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Pope Francis looks on during an exclusive interview with Reuters, at the Vatican, July 2, 2022. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

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KYIV, July 4 (Reuters) - Ukraine renews its invitation for Pope Francis to visit Ukraine and urges the pontiff to continue praying for the Ukrainian people, a Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

"It is time to deepen connections with those who sincerely desire it. We renew the invitation to Pope Francis to visit our country and urge you to continue praying for the Ukrainian people," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said when asked for comment about an interview Francis gave to Reuters.

The pope said in the interview that he hoped he would be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv after a trip to Canada as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine. read more

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Reporting by Max HunderWriting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Jon Boyle

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Ukraine renews its invitation for Pope Francis to visit - Foreign Ministry - Reuters

Ukrainian police officers document the destruction at one of Europe's largest clothing market "Barabashovo" (more than 75 hectares) in Kharkiv on May 16, 2022, which was destroed as aresult of shelling, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sergey Bobok | AFP | Getty Images

WASHINGTON The Ukrainian negotiator leading the now-stalled talks with Russian officials called on U.S. and NATO allies to quickly supply Kyiv with additional weapons, citing a lack of progress in brokering a peace treaty with Moscow.

"Once or two times a week we call each other and they kind of check and ask what's going on, but both sides clearly realize that right now there is no place for negotiation," explained David Arakhamia, the majority leader of Ukraine's parliament and Kyiv's top negotiator.

Arakhamia, who sat down with journalists at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, D.C., to share updates from his discussions with Biden administration officials and lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said that Ukraine simply needs more weapons and more sanctions levied against Russia.

"They stepped back and regrouped and now they're fighting in a much different way. It's a much smarter way I would say because the logistics are in place now," Arakhamia said.

In the weeks following the Kremlin's late-February invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces on the ground were beset with a slew of logistical problems on the battlefield, including reports of fuel and food shortages.

Arakhamia added that Ukraine's fight against Russia has shifted to a "distance fight" and will therefore require a consistent supply of long-range artillery, drones, jammers and radars in order to counter Russia's colossal arsenal of medium-range ballistic missiles and long-range rockets.

"There is no single region in Ukraine which is considered totally safe because they have missiles with the distance that allows them to shoot any target within the whole Ukraine," Arakhamia added.

On Wednesday,PresidentJoe Biden announced another $1 billion in weapons for Ukraine, including anti-ship systems, artillery rockets and rounds for howitzers. Since the Kremlin's invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24, the U.S. has committed $5.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.

The latest security package, the 12th such installment, comes as Russian forces ramp up their attacks in Ukraine's Donbas region.

Heavy artillery platforms sit high on Ukrainian military wish lists. To date, the Pentagon has transferred 126 155 mm howitzer artillery systems from U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps stockpiles to Ukrainian forces. Along with the howitzers, the U.S. has also sent approximately 260,000 artillery rounds.

The Pentagon has also recently committed the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HMARS, manufactured by defense giantLockheed Martin. The HMARS are designed to shoot a variety of missiles from a mobile 5-ton truck.

Ukrainian service members fire a shell from a M777 Howitzer near a frontline, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 6, 2022.

Stringer | Reuters

Arakhamia said that Ukrainian forces are rapidly running out of ammunition and artillery shells for the heavy artillery platforms supplied by the United States.

"A delivery of 150,000 shells which is considered a very big shipment is just one month of the war," he said, adding "when the fights are intense, we could use up to half a million shells a month."

Arakhamia said that following large shipments of ammunition and artillery rounds, some NATO allies are not ready to resupply and ship to Ukraine.

"They want to protect their own countries, which is understandable to us," he said, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to expand the war in Ukraine further into Europe.

"The world was not ready for a fight of this scale," Arakhamia added.

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'The world was not ready for a fight of this scale,' Ukraine's top negotiator says - CNBC

One of the primary aspirations of professional militaries is to field a force capable of delivering victory while circumventing attritional warfare. Attritional warfare develops when neither side is able to achieve a decisive advantage. Unless new capabilities or terrain shift the logic of a fight, attritional warfare ends when one side exhausts its supply of people, materiel or morale. This is the grim state of the current fighting in Ukraine.

