EU leaders condemn ‘reckless’ and ‘vile’ attack on Odesa for the duration of Zelenskyy and Greek key minister’s check out
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Key Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) examine the operating of the ‘grain corridor’ in the Black Sea in the port of Odesa, Ukraine on March 06, 2024.
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European Union leaders have sharply criticized a fatal Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s southern port metropolis of Odesa, near to the place President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Primary Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a conference.
Zelenskyy and Mitsotakis achieved in Odesa on Wednesday to pay tribute to the 12 individuals killed by a Russian drone strike on the city very last 7 days. In the course of the conference, Mitsotakis claimed the pair read the seem of sirens and “an explosion that was pretty shut to us.”
A Ukrainian navy spokesperson mentioned five individuals have been killed in the strike, in accordance to Sky Information.
“The reckless air attack on Odesa when President @ZelenskyyUa and PM @kmitsotakis were going to, to shell out tribute to the victims of the March 2 drone strike on a residential setting up, proves once again Putin’s disregard for any norms and his willingness to escalate,” European Union international coverage main Josep Borrell said Wednesday through social media internet site X.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in the meantime, mentioned that she “strongly” condemned the “vile assault” on Odesa.
“No one is intimidated by this new endeavor at terror – definitely not the two leaders on the ground nor the brave people of Ukraine,” she mentioned via X. “Extra than ever, we stand by Ukraine.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry mentioned Russian forces on Wednesday released a significant-precision missile strike on a hangar in Odesa in which it mentioned Ukrainian forces ended up planning naval drones for functions.
— Sam Meredith
Ukraine to carry out counteroffensive steps in opposition to Russia this calendar year, leading commander states
Ukrainian troopers of 32nd brigade are observed along the frontline in their combating placement for the duration of the ongoing two-calendar year war concerning Russia and Ukraine in the course of Kupyansk, in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 06, 2024.
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A leading Ukrainian armed service commander has mentioned Kyiv’s forces will check out to seize the initiative and conduct unspecified counteroffensive steps in 2024.
Ukrainian floor forces commander Oleksandr Pavlyuk said in televised opinions on Wednesday that the military would try to stabilize the front line and develop a grouping of forces to perform counteroffensive steps about the coming months.
His comments came soon immediately after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was most likely preparing an offensive in Ukraine in the spring or the start out of summer season.
— Sam Meredith
Senior Russian army officer warns Ukraine conflict could escalate into full-scale war in Europe
A senior Russian armed service officer has warned that the Kremlin’s entire-scale invasion of Ukraine could escalate into a complete-scale war in Europe, Reuters documented, citing state information agency RIA.
Colonel-Common Vladimir Zarudnitsky, who potential customers the Russian army’s Military Academy of the Normal Personnel, reportedly warned in a protection ministry publication that the chance of Russian forces becoming concerned in a new conflict was expanding “significantly.”
“The possibility of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine – from the growth of participants in ‘proxy forces’ used for army confrontation with Russia to a big-scale war in Europe – can’t be dominated out,” Zarudnitsky was quoted as stating.
“The most important source of military services threats to our condition is the anti-Russian coverage of the United States and its allies, who are conducting a new form of hybrid warfare in buy to weaken Russia in each individual achievable way, restrict its sovereignty and damage its territorial integrity.”
— Sam Meredith
Russia can go on battling in Ukraine for at least two more many years, Lithuania says
The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausda speaks to push in the course of a joint push meeting with President of Poland, Andrzej Duda at NATO’s Dragon-24 physical exercise, a part of huge scale Steadfast Defender-24 workout.
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Lithuanian intelligence solutions on Thursday claimed in a report that Russia can carry on battling in Ukraine for at minimum two far more years.
“Russia has adequate financial, human, product, and complex assets to continue on combating at a related depth, at minimum in the close to phrase,” Lithuania reported in its most recent annual countrywide threat assessment.
“Its picked strategy is a war of attrition, dependent on the expectation of developing war-weariness in Western societies and governments and the diminishing will to fight among Ukrainians.”
The report claimed Russian forces experienced been in a position to regroup and fortify in 2023 soon after suffering weighty losses the prior year.
In a shift most likely created to signal Moscow’s disapproval of Finland’s NATO membership, Lithuanian intelligence companies mentioned, Russia had deployed vessels capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles on Lake Ladoga for the very first time. Lake Ladoga is a body of water in close proximity to Finland’s southeast border with Russia.
“Russia is engaged in two parallel procedures. It is each compensating for its losses in Ukraine and building new abilities for a long-expression confrontation with the West,” the report reported.
— Sam Meredith
Kremlin says Russia will not interfere with U.S. elections
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday explained that Russia would not interfere with the U.S. presidential election afterwards this yr, and had not accomplished so in the past.
“We hardly ever interfered in elections in the United States,” Peskov reported, according to Reuters. “And this time, we do not intend to interfere.”
Peskov reiterated that any attempts by other nations around the world to interfere with Russia’s presidential elections would be prevented.
Investigations from U.S. authorities have earlier discovered that Russia has interfered, or at least tried using to, all through numerous current elections in the U.S., which includes presidential elections and midterms.
— Sophie Kiderlin
Zelenskyy says there are useless and hurt in Russian assault on Odesa
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on Wednesday that people experienced been killed and wounded in a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa.
Zelenskyy was also quoted by the broadcaster Suspilne as saying that Ukraine needed stronger air defences. He was meeting Greek Key Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Odesa.
— Reuters