Live updates | UN secretary-general renews calls for peace

“The conflict has by now taken hundreds of lives, prompted untold destruction, displaced tens of millions of persons, resulted in unacceptable violations of human legal rights and is inflaming a 3-dimensional world disaster – food items, vitality and finance – that is pummeling the most vulnerable men and women, international locations and economies,” Guterres explained in a statement Friday.

From the 1st times of the war, he mentioned the United Nations has been supporting the Ukrainian persons making an attempt to offer with its humanitarian impact “while also drawing consideration to the risks and prolonged-term implications of continued battling and opportunity escalation of hostilities for the nation, the wider location and the entire world.”

The secretary-general said the U.N. continues to be committed to the humanitarian energy, “but as I have stressed from the starting, resolving this conflict will require negotiations and dialogue.”

“The faster the events engage in good-faith diplomatic attempts to close this war, the far better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and the world,” Guterres reported.

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Important DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

— Deadly key: Electronic warfare shapes Russia-Ukraine war

— Analysts consider Russia could be in Ukraine to stay right after 100 times of war

— AP Shots: Russian malls 50 percent-empty immediately after Western corporations exit

— At 100 times, Russia-Ukraine war by the figures

— US and allies: Keep Russia accountable for Ukraine crimes

— Russian Orthodox chief skips EU sanctions thanks to Hungary’s Orban

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Comply with AP’s protection of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations on Friday reported humanitarian main Martin Griffiths experienced “frank and constructive discussions” with Russian officers as component of U.N. initiatives to attain a deal on agricultural exports amid an escalating foods disaster.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric advised reporters that Griffiths held meetings with officials in the ministries of foreign affairs and protection on Wednesday and Thursday focused on trying to find means to facilitate the export of grain and other meals from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea to international marketplaces.

His meetings followed a Monday go to to the Russian cash by Rebeca Grynspan, the secretary-normal of the U.N. Meeting on Trade and Growth, who is concentrating on obtaining Russian grains and fertilizer to worldwide markets.

Dujarric said Friday that “we have found a good deal of good comments occur from many capitols.”

But he explained “there are a ton of relocating items in this puzzle” and he was not in a place to ensure stories of a doable conference in Istanbul on June 8 when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits Turkey, or that there will be “an observation mechanism” dependent in Istanbul but run by the U.N. for grain exports from Ukraine.

Dujarric did validate that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a near Russian ally, on Friday about export concerns.

He would not ensure Belarusian media reviews that they discussed the risk of exporting Ukrainian grain by way of Belarus in exchange for access for Belarusian goods to be exported by means of ports in Germany, the Baltics and Poland.

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MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday blamed the United States and Europe for the electrical power difficulties they’re going through, expressing they stoked fears about local weather transform to improve assistance for renewable power but then underinvested.

Speaking on Russian Television set, Putin mentioned those countries adopted a quick-sighted policies that relied much too intensely on renewable strength sources these as solar, wind and hydrogen.

These technologies weren’t yet completely ready for enormous deployment or had been much too high priced, he stated, and Europe and the United States downplayed the part of what they had been meant to swap: hydrocarbons. The result was less than-improvement and below-expenditure in electrical power, and an increase in selling prices, in accordance to Putin.

Exacerbating the challenge, in his look at, is that Europeans – regardless of Moscow’s warnings – declined to sustain very long-time period organic gasoline supply contracts with Russia.

The bigger organic fuel price ranges also amplified fertilizer expenditures. Normal fuel is heavily applied in fertilizer producing.

“But we warned about that, and it is not related in any way to Russia’s armed service operation in Donbass,” Putin additional.

Various European countries are greatly dependent on Russia oil and purely natural fuel and have been rushing to obtain choices now that they have adopted sanctions — such as vitality embargoes — against Moscow for its military services procedure in Ukraine.

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MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday blamed the West for rising worldwide food items and electrical power crises and recurring his government’s presents of safe and sound passage for ships exporting grain from Ukraine if mines are eradicated from the waters.

“Of system, we are now seeing tries to shift the accountability for what is happening on the planet foods industry, the emerging difficulties in this current market, on to Russia,” he advised Russian Tv. “I ought to say that this is an attempt, as our individuals say, to change these difficulties from a sick to a balanced head.”

