Peace mission amid tense war in Ukraine

African Proposal

On June 16, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his counterparts from Senegal, Zambia, Comoros and representatives of several other countries traveled to Ukraine to mediate a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.

After talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, African leaders are expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg (Russia) today (June 17).

Quick view: What hot developments happened in the Russian military campaign in Ukraine on day 477?

Reuters reported that the purpose of the visit is to emphasize the importance of peace and encourage the conflicting parties to agree to a diplomatic process. African leaders are expected to make a number of confidence-building proposals, including calling on Russia to withdraw its troops, remove tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspend the execution of the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for President Putin, and ease Western sanctions. A ceasefire agreement would then be negotiated with Russia and the West.

African leaders in the town of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv on June 16.

Kyiv has previously stressed that Moscow must withdraw all its forces from Ukrainian territory as a condition for negotiations. Sputnik news agency yesterday quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Putin is ready for any contact to discuss a solution to the conflict.

Ukraine in trouble

Sirens sounded across the capital Kyiv as African leaders gathered. Multiple explosions followed the Ukrainian air force's announcement that it had detected missiles launched from the Black Sea north toward Kyiv. Ukraine said it had intercepted six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, six Kalibr cruise missiles and two drones.

Pentagon chief says Ukraine situation is 'marathon'

On the other hand, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW-USA) reported that Ukrainian forces continued to counterattack in at least three directions and were said to have made further progress. Spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army Andriy Kovalov yesterday announced that there had been partial success in the offensive and defensive efforts in many directions.

US lawmakers propose seizing Russian assets transferred to Ukraine

US senators have introduced a bill that would allow President Joe Biden to seize Russian assets and transfer them to Ukraine for reconstruction. According to the Financial Times, the bill was introduced by Republican Senator Jim Risch and his Democratic colleague Sheldon Whitehouse and is also supported by a number of lawmakers from both parties in the House of Representatives. US lawmakers argue that Russia is responsible for the financial burden of rebuilding Ukraine. Therefore, Russian assets frozen in the US should be transferred to Ukraine, instead of using Washington's tax money. Since the conflict broke out in 2022, Western countries have seized about $300 billion in Russian assets.

Despite high expectations, the counteroffensive has progressed slowly in the face of strong Russian resistance. In an interview with NBC News on June 15, President Zelensky said news from the front lines was “generally positive but still very difficult” because of the tough resistance.

Ukraine to receive 14 more Leopard 2 tanks?

Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi also admitted yesterday that he was facing fierce Russian resistance around the city of Bakhmut, as Moscow sent its best divisions with artillery and air support there, according to Reuters. The Russian Defense Ministry announced the same day that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses in Donetsk and the south of the province, the epicenter of the counteroffensive.

However, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian President, said this was just a frontline inspection and a real counterattack had yet to take place.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/su-menh-hoa-binh-giua-chien-su-cang-thang-tai-ukraine-185230616220115175.htm