For Russia, the low morale and poor cohesion of its infantry prevents its army from undertaking large offensive manoeuvres without taking unsustainable levels of losses in both personnel and equipment. So far, it has lost about a quarter of its armoured forces in Ukraine.

Russia has therefore resorted to the saturation of Ukrainian positions with artillery, destroying defended villages and tree lines until Ukrainian troops are forced to withdraw, and then advancing to occupy what has been abandoned. This is slow and resource-intensive, but Russia has enough ammunition to keep up its current rate of fire for several years.

For Ukraine, the overwhelming Russian artillery advantage means that its armed forces struggle to concentrate in formations above the company group, and making progress with such a small force demands that they commit some of the countrys best troops.

Casualties among these highly proficient units has a disproportionate impact on Ukrainian military effectiveness because most of the time these veterans are distributed across the force to support less experienced troops. Ukraine, therefore, is intermittently conducting small raids when the opportunity arises, while seeking to inflict a high enough number of casualties to collapse Russian morale, enabling territory to be reoccupied.

If the rate of Russian casualties can be increased, collapse is possible. The Kremlin has avoided a declared mobilisation, preferring to covertly draw people with military experience back into the ranks. This is because many Russians are actively discussing how they can avoid the draft.

The very need for such measures is discussed in Russia as a sign of government incompetence, and the perception of incompetence undermines enthusiasm for the war, even among ardent Russian nationalists. If its troops become demoralised in Ukraine because of prolonged massed casualties, the Kremlin may struggle to find replacements.

For the Ukrainians, the existential stakes in the fighting have meant that morale is high, despite their taking up to 100 casualties a day over the last couple of weeks. Ukraine has no shortage of military volunteers but it does have a shortage of equipment for them. Ukraines greatest immediate vulnerability is its ammunition stocks.

It has almost expended its Soviet-era ammunition for key systems and is now dependent on a limited number of Nato artillery pieces. Here too, however, there is only a finite number of rounds in Natos stocks, which have been chronically depleted since the end of the cold war.

Russia hopes that as the Ukrainians burn through the available ammunition, their capacity to resist will wither.

Another challenge for Ukraine is the geometry of its current defences in the Donbas. Russian attacks to the north and south have created a horseshoe of territory still held by the Ukrainian army. After massacres of civilians by the Russian army in Bucha and elsewhere, withdrawal has become politically challenging for the Ukrainian government.

But, ringed by Russian firing positions, it is exceedingly difficult for Ukraine to build up a competitive fires capability in the area, even if it had the guns to deploy. Russia appears to be using Sievierodonetsk as Germany used Verdun in the first world war: a point where Russia has firepower superiority but from which Ukraine cannot pull back, ensuring high and sustained Ukrainian casualties.

There are several routes to ending these unfavourable conditions. If the Donbas falls to Russia, the return to a linear front may significantly reduce Russias artillery advantage, and if Russia then pushes into Ukrainian territory, the battlefield geometry may be reversed, as occurred north of Kyiv in the early stages of the war.

Another shift from the current attritional dynamic may be caused by the provision of large numbers of long-range western artillery pieces. These, coupled with robust kill chains, may allow the Ukrainians to begin to destroy Russian artillery with impunity. Then Ukraine could concentrate its units and begin to press Russias inferior infantry hard.

The other method of shifting the current logic is enabling the Ukrainians to build new combat brigades with protected mobility armoured vehicles for carrying infantry to enable its units to conduct concentrated attacks from Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, expanding the frontage that Russia is having to defend. The problem with this is that, to be logistically viable, large numbers of vehicles of a consistent type would need to be provided.

Yet Nato countries other than the US not only possess small fleets but have also let many of their armoured fleets become worn out and poorly maintained. Refurbishing these fleets entails time and cost, and it is not yet clear how much cost Ukraines international allies are prepared to bear.

