The Russian army pounded the key city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine on Saturday to wrest full control, but the depletion of ammunition is increasingly felt, especially on the Ukrainian side, very dependent on Western military aid.
Here are the latest developments, minute by minute
4:30 p.m. | Entry of Ukraine into the European Union: a response “next week”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, on a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday, promised a response “next week” to Ukraine’s ambitions to apply for EU membership.
9:44 am | EU: von der Leyen promises a quick response to Ukraine’s ambitions
The President of the European Commission promised Kyiv on Saturday a response “next week” to Ukraine’s ambitions to apply for membership of the European Union, as the Russian offensive intensifies in the east of the country.
7:41 am | Prague announces the death of a Czech in eastern Ukraine
A Czech national has been killed in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Saturday in Prague.
7:40 am | Zelensky calls for an end to Russian blockade of Black Sea ports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called for renewed international pressure on Russia to end its blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, allowing exports needed to avert a global food crisis.
READ | Putin’s New Mistakes
“But what is happening to Vladimir Putin? He who had such sound judgment, for example with his policies towards Syria and Turkey. After being seriously mistaken about Ukraine, the European Union and NATO, here he is again. The chronicle of Loïc Tassé.
6:55 am | The first Russian passports issued to residents of southern Ukraine
Russia on Saturday handed over its first passports to residents of Kherson, a city occupied by Moscow troops in southern Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.
According to the official TASS agency, 23 residents of Kherson received during a ceremony a Russian passport, a “simplified procedure” allowed thanks to a decree signed at the end of May by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
5:03 am | Von der Leyen in Kyiv to talk about European integration
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Saturday for another visit to discuss Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU and reconstruction.
2h25 | Biden says Zelensky ‘didn’t want to hear’ warnings
US President Joe Biden said on Friday his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky “didn’t want to hear” US warnings before the Russian invasion began in February.
0h45 | Eyes on Ukraine, French special forces begin a new moult
The competition between powers and the return of high-intensity warfare, illustrated by the conflict in Ukraine, challenge the French special forces to reinvent themselves, after two decades dominated by the fight against terrorism.