Ukraine-Russia Live News: Six dead in the eastern city of Sloviansk | Russo-Ukrainian War
- Ukraine has withdrawn its forces from the town of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said fighting continued on the outskirts of the town.
- Russia claimed full control of the Luhansk region.
- At least six people were killed and 20 injured in Sloviansk after the eastern city was hit by Russian shelling from multiple rocket launchers, Zelenskyy estimates.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Kyiv and said Canberra would send 14 more armored personnel carriers and 20 Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine.
Here are the latest updates:
Ukraine will be helped but not as if it were a NATO member: German Scholz
Germany is discussing security guarantees for Ukraine with its allies in view of a post-war period, but these will not be the same as for a member of the transatlantic alliance, Chancellor says German.
“We are discussing with close allies the question of the security guarantees that we can give. This is an ongoing process. It is clear that it will not be the same as if someone were a member of NATO,” Olaf Scholz told the ARD television channel on Sunday.
UK to host Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2023
The UK will host a conference next year aimed at helping Ukraine recover from the damage caused by the Russian invasion, the Foreign Office has said, as nations gather in Switzerland for the event of This year.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022) starting Monday in Lugano will discuss how to rebuild Ukraine, bringing together a Ukrainian delegation with representatives from other countries, international organizations and civil society.
The UK said it was working with Ukraine and others to host next year’s conference, and would sit on an oversight board to help with coordination between Ukraine and its allies on stimulus measures. An office will be established in London.
“We led support for Ukraine during the war and will continue to support the Ukrainian government’s reconstruction and development plan,” Foreign Minister Liz Truss said in a statement.
Belarusian leader supports Russia’s campaign in Ukraine
The president of Belarus – Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s closest ally – has said his former Soviet state fully supports Russia in its military campaign in Ukraine.
Addressing a ceremony on Sunday marking the anniversary of the liberation of Minsk by Soviet troops during World War II, Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, said he had supported Putin’s campaign against Ukraine ” from day one” at the end of February.
“Today, we are criticized for being the only country in the world to support Russia in its fight against Nazism. We support and will continue to support Russia,” a video from state news agency BelTA showed of Lukashenko at Sunday’s rally. “And those who criticize us, don’t they know that we have such a close union with the Russian Federation? … That we have practically a unified army. But you knew all that. We will stay together with fraternal Russia.
Zelenskyy said the Belarusian leader’s statement was a “signal”, with his actions needing to be watched carefully. Some Ukrainian officials suggest that Belarus may soon become directly involved in the conflict.
Turkish customs stop Russian ship carrying Ukrainian grain, Kyiv ambassador says
Turkish customs authorities have detained a Russian cargo ship carrying grain which Ukraine says was stolen, the Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey has said.
“We have full cooperation. The ship is currently at the entrance to the port, it has been detained by the customs authorities of Turkey,” Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar told Ukrainian national television on Sunday.
Bodnar said the ship’s fate would be decided by a meeting of investigators on Monday.
Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain from territories Russian forces have seized since its invasion began in late February. The Kremlin has denied that Russia stole Ukrainian grain.
With brooms, nail guns and shovels, Kharkiv residents clean up after attack: Reuters
Armed with brooms, nail guns and shovels, Kharkiv residents gathered to clean up after several Russian rockets struck at 4 a.m. (0100 GMT), Kharkiv regional military administration chief Oleh said on Sunday. Synyehubov.
One of the rockets hit the yard between a school and private homes. Residents were seen shoveling dirt into a large crater created by the attack, while others were sweeping broken glass from floors inside the school and surrounding homes. Residents were busy repairing roofs and sweeping soot from the facade of the district school on Sunday morning.
“It (the missile explosion) happened very early in the morning and within 15 minutes everyone was there.” School principal Vita Kuzub told Reuters news agency.
The raids that began on Tuesday June 21 were the worst in weeks in an area where normal life had returned since Ukraine pushed back forces from Moscow in May.
Russia bombed Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Kharkiv on Sunday: Zelenskyy
The Russian army on Sunday bombarded the eastern cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, as well as the city of Kharkiv, with several rocket launchers as well as Soviet Smerch rockets, Zelenskyy said, adding that Russia had enough weapons to destroy all the cities of Ukraine. .
“In Sloviansk alone, six people are on the list of dead and about twenty are injured. A girl died, her name was Yeva. She would have been 10 in August this year,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly speech.
“Russia has enough Smerch, Uragan and Grad systems to destroy city after city in Ukraine. They have now accumulated their greatest firepower in the Donbass,” he added.
Fighting continues in outskirts of Lysychansk: Zelenskyy
Kyiv forces are still fighting Russian soldiers on the outskirts of the city of Lysychansk “in a very difficult and dangerous situation”, Zelenskyy said after Ukraine withdrew its forces from Lysychansk and the Russian Defense Ministry said claimed that his army had captured the Luhansk region.
“We cannot give you the final judgment. Lysychansk is still being fought,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv given alongside the visiting Australian prime minister. He noted that territory can move quickly from side to side.
Russian forces retain an advantage in the region, he acknowledged, calling it a “weak spot” for the Ukrainian military.
Taking Lysychansk would give the Russians more territory from which to step up attacks on the neighboring Donetsk region. In recent weeks, Russian forces were thought to hold about half of Donetsk, but it’s unclear where things stand.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Read all of the Sunday July 3 updates here.
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