Russia Ukraine war live: Moscow ready to strike French troops as UK sends Kyiv 1,000 drones

Ukraine’s energy grid operator, Ukrenergo, ordered rapid energy cuts in 12 areas yesterday night after consumption limits have been exceeded attributable to crucial shortages.

Ukrainians have been warned to restrict consumption after Russian air strikes in current weeks inflicted severe harm on the nation’s producing capability.

The cuts went into impact from 8.40pm (1740 GMT), extending from Volyn and Lviv within the northwest to Odesa in south and Zaporizhzhia within the southeast.

“Interruptions in power provide to crucial infrastructure amenities are doable,” Ukrenergo stated. Cuts can be ended when consumption ranges decline to agreed ranges.

“In view of repairs to items and the most recent destruction, we’re catastrophically in need of electrical energy for our wants,” Serhii Kovalenko, head of Yasno, the biggest personal energy firm in Ukraine, wrote on Telegram forward of the most recent cuts.

“There’ll due to this fact be restrictions and they are going to be scheduled. If we don’t meet the bounds, Ukrenergo will introduce emergency restrictions.”

It’s “exhausting to say” whether or not Donald Trump being re-elected president in the US would affect upon the Ukraine conflict, Vladimir Putin has claimed.

Requested about whether or not a second Trump presidency might change the scenario in Ukraine, the Russian president informed worldwide information company editors in St Petersburg: “It’s exhausting to say, I can’t make a particular conclusion as as to whether one thing will change or not. One has to take a look at the priorities of the longer term administration.

“Nobody in the US is focused on Ukraine, they’re within the greatness of the US, which is combating not for Ukraine and the Ukrainian folks, however for its personal greatness.”

“But when the longer term administration will change its goal-setting vector, and can see the that means of its existence, its work in strengthening the US from inside, strengthening the economic system, funds, constructing good relations on this planet…then one thing could change.”

China says its particular consultant for Eurasian Affairs has met with Ukraine’s deputy international minister, and that the 2 spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and their bilateral relations.

Li Hui met with Emine Dzhaparova yesterday, in accordance with a press release by China’s international ministry shared right now.

Vladimir Putin has warned Russia might present long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets, in a tit-for-tat transfer for Nato allies permitting Ukraine to make use of their arms to assault Russian territory.

The Russian president additionally reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to make use of nuclear weapons if it sees a menace to its sovereignty.

He claimed the transfer by the US and Germany would additional undermine worldwide safety and will result in “very severe issues”.

“That will mark their direct involvement within the conflict in opposition to the Russian Federation, and we reserve the proper to behave the identical method,” Putin added.

Putin claimed that utilizing some Western-supplied weapons includes navy personnel of these international locations controlling the missiles and deciding on targets, and due to this fact he stated Moscow might take “asymmetrical” steps elsewhere on this planet. The US navy stated it doesn’t management the missiles it supplies to Ukraine or the targets.

“In the event that they contemplate it doable to ship such weapons to the fight zone to launch strikes on our territory and create issues for us, why don’t now we have the proper to produce weapons of the identical sort to some areas of the world the place they can be utilized to launch strikes on delicate amenities of the international locations that do it to Russia?” he stated.

“We’ll give it some thought,” he informed the journalists on the sidelines of the annual St Petersburg Worldwide Financial Discussion board.

Vladimir Putin has warned Russia might present long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets, in a tit-for-tat transfer for Nato allies permitting Ukraine to make use of their arms to assault Russian territory.

The Russian president additionally reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to make use of nuclear weapons if it sees a menace to its sovereignty.

He claimed the transfer by the US and Germany would additional undermine worldwide safety and will result in “very severe issues”.

“That will mark their direct involvement within the conflict in opposition to the Russian Federation, and we reserve the proper to behave the identical method,” Putin added.

Putin claimed that utilizing some Western-supplied weapons includes navy personnel of these international locations controlling the missiles and deciding on targets, and due to this fact he stated Moscow might take “asymmetrical” steps elsewhere on this planet. The US navy stated it doesn’t management the missiles it supplies to Ukraine or the targets.

“In the event that they contemplate it doable to ship such weapons to the fight zone to launch strikes on our territory and create issues for us, why don’t now we have the proper to produce weapons of the identical sort to some areas of the world the place they can be utilized to launch strikes on delicate amenities of the international locations that do it to Russia?” he stated.

“We’ll give it some thought,” he informed the journalists on the sidelines of the annual St Petersburg Worldwide Financial Discussion board.

Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia “doesn’t care” who wins the upcoming United States election – insisting that Moscow believes “nothing severe” will change in Washington’s coverage in direction of Russia no matter whether or not both Joe Biden or Donald Trump is re-elected.

Talking to editors from worldwide information companies at Russia’s flagship annual financial discussion board in St Petersburg, Mr Putin stated: “For essentially the most half, we don’t care [who wins the US election].”

“To say – I’m talking fairly sincerely – that we consider that after the elections one thing will change in direction of Russia in American coverage, I’d not say so. We don’t suppose so. We predict that nothing actually severe will occur,” the Russian president stated.

“For us, we don’t suppose the top end result holds a lot significance. We’ll work with any president the American folks elect.”

Ukraine has used US weapons to strike inside Russia in current days, a Western official conversant in the matter has informed the Related Press – because the White Home stated it was “simply not able on a day-to-day foundation of realizing precisely what the Ukrainians are firing at what”.

In accordance with the Institute for the Research of Battle, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian S-300/400 air defence battery in Belgorod over the weekend, doubtless with a Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars). The air defence system was situated roughly 40 miles from the present entrance line in northern Kharkiv, it stated.

However White Home nationwide safety spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters that he couldn’t verify that Ukraine had used US weapons at targets in Russia, as Washington didn’t know which precise targets Kyiv was hitting every day. However he added: “It’s actually at a tactical degree.”

The Ukrainian air drive stated it shot down 22 of the 27 Shahed-type drones launched over 5 Ukrainian areas in Russia’s in a single day assault on Wednesday.

The assault broken an industrial facility and injured one individual within the area of Poltava, its governor, Filip Pronin, stated on the Telegram messaging app.

The Ukrainian navy destroyed six drones over the southern area of Mykolaiv, its governor stated. Particles from certainly one of them destroyed a non-public dwelling, and broken about 10 extra, however no casualties have been reported, he added.

4 drones have been shot down over the southern area of Kherson and 4 extra over the central Dnipropetrovsk area, the areas’ governors stated.

The assault additionally focused the northern area of Sumy, with no particulars of injury reported by regional authorities.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused China of serving to Russia to disrupt an upcoming peace convention on the conflict in Ukraine.

Talking at Asia’s premier safety convention in Singapore, Mr Zelensky alleged Russia had been utilizing Chinese language diplomats within the wider Asian area to affect and dissuade international locations from attending the peace summit, attributable to be held in Burgenstock Resort, central Switzerland, on 15 and 16 June.

Tom Watling has the total report: