"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Jan. 13, 2022. (Source: Presidential Executive Office of Russia/Wikimedia Commons)
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first comment on the Wagner Group mutiny, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on July 3.
The minister highlighted the military's loyalty in the face of "provocations" and "destabilization attempts."
"The provocation did not affect the activities of military units," RIA Novosti cited Shoigu.
"The soldiers courageously and selflessly continued to carry out the tasks assigned to them."
This is Shoigu's first public comment on the armed uprising by the Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 23-24, in which the military contractors occupied Rostov and marched toward the capital of Moscow.
The mercenaries met only limited resistance in their "March of Justice," while Ukraine's military reported little changes in Russian defensive capabilities on the front lines.
After the insurrection ended in an undisclosed treaty between Prigozhin and the Kremlin, the mercenary boss justified his rebellion with Shoigu's attempts at dissolving the Wagner group.
There has been a long-standing feud between Prigozhin and the minister, marked by disagreements on jurisdiction and ammunition supplies, and even an armed clash between the mercenaries and regular troops. According to the Wall Street Journal, the rebellious oligarch was planning to capture Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov in the uprising.
The minister's disappearance from the public eye during the rebellion sparked speculations that Prigozhin negotiated Shogiu's replacement in return for laying down arms.
Possibly to address these speculations, a video was published on June 26 showing Shoigu meeting the troops. The sound in the video was muted, however, and it was unclear where or when the footage was recorded.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Nate Ostiller
