Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelenskyy pledges response to deadly raids

China’s president says his country and Russia are driving global geopolitical change.

Xi has concluded his visit to Moscow, cementing his “no-limits partnership” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Chinese leader’s trip came days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes in Ukraine.

The president of the Czech Republic expects Western support for Ukraine to decline over time, German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted him as saying.

“If support from the USA dwindles, support from a number of European countries will also dwindle. Ukraine must take that into account,” Petr Pavel said in one of the first statements from a NATO member signalling the potential of waning support.

Pavel, who is a former NATO general, said the result of the presidential election in the United States next year will affect European support for Ukraine and Kyiv must recognise that this year is decisive.

“We have to take war fatigue into account and what it means for support from Western countries. This will decrease over time,” he was quoted as saying.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine will “respond to every blow” after Russian attacks kill at least six people in the Kyiv region and one person in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

“We will certainly respond to every blow of the occupier on our cities,” Zelensky said in a video statement.

“Today’s Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia, the night attack on the Kyiv region, … all Russian strikes will receive a military, political and legal response,” the president said.

Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery needs have grown to $411bn, the World Bank has said.

The assessment, made jointly by Ukraine’s government, the World Bank, the European Commission and the United Nations, is an increase from the $349bn estimated in a report released in September.

The latest evaluation expects Kyiv to require $14bn for critical and priority reconstruction and recovery investments in 2023.

“Energy infrastructure, housing, critical infrastructure, economy and humanitarian demining are our five priorities for this year,” Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a statement on Wednesday. He added that part of the reconstruction work has already been done.

But Shmyhal warned that “the amount of damage and recovery needs currently does not include data on the loss of infrastructure, housing and businesses in the occupied territories.” When the defence forces release them, authorities will start restoration work in these territories, he said.

The report said that estimates “should be considered as minimums as needs will continue to rise as long as the war continues”.

Direct damage to buildings and infrastructure comes to more than $135bn, it added.

Canada is extending a support programme meant to help Ukrainians and their immediate families to become temporary residents of the North American country and easily apply for work or study permits, the Canadian immigration ministry has said.

The Canada-Ukraine authorisation for emergency travel programme, which was launched shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last February, was set to expire next week.

Ukrainians and their family members of any nationality will now have until July 15 to apply for a visa under the programme, the immigration ministry said in a statement. Anyone holding such a visa will have until March 31, 2024 to travel to Canada and those already in the country will also be able to extend or adjust their temporary status during that time.

“Canada is committed to helping those fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and we continue working to provide Ukrainians with a temporary safe haven and the vital settlement services and supports they need,” Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement.

The ice hockey teams of Russia and Belarus will be barred from taking part in international competitions in the 2023-2024 season, the sport’s governing body has said.

Citing safety concerns, the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) council determined that it is not yet safe to reincorporate the Russian and Belarusian teams back into IIHF competitions for the upcoming 2023-2024 IIHF championship season.

“It’s too soon to reintegrate Russia and Belarus in our competitions,” IIHF President Luc Tardif said following the organisation’s council meeting on Wednesday.

Tardif cited “too many risks” to the safety of players, officials and fans as the reason behind the decision. He said the IIHF would reassess the situation in March 2024, before the start of qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy.

The IIHF suspended all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from taking part in international events in every age category following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. It later moved the 2023 world championships out of St Petersburg, Russia.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin says that during Xi’s visit to Russia, both countries agreed that the UN Charter must be observed and international law respected.

“The two sides pointed out that the solution to the Ukraine crisis must respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries and prevent the formation of bloc confrontation and fanning flames. They stressed that responsible dialogue is the best way to resolve the issue steadily,” said Wang in Beijing on Wednesday.

“To this end, the international community should support relevant constructive efforts and the two sides call for the cessation of all actions that could lead to a tense situation and prolonged war, so as to avoid further deterioration or even loss of control of the crisis,” he said.

The joint statement signed in Moscow echoes Russia’s argument that it sent in troops to prevent the US and its NATO allies from turning Ukraine into an anti-Russian bulwark.

Ukraine has reported the destruction of Russian Kalibr cruise missiles in Crimea as they were being shipped by rail to Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Russian authorities say the explosion was caused by a drone attack aimed at civilians and civilian infrastructure.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that while China’s political and material support for Russia goes against US interests, Beijing has not provided substantial “lethal aid” to Moscow.

“As we speak today, we have not seen them cross that line,” Blinken said in response to a question at a Senate subcommittee hearing.

Blinken has publicly warned for weeks that China is considering Russian requests for weapons to use in Ukraine. He spoke after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow to push a ceasefire proposal in the war, which has been met with scepticism by Washington.