The final process of attrition for Ukraine is economic, and in this realm there can be no doubt that it is running out of money, while Russia can withstand western sanctions. Soon it will be essential for economic relief to sustain the government in Kyiv. Alongside the military considerations outlined above, therefore, ending the attritional struggle in Ukraine is ultimately a question of how much Nato members are prepared to invest in Russias defeat.

If President Vladimir Putin believes that western commitment may fade in the shadow of a European recession, the risk is that he will be encouraged to grind on.

Jack Watling is senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi)

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Ukraine is fighting a grim war of attrition. Only Nato can help change that - The Guardian

Russian superyacht arrives in Hawaii after U.S. seizure order

The yacht Amadea of sanctioned Russian Oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, seized by the Fiji government at the request of the US, arrives at the Honolulu Harbor, Hawaii, June 16, 2022.

Eugene Tanner | AFP | Getty Images

A superyacht seized in Fiji last month at the request of U.S. authorities, who say the $300 million Amadea is owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, has arrived in Hawaii, Refinitiv Eikon vessel tracking data showed.

The U.S. Justice Department's KleptoCapture task force has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets of Russian oligarchs in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

Reuters

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany is looking to create closer ties with countries that share its values, naming Japan and India, among others.

Lisi Niesner | Reuters

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it's "absolutely necessary" for some leaders to talk directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to end the war in Ukraine, and he and France's president will continue to do so.

Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have held several telephone conversations with Putin, separately and together, since Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24. Those contacts have drawn some criticism including from Poland's president, who said recently that they achieve nothing and serve only to legitimize the Russian leader.

"It is absolutely necessary to speak to Putin, and I will continue to do so as the French president will also," Scholz told German news agency dpa in an English-language video interview a day after he, Macron and the leaders of Italy and Romania held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

"There are some countries needed, and some leaders needed, that speak to him and it is necessary that they are clear," Scholz told dpa.

Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 17, 2022.

Maxim Shemetov | Reuters

President Vladimir Putin said at Russia's showpiece investment conference Friday that the country's economy will overcome sanctions that he called "reckless and insane."

Putin began his address to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum with a lengthy denunciation of countries that he contends want to weaken Russia, including the United States.

He said the U.S. "declared victory in the Cold War and later came to think of themselves as God's own messengers on planet Earth."

Russia came under a wide array of sanctions after sending troops into Ukraine in February. Hundreds of foreign companies also suspended operations in Russia or pulled out of the country entirely.

Associated Press

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with the Kuwait Land Forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

Courtesy: U.S. Department of Defense

From heavy artillery to tactical drones to armored vehicles, the U.S. has committed $5.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in late February.

The latest assistance package of $1 billion, which is the 12th installment of aid, comes as Russian forces ramp up their fight in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Read more about the weapons the U.S. has committed to Ukraine's fight thus far.

Amanda Macias

A soldier of the Kraken Ukrainian special forces unit observes the area at a destroyed bridge on the road near the village of Rus'ka Lozova, north of Kharkiv, on May 16, 2022.

Dimitar Dilkoff | AFP | Getty Images

President Joe Biden said "we don't know" where the three Americans reported missing in Ukraine are.

"Americans should not be going to Ukraine now," he told reporters at the White House.

The State Department on Thursday said it was aware of reports that three U.S. citizens have gone missing in Ukraine, but said it could not verify if they were in Russian custody.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said he could not "speak to the specifics" of the third American reported missing in Ukraine. He added that "our understanding was that this individual has traveled to Ukraine to take up arms."

Price's comments follow various media reports that Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, two former American service members, were captured by Russian forces in Kharkiv last week. Those reports and details have not been confirmed by CNBC or NBC News.

Price told reporters that so far the Biden administration has not seen any evidence that Russian forces have detained Americans.

Amanda Macias

A general view is seen of St Basil's Cathedral in Red Square ahead of the IAAF World Championships on August 6, 2013 in Moscow, Russia

Mark Kolbe | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Approximately 15,000 Russian millionaires are attempting to leave the country as the Kremlin's war in Ukraine intensifies in the Donbas region, according to British intelligence assessments.

"Motivations highly likely include both personal opposition to the invasion and an intent to escape the financial impact of the sanctions imposed on Russia," the U.K. Ministry of Defense shared in an intelligence update via Twitter.

