Poland, Czechia and Belgium, had appeared in Belgorod, which borders Ukraine.

The Post's report cast doubt on whether Ukraine had proper controls in place. De Croo said European Union nations supplied Ukraine with weapons on the condition the arms were used only within the invaded country to defend its territory.

0901 GMT — Ukraine may lose 20 percent of winter grain yield if poor weather persists

Most of Ukraine's winter grain crops are in good condition but grain yields could fall by 20 percent if current dry and hot weather persists, APK-Inform consultancy quoted agricultural scientists as saying on Monday.

Ukraine is a major grain grower and exporter but its production has fallen sharply since Russia invaded the country in February last year.

Grain output decreased to around 53 million tonnes in 2022 from a record 86 million tonnes in 2021. The government has said that in 2023 the harvest could decline to 44.5 million tonnes .

Winter wheat dominates the Ukrainian winter grain harvest and accounts for 95% of the country's overall wheat production.

"In general, weather conditions for most of the spring period were sufficiently favourable for growth and development of winter cereal crops," Ukraine's national academy of agricultural science said in a report.

0730 GMT — Pope's peace envoy heads to Ukraine

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi headed to Kiev on Monday as Pope Francis' peace envoy for two-day talks with the Ukrainian authorities on the war with Russia, the Vatican said.

Zuppi, the head of the Italian bishops' conference, "will pay a visit to Kiev as Envoy of the Holy Father" from June 5 to 6, it said in a statement.

"The main purpose of this initiative is to listen in depth to the Ukrainian authorities about possible ways to achieve a just peace and support gestures of humanity that contribute to easing tensions," it said.

The Vatican said in May that Francis had as ked Zuppi to lead a peace mission to try and "help ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine".

0529 GMT — Ukrainian forces continue moving forward near Bakhmut - Ukraine top commander

The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Ukrainian forces continued "moving forward" near Bakhmut.

Syrskyi said that Ukrainian forces were successful in destroying a Russian position near the city.

"We continue moving forward," Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app.

0447 GMT — Two drones fall on highway in Russia's Kaluga region - governor

Two drones fell on a highway in Russia's Kaluga region that borders the Moscow region to its north, with the local governor saying there was no detonation of explosives.

"The area has been cordoned off," the governor of the region, Vladislav Shapsha, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Based on the information provided by Shapsha, the drones fell some 280km-300km (174 miles-186 miles) from Moscow.

Last week, Russia said Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow, which Kiev denied.

0421 GMT — Biden set for critical talks on Ukraine this week with Denmark's Frederiksen, UK's Sunak

US President Joe Biden is welcoming Denmark and Britain's prime ministers this week to Washington for talks that will focus heavily on what lies ahead in the war in Ukraine — including the recently-launched effort to train, and eventually equip, Ukraine with American-made F-16s fighter jets

Britain and Denmark are playing a pivotal role in the nascent joint international plan that Biden recently endorsed after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for US aircraft

Biden's separate meetings with the leaders of two key NATO allies — he'll huddle with Denmark's Mette Frederiksen on Monday and the UK's Rishi Sunak on Thursday — come at a crucial period in the 15-month war as Ukraine readies to launch a counter-offensive. It's also a moment when the US and Europe are looking to demonstrate to Moscow that the Western alliance remains strong and focused on cementing a longer-term commitment to Ukraine with no end to the conflict in sight.

“One of the things we’ll be looking for their perspectives on and the President will be interested in sharing his perspectives on is the long-term security needs of Ukraine,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “And that’s really where the F-16s kind of come into this discussion.”

2027 GMT — Zelenskyy says Russia is evading sanctions on weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was using a network of suppliers to evade international sanctions designed to prevent it from making missiles and other weapons.

In a video address, Zelenskyy said unnamed countries and companies were helping Russia acquire technology with an emphasis on producing missiles. Russia has launched hundreds of missiles against Ukrainian targets since last October.

"Unfortunately, the terrorist state manages to use the technologies of the world through a network of suppliers, manages to bypass international sanctions," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine, Zelenskyy added, was well aware of all of Russia's efforts to evade sanctions and will seek to ensure that "there are no products of the free world in Russian missiles".

For our live updates from Sunday (June 4), click here.