As claimed by the condition-run Tass news agency, Putin also stated Western sanctions against Russia would only worsen entire world markets – minimizing the harvest and driving up rates.

He said inflation stemmed from the unprecedented greenback “printing press” during the coronavirus pandemic and blamed short-sighted European policies for below-expenditure in possibilities to common electricity materials and cost will increase.

The Kremlin chief claimed Russia was not blocking grain shipments from Ukraine and that the West is using Russia as a scapegoat for its problems.

Putin pledged that if the waters were demined, Russia wouldn’t assault grain shipments and suggested they could be produced from the Ukrainian port of Berdyansk or other nations, these kinds of as Belarus. Berdyansk is underneath Russian occupation.

“We will not acquire advantage of the situation of demining to undertake any sea assaults,” Putin said.

These were Putin’s most intensive feedback to day on the rising foods crisis.

Putin’s positions on these issues conflict with explanations provided by Ukraine and its allies.

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GENEVA — Switzerland’s government on Friday mentioned it will not honor a ask for by Denmark to send almost two-dozen Swiss-produced armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, citing Swiss “neutrality law” that bans the export of war materials to a state at war.

The executive Federal Council verified the selection, reported in Swiss media this week, on Friday just as the Swiss government also declared that it would enable the transfer of some army tools to Germany and Britain as they replenish materials that the two nations have sent to Ukraine.

The announcement testified to the high-quality line Swiss authorities are treading to keep to Switzerland’s lawful requirement to remain neutral as laid out in the War Materiel Act, which bars the transfer of Swiss-made weapons programs, ammunition and other war content to a place included in an global conflict.

Denmark experienced requested that Switzerland transfer 22 Swiss-made Piranha III wheeled armored personnel carriers, which Denmark experienced procured and saved in Germany, to Ukraine.

Beforehand, the Swiss turned down a German request to ship Swiss-made 35mm ammunition for Gepard anti-plane guns to Ukraine.

Even so, the Swiss government said it would allow the export of some parts for hand-held anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft weapons elements sought by Germany and Italy. It acknowledged those people parts could end up in Ukraine, but the elements associated would depict considerably less than fifty percent the benefit of the complete weaponry’s benefit.

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REHOBOTH Beach, Del. — President Joe Biden on Friday said he thinks a “negotiated settlement” will be required to close Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Requested regardless of whether Ukraine should give up some of its territory to Russia in get to finish the war and provide peace to the area, Biden explained his policy proceeds to be that the United States will not make any selections about Ukraine with out Ukraine.

He stated “it’s their territory” and “I’m not going to inform them what they must and shouldn’t do.”

But the U.S. leader also claimed “it seems to me that at some position alongside the line there’s heading to have to be a negotiated settlement listed here.” He reported he does not know what these an arrangement would search like but that the U.S. will continue to help Ukrainians defend them selves.

Biden commented from Delaware on Friday, the 100th day of Russia’s invasion.

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PARIS — A French particular person was killed “in combat” in Ukraine, the Overseas Ministry reported Friday.

The ministry did not elaborate in its written reaction to a journalist’s query about the demise of a French volunteer fighter in the Kharkiv location.

The ministry, which holds electronic penned briefings, famous that Ukraine “in the totality of its territory is a war zone.” France advises any individual against going there “whatever the motive.”

French are among the numerous foreign fighters who headed to Ukraine following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s connect with for volunteers to join an worldwide brigade quickly following Russia invaded the place Feb. 24.

The variety of French volunteers is not identified.

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GENEVA — A Ukrainian ambassador reported Russia is participating in “hunger games” with the world by hoping to depict sanctions versus Moscow as the rationale that grain just cannot transit the Black Sea – and not Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Yevheniia Filipenko, Ukraine’s envoy to the U.N. workplace in Geneva, spoke in an interview on the 100-working day mark since Russian military forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

As grain exports dry up via Ukraine’s embattled or captured ports, Filipenko reported Russia has sought to pin the blame for the blockage on Ukraine and Western sanctions that have been levied by the countless numbers versus Moscow.