"Should this exodus continue, it will likely exacerbate the war's long-term damage to Russia's economy," the tweet continued.

Amanda Macias

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson traveled to Kyiv, following a visit from the leaders of France, Italy and Germany.

During the visit, Johnson offered to establish a training program for Ukrainian forces as they fight against Russian aggression. The new military program could train up to 10,000 soldiers every 120 days, a No. 10 Downing Street release said

"The UK-led program would train and drill the Armed Forces of Ukraine using battle-proven British Army expertise, allowing them to accelerate their deployment, rebuild their forces, and scale-up their resistance as they continue to defend their nation's sovereignty against Russian invaders," the release added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Johnson's visit on the social messaging app Telegram.

"Many days of this war have proved that Great Britain's support for Ukraine is firm and resolute. Glad to see our country's great friend Boris Johnson in Kyiv again," Zelenskyy wrote.

Johnson, who recently survived a no confidence vote, made the visit after he canceled an appearance at a conference for his Conservative party.

Amanda Macias

Relatives of the fallen soldier Yurii Huk, age 41 pay their respects by his grave at the Field of Mars of Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine on May 16, 2022.

Omar Marques | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The United Nations has confirmed 4,509 civilian deaths and 5,585 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports.

The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.

Amanda Macias

Peskov says the EU's decision to provide candidacy status to Ukraine requires the increased attention of Russia.

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said the EU's decision to provide candidacy status to Ukraine requires the increased attention of Russia.

"The possible entry of Ukraine into the EU requires increased attention of the Russian Federation in connection with the discovery of defense affiliation," Peskov said in a statement, according to state news agency Interfax.

Sam Meredith

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed the EU's recommendation to provide candidacy status to Ukraine a landmark move that will help Kyiv to defeat Russia's onslaught.

"It's the 1st step on the EU membership path that'll certainly bring our Victory closer. Grateful to [von der Leyen] & each EC member for a historic decision," Zelenskyy said via Twitter.

Zelenskyy said he expects EU government leaders to approve the proposal in Brussels next week.

Sam Meredith

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine should be welcome as a candidate country.

Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty Images

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has proposed that Ukraine be given candidate status for EU membership.

The recommendation comes on the proviso that Ukraine carries out a number of important reforms.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine should be welcome as a candidate country referring to a legal term that means a nation has officially started an accession path to full membership.

Wearing a yellow blazer over a blue shirt to represent Ukraine's colors, von der Leyen said at a press conference that the commission had one clear message for Kyiv. "And that is, yes, Ukraine deserves [the] European perspective. Yes, Ukraine should be welcomed as a candidate country."

Read the full story here.

Sam Meredith

Italy's Draghi, Ukraine's Zelenskyy and France's Macron pictured during a joint press conference in Kyiv.

Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images

The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, will meet on Friday to offer its fast-tracked opinion on whether to grant Ukraine candidacy status.

The discussion comes just 24 hours after some of the bloc's most powerful leaders visited Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv in a show of solidarity with the war-ravaged country.

The opinion given on Friday is widely expected to serve as the basis for talks at next week's EU summit in Brussels, Belgium. Candidacy status is not the same as EU membership a process that could take several years to complete.

Standing alongside Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France, Germany, Italy and Romania were all in favor of "immediate" candidacy status for Ukraine.

Sam Meredith

Few residents remain in the Lysychansk as it experiences frequent shelling from Russian troops who are in a fierce battle for Severodonetsk, which sits across the river.

Scott Olson | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Serhiy Haidai, the head of Luhansk's regional administration region who has become a well-known voice amid severe fighting in the Donbas region, has said the number of shellings by Russian forces is "rising daily."

"The Russians continue to destroy the region's infrastructure," Haidai said via Telegram, according to a translation.

"Thus, the shelling of the buildings of the Severodonetsk Plant of Chemical Non-Standardized Equipment was recorded, and the building of the Azot plant was damaged. In general, there are almost no [surviving] administrative buildings on the territory of the chemical plant giant," he added.

