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Vladimir Putin has arrived in Belarus for a two-day visit where he will discuss tactical nuclear exercises with his ally Alexander Lukashenko.
Russia has begun stationing its nuclear weapons inside Belarus, which borders Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, since its war against Ukraine began.
The Belarus visit is part of a round of foreign tours Putin is conducting as he kicks off his fifth term in office, many of which involve drumming up support for his invasion of Ukraine. He and Lukashenko are expected to speak about the second phase of exercises with tactical nuclear weapons.
“Today and tomorrow we will be discussing all this, including issues of security to which we have devoted considerable attention,” Putin was quoted as saying. “There is a lot to talk about.”
Minsk is set to take part in the exercises, aimed at simulating preparations for the launch of the weapons, which are smaller nuclear warheads meant for use on battlefields.
Putin has just returned from China and is also expected in Uzbekistan on Sunday.
It comes as Kyiv’s forces struck the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula with a barrage of missiles and drones in the past 24 hours. Russia-backed local officials claim the strikes killed two in Simferopol, though there has been no independent confirmation.
US will announce $275 million more in artillery and ammunition for Ukraine, officials say
The United States is expected to announce an additional $275 million in military aid for Ukraine on Friday as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, two U.S. officials say.
This will be the fourth installment of military aid for Ukraine since Congress passed a long-delayed foreign aid bill late last month and comes as the Niden administration has pledged to keep weapons flowing regularly and to get them to the front lines as quickly as possible.
The package includes high mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, as well 155 mm and 105 mm high-demand artillery rounds, according to the two U.S. officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details of the aid package before the public announcement.
Barney Davis24 May 2024 06:45
Two bystanders killed in Crimea, says Russia-backed official
Two bystanders have been killed in the Crimea peninsula after a Ukrainian missile hit the region near Simferopol, a Russian-appointed official said.
Simferopol’s governor Sergei Aksyonov claimed that a Ukrainian missile had struck an empty building near Alushta on the peninsula’s Black Sea coast.
This comes amid a busy early morning in Crimea as Ukrainian military bloggers and unofficial media reported a number of targets had been hit throughout the peninsula.
Russia’s defence ministry has also claimed to have intercepted three ATACMS missiles over Crimea, without providing any evidence of the projectile. It said the military had destroyed three Ukrainian sea drones headed toward the peninsula.
Videos and photos of the incident have been shared by Krymsky Veter, an online news outlet dealing with Crimea, showing an explosion and fire in Alushta, and said ambulances were heading to the scene.
News outlet RBK-Ukraine reported, without citing a source, that explosions had occurred in three other centres and said targets could have included headquarters for the coast guard or intelligence centres.
Russian bloggers on the peninsula said they believed that not all incoming missiles had been intercepted.
Arpan Rai24 May 2024 06:05
Russia moves buoys separating river border with Estonia
Russian border guards have removed navigation buoys from the Estonian side of a river separating the two countries, the Baltic nation said on Thursday, adding that it would seek an explanation as well as a return of the equipment.
Some 24 out of 50 buoys recently placed on the Narva river to mark sailing routes were removed in the early hours of Thursday the Estonian police and border guard said in a statement.
Natural changes to the riverbed make it necessary to retrace shipping routes annually, the authority said, adding that the location of buoys between Russia and Estonia had been disputed since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Russian defence ministry earlier this week briefly published a proposal to revise Russia’s maritime border in the eastern Baltic Sea, but later deleted it from an official portal after creating concern among NATO members, including Estonia.
It was not immediately clear if the removