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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western leaders to pressure Russia into peace using "all means" necessary. ... Mr Zelensky has long said he will not negotiate with Russia directly until Moscow's forces leave all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea. ... The Ukrainian president rejected the idea of inviting Russia to a planned peace summit in Switzerland next month. ... Delegates will "try and chart a course for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine" based on 10 demands set forth by Kyiv calling for the return of all invaded territory, reparation payments for war-related damages and the creation of a...

The five-month wait before US Congress approved $61 billion in military aid to Ukraine may have caused lasting damage that will be felt on the frontlines for months to come. Russian forces have used the “artillery drought” hampering Ukraine’s defenses since December to push forward on the eastern front near Avdiivka, making the largest advance since the early months of the war. Moscow’s progress has prompted warnings from senior Ukrainian military officials of a possible threat to Kyiv’s supply lines and hubs in the east, which are now perilously close to being in range of superior Russian firepower. The bleak...

A very sobering @olliecarroll interview with Ukraine’s deputy mil intel chief. He says Chasiv Yar will fall eventually, that Ukraine is far from stabilising the front and that Russia is “generating a division of reserves” & wants to strike at Sumy/Kharkiv. ‘Right now, both sides are jockeying for the “the most favourable position” ahead of potential talks. But meaningful negotiations can begin only in the second half of 2025 at the earliest, he guesses

The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, doesn’t expect the alliance to offer membership to Ukraine during its 75th anniversary summit in Washington in July. But, she added, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won’t go away empty-handed. Speaking to the Atlantic Council from NATO headquarters in Brussels, Ms. Smith on Monday said the 32 NATO allies are working on an “actual deliverable” that will demonstrate the alliance’s loyalty their commitment to ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty. Last year, NATO formally said Ukraine’s future lies with the alliance. “I am expecting allies to construct a bridge to membership by offering Ukraine a ‘deliverable’ that...

Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines. But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and...

Investigations have been initiated against unit commanders. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has launched the process of transferring all commanders and soldiers of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps (DUK) of 67th Mechanized Brigade DUK to other military units. These fighters and commanders of DUK had formed the brigade and constituted its core fighting force. The brigade’s press service reported, “The motives behind these actions are unknown to us. All attempts to halt this process and ascertain the reasons have been unsuccessful. Perhaps, some believe that dispersing DUK Right Sector fighters among various Armed Forces units will lead to...