Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa kills two, wounds 14
Moscow has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. Peace talks initiated by the United States to end the three-year conflict have meanwhile stalled.
"Rescuers pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble who died as a result of a hostile drone strike on a residential building," Odesa Governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram.
The night-time strike wounded 14 people, Kiper added, "three of them children."
Separately, authorities of Ukraine's southern Kherson region said one person was killed and three others were wounded in Russian strikes over the past day.
"Russian troops targeted critical and social infrastructure and residential areas in the region," the Kherson's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram early on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Russia's offensive, which has forced millions from their homes and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.
At peace talks, Russia has demanded Ukraine cede even more land and give up Western military support as a precondition to peace -- terms Kyiv says are unacceptable.
Meanwhile. former German chancellor Olaf Scholz issued a strong warning against harbouring illusions about the further plans of Russian President Vladimir Putin at a party event on Saturday.
The Kremlin leader wants to hold on to his partial conquest of Ukraine and would "like it to be even bigger," said Scholz in Berlin,where he was bid farewell from office by his Social Democrats (SDP).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
7 hours ago
- Observer
US halts missile shipments, sparking worry in Kyiv
KYIV: A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine triggered warnings in Kyiv on Wednesday that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying Russian air strikes and battlefield advances. Ukraine said it had called in the acting US envoy in Kyiv to stress the importance of continuing military aid from Washington, saying any cut-off would embolden Russia as diplomatic efforts to end the war falter. The Pentagon's pause due to concerns that US stockpiles are too low came in recent days and includes precision munitions and air defence interceptors that knock down Russian drones and missiles, two people familiar with the decision said on Tuesday. "The Ukrainian side emphasised that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace," Kyiv's foreign ministry said in a statement. Ukraine's defence ministry said it had not been officially notified of any halt in US shipments and was seeking clarity from its American counterparts. Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he understood the US needs to take care of its stockpiles. "But when it comes to Ukraine, in the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get when it gets to ammunition and to air defense systems," Rutte said. Dozens of people have been killed in recent weeks during air strikes on Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, that have involved hundreds of attack drones in addition to ballistic and cruise missiles. Russian forces, which control about a fifth of Ukraine, have also made gains in a grinding summer campaign in the east. Since US President Donald Trump took office in January, he has softened Washington's position toward Russia, seeking a diplomatic solution to the war and raising doubts about future US military support for Kyiv's war effort. Last week, Trump said he was considering selling more Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine following a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Politico, which reported the pause on Tuesday, said it includes the critical Patriot air defence missiles which Ukraine has relied on to destroy fast-moving ballistic missiles. Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Ukrainian parliament's national security and defense committee, called the decision to halt the shipments "very unpleasant for us". "It's painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine, it's a very unpleasant situation," he told reporters in Kyiv. In an email, the Pentagon said it was providing Trump with options to continue military aid to Ukraine in line with the goal of ending Russia's war there. "At the same time, the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving US forces' readiness for administration defense priorities," said Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary for policy. All weapons aid was briefly paused in February with a second, longer pause in March. The Trump administration resumed sending the last of the aid approved under Biden but no new policy has been announced. The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed the news of a halt, saying the conflict would end sooner if fewer arms flowed to Ukraine. Residents in the Ukrainian capital, where missile strikes on residential neighbourhoods over the past two weeks had killed more than two dozen people, expressed alarm at the Pentagon's decision. "If we end up in a situation where there's no air defence left, I will move (out of Kyiv), because my safety is my first concern," Oksana Kurochkina, a 35-year-old lawyer said in central Kyiv. "I am already having thoughts about moving out now." On the battlefield, a halt in precision munitions would limit the capacity of Ukrainian troops to strike Russian positions farther behind the front line, said Jack Watling, a military analyst at the Royal United Services Institute. "In short, this decision will cost Ukrainian lives and territory." — Reuters
Observer
7 hours ago
- Observer
Germany, UK to sign mutual defence pact
BERLIN: Germany and Britain will on July 17 sign a defence treaty that includes a mutual assistance clause in the event of a threat to either country, the Politico news outlet reported on Wednesday. The report came almost a year after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued a joint declaration promising closer cooperation on issues from trade to security. That broad agreement is now being finalised, according to Politico, and a key area is defence. It will include a section stating that any strategic threat to one country would represent a threat to the other and the accord is expected to be signed on July 17, it reported, citing two London-based officials. Although both countries are committed to Nato, the defence agreement highlights a shift among European states, including Germany under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, to work more closely together and rely less on the US under President Donald Trump. A spokesperson for the German defence ministry said on Wednesday that he had no new developments to impart when asked about the Politico report at a government press conference in Berlin. — Reuters
Observer
7 hours ago
- Observer
Iran enacts law suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian put into effect on Wednesday a law passed by parliament last week to suspend cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, Iranian state media reported. Iran has threatened to halt cooperation with the IAEA, accusing it of siding with Western countries and providing a justification for Israel's air strikes, which began a day after the IAEA board voted to declare Iran in violation of obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The law stipulates that any future inspection of Iran's nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency needs approval by Tehran's Supreme National Security Council. "We are aware of these reports. The IAEA is awaiting further official information from Iran," the IAEA said in a statement. Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview with CBS News that the U.S. bombing of Iran's key Fordow nuclear site has "seriously and heavily damaged" the facility.
