Kyiv [Ukraine], May 19: In the context of Russia continuing its large-scale attacks on Ukraine, Kyiv also decided not to lose territory to Moscow, so negotiations became difficult.
9th wave of attack
According to The Guardian , air raid warnings were sounded across Ukraine , from the capital Kyiv to areas in central and southern regions on May 18. This is the ninth time in a month that Russia has targeted Kyiv, demonstrating a clear escalation of hostilities. Kyiv authorities said the latest attack took place with unprecedented strength and intensity, carried out by Russian strategic bombers from the Caspian region. Russia has also deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) after the missile launch.
The Ukrainian military said 29 of the 30 Russian missiles were shot down. 4 UAVs were also downed. However, rocket debris caused a fire east of the Ukrainian capital. One person was also killed and at least two injured in the city of Odessa after a Russian missile hit an industrial facility. Russia has not yet responded to this information.
Meanwhile, the situation on the eastern front was still very dire. Reuters on May 18 quoted the spokesman of the Eastern Command of Ukraine SerhiyCherevaty as saying that although Russian forces are overwhelming in terms of equipment and personnel, Ukraine has advanced 1,700 meters towards Russia. "Boss boss" Yevgeny Prigozhin of the Russian mercenary group Wagner admits Ukraine now controls a larger area of ​​Bakhmut, but insists his forces are still moving forward. Prigozhin also said Wagner was unable to encircle the remaining Ukrainian positions because of the recent retreat of Russian paratroopers.
Kyiv is determined not to give in
Tense developments on the battlefield make the prospect of peace more difficult than ever. According to CNN, during a meeting with Mr. Li Huy, China's Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba affirmed that restoring peace must be based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. Ukraine. Mr. Kuleba also stressed that Ukraine does not accept any proposals regarding the loss of territory or the freezing of the conflict.
These statements were made within the framework of Mr. Lee's visit to Ukraine from May 16 to 17. China's Foreign Ministry confirmed on May 18 that Mr. Li had also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss. Beijing said Mr. Li affirmed that China was willing to play the role of a mediator to resolve the Ukraine crisis on the basis of the previously stated views. Mr. Lee also noted that there is no complete solution to this conflict, and called on all sides to create conditions for a ceasefire and participate in peace negotiations.
Despite an impasse on moving toward peace, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to extend the Black Sea grain export agreement, which expires on May 18, by two months. According to Reuters, this information was announced by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on television on May 17.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it good news for the world and Kyiv also welcomed the extension. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the above information, saying that this is an opportunity for Moscow to help ensure global food security. Earlier, Russia showed no desire to extend unless barriers to the export of Russian food and fertilizers were removed.
About 30.3 million tons of grain and foodstuffs were exported from Ukraine under the Black Sea grain agreement. Of that, 625,000 tons were transported on World Food Program ships for aid operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper