Lumbering Blows and Increasing Losses
At least 16 people died after several drone and missile strikes from Russia in Kyiv early Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said. Two men were also killed in separate attacks on the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
Russia for its part will be reinforced by North Korean assistance when thousands of military construction workers and deminers are dispatched to aid the reconstruction of the Kursk region. This was revealed on Thursday during the meeting between Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.
Diplomatic Battles and Criticism
Attempts to present a united international front against the war were set back when Canada reportedly dropped a bid for a tough G7 statement in the face of opposition from Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was frustrated, saying that diplomacy was “in crisis” and calling on G7 partners to push US President Donald Trump to get more involved to put an end to the war. The US still retained substantial global power and alliances, he said.
After the lethal attacks in Kyiv and elsewhere but, Ukraine called an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council. The request was confirmed by Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN.
In a fresh diplomatic maneuver, Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration’s envoy to Ukraine, is gearing up to meet with Belarus’s president, Alexander Lukashenko. Kellogg is believed to regard this would-be meeting as a chance to resume negotiations to end the war.
Harsher Sanctions From the West
The United Kingdom also imposed new sanctions on people and companies involved in Russia’s military, finance and energy sectors. Among them are two Britons who are alleged to have shipped electronic components to Russia.
Australia also imposed sanctions on 60 vessels associated with Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers. These ships are suspected to be used to skirt existing international sanctions and to continue oil exports, which help finance Russia’s war efforts.
Australia said the sanctions that come in addition to efforts by other Western allies such as Canada and the European union to ratchet up pressure on Moscow.