Haidai said that over the last 24 hours, Russian forces had used artillery and multiple rocket launchers in the districts of Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Ustynivka, Loskutivka, Metolkino, Borivsky, Mykolaivka and Novozvanivka, among others.

Sam Meredith

Thu, Jun 16 20224:58 PM EDT

A Ukrainian military vehicle drives to the front line during a fight, amid Russia's invasion in Ukraine, near Izyum, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, April 23, 2022.

Jorge Silva | Reuters

The State Department is aware of reports that a total of three U.S. citizens have gone missing in Ukraine but could not verify if they were in Russian custody.

"There are reports of one additional American whose whereabouts are unknown. I can't speak to the specifics of that case. Unfortunately, we don't know the full details," State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a daily press briefing.

"Similarly, our understanding was that this individual has traveled to Ukraine to take up arms," Price added.

Price's comments come on the heels of various media reports that Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, two former American service members, were captured by Russian forces in Kharkiv last week. Those reports and details have not been confirmed by CNBC or NBC News.

Price told reporters that so far the Biden administration has not seen any evidence that Russian forces have detained Americans.

"At this moment, we have seen the open press reports, the same reports that you all have seen, but we don't have independent confirmation of their whereabouts," Price said.

Amanda Macias

Thu, Jun 16 20224:13 PM EDT

Global prices for some grains have spiked since the Russia-Ukraine war started, with both countries contributing a significant percentage of the world's supply for some of those commodities such as wheat.

Vincent Mundy | Bloomberg | Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Russia's blockade of Ukraine's ports will lead to food shortages as well as higher food prices across the globe.

"The failure of Russia to allow and enable the ports to be opened and available is obviously causing some significant disruption to the extent that the grain, nearly 20 million metric tons, can't get into the market," Vilsack told reporters at the United Nations.

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Ukraine moves closer to joining the EU; Zelenskky says historic decision will help to defeat Russia - CNBC

Wed, Jun 15 202212:32 AM EDT

Wheat grain pours from a machine into a storage silo on Monday, July 8, 2013. Temporary silos will be built along the border with Ukraine to help export more grain to address a growing global food crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden said, according to Reuters.

Vincent Mundy | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Temporary silos will be built along the border with Ukraine to help export more grain to address a growing global food crisis, President Joe Biden said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent blockade of the Black Sea port has stalled the export of Ukrainian grain, ratcheting up the cost of grain.

"I'm working closely with our European partners to get 20 million tons of grain locked in Ukraine out onto the market to help bring down food prices," Biden said. "[The grain] can't get out through the Black Sea because it'll get blown out of the water."

Ukraine and Russia have laid sea mines since the war started. About 84 foreign ships, many with grain cargoes onboard, are stuck in Ukrainian ports, Reuters reported.

Biden also said the U.S. is planning to export Ukrainian grain by rail, but noted that Ukrainian track gauges are different from those in Europe and the grain will have to be transferred to different trains at the border.

"So we're going to build silos temporary silos on the borders of Ukraine, including in Poland, so we can transfer it from those cars into those silos, into cars in Europe, and get it out to the ocean, and get it across the world" Biden said, adding that the plan was taking time.

Chelsea Ong

Tue, Jun 14 202210:48 PM EDT

The BBC logo is seen at BBC Broadcasting House on January 17, 2022. Russia has banned dozens of British defense officials, journalists, and media representatives from entering the country, Reuters reported, citing the defense ministry.

Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Russia has banned dozens of British defense officials, journalists, and media representatives from entering the country, according to Reuters.

The move is in response to Western sanctions and the "spreading of false information about Russia," Reuters said citing the defense ministry.

Among those banned are about 20 defense personnel, and 29 journalists and members of media organizations such as BBC, the Guardian and Times newspapers, the report said.

"The British journalists included in the list are involved in the deliberate dissemination of false and one-sided information about Russia and events in Ukraine and Donbas," the ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Moscow has permanently banned hundreds of Americans and Canadians from entering the country, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Chelsea Ong

Tue, Jun 14 20229:50 PM EDT

Smoke rises during shelling in the city of Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine on May 21, 2022. Russian troops control about 80% of Severodonetsk, the last city now partially held by Ukraine in Luhansk, and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it, the Associated Press reported, citing an official.