Blinken said Asia, and China in particular, are looking at the Russian invasion “very carefully. They will draw lessons from how the world comes together or doesn’t to stand up to this aggression.”

At least one person has been killed in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia after a Russian missile slammed into an apartment building, Ukrainian officials have said.

Ukrainian media showed charred apartments on several stories of the affected buildings, with flames billowing from some of them.

Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatolii Kurtiev said that 25 people were also wounded and taken to the hospital, where three were said to be in critical condition.

Two of the injured were children.

Earlier Wednesday, an overnight drone attack partially destroyed a high school and two dormitories in the city of Rzhyshchiv, south of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, officials said. It was not clear how many people were in the dormitories at the time.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin says Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia was a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace”.

Wenbin reiterated China’s claims that it remains neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and said it had “no selfish motives on the Ukraine issue, has not stood idly by … or taken the opportunity to profit itself.”

“What China has done boils down to one word, that is, to promote peace talks,” Wang said at a daily briefing on Wednesday.

“President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia is a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace, which has aroused positive responses in the international community,” Wang said.

China would “continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the Ukrainian issue”, Wang said, an apparent reference to a 12-point peace proposal put forward by Beijing that calls for a ceasefire and negotiations.

A group of Ukrainian soldiers take a break from the war with the help of hippotherapy – using riding and contact with horses for therapeutic effect.

Therapists are using other animals, as well. The soldiers have to deal with the difficulties of war but they appear childlike, roaring with laughter over the therapist’s dogs play-fighting or the cat sneakily eating their biscuits.

The troops in small groups mount the horses and ride in circles with helpers beside them, trying to relax their legs and gradually raising their arms to waist and shoulder level and then above their head.

President Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian troops on Wednesday near the front-line city of Bakhmut, and handed out medals to soldiers he said were heroically defending their country’s sovereignty.

Video footage posted on social media showed the Ukraine leader dressed in a dark sweatshirt and military khaki trousers, handing out awards to exhausted-looking soldiers in combat gear in what appeared to be a large warehouse

“I am honoured to be here today to give awards to our heroes. To shake hands and thank them for protecting the sovereignty of our country,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app under the video footage.

Russia has warned of a “serious” escalation of the Ukraine crisis if the UK were to give Kyiv armour-piercing ammunition that contains depleted uranium.

“This is a step towards a further escalation and a serious one at that,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Russia announced a division of its Bastion coastal defence missile systems had been deployed to Paramushir, one of the Kuril islands in the north Pacific, some of which Japan claims as its territory.

The move is part of a wider strengthening of Russian defences in its vast far eastern regions, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said, partly in response to what he called US efforts to “contain” Russia and China.

China supports a UN-led investigation into the Nord Stream blasts, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

In a tweet, the Foreign Ministry said: “China supports a UN-led investigation into the Nord Stream blast. We hope some Western countries at the UNSC will be mindful of their responsibility for truth, constructively participate in the negotiations of the draft resolution, and work for early consensus on the resolution.”

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were damaged last September by a series of unexplained explosions.

Investigations are still continuing into who was responsible.

Zelenskyy said Russian forces were attacking residential areas in Zaporizhzhia.

On Twitter, Zelenskyy said, “Zaporizhzhia. Right now, residential areas where ordinary people and children live are being fired at. This must not become ‘just another day’ in or anywhere else in the world. The world needs greater unity and determination to defeat Russian terror faster and protect lives.”

Zelenskyy also condemned a drone attack that killed four people near Kyiv.

Click here for a roundup of the key events from day 392 of the war.

KEEP READING

• China’s Xi tells Putin of ‘changes not seen for 100 years’
• Photos: Ukraine soldiers ride out war stress with hippotherapy
• IMF staff reaches agreement with Ukraine for $15.6bn loan
• Putin warns UK over depleted uranium tank shells for Ukraine

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the modernisation of Moscow’s air defence system would be completed this year, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported.

Shoigu added that during Russia’s military campaign, “aerospace forces destroyed more than 20,000 enemy objects”.

At least four people have been killed in a Russian drone attack near Kyiv, Ukrainian officials have said.

On Telegram, the State Emergency Service said early on Wednesday that two dormitories and an educational facility in Rzhyshchiv, 64km (40 miles) south of the capital, had been partially destroyed in the overnight attack.

Regional police chief Andrii Nebytov said 20 people had been taken to hospital and several were still missing following a series of explosions after 3:00am (01:00 GMT) that killed four people.

“We see that the enemy has once again attacked civilian infrastructure (and) innocent people have died,” Nebytov said, adding that one of the victims was an ambulance driver who had arrived to help.