Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy seeks support for peace summit

The German adviser to Ukraine's prosecutor general, Klaus Hoffmann, said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday that roughly 133,000 suspected Russian war crimes were currently being investigated. 

He said this constituted an "enormous increase" from the total of roughly 56,000 at the end of 2022. 

"Many of them are very comprehensively documented," Hoffmann told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. 

Asked about examples, Hoffmann cited Russian airstrikes on civilian targets, and the kidnapping and forced adoption of Ukrainian children, which is the basis for an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting President Vladimir Putin. 

Although he stressed he was keen not to prejudge potential legal cases, he said it was his personal opinion that many of these Russian actions could "only be described as terrorism against a civilian population." 

He also noted that many of the cases were also documented in Russia, given that responsible commanders had often received citations for their actions.

Hoffmann, who's on extended leave from a role in Baden Württemberg's legal system to assist Ukraine, has a background in international law and war crimes prosecution. In the past, he helped investigate war crimes in former Yugoslavia at The Hague.

The village of Umanskoye in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk is now in the hands of Russian forces, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

Russian troops "have managed to liberate the village of Umanskoye in the popular republic of Donetsk," the ministry said.

Umanske, located 5 kilometers (15 miles) to the northwest of Donetsk, the Russian-controlled main city of the region, had fewer than 180 inhabitants before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said on Friday that Moscow's forces had seized 880 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine this year alone.

Although a new Russian offensive has centered on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, the invading troops have also been active in Donetsk, further to the south, while also carrying out incursions in the northern Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in all but three regions on Sunday following massive Russian attacks on energy infrastructure a day previously.

At least 19 people were injured in the attacks.

Ukraine's state-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo said both industry and households were affected  by the power outages.

Russian forces have been carrying out a series of attacks on energy targets in Ukraine over the past few weeks that have compelled the government there to enforce nationwide rolling blackouts.

Ukrainian authorities fear that shortages could worsen as energy needs start to rise in late summer, as Ukraine still lacks adequate air defenses to ward off such attacks and provide time for repairs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China on Sunday of attempting to disrupt a peace summit to be held in Switzerland later this month.

"China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit," Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue forum in Singapore.

Beijing previously criticized the summit for not inviting Russia.

"Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit," Zelenskyy said. "Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in hands of Putin."

Zelenskyy had earlier said he was "disappointed" some world leaders had not yet confirmed attendance at the conference.

The Swiss summit, scheduled for June 15-16, aims to bring peace to war–torn Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will take part in a G7 summit planned in Italy's Apulia region from June 13 to June 15, a spokesman for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed late on Saturday.

It was not said whether Zelenskyy would attend the summit in person or via video link.

The Ukrainian president also attended the G7 summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima last year.

Many far-right lawmakers in Europe tend to espouse pro-Kremlin lines of thinking, but Meloni has been adamant in her support for Ukraine as it defends itself against a full-scale Russian invasion.

Italy has held the presidency of the G7 — an informal forum of the leaders of major democratic industrialized nations, including Germany, Italy, France, Britain, Japan, Canada and the US — since the start of the year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, pressing defense officials there to go to an upcoming conference in Switzerland on ending Russia's war on Ukraine.

In his address, Zelenskyy said he was "disappointed" that some world leaders had yet to confirm they would attend the conference, which is to take place in about two weeks' time.

He did not mention any specific countries, but China, considered a key player as Russia's most important ally, has so far not said it will be at the conference.

Zelenskyy said that more than 100 countries and organizations had confirmed their participation in the meeting.

The Ukrainian leader said that the greater the participation in the summit, the more likely it will be that Russia will be forced to listen to the peace proposals made there, he said.

"The global majority can ensure with their involvement that what is agreed upon is truly implemented," he said.

He also thanked countries, including Germany, the US and the Netherlands, for their military aid, particularly air defense systems, saying "no country could handle this alone." Zelenskyy's remarks came after Russia launched a massive barrage of missiles and drones on Ukrainian energy sites this weekend, injuring Ukrainian civilians.    

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has "reaffirmed the US commitment to maintaining the strong support" to Ukraine during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a Singapore security conference, a Pentagon official has said.

"The two leaders pledged to further strengthen the strategic defense partnership between the United States and Ukraine," the official said in comments carried by Reuters news agency.

The official was speaking on condition of anonymity.

For his part, Zelenskyy spoke at first of a "very good" meeting, later saying on the Telegram messaging app that "We discussed what's key: the defense needs of our country, the strengthening of the Ukrainian air defense system, the F-16 coalition and the preparation of a bilateral security agreement."  

Zelenskyy met with Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major security forum attended by defense officials from around the world, where the Ukrainian president is seeking to rally support for Kyiv as Russia gains ground in a new offensive

The meeting came a few days after Washington decided to partially lift restrictions on using US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia. 

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to speak at Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday.

He will be talking about "Re-Imagining Solutions for Global Peace and Regional Stability" at the security summit's final discussion session.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian president had made a surprise visit to Singapore for the summit.

He met Indonesia's president-elect, Prabowo Subianto; a delegation from the US Congress; and the president of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta at the sidelines of the discussion.

Zelenskyy is seeking support for a peace summit in Switzerland scheduled for June 15-16.

"It is very important for us to begin the process of establishing a just peace," Zelenskyy said on social media platform X. "Russia does not want to end the war. Therefore, we must work together with the entire world to bring peace closer."

Zelenskyy's visit comes as Ukraine faces a renewed offensive from Russian forces, especially in the northeastern region around Kharkiv.

Zelenskyy and his defence minister, Rustem Umerov, will also meet US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday on the sidelines of the conference, a US defense official confirmed to Reuters news agency.

They will discuss the current battlefield situation in Ukraine, following the recent US decision to ease restrictions on Ukraine's ability to strike targets inside Russia using weapons supplied by Washington.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun reiterated China's stance of promoting peace talks without providing weapons to either side.

According to media reports, Zelenskyy will meet the Chinese defense minister to secure China's participation in the Swiss peace talks.

Russia has not been a part of the summit since the Ukraine war began in 2022.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, concludes on Sunday.

ss/wd (Reuters, dpa)