Kyiv: Gains in Bakhmut, Russians advancing

KYIV—Ukraine said Tuesday it had pushed Russian forces from the flanks of Bakhmut but conceded that Moscow’s forces were pushing deeper inside the embattled town.

The announcement came as European leaders meeting in Iceland agreed to create a “register of damages” to record the wartime harm and destruction wrought by Russia in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said. It would be an initial step towards prosecution of Russian leaders in the future.

A year after kicking Russia out of the Council of Europe (CoE) over its war in Ukraine, the leaders of the 46-nation pan-continental rights body gathered in Reykjavik, with the Ukraine conflict topping the agenda.

In Kyiv, authorities were due to host a Chinese special envoy to discuss Beijing’s proposals for ending the conflict.

US’ Biden trims Asia-Pacific tour amid debt deal

WASHINGTON—Joe Biden and opposition Republican leaders on Tuesday offered hope of a deal that could avoid a catastrophic US debt default, although the president was forced to shorten an upcoming Asia-Pacific tour for further crisis talks.

After the latest negotiations ended without a breakthrough, Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters there was still “a lot of work to do” to break the high-stakes standoff with Democrat Biden over the borrowing limit.

But while stark differences remained, the White House said Biden was “optimistic that there is a path to a responsible, bipartisan budget agreement if both sides negotiate in good faith.”

And McCarthy likewise indicated he ultimately expected a deal, even if so far “nothing has been resolved.”

“America is the number one economy in the world. And when we get done with these negotiations, America’s economy is going to be stronger,” he said.

The US president—who flies to Japan on Wednesday for a G7 summit —scrapped subsequent stops in Papua New Guinea and Australia, instead returning to Washington on Sunday. In Sydney, Biden was meant to meet the leaders of Japan, India and Australia as part of a “Quad” grouping widely seen as a counter to China.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Quad talks would instead take place in Japan.

The Treasury has warned of grim consequences if the country runs out of cash to pay its bills, which would leave it unable to pay federal workers and trigger a likely surge in interest rates with knock-on effects for businesses, mortgages—and global markets.

The United States could begin defaulting on its debts “potentially as early as June 1,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday, while the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has forecast June 15. AFP

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Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said Ukraine had wrested back about 20 square kilometres (7.7 square miles) of a Russian pincer movement around Bakhmut, the epicentre of fighting in Russia’s invasion.

“At the same time, the enemy is advancing in some measure inside Bakhmut itself and is completely destroying the town with artillery,” she added on social media.

The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had earlier said he visited forces near Bakhmut to hand out awards to Kyiv’s troops fighting in the longest battle of the invasion.

“Wagner’s men went into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap,” he said, referring to the Russian paramilitary group.

The British defence ministry said that “over the last four days, Ukrainian forces have made tactical progress, stabilising the flanks of Bakhmut to their advantage”.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video shared by Russian military bloggers Tuesday that a US volunteer had died fighting alongside Ukrainian troops in the east.

“He came to meet us. Citizen of the United States of America,” he says, showing what he claims is the body of an American. It was not clear where or when the video was filmed.

‘Unbelievable success’

The wave of Russian strikes overnight came just over a week after Kyiv announced it had shot down a Kinzhal nuclear-capable hypersonic missile for the first time, using US-supplied Patriot systems. Russia denied Kyiv’s latest claim to have shot down six of the hypersonic mis- siles during an overnight barrage.

Ukraine’s mounting success in taking out dozens of Russian drones and missiles illustrates its bolstered air defences, after a winter in which Moscow pummelled key infrastructure.

“Another unbelievable success for the Ukrainian air forces!” Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Twitter.

The defence ministry said Ukrainian air-defence systems had knocked out a total of 18 missiles, including types the Kremlin had touted as “ideal”, as well as nine drones.

Reznikov later tweeted that Ukraine has officially joined the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). He called it “another step towards common security space in Europe, which is impossible without Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance”.

Three people were injured in Kyiv and some rocket fragments fell on the capital’s zoo but neither staff nor animals were hurt, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Russia, meanwhile, said all its targets had been hit.

China’s special envoy, Li Hui, was expected to arrive in Kyiv for a two-day visit as part of a European tour to promote Beijingled negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

A senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Ukrainian authorities planned to further discuss Kyiv’s stance on the conflict and China’s peace mission.

He told AFP Ukrainian officials would make clear to Beijing that “ending the war with a compromise at the expense of Ukraine will not work”.

Graft crackdown

Li will be the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat to visit the war-torn country since Moscow’s invasion last year, three weeks after Zelensky spoke by telephone to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. AFP

SEOUL—Canada must become the “best of friends” with South Korea, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told lawmakers in Seoul on Wednesday, as the two countries seek to counter China’s growing regional influence.

Trudeau is on his first official visit to South Korea, where he will meet President Yoon Suk Yeol.

“I’m here to tell you that it’s no longer enough to be friends. We need to be the best of friends,” Trudeau said during a speech to Seoul’s National Assembly.

He told lawmakers that unity was needed as the world was facing a moment of unprecedented uncertainty, with lingering consequences from the Covid-19 pandemic, rising living costs, and the “real and terrifying” effects of climate change and war.

Trudeau and Yoon are expected to discuss ways to deepen cooperation on supply chains, especially for critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, which Canada has reserves of and which are needed by South Korea’s car manufacturers.

Canadian media outlets also reported on possible meetings between Trudeau and top executives from South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution.