Ukraine-Russia war: Zelensky pleads with US to send Patriot missiles – live

Two people have been killed and three injured in Russian strikes on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, the national police said.

The city is close to the Russian border and has suffered frequent aerial attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The strikes have become more intense in recent weeks, hitting civilian and energy infrastructure.

The advance of Russian troops west of Avdiivka in the Donetsk Oblast region has accelerated within the past week, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

“Russian Ground Forces have created a narrow salient further into Ukrainian territory to enter the town of Ocheretyne, located approximately 15km north of central Avdiivka,” the MoD said in a statement.

Russia is targeting Ukrainian rail lines with airstrikes to disrupt the delivery of desperately needed US weapons to the front and complicate military logistics, a Kyiv intelligence source said on Friday.

On Thursday, Ukrainian rail infrastructure was targeted by Russian strikes in the eastern Donetsk region, northeastern Kharkiv region and central Cherkasy region, the national rail company said.

The attack in Donetsk, which is the main focus of Russia’s offensive in the east, killed three electrical mechanics working for the railway company and wounded four more, it said.

In Kharkiv, which borders Russia, a strike hit the railway station in the city of Balakliia, injuring 13 people, including three rail workers, officials said. The town of Balakliia was liberated from Russian forces in 2022.

Ukrainian officials seldom provide detailed statements about strikes on sensitive military targets, but the Ukrainian intelligence source confirmed to Reuters there had been attacks on rail infrastructure aimed at disrupting the supply of weapons.

“Also, the overall complication of our logistics,” the source added.

Ukraine’s foreign minister doubled down Friday on the government’s move to bolster the pool of fighting forces by cutting off consular services to conscription-age men outside the country, saying it was a question of “justice.”

Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said the policy would ensure men in Ukraine and those who have left were both treated fairly.

“It’s about justice – justice in the relationship between Ukrainian men abroad and Ukrainian men inside of Ukraine,” he said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv needs Patriot missiles to create an air shield against further Russian missile attacks, and it’s likely he’ll get them in an additional $6 bin aid package expected to be announced by the US as soon as Friday.

Zelensky discussed the need for Patriots early Friday at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries gathering virtually in a Pentagon-led meeting. His address marked the second anniversary of the group, which has “moved heaven and earth” since April 2022 to source millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket systems, armored vehicles and even jets to help Ukraine rebuff Russia’s invasion, defence secretary Lloyd Austin said at the meeting.

The meeting was expected to focus largely on air defense systems, Austin said.

Zelensky said at least seven Patriot systems are needed to protect Ukrainian cities. “We urgently need Patriot systems and missiles for them,” Zelenskyy said. “This is what can and should save lives right now.”

In a nearly two-hour speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, Mr Macron claimed the 27-member European Union (EU) was “too slow and lacks ambition” before demanding that the bloc does not become a “vassal of the United States”.

Sweden should increase its military budget by nearly 54 billion kronor ($5 billion) until 2030 to strengthen its air defenses and beef up the number of conscripts, a Swedish parliamentary committee recommended Friday.

The Scandinavian country joined the NATO alliance in March, moving away from a decades-long policy of neutrality in the wake of Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Mr Xi met Mr Blinken before the American diplomat concluded his three-day visit to Beijing on Friday, an unexpected direct meeting with the Communist Party leader signifying an effort to ease emerging flashpoints.

Russia would “struggle” to sustain its invasion of Ukraine without support from China, Antony Blinken has said.

The US secretary of state said Beijing was providing Moscow with machine tools and microelectronics that were helping Russia to “churn out” rockets, drone and other weapons.

“Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China’s support,” Mr Blinken said on a visit to Beijing on Friday.

“Beijing cannot achieve better relations with Europe while supporting the greatest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.”

Ukrainian agriculture minister Mykola Solsky was released from custody on bail on Friday pending a corruption investigation into allegations he took part in an illegal acquisition of state-owned land worth some $7 million.

Solsky has denied the allegations, which relate to events in 2017-2021 before he started as farm minister in March 2022. He was ordered into custody on Friday, but later told Reuters that bail of 75.7 million hryvnias ($1.9 million) had been paid.

Solsky tendered his resignation on Thursday but technically remains in his post until parliament reviews his request. He is the first known minister under president Volodymyr Zelensky to be named a suspect in a graft case.

The investigation is to determine whether Solsky should be formally charged and put on trial. Prosecutors told a court hearing on Thursday the allegations were punishable by up to 12 years in jail. Solsky was unavailable for immediate comment.