Zelensky lauds troops in Bakhmut defense battle

KYIV—Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on Sunday paid tribute to his soldiers fighting in the “painful and difficult” battle for the country’s frontline eastern Donbas region. He was speaking after Ukraine’s general staff reported that its forces had fought off “more than 130 enemy attacks” the previous day, including in Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka.

“The enemy continues its attempts to encircle the town of Bakhmut,” it said early on Sunday, of the eastern city that Moscow has been trying to capture for months.

Ukraine has vowed to defend “fortress Bakhmut” which Russian troops seem determined to take. Analysts say the city, which has been virtually destroyed in the fighting, has little real telling reporters it would help to restore “healthy” ties.

Hayashi reiterated that the government in Tokyo stood by a 1998 declaration that included an apology.

Japanese media have reported that Yoon could soon visit Tokyo, possibly even for a Japan-South Korea baseball game this week.

South Korea also said a few hours after the announcement it would halt a World Trade Organization complaint against Japan, as the two sides planned talks on economic disputes triggered by the issue.

The two sides imposed a raft of titfor-tat economic measures as relations soured after a 2018 South Korean Supreme Court ruling ordered some Japanese companies to pay compensation, infuriating Tokyo.

‘What Japan does next’

Washington hailed what it called a “groundbreaking new chapter of cooperation and partnership between two of the United States’ closest allies,” according to a statement from the White House.

But analysts were more cautious.

“The significance of today’s announcement will be measured in large part by what Japan does next,”

Benjamin A. Engel, research professor at the Institute of International Affairs at Seoul National University, told AFP.

At a minimum, some kind of apology from Tokyo and donations from two Japanese companies which have been ruled liable by Korea’s Supreme Court would help ensure the South Korean public accept the deal, he said. AFP strategic value.

But, as what has become the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict drags on, its fate has acquired a symbolic importance, surpassing its military significance.

“I would like to pay special tribute to the bravery, strength and resilience of the soldiers fighting in the Donbas,” Zelensky said in his daily address.

“This is one of the hardest battles. Painful and difficult.”

The Donbas is made up of Donetsk and Lugansk, which Russia claims to have annexed despite never fully having controlled it.

Ukraine’s troops, said Zelensky, had “repelled assaults, destroyed the occupier, undermined enemy positions and logistics, and protected our borders

Estonian premier’s party handily beats far-right opponents in national election

TALLINN—Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s center-right Reform Party won Estonia’s general election by a wide margin on Sunday, according to nearcomplete results, beating out a farright rival that had campaigned against further arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Reform won 31.6 percent of the vote, with right-wing runners-up EKRE taking 16 percent. To stay in power, Reform will again have to form a coalition with one or more of the parties in the Baltic state’s 101-seat parliament.

The Centre Party secured 14.7 percent of Sunday’s ballot, Estonia 200 got 13.5 percent, the Social Democrats received 9.4 percent and the Isamaa (Fatherland) party 8.3 percent.

“This is much better than we expected,” Kallas said of the result. “We have ruled out a coalition with EKRE and I stand by my words.”

EKRE leader Martin Helme suggested on election night that Reform “stole” the election. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We did everything right and with honesty, unlike those who stole our well-deserved victory,” he said. Reform is a center-right liberal party that appeals to business owners and young professionals.

It has promised to raise military spending to at least three percent of GDP and ease taxes on business and wants to pass a law approving samesex civil partnerships.

EKRE, meanwhile, had campaigned against additional military aid to Kyiv, called for a halt in Ukrainian refugee arrivals and for lower immigration rates to protect local workers.

The electoral commission must still verify the results, but if confirmed, Reform will win 37 seats—three more than they did four years ago.

Escalating tensions

Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people bordering Russia, is a member of the EU and NATO, and has led international calls over the past year for more military aid to help Ukraine fight off Russia’s invasion.

Its military assistance to Ukraine amounts to more than one percent of GDP—the biggest contribution of any country relative to the size of its economy—and the ongoing war there was on many voters’ minds.

“It’s obvious that what is happening in Ukraine is very important for Estonia as well,” 35-year-old engineer Juhan Ressar told AFP at a polling station in the capital Tallinn. AFP