18 minutes ago
Italy’s foreign minister says Ukraine cannot use Italian weapons on Russian territory
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Thursday that Italy would not send any troops to Ukraine and that any weapons it had supplied to Kiev should not be used on Russian territory.
“All weapons shipped from Italy (to Ukraine) should be used in Ukraine,” Tajani said in a television interview with state broadcaster RAI.
Italy, under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine but has not provided any details about military aid.
— Reuters
1 hour ago
President Zelensky thanks Sweden for $1.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa converse during a one-on-one meeting followed by an official dinner at the Belem Presidential Palace on May 28, 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Horacio Villalobos | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Sweden for donating a military aid package worth 13 billion kronor ($1.2 billion), saying his war-torn country was grateful for the “significant reinforcements.”
“Today we thank Sweden for a new and very significant military package for our fighters,” Zelenskiy said in his daily evening address.
“We are working to the fullest extent of our capabilities to make our air defense systems more effective, and Sweden is providing Ukraine with special radar surveillance aircraft. Armored vehicles and ammunition are also part of this package,” he added.
The Swedish government announced on Wednesday that it would provide Ukraine with its 16th and largest shipment of military aid since Russia began a full-scale invasion.
Sam Meredith
1 hour ago
Ukraine said it shot down seven missiles and 32 drones fired by Russia overnight.
Ukraine’s air force said on Thursday that its defense forces had shot down seven cruise missiles and 32 drones fired by Russia overnight.
In a post via the Telegram messaging app, the Ukrainian military said Russia had launched missile and aircraft attacks on military installations and critical infrastructure in the Kharkiv region.
“As a result of anti-aircraft combat, seven Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and 32 Shahed-131/136 attack drones were shot down in the Khmelnytsky, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Kirovograd, Zaporizhia, Odesha, Kherson, Kiev and Vinnytsia regions,” the post read.
CNBC was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground.
Sam Meredith
1 hour ago
Lavrov hints at China’s possibility of hosting Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacts during bilateral talks after the Victory Day Parade at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2024.
Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that China could host a peace conference to try to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
“We appreciate Beijing’s constructive approach to the Ukraine crisis. Our Chinese friends understand the essence of its root causes and current developments,” Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiya Segodnya media group, according to comments published on the foreign ministry’s website.
“We share [China’s] “Our position is that it is important, first and foremost, to address the root causes and protect the legitimate interests of all parties. Then we should work towards a next agreement based on the principle of equal and indivisible security,” he added.
Russia has called for peace talks to be held on the condition that Kiev and the West recognise Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said peace talks on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s terms were not viable.
Sam Meredith
18 hours ago
Ukraine says Russian attack kills two civilians in Nikopol
Two civilians were killed in a Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol on Wednesday, the region’s governor, Serhiy Lysak, said.
In a Google-translated post published via the Telegram messaging app, Lisak said a Russian kamikaze drone had targeted the ambulance, killing the 54-year-old driver and wounding his 53-year-old wife.
Lisak said a 52-year-old man died in hospital after being hit by shelling earlier in the day.
CNBC was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground.
Sam Meredith
21 hours ago
Police search European Parliament over possible Russian interference
Belgian police stand near a van in front of the European Parliament building where searches are being conducted as part of Belgium’s investigation into alleged Russian interference and corruption in Brussels, May 29, 2024.
Laurie Dienbach | AFP | Getty Images
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday that Brussels police had searched the homes and offices of European Parliament officials over suspected Russian interference.
Searches were also carried out at the suspect’s offices in Strasbourg, home to the French headquarters of the European Parliament, the statement said.
Belgian police stand near a van in front of the European Parliament building where searches are being conducted as part of a Belgian investigation into alleged Russian interference and corruption in Brussels, May 29, 2024.
Laurie Dienbach | AFP | Getty Images
“These searches are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and membership in a criminal organisation and concern indications of Russian interference, in which MEPs were allegedly encouraged and paid to promote Russian propaganda through the Voice of Europe ‘news site’,” the statement said.
“There is evidence that the European Parliament official in question played a key role in this case,” he added.
Karen Gilchrist
2 hours ago