Aris Messinis | Afp | Getty Images

Russian troops control about 80% of Severodonetsk and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of the last city in Luhansk that's partially held by Ukraine, according to the Associated Press which cited the governor of Luhansk.

Ukrainian forces have been pushed to the industrial outskirts of the city because of the "scorched earth method and heavy artillery the Russians are using", the AP said, citing Governor Serhiy Haidai.

Haidai said that a mass evacuation of civilians now was "simply not possible" due to the persistent bombing and fighting.

However, he added that there was still an opportunity to get civilians out of the city because Russian soldiers have not completely blocked off the city yet.

"There is still an opportunity for the evacuation of the wounded, communication with the Ukrainian military and local residents," he told the AP.

Out of a pre-war population of 100,000, only 12,000 people remain in Severodonetsk, the news agency reported.

More than 500 civilians are sheltering in the Azot chemical plant, which is being attacked by Russian troops, Haidai said.

The Russian defense ministry has said it will open a "humanitarian corridor" on Wednesday to allow Ukrainian civilians sheltering in the plant to leave the complex.

Chelsea Ong

Tue, Jun 14 20224:58 PM EDT

A woman holds a child next to Russian soldiers in a street of Mariupol on April 12, 2022, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, while Russia's President makes a defiant case for the war on Russia's neighbour. - *EDITOR'S NOTE: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.*

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

The UN has determined that nearly two-thirds of Ukraine's children have been displaced since the start of Russia's war.

"I would say every single child in Ukraine, their lives have been touched by this war. They've either lost a family member or they have either witnessed trauma themselves," explained Afshan Khan, the regional director for the UN Children's Fund, or UNICEF, to reporters at the United Nations.

"With two-thirds of the children in the country on the move, we cannot say that a single child's life has not been touched," added Khan, who recently completed a UN mission trip to cities in Ukraine.

"Now the question is how severely are these kids impacted? What have they witnessed in terms of killing or maiming of their family members or whether they've fled or their home has been destroyed, whether they've lost friends? These are all things that for a child without adequate support is a recurring nightmare," she said.

Khan also said that the staggering number of schools destroyed by Russian strikes in Ukraine presents another grim challenge for child development.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20224:00 PM EDT

Local residents look at the russian military tank destroyed during Russia's invasion in Ukraine, in Sloboda village, Chernihiv area, Ukraine May 08, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Coordinated global sanctions may not immediately affect the Kremlin's ability to finance its defense industrial base or its ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian economy expert Richard Connolly said.

"The Russian state's ability to finance the war and its military remain pretty robust," said Connolly, director of the Eastern Advisory Group and a fellow at the Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies.

"Even in the event that Moscow has to run a budget deficit. It's got plenty of fiscal room to do this. It has an extremely low debt level, it doesn't need to borrow abroad, it can borrow from domestic sources of cash," he explained. "And at the moment, it has this very positive cash flow. So for as long as the political will is there in the Kremlin and for as long as export prices remain high, I don't see any immediate financial constraints confronting the Kremlin."

Connolly, who spoke on a panel hosted by Washington-based think tank CNAS, added that Russia historically maintains high defense equipment reserves.

"I'd be very surprised if they weren't high on the eve of the war and therefore, I would imagine that defense industrial enterprises will continue to produce in the months to come," he said. He also said that Russia has previously shown that it can source Western tech components used in its defense industry despite sanctions.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20222:57 PM EDT

A close up shot of Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury at practice and media availability during the 2021 WNBA Finals on October 11, 2021 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Michael Gonzales | National Basketball Association | Getty Images

A Russian court has extended WNBA star Brittney Griner's detention period by 18 days, Russian state media agency TASS reported, according to an NBC News translation.

Griner's arrest came days after Russian PresidentVladimir Putinordered an invasion of Ukraine, triggering international backlash and a slew of punishing sanctions. The 31-year-old Olympian has been accused of smuggling hashish oil, a charge that carries up to 10 years in prison.

