Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:52 The ICC arrest warrant for Putin will not prevent him from taking part in summits on Ukraine, said Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. According to him, this issue can be resolved in accordance with Swiss laws. The country's president, Viola Amherd, confirmed that "exceptions are possible when the participation of government officials in conferences is necessary." She clarified that this would require a decision from the Swiss government.
21:38 More than 2,750 Ukrainian prisoners were released from prison and signed a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Many are already undergoing training at military bases, writes The Washington Post. Minister of Justice Denis Malyuska claims that “the motivation of our prisoners is stronger than that of our ordinary soldiers.” At least 4,000 men are expected to volunteer in the first round of recruitment.
20:21 On Monday, June 17, hourly power outage schedules will be applied throughout Ukraine from 08:00 to 24:00, Ukrenergo reported.
Chairman of the Board of NEC Ukrenergo Vladimir Kudrytsky also warned that in the next few weeks the situation in the Ukrainian energy system will be much more difficult than today. In particular, from 11:00 to 23:00 the outage schedules “will be somewhat larger” than at the rest of the day. According to him, this will continue until approximately the end of July.
“This is due to the peculiarities of repairs at the power units of nuclear power plants. Therefore, we need to prepare for the fact that the schedules will be with us for about a month and a half, and they can be quite significant, especially in the evening hours, during peak consumption hours,” Kudritsky said . He explained that the duration of the outages and the size of the deficit are influenced by three factors: repairs of nuclear power plants, which are traditionally carried out in the summer, the volume of imports and the weather.
19:38 The task of the Ukrainian Armed Forces this year is to prevent Russian troops from achieving success in their offensive, Zelensky said. According to him, the situation in the Kharkov region “is better now, it has stabilized... and in the near future, thanks to our partners, our soldiers will be strengthened.” As for the situation in 2025, according to the president, it will depend on Ukraine’s forces on the battlefield and the results of diplomatic work.
19:27 Switzerland intends to discuss the results of the Peace Summit with Russia, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said. According to him, the vast majority of decisions cannot be made without the participation of Moscow. Cassis also noted that from the point of view of the possible interest of the Russian side and building a path to peace, only three topics were chosen for the first summit - nuclear and food security, as well as the release of prisoners and children. For this reason, for example, the issue of territorial integrity was not brought up at the summit, because at present the prospects for discussing it between the parties are hopeless, Cassis believes.
He also explained why the final document of the summit was a joint communique rather than a declaration: “In diplomacy, every word counts... A joint communiqué is less binding than a declaration. The idea was to take one small step at a time to attract "As many people as possible. And I think that the fact that almost all the participants joined - only seven or eight refused - is a great success... So this is still a basis on which we can build a little confidence to take a few steps forward." .
According to Cassis, the next meeting will take place in the next five months - probably before the US presidential elections in November. According to him, at the second summit the issue of how to pave the way to peace in Ukraine will be discussed.
18:03 Norway will provide Ukraine with 1.1 billion kroner (about $103 million) to repair energy infrastructure, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. Of this amount, 120 million crowns will be used to repair the energy sector in Kharkov. In particular, solar panels will be installed in seven maternity and operating rooms in the Kharkov region.
17:45 The communiqué on the results of the Peace Summit is open, and there are countries that are thinking about joining it, Zelensky said. He expects the potential number of document signatories to increase. The president also said that work on holding the second Peace Summit is already underway, and “it will happen in months, not years.” According to Zelensky, there are already countries ready to host a new summit, negotiations with them have begun. Most likely, the second summit will take place in the OAU or Saudi Arabia, and there will be representatives of Russia.
17:12 The Russians hit the village. Sands Radkovskie, Borovsk community, Izyum district, Kharkov region - three people were injured, including a pregnant woman and a 13-year-old teenager, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
16:57 Putin’s statement about territorial claims to Ukraine is a big mistake that is useful for Ukraine, Zelensky said following the Peace Summit: “They don’t need peace, that’s a fact. We all need peace... Here behind the scenes of the country they said that this With the message, Putin conveyed to the whole world that everything he had said before about the real desire to end the war was multiplied by zero. Even those who had a different view or had it.”
15:51 The President's Office published the text of the communique following the Peace Summit in Switzerland . The Declaration contains three main points:
- Nuclear Security: The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant must operate under Ukrainian control, and any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of a war in Ukraine is unacceptable.
- Global food security: signatories called for access to ports in the Black and Azov Seas.
- Return of prisoners of war, illegally detained civilians and deported children.
The summit was attended by 101 countries and international organizations, representing all parts of the world and continents. Two thirds of the participating countries were represented at the highest level. According to Radio Liberty, the final communiqué of the Peace Summit was supported by 80 countries and four organizations. Among those who have not signed the communiqué are Saudi Arabia, Thailand, India, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and the UAE.
The final communiqué of the Peace Summit was supported by 80 countries and four organizations
14:39 Ukraine understands that it will have to talk with Russia, Kuleba said: “We understand that the moment will come when it will be necessary to talk with Russia. But our position is very clear: we will not allow Russia to speak in the language of ultimatums, as it speaks now.” . According to the minister, Putin's latest ultimatum "did not arouse any appetite at the summit, because everyone understands that it was done with one simple goal - to create some kind of PR wave on the eve of the summit."
13:58 Danish F-16 aircraft will arrive in Ukraine in the near future, Zelensky said following a meeting on the sidelines of the Peace Summit with Danish Prime Minister Matte Frederiksen.
13:23 The Russians hit the private sector. New Poltavka, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region - seven people were injured, including two children, the prosecutor's office reported.
09:40 Putin’s proposals to end the war in Ukraine were not discussed at the peace summit in Switzerland, Scholz said. According to him, Moscow's initiative "did not have a serious intention." In addition, according to the chancellor, Putin's proposals were aimed only at diverting attention from the conference.
09:17 Trump promised to “sort out” the financing of Ukraine if he is elected president of the United States: “Zelensky is perhaps the greatest trader of any politician who has ever lived. Every time he comes to our country, he leaves it with 60 billion dollars... Then he returns to his homeland and declares that he needs another 60 billion... And so on endlessly. I will deal with this first of all when I take the White House as president-elect."
08:39 Reuters published a draft communique following the Peace Summit in Switzerland. The document supports the principle of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, and also contains a clause that the Zaporozhye NPP should operate “under the full sovereign control” of Ukraine and the IAEA. Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is unacceptable, the draft emphasizes.
The document also contains clauses on freedom of navigation in the Black and Azov Seas and the inadmissibility of attacks against civilian ports and civilian port infrastructure; on safe and free supplies of Ukrainian agricultural products to third countries; on the complete exchange of all prisoners of war and the return of illegally deported Ukrainian children and civilians. “Achieving peace requires participation and dialogue between all parties. Therefore, we have decided to take concrete steps in the future in the above-mentioned areas with the further involvement of representatives of all parties,” the draft communiqué said.
07:13 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 16:
- personnel - about 526,310 (+1160) people,
- tanks - 7956 (+0),
- armored combat vehicles - 15,269 (+6),
- artillery systems - 13 913 (+58),
- MLRS - 1104 (+1),
- air defense systems - 853 (+0),
- aircraft - 359 (+0),
- helicopters - 326 (+0),
- UAVs of operational-tactical level - 11,159 (+11),
- cruise missiles - 2296 (+3),
- ships/boats - 28 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 18,967 (+56),
- special equipment - 2325 (+3).
01:36 After kidnapping Ukrainian children in temporarily occupied territories, Russians offered them 100 thousand rubles to move to Russian cities of their choice, according to an investigation by The Independent.