(Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday Kyiv and its Western supporters could make a Russian defeat in the war in Ukraine “irreversible” as early as this year and thanked Germany for being a “true friend” during a visit to Berlin.
France said it will send dozens of armoured vehicles and light tanks, including the AMX-10RCs fighting vehicles, to Ukraine in the coming weeks. It made the announcement after a working dinner between French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelenskiy in Paris. On Saturday, Zelenskiy met Italian leaders, and Pope Francis, in Rome.
FIGHTING
* The frontline cities of Bakhmut and Maryinka “remain at the epicentre of hostilities,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in a daily morning update. During the past 24 hours, Russian forces launched air strikes, along with missile, drone and heavy rocket attacks, on targets in Ukraine, it said. The Ukrainian air force also counted 17 striks on areas where Russian personnel and military equipment were concentrated.
* Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that two of its military commanders were killed in eastern Ukraine, as Kyiv’s forces renewed efforts to break through Russian positions in the embattled city of Bakhmut.
* Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.
* Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary force, offered to reveal the position of Russian troops to the Ukranian government, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing leaked U.S. intelligence documents. The paper said Ukraine rejected the offer.
DIPLOMACY, ECONOMY
* Germany announced 2.7 billion euro ($3.0 billion) of military aid to Ukraine on Saturday, its biggest such package since Russia’s invasion, and pledged further support for Kyiv for as long as necessary.
* A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a “political settlement” to the Ukraine crisis. Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany on the multi-day trip.
* Leaders of the Group of Seven nations plan to tighten sanctions on Russia at their summit in Japan this week, with steps aimed at energy and exports aiding Moscow’s war effort, said officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
* The Financial Times reported that the G7 and the European Union would ban Russian gas imports on routes where Moscow has cut supplies.
* Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has not been seen in public since Tuesday, did not appear on Sunday at a ceremony in the capital, Minsk, triggering speculation that the veteran leader is seriously ill.
IN-DEPTH STORIES
* INSIGHT-Communities torn as Ukraine turns its back on Moscow-linked church.
* INSIGHT-How Russians end up in a far-right militia fighting in Ukraine.
* EXCLUSIVE-Turkey defers $600 mln Russian energy payment -sources
* EXCLUSIVE-Oilfield firm SLB retrenches as Russia sanctions squeeze
* FOCUS-Why eastern Europe’s grain producers face a perfect storm
(Compiled by Reuters editors)
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