Ukraine Update…484 days into the Russian move on Ukraine

Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.

• Britain would be “very supportive” of giving Ukraine a path to joining NATO that would speed up its entry into the military alliance, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly saidat a Ukraine war recovery conference, which concludes Thursday in London. That would mean lifting the requirement for Ukraine to go through the membership action plan — a stage in which candidate countries receive assessments and advice as they look to meet NATO criteria on defense and other matters.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged NATO leaders to focus on strengthening Ukraine’s combat power as it fights to recapture swaths of the country. He said Kyiv’s backers are working on “effective and long-term security guarantees.” Scholz said support for Ukraine is vital, “and at the same time, we should take a sober look at the current situation.” In an address to the Bundestag on Thursday, he added: “The Ukrainian government itself has stated that joining NATO is out of the question while Russia is waging war against Ukraine.”
• The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in aid at the Ukraine Recovery Conference. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would give an additional $1.3 billion to help rebuild. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would provide $54.5 billion for 2024 through 2027, while South Korea pledged an additional $130 million this year.
• Gershkovich appeared in a Moscow court Thursday to appeal his continued detention. The 31-year-old reporter was arrested in Russia on spying charges during a reporting trip in March — charges that the Journal has vehemently denied. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow has received another request for U.S. Embassy officials to see Gershkovich, whom Washington deems “wrongfully detained.” “There is no decision yet, but it is under consideration,” Ryabkov said.

• Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of striking a bridge between Kherson and Crimea. Russian news agencies said there were no initial reports of casualties Thursday. They shared images showing a large crater on the bridge linking Russian-held territory in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
• A Ukrainian official said that damage to the bridge was “a blow to the military logistics of the occupiers.” Yuriy Sobolevsky of the Kherson Regional Council wrote on Telegram that the Chonhar bridge damage was important, as it showed that the counteroffensive may soon become more “dynamic” in the south. “The psychological impact on the occupiers and the occupying power is even more important,” he added. “There is no place on the territory of Kherson region where they could feel safe.”
• Ukrainian forces are advancing in the south and firming up their defenses in the east in “fierce battles” with Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. He told the BBC that progress on the battlefield was “slower than desired,” but added that Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not “a Hollywood movie.”

• India is “completely ready to contribute in any way we can to restore peace” between Russia and Ukraine,India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a news conference alongside President Biden. “From the very beginning of the events in Ukraine, India has laid emphasis on resolution of dispute through dialogue and diplomacy.”
• Zelensky accused Russian forces of planning a “terrorist act” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as officials in Moscow said the head of the global nuclear watchdog, Rafael Mariano Grossi, would travel to Russia for meetings Friday. The Kremlin rejected the allegation as “another lie.” Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has held meetings with leaders in Kyiv and Moscow about the safety of nuclear sites in Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia facility, which is held by Russian forces.
• The International Olympic Committee said there is “plenty of time” to decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can participate in the 2024 summer games in Paris, Reuters reported. The IOC sanctioned Russia and its ally Belarus earlier in the war but has suggested this year that those athletes be allowed to return to international competition as neutrals.

African leaders visited with a peace plan. Putin showed little interest: When Russian President Vladimir Putin met African leaders in St. Petersburg over the weekend, he swiftly conveyed his effective dismissal of their plan to end the war in Ukraine, Robyn Dixon reports. The African delegation called for military de-escalation and the return of war-affected children to their home country….

More….

…

Speaking on the sidelines of a Ukraine reconstruction conference in London on Thursday, Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s prime minister, said his country’s counteroffensive would take time but that he was optimistic about its success, Agence France-Presse reported.

“We will do very smart, offensive operations,” said the Ukrainian prime minister. “And because of this, it [the counteroffensive] will take time.”

Shmyhal added that the counteroffensive was “a number of military operations. Sometimes it’s offensive. Sometimes it’s defensive. Unfortunately, during our preparation for this counteroffensive Russians were preparing too, so there are so many minefields, which really makes it slower to move,” he said.

Ukraine has announced the liberation of only eight villages as a result of its two weeks of offensive operations, with heavy mining and Russian air superiority proving to be a significant obstacle to progress.

On Thursday, Shoigu said Ukrainian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine were temporarily limiting their efforts to reclaim Moscow-held territory.

“After conducting active hostilities over the past 16 days and having suffered significant losses, the enemy has reduced its activity and is currently regrouping,” Shoigu said, in comments carried by Russian news agencies….

More….