– Biden meets Ukraine ministers –
Joe Biden meets two Ukrainian ministers in Warsaw, the first face-to-face talks between the US president and top Kyiv officials since Russia’s invasion began.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov make a rare trip out of Ukraine in a possible sign of growing confidence in the fightback against Russian forces.
Biden calls Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “butcher” while meeting Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw.
– Over 3.7 million refugees –
Over 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion a month ago, the UN says.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says 3,772,599 Ukrainians had fled the country — an increase of 46,793 from the previous day’s figure.
Around 90 percent of them are women and children. The UN estimated that another 6.5 million people are displaced in Ukraine.
– Russia signals scaled down goals –
In a surprise statement, Sergei Rudskoi, a senior Russian general, suggests the time has come for a considerably reduced “main goal” of controlling Donbas, an eastern region already partly held by Russian proxies.
The apparent scaling down of ambitions comes as a Western official reports that a seventh Russian general, Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev, has died in Ukraine and that a colonel was “deliberately” killed by his own demoralised men.
Complicating Moscow’s challenges, invading troops are facing a counteroffensive in Kherson, the only major Ukrainian city under Russian control.
– Kyiv curfew cancelled –
The mayor of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv cancels a curfew he had announced just hours earlier for the next day without providing further explanation.
“New information from the military command: the Kyiv curfew will not enter into force tomorrow,” mayor Vitali Klitschko announces on Telegram.
The usual overnight curfew from 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) to 07:00 am (0500 GMT) will remain, but people will be allowed out on Sunday during the day.
– Russia takes Chernobyl town –
Russian forces take control of a town where staff working at the Chernobyl nuclear site live and briefly detain the mayor, sparking protests, Ukrainian officials say.
“I have been released. Everything is fine, as far as it is possible under occupation,” Yuri Fomichev, mayor of Slavutych, tells AFP by phone, after officials in the Ukraine capital Kyiv announced he had been detained.
– S. Ossetia sends troops to help Russia –
Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia has sent troops to Ukraine to “help protect Russia”, its leader says.
“Our guys are going to fulfil their military duty with a proudly raised banner,” the leader of South Ossetia, Anatoly Bibilov, says on Telegram.
– Russian minister resurfaces –
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu reappears on television after a two-week absence from view prompted questions from journalists.
The defence ministry published a video showing Shoigu chairing a meeting on Russia’s weapons budget.
No dates accompany the images on state television, but Shoigu refers to a finance ministry meeting that took place on Friday.
– Russia fuelling nuclear arms race: Zelensky –
Russia’s “bragging” about its nuclear weapons is fuelling a dangerous arms race, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky tells the Doha Forum.
“They are bragging that they can destroy with nuclear weapons not only a certain country but the entire planet,” Zelensky says in a live video message to the forum.
Ukraine’s leader calls on Qatar to increase production of natural gas to counter Russian threats to use energy as a weapon.
– Russia denies calling up reservists –
Russia denies it is planning to call up reservists, denouncing what it claims are “false” summons to Russian men by Kyiv’s security services.
“The Russian defence ministry is not summoning and does not plan to summon any reservists to the military commissariats,” spokesman Igor Konashenkov says in a statement.
“Many” Russian men have in recent days received “false” phone calls notifying them of their summons to the military commissariats, he adds.
