Russia-Ukraine war live: Zelenskiy thanks UK for Storm Shadow missiles; Kremlin denies ground lost in Bakhmut | Ukraine

Russian troops fall back to ‘defensive positions’ near Bakhmut

Pjotr Sauer

Russia’s defence ministry has said some of its troops fell back “to more advantageous defensive positions” near a reservoir north-west of the east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The statement on Friday was the first admission by Moscow that Ukraine was successfully recapturing ground around Bakhmut, a largely destroyed city with a prewar population of about 70,000 that Russia has been trying to conquer for more than 10 months.

The Russian defence statement came hours after Kyiv said that its forces had advanced by about 2km (1.2 miles) around Bakhmut this week.

Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, said on Friday: “The enemy suffered great losses of manpower. Our defenders advanced 2km in the Bakhmut sector. We did not lose a single position in Bakhmut this week.”

It came as Russia’s foreign ministry condemned the UK for supplying Ukraine with the long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles that Kyiv wants to boost its chances in a counteroffensive – the first western country to do so.

Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive to win back territory occupied by Russia has a good chance of success but may bring high casualties if Russia uses its prepared defences well, Czech president and former Nato general Petr Pavel said on Friday.

Pavel, 61, said in an interview that Ukraine needs support for Nato and European Union entry but joining either will be a lengthy process, though talks on the EU accession could start this year, Reuters reported.

Pavel, who was Czech army chief and also the principal military adviser to the Nato secretary-general in 2015-2018, said Ukraine would eventually get western fighter jets it has been calling for but it was impossible to deliver them in time for the upcoming offensive, and there were higher priorities such as ammunition.

“There is certainly high hope that the Ukrainian counteroffensive will be successful, because Ukraine is motivated, well prepared, its troops are experienced and certainly do not succumb to such deficiencies as the Russian army,” Pavel said at Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech presidency.

The Russian army had severe problems in logistics and morale, but a collapse of defences should not be expected, he said.

“Russia has had time to prepare a relatively high-quality and in-depth defence in several lines, which, if used effectively, will cost … Ukraine large casualties,” he said.

It was impossible to say what size of territory Ukraine could win back as various scenarios were open, he said. “Things do not always go according to wishes and plans but I think that the chance for a significant Ukrainian success is really high.”

White House national security council spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that the Biden administration has consistently urged countries not to provide weapons for Russia’s war with Ukraine when asked about US allegations that South Africa sent an arms shipment to Russia.

Kirby declined to talk specifically on the South Africa issue, but said “it’s a serious issue.”

Jennifer Rankin

A Russian defeat in Ukraine will not derail China’s rise, while relations between Beijing and the EU will be “critically affected” if Xi Jinping does not push Vladimir Putin to withdraw his forces, European ministers have been told.

The message comes in a paper drawn up by the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who is meeting the EU’s 27 foreign ministers on Friday in Stockholm to discuss how the bloc should “recalibrate” its policy towards Beijing.

Along with the war in Ukraine, relations with China have become Europe’s most pressing foreign policy issue, but EU politicians take different approaches on how to respond to an increasingly repressive and nationalistic Beijing – revealed in the furore over Emmanuel Macron’s comments about not being drawn into a US-China clash over Taiwan.

In a letter to ministers to accompany the paper, Borrell highlights at least three reasons to adjust the EU’s approach: China’s internal changes “with nationalism and ideology on the rise”; the “hardening of US-China competition” in all areas and China’s status as a key regional and global player.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow had never refused the “diplomatic track” to resolving the conflict in Ukraine in a phone call with his South African counterpart, the Kremlin said.

Putin said he supported South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proposal to involve African leaders in talks regarding a peace process for Ukraine, according to the Kremlin’s readout of the call.

He also repeated an offer to deliver Russian grain and fertilisers free of charge to African countries, Reuters reported.

It came as South Africa’s foreign ministry summoned the US ambassador over allegations he made that the country had provided arms and ammunition to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Amid the diplomatic fallout, South Africa’s foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, would also speak with the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The US ambassador, Reuben Brigety, said at a press conference on Thursday that South Africa had loaded weapons and ammunition on to a sanctioned Russian vessel at the Simon’s Town Naval Base near the city of Cape Town in December last year. The arms were then transported to Russia, Brigety said.

Two Russian pilots were killed on Friday when a Russian Mi-28 military helicopter crashed in the annexed peninsula of Crimea, Russian news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry.

The defence ministry said it believed the reason for the crash was equipment failure, the TASS news agency reported.

The crash occurred at 3.42pm local time during a training flight, and the helicopter was flying without weapons, news agencies cited the defence ministry as saying in a statement.

An investigation was opened to confirm the cause of the crash, which occurred in the Dzhankoi region of northern Crimea.

Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose troops have done the bulk of the fighting in and around Bakhmut, said via his press service that what the defence ministry had described was in fact a “rout” which had seen troops flee.

He said Ukraine had been able to completely regain control of a crucial supply road that links Bakhmut with the town of Chasiv Yar and had seized useful higher ground, Reuters reported.

The risk, he said, was that if more ground was lost Ukrainian forces could gradually encircle Bakhmut.

Prigozhin, who has been openly feuding with Russia’s defence ministry for months, has repeatedly accused the top brass of sabotaging Wagner’s push for Bakhmut and this week accused them of doing too little to protect Bakhmut’s flanks.

The ministry appeared to push back against that assertion on Friday, saying that Ukrainian attempts to counterattack Bakhmut’s flanks were being repelled.

Prigozhin complained his men were still not getting enough shells and equipment, but said they were still advancing in Bakhmut and only needed to capture around a further 20 buildings to take full control of the city.

Bakhmut, much of which now lies in ruins, has been the focus of fierce fighting for months.

In a tweet, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked the British prime minister Rishi Sunak for the provision of long-range cruise missiles.

He said:

Had a phone call with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. Thanked for the significant enhancement of our capabilities with long-range Storm Shadow missiles and other irreplaceable military assistance.

We discussed further defence cooperation and coordinated our positions on the eve of upcoming international events. In particular, we need clear signals about Ukraine’s future with Nato.

Yesterday, the UK defence secretary Ben Wallace confirmed that the UK would send long-range cruise missiles.

Zelenskiy is expected to attend the next Nato summit in Vilnius in July, but has repeatedly requested for a firmer time table and more concrete steps for Ukraine to join the alliance.

Belgium will use €92m (£81m/$101m) it has received in taxes on frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, its government said on Friday, Reuters reports.

Half of the amount will be used to deliver military goods such as armoured vehicles, weapons and munition. The rest is earmarked for humanitarian support, the future reconstruction of Ukraine and strengthening Belgium’s diplomatic presence in the country, the government said.

Rishi Sunak is disappointed that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s request to address the Eurovision song contest was refused, the UK prime minister’s spokesperson said on Friday.

Ukraine’s president had requested to make a video appearance during the final on Saturday in Liverpool. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said on Thursday that while Zelenskiy’s request was made with “laudable intentions”, granting it would be against the non-political nature of the event and its rules prohibiting making political statements.

“The prime minister believes it would be fitting for President Zelenskiy to address the event and we are disappointed by the decision,” Sunak’s spokesperson said.

“The value and freedoms that President Zelenskiy and the people of Ukraine are fighting for are not political, they are fundamental. Eurovision themselves recognised that last year when they rightly suspended Russia’s participation from the competition.”