The Ukrainian capital Kiev and other regions of the country were again attacked from the air on Thursday morning. “A series of airstrikes on Kiev of unprecedented strength, intensity and variety continues,” said Serhiy Popko.
The Ukrainian capital Kiev and other regions of the country were again attacked from the air on Thursday morning. “A series of airstrikes on Kiev of unprecedented strength, intensity and variety continues,” said Serhiy Popko, head of Kiev’s civil and military administration. Chinese special envoy Li Hui is currently in Kiev to explore the possibility of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
“This is the ninth consecutive airstrike on the capital since early May,” the civil and military administration said. Accordingly, Russian bombers fired cruise missiles coming from the Caspian Sea region. Then reconnaissance drones flew over the capital. “All enemy targets in Kiev airspace were detected and destroyed,” it said. So far there is no information about victims in the capital.
According to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, falling debris caught fire at a company in Darnytskyi district. Injuries were not reported, he explained in the messenger service Telegram.
One person was killed in an attack on an industrial site in the Black Sea port city of Odessa. Two other people were injured, according to the military administration in the region.
According to the army, there were also attacks with cruise missiles in the Vinnytsia region inland. Local media reported explosions in Khmelnytskyi about a hundred kilometers to the west.
The US Department of Defense on Wednesday admitted damage to a Patriot air defense system delivered to Ukraine after Russian fire. However, the state-of-the-art air defense system remains “operational,” a Pentagon official said. The Russian Defense Ministry had previously announced that its forces had hit the anti-aircraft system with a Kinzhal-type hypersonic missile.
Chinese special envoy Li met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev on Wednesday. According to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, Kuleba Li “explained in detail the principles for restoring a stable and just peace.” The basis is “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
Kuleba stressed that his country would not accept any proposals “that involve the loss of its territories or a freeze on the conflict”.
The Chinese special envoy arrived in Kiev on Tuesday for a two-day visit. A meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “possible,” a senior Ukrainian representative, who wished to remain anonymous, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday. It would be the first meeting between Zelenskyy and a senior Beijing official.
After Ukraine, Li also wants to visit Poland, Germany, France and Russia. According to its own statements, China is trying to take a neutral position in the Ukraine conflict and wants to position itself as a mediator. To date, the government in Beijing has not condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine. In March, President Xi Jinping visited Moscow but did not travel to Kiev.
In late April, Xi and Zelenskyi held a phone call for the first time since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began.
Chinese mediation efforts are viewed with skepticism in the West. In February, China presented a twelve-point plan to solve the Ukraine conflict, which remained vague and condemned Western sanctions against Russia and a “Cold War mentality”.
Special envoy Li’s personal role is also met with suspicion. Li was China’s ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019.
The UN Security Council will deal with the situation in Ukraine on Thursday (9:00 p.m. CEST).