Kyiv should be allowed to “neutralise” military bases inside Russia that are being used to attack Ukraine, French and German leaders said.
French president Emmanuel Macron said at a joint news conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Meseberg, Germany, that “we don’t want escalation” but Ukraine could attack “military sites from which missiles are fired”.
Mr Olaf said he agreed as long as Ukraine respected the conditions of the weapons’ suppliers.“Ukraine has every possibility under international law for what it is doing. That has to be said explicitly,” Mr Scholz said.
The remarks came as Belgium pledged to send more than two dozen F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as part of a near €1bn (£832m) military package.
The package was announced as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Brussels for discussions with prime minister Alexander De Croo.
Ukraine is under increasing pressure as Russian troops are reportedly gathering on the Ukrainian border in preparation for fresh offensive operations.
The think tank Institue for the Study of War said this concentration of forces is likely to be used to draw Ukrainian troops into the area and prepare to expand the Russian foothold in the northeastern border area of Kharkiv.
Sweden announces £986 million in military support for Ukraine
Sweden will send military aid worth 13.3 billion Swedish crowns (£986m) to Ukraine, its biggest package so far, to aid the war against the Russian invasion, the Nordic country’s government has announced.
The package would among other things help strengthen the Ukrainian air defence and included Saab’s Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASC) 890 aircraft, Defence Minister Paal Jonson told a press conference.
The Swedish government said last week it had agreed on additional military support to Ukraine totalling 75 billion Swedish crowns over three years.
Tom Watling29 May 2024 08:37
Poland arrests man suspected of seeking intelligence on Ukraine aid
Polish security services have arrested a man suspected of trying to get photos of military vehicles crossing the border into Ukraine.
It is the latest in a string of spy cases.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian man was suspected of encouraging a Polish citizen to share the photos and “take part in the activities of foreign intelligence against the Republic of Poland,” the spokesperson said.
Poland says its role as a hub for supplies to Ukraine has made it a key target for Russian spies who are trying to gather information on support for Kyiv’s war effort and engage in acts of sabotage.
The Ukrainian man, named as Oleksandr D., sent messages to a Polish citizen encouraging him to help foreign intelligence, Jacek Dobrzynski, the spokesperson of the minister coordinating special services said in a statement.
“This activity was to consist in sharing photos of military vehicles that were intended to help Ukraine and crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border,” Dobrzynski said.
“In exchange for the information provided, the Polish citizen was to receive a remuneration of 15,000 euros.”
A court agreed to a request from the prosecutor to hold the suspect in pre-trial detention for three months. If found guilty he could face up to eight years in prison.
Tom Watling29 May 2024 08:22
Putin makes former bodyguard Alexei Dyumin secretary of State Council, says Kremlin
The Kremlin has announced that President Vladimir Putin has appointed Alexei Dyumin, an aide and former bodyguard, as secretary of the State Council, an advisory body to the Russian head of state.
After being re-elected for another six-year term earlier this year, Putin made Dyumin an aide specialising in the defence industry.
Tom Watling29 May 2024 08:12
Here we have some more photos from Zelensky’s trip to Portugal
Below we have some more photos of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Portugal on Tuesday.
![Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (R) and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (C) review the guard of honour with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky upon his arrival at Figo Maduro military airport in Lisbon](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/05/29/07/SEI206535959.jpg)
![Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro (R) and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) during a meeting with Ukrainians after a joint statement at Sao Bento Palace](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/05/29/07/SEI206536793.jpg)
Tom Watling29 May 2024 08:00
Ukraine military says it shot down 13 out of 14 drones launched by Russia
Ukrainian military shot down 13 drones out of 14 launched by Russia in an overnight attack on three regions, the country’s air force has said.
Drone debris fell on energy infrastructure in Ukraine‘s northwestern region of Rivne, governor Oleksandr Koval said on Telegram. The attack triggered a defence mechanism that cut power to some localities, although it has since been restored.
Drone debris also damaged power lines in central Kirovohrad region with repair work ongoing, its governor said.
The air force shot down 11 drones over the Mykolaiv region, with no details on damage reported by the local governor.
Tom Watling29 May 2024 07:36
Biden should attend Swiss peace summit on Ukraine – Zelensky
US president Joe Biden should attend a planned peace summit in Switzerland on the Ukraine conflict next month to make the meeting a success, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told a news conference in Brussels on Tuesday.
Biden’s absence would benefit Russian president Vladimir Putin, who gave the order to invade Ukraine in 2022, Zelensky said.
![Zelensky](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/05/28/11/SEI206448326.jpg)
Matt Mathers29 May 2024 07:00
UK vows action over hundreds of Ukrainians with disabilities vanished into Russia
Matt Mathers29 May 2024 06:00
Russian bombs kill two in eastern Ukraine, officials say
Russian guided bombs killed two civilians in the eastern Ukrainian city of Toretsk on Tuesday and damaged two apartment buildings, Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Mr Filashkin, writing on Telegram, said Russian forces fired three bombs at the city, which lies north of the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk.
Photos posted by Mr Filashkin and by Donetsk region prosecutors showed sections of the apartment buildings wrecked and rubble strewn in the street.
The prosecutors also said a Russian guided bomb injured six people in Oleksievo-Druzhkivka, a town northwest of Toretsk.
The governor of southern Kherson region said Russian shelling killed a villager north of the region’s administrative centre, also called Kherson.
The prosecutors said Russian shelling struck port facilities in the Black Sea city of Odesa. Russia denies targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Shweta Sharma29 May 2024 05:01
Poland rolls out plans for fortifications along its border with Russia and Belarus
Tom Watling29 May 2024 05:00
French and German leaders say Ukraine should be allowed to strike inside Russia
French and German leaders have said Ukraine should be allowed to hit military sites inside Russia but not other targets.
Russian president Vladimir Putin warned earlier in the day that Nato members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike inside Russia, which he said could trigger a global conflict.
“We support Ukraine and we don’t want escalation, that hasn’t changed,” French president Emmanuel Macron said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Meseberg, Germany.
“We think we should allow them to neutralise military sites from which missiles are fired, military sites from which Ukraine is attacked, but we shouldn’t allow them to hit other targets in Russia and civilian or other military sites in Russia.”
Mr Scholz said he agreed with Mr Macron and that as long as Ukraine respected the conditions given by countries that supplied the weapons, including the United States, and international law, it was allowed to defend itself.
“Ukraine has every possibility under international law for what it is doing. That has to be said explicitly,” Mr Scholz said.
“I find it strange when some people argue that it should not be allowed to defend itself and take measures that are suitable for this.”
Shweta Sharma29 May 2024 04:12