War day number 104. Turkey and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement to unblock shipments of Ukrainian agricultural products from a key port on the Black Sea. Bloomberg reports, adding that Kiev remains skeptical of the proposed agreement, according to sources “aware” of the negotiations. Meanwhile, the Russian raids continue and have also resumed on Kiev after more than a month. A Russian bombing hit a factory in the eastern part of the Ukrainian capital at dawn: a military target for Moscow. “The Russians controlled 70 percent of Severodonetsk, but within two days they were pushed back, now the city is divided in half,” said Lugansk governor Serhiy Gaidai.
The tension is always very high. London challenges Moscow on missile systems in Kiev: Prime Minister Johnson claims the choice as “justified by the pressure of Russian artillery”. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov replies: “the more powerful the range of new weapons that Kiev will receive from the West, the more powerful the range of the new weapons Kiev will receive from the West, the more remote Ukrainian territories are from our borders.” Lavrov today canceled his visit to Serbia after learning that Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro have banned the Russian plane that was supposed to take him to Belgrade together with his delegation from flying over. Meanwhile, the Russian ambassador to Rome, Razov, has been summoned to the Farnesina.
The British M270 system arrives in Ukraine: 12 missiles per minute and can hit targets up to 80 km with pinpoint accuracy
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00.17 – USA: Russian ships on the move with ‘stolen grain’
The United States has alerted 14 countries, mostly in Africa, that Russian ships full of what a US State Department cable calls “stolen Ukrainian grain” could be headed for them, posing the dilemma of what to do: benefit from possible war crimes and displeasing the mighty Western ally or rejecting cheap wheat at a time when its price is soaring and hundreds of thousands of people are starving. A dilemma that, according to some experts contacted by the New York Times, will leave only the second choice to many of these countries, both for the large number of people on the brink of famine and for their strong dependence on the purchase of Russian weapons.
00.10 – The White House supports Italy’s efforts to stop the war
The Biden administration supports the efforts of its allies and partners, including Italy, to end the war in Ukraine. A spokesman for the White House told Ansa, answering the question on how the US government considers the Italian proposal in four points for the ceasefire in Ukraine and to put an end to the conflict through a negotiated agreement.
00.08 – Latvia bans all Russian TV channels
Latvia has decided to ban all Russian TV channels until the end of the war in Ukraine: the Kyiv Independent reports. The Riga government has announced that 80 Russian TV channels will remain suspended until the fighting continues and the occupied peninsula of Crimea returns to Ukraine. The measure comes into effect next Thursday.
00.01 – Zelensky: our heroes do not give way to positions in Severdonetsk
Ukrainian forces facing a ferocious Russian military attack in the Donbass region are “strong”. The president of the country Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video speech. “Our heroes do not give up positions in Severdonetsk. In the city, fierce street fighting continues ”, the words of him reported by the ‘Guardian’.
Yesterday’s news and insights
Here is the Russian plan to free ships loaded with grain stuck in the port of Odessa
06 June 2022
