Russia-Ukraine war live: US and EU decry Moscow’s plan to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus | Ukraine

The forces of the Wagner mercenary group may have begun to withdraw from some of their positions around the destroyed city of Bakhmut in Ukraine and may be used for other offensive operations in the Donbas region, according to of British intelligence.

The UK Ministry of Defense said in its latest intelligence update that Wagner’s owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said the withdrawal had already begun and positions were being transferred to the ministry’s forces. in defense of Russia. Kyiv confirmed Wagner’s rotation from outside the city.

The UK ministry said in its update, posted on Twitter, that forces of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic may have entered the eastern Ukrainian city since Wednesday to begin “clearance operations”. .

Bakhmut was the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war.

The ministry said:

Ukrainian forces captured 20 sq km on the sides of Bakhmut on 16 May. The spin-off from the Wagner forces is likely to continue in controlled phases to avoid the collapse of pockets around Bakhmut.

Despite Prigozhin’s ongoing feud with the Russian MoD [ministry of defence]The forces of Wagner are likely to be used for further offensive operations in Donbas after the reconstruction of its forces.

US president Joe Biden said he had an “extremely negative” reaction to reports that Russia is moving ahead with its plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, while the European Union condemned the plan.

Reuters reports that the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said:

This is a step that will lead to a more dangerous development.

Russia signed an agreement with Belarus on Thursday on the storage of warheads, at a facility that will expire in more than a month. The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said later that the transfer of some weapons had already begun.

Borrell said the agreement contravenes several international agreements.

We call on Russia to honor these commitments. The Belarusian regime is complicit in Russia’s illegal and senseless war of aggression against Ukraine.

Borrell said any attempt “to further escalate the situation will be met with a strong and coordinated reaction”.

Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. This is Adam Fulton and here’s an overview of the latest.

The European Union has condemned Russia’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, while US president Joe Biden said he had an “extremely negative” reaction to reports that the Russia has begun to move forward with the plan.

More on the story soon. In other news:

• The death toll from a Russian missile attack on an outpatient clinic in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to two, with 30 people injured, according to media reports. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: “Russian terrorists have once again proved their status as fighters against all humanity and honesty.”

• The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, plans to visit Finland, Sweden and Norway from this Monday to deepen cooperation on key security and economic issues., the US state department said. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland has joined Nato, with Sweden’s bid to join pending ratification from Hungary and Turkey.

• An agreement allowing the safe export of grain and fertilizer from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has yet to go into full operation.the UN said on Friday, halting ahead of Russia’s decision last week to extend it.

• Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told China’s special envoy Li Hui that there were “serious obstacles” to resuming peace talks., blamed Ukraine and the western countries. Meanwhile, Russia’s deputy security council chair, Dmitry Medvedev, said the conflict in Ukraine could last for decades and that negotiations with Ukraine would be impossible while Volodymyr Zelenskiy was in power.

• Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson and former US president Donald Trump discussed Ukraine and “the vital importance of the victory in Ukraine” on Thursday, a Johnson spokesman said.

• The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, said in a phone call with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, that Russia is open to dialogue with Ukraine. Lula tweeted that he reiterated Brazil’s willingness to talk to both sides of the war in Ukraine but declined Putin’s invitation to visit.

• Russia blames Kyiv for several strikes in the southern region of Belgorod. Its governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the Ukrainian military was responsible for artillery, mortar and drone attacks across the region for 24 hours but reported no casualties. In a rare attack in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, east of Crimea, two drones destroyed buildings in the city center, officials said. In neighboring Rostov region, the governor said a Ukrainian missile was shot down near Morozovsk, where there is a Russian airbase.

• Canada will donate 43 AIM-9 missiles to Ukraine to help the country “secure the skies”, the national defense said. “Canada’s support for Ukraine is unwavering,” said Canada’s defense minister, Anita Anand. The country also said it accepted Ukraine’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

• The Moscow city court will hold a preliminary hearing next Wednesday at a new criminal case against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in cases including encouraging extremism.

• The Russian arms company Kalashnikovmanufactures the most widely used assault rifle in the world, launched a division for the production of kamikaze drones – a key weapon used in the war in Ukraine.

• Ukraine said it shot down 10 missiles and 25 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on the capital Kyiv, the city of Dnipro and eastern regions.. Several drones and missiles hit targets in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, officials said Friday. There was no immediate word of any deaths.

• The city of Donetsk was burned by Ukrainian forces, the Russian-imposed leader of the occupied Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, said. Because of this, he said, one young woman died and another was injured.

• Japan will impose more sanctions on Russia after the Group of Seven (G7) summit the country hosted last week agreed to step up measures to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine, the chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said.