“Russia has played starvation games a short while ago to place the blame on Ukraine and other individuals for blocking Ukrainian food exports,” she reported.

Filipenko mentioned Ukrainian forces were intensely determined to protect their homeland and would 1 working day get the war. She echoed phone calls from other major Ukrainian officers for a lot more weapons.

“We are preventing for flexibility of Europe and the total entire world. So the subsequent 100 times will be pretty fast paced for all of us,” she reported.

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BRUSSELS — The European Union states it has specific Russian army officers linked to atrocities in Ukraine in its most current round of sanctions, including top brass accused of war crimes in Bucha and the siege of Mariupol.

The EU froze the assets of 65 persons and imposed vacation bans on them. The bloc has now specific pretty much 1,160 men and women, such as President Vladimir Putin, professional-Kremlin oligarchs and other major officials about Russia’s steps in Ukraine considering the fact that 2014.

The EU said Friday that Colonel Azatbek Omurbekov and Colonel-Typical Mikhail Mizintsev, identified as the ‘Butcher of Mariupol,’ were between those people on the list.

It mentioned Omurbekov “was foremost the steps of his army device and nicknamed ‘the Butcher of Bucha’ because of to his direct duty in killings, rapes and torture in Bucha,” on the outskirts of Kyiv.

It accused Mizintsev “of orchestrating the bombardments of the city of Mariupol, killing hundreds of civilians, together with the shelling of a Mariupol maternity medical center and a theatre, killing hundreds of youngsters.”

EU international policy main Josep Borrell stated “there can be no impunity for war crimes.”

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CHISINAU, Moldova — Spanish Primary Minister Pedro Sánchez has compensated an formal visit to Moldova, which borders Ukraine, in a general public display of help for the nation witnessing Russia’s ambitions in the region up shut and sheltering countless numbers of Ukrainian refugees.

Sánchez said Spain would stand up for Moldova’s territorial integrity, in a reference to Transnistria and Russia’s armed forces existence there.

Transnistria is a disputed, Russian-backed breakaway condition that borders southwestern Ukraine. Pro-Russian forces broke it off from Moldova in 1992, and Russian troops have been stationed there at any time considering that, ostensibly as peacekeepers.

Sánchez confident President Maia Sandu at a press conference Friday in Chisinau, the money, that Moldova has Spain’s “resounding” support and “our commitment to solidarity with the Moldovan authorities and the Moldovan individuals at a time of fantastic problems and worldwide political rigidity.”

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KYIV, Ukraine — A regional governor in jap Ukraine suggests powerful preventing is continuing in a important town that has confronted a enormous Russian offensive.

Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai explained to The Associated Press that “fierce battles are continuing in Sievierodonetsk,” the place about 13,000 people remaining in the town are sheltering in basements to escape relentless Russian bombardment.

Haidai explained Friday that the Russian forces were also pummeling the nearby town of Lysychansk that has remained less than Ukrainian command. Some 20,000 people, or about one-fifth of Lysychansk’s pre-war populace, have remained in the town which has noticed 60% of its residential properties and civilian infrastructure shattered by the Russian shelling. Haidai stated a civilian was killed in the Russian shelling of Lysychansk on Friday.

He explained to the AP that the Russians have been shelling a crucial freeway linking Lysychansk with Bakhmut, but that it remained under Ukrainian manage.

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LVIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian navy analyst states a Russian offensive in japanese Ukraine has slowed down amid staunch Ukrainian resistance.

Mykola Sunhurovsky of the Razumkov Centre, a Kyiv-based think-tank, explained Friday that “the Russians are fighting for every block and just about every street” in the jap metropolis of Lysychansk, introducing that “it has deprived them of the initiative.” Lysychansk, the administrative heart of the japanese Luhansk area has turn into an arena of fierce battling this 7 days as it has faced a enormous Russian attack.

Sunhurovsky billed that “the Russian offensive in the region has commenced to slow down, they have missing also lots of forces and require a tactical split.”

He mentioned that “time is operating in Ukraine’s favor as supplies of Western weapons are increasing, creating the Kremlin anxious,” but added that Western provides have taken time to attain Ukraine, forcing Kyiv to “drag out time in the east to accumulate forces for a counter-offensive.”