Last month, the State Department determined that Griner was being wrongfully detained in Russia and called for her release.

Once a pretrial investigation on Griner has concluded, a trial date will be set. Previous requests from Griner to be transferred to house arrest have been denied.

NBC News has requested confirmation from the Russian court and is awaiting a response.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20221:57 PM EDT

Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, reacts after scoring a point against Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in New York.

Elise Amendola | AP

The U.S. Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to compete this year despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted Wimbledon to ban those athletes.

U.S. Tennis Association CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr, whose group runs the U.S. Open, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that the USTA Board decided to let Russians and Belarusians enter the tournament because of "concern about holding the individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments."

Sherr said athletes from Russia and Belarus will play at Flushing Meadows under a neutral flag an arrangement that's been used at various tennis tournaments around the world, including the French Open, which ended June 5.

The U.S. Open starts on Aug. 29 in New York.

Associated Press

Tue, Jun 14 202212:38 PM EDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 16, 2022.

Sergei Guneev | Sputnik | Reuters

As the globe coordinates global sanctions against Moscow and a segment of Russian society opposes the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be at risk of losing his power.

"I would say there are very few signs that he's at risk of losing power anytime soon," explained Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, or CNAS.

Kendall-Taylor, a national security expert who specializes in Russia and authoritarian regimes, told a virtual audience at the CNAS National Security Conference that Putin's hold on power is nonetheless considerably weaker since the start of the war.

"I don't want to necessarily overstate public support for the war, because there is quite clearly a segment of society who opposes it," Kendall-Taylor said.

She added that in the scenario in which Putin was to die in office, another autocrat would likely replace him.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 202211:52 AM EDT

(R to L) Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi give a joint press statement at the Prime minsters office in Jerusalem on June 14, 2022.

Abir Sultan | AFP | Getty Images

European leaders visiting Israel expressed hope that natural gas supplies from the eastern Mediterranean could help reduce dependence on Russia as the Ukraine war drags on.

Israel has emerged as a gas exporter in recent years following major offshore discoveries and has signed an ambitious agreement with Greece and Cyprus to build a shared pipeline. New supplies could help Europe ramp up sanctions on Moscow.

"On the energy front, we will work together in using gas resources of the eastern Mediterranean and to develop renewable energy," Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Naftali Bennett.

"We want to reduce our dependence on Russian gas and accelerate energy transition toward the climate objectives we've given ourselves," he said.

Bennett said Israel was working to make natural gas available for Europe. His office said the two leaders also discussed shipping natural gas to Europe through Egypt.

Associated Press

Tue, Jun 14 202211:06 AM EDT

A sculpture titled "Balloon Monkey (Magenta)" by Jeff Koons, estimated to fetch a price of about 6,000,000 to 10,000,000, is shown in St James' Square adjacent to Christie's auction house in London.

The sculpture will be offered at an auction by Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk and his wife Olena Pinchuk on June 28 to raise funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Art handlers wipe the surface of a sculpture titled 'Balloon Monkey (Magenta)' (2006-13) by Jeff Koons, estimated: 6,000,000-10,000,000, during a photo call in St James' Square adjacent to Christie's auction house in London, United Kingdom on June 14, 2022.

Wiktor Szymanowicz | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Tue, Jun 14 202210:12 AM EDT

Grave diggers shovel soil into the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine.

John Moore | Getty Images

The United Nations has confirmed 4,432 civilian deaths and 5,499 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports.

The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.

Amanda Macias

Tue, Jun 14 20228:13 AM EDT

Russia's defense ministry has said it will open a "humanitarian corridor" on Wednesday to allow Ukrainian civilians sheltering in the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk a chance to leave the complex.

"Guided by humane principles, the Armed Forces of Russia and the formations of the Lugansk People's Republic are ready to carry out a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians," the ministry said, according to state news agency Interfax.

The corridor would be open from 8 a.m. Moscow time to 8 p.m., the ministry said.

Original post:
EU looks for natural gas alternative to Russia; fighting rages in Severodonetsk - CNBC