Leaders of a number of African nations arrived in Ukraine on Friday on a diplomatic tour geared toward encouraging peace negotiations and highlighting the influence of the battle on their continent. The group, led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, traveled by practice from Poland to Kyiv. He and officers from Senegal, Egypt, Zambia and the Comoros later toured the city of Bucha, visiting a church and the positioning of a mass grave. Ukrainian officers mentioned in statements that Ukrainian forces shot down Russian missiles fired at Kyiv because the delegates arrived.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ramaphosa held a information convention, at which they agreed to persevering with their “engagement.” The delegation will journey to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an handle to Russian enterprise elites on the St. Petersburg Financial Discussion board, mentioned Ukraine was taking heavy losses within the counteroffensive it started this month and would “little question” fail, even with using items held in strategic reserve. He additionally attacked Zelensky, calling him a “shame to Jewish individuals.” Putin has lengthy described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an effort to “denazify” the nation and has usually repeated false claims concerning the prevalence of Nazi sympathies in Ukraine, as a part of a message supposed to promote the struggle to Russians. Zelensky is Jewish, and plenty of of his family have been killed by Nazis within the Holocaust.
Right here’s the newest on the struggle and its influence throughout the globe.
Amid NATO divisions, U.S. backs incremental step for Ukraine’s entry: The Biden administration mentioned it’s “snug” with a proposal from Stoltenberg that will allow Ukraine to forgo a proper candidacy course of however wouldn’t connect a deadline for the nation to develop into a member, Missy Ryan reviews. The thought is geared toward bridging a divide inside NATO about how swiftly and beneath what circumstances Ukraine ought to develop into a member of the navy alliance.
U.S. officers mentioned the proposal goes past the popular course of NATO international locations that worry Ukrainian membership might intensify the West’s standoff with Russia. However the proposal would nonetheless require Ukraine to hold out reforms and, opposite to the needs of NATO members in Japanese Europe, wouldn’t connect any timeframe for Ukraine’s accession.
Dan Lamothe and Natalia Abbakumova contributed to this report.