Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was expected in Belgrade, Serbia. He will finally speak from Russia on Monday, June 6. “The Russian delegation was supposed to arrive in Belgrade for talks. But the member countries of the EU and NATO have closed their airspace”, said Sunday evening the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, quoted by the Russian press agencies, to the Italian television channel La7. And this while Sergei Lavrov has been targeted since February 25, the day after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, by EU sanctions, just like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The European countries located around Serbia have indeed closed their airspace for the plane of the Russian minister, preventing it from traveling to the country. According to the Serbian daily Vecernje Novosti, these include Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The visit of the Russian minister has thus been canceled, according to a Russian diplomatic source quoted by the Interfax news agency. “Russian diplomacy has not yet learned to teleport”, had explained this source. Follow our live.
London will deliver rocket launchers to Ukraine. The UK will provide Ukraine with rocket launchers with a range of 80 kilometers. These multiple launch rocket systems (M270 MLRS) will allow“significantly increase the capabilities of the Ukrainian forces” in the face of the Russian offensive, the British Ministry of Defense said in a press release. “Russia’s strategy is changing, and our support must change too”added the British Minister Ben Wallace, stressing that these new weapons would allow the Ukrainians “to better protect against the brutal use of long-range artillery, which Putin’s forces have used indiscriminately to raze towns”.
A decision in “close coordination” with the United States. This decision was made in “close co-ordination” with the United States, which announced last week the supply of Himars systems with a range of 80 kilometers, that is to say multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armor. The Ukrainians had for some time been calling for multiple rocket launchers that would allow them to hit Russian positions in depth while placing their batteries further from the front. Anxious to avoid the United States being considered a co-belligerent, however, US President Joe Biden has ruled out delivering long-range rocket launcher systems to Ukraine that could reach Russia, despite repeated requests from kyiv for obtain such weapons.
A warning from Moscow. The announcement comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would hit new targets if the West supplied long-range missiles, saying current arms deliveries were aimed at “prolong the conflict”.
Fighting rages in Sievierodonestk. Ukraine said on Sunday that it had resumed “half” of Sievierodonetsk and advance in this key city of Donbass under heavy fire from Russian forces. “Half the city is under the control of our defenders”, assured the governor of the Luhansk region, Serguiï Gaïdaï, in an interview broadcast on social networks. It is to be expected, he added, citing interceptions of communications from the Russian command, an intensification of the Russian offensive for a capture of the city. “before June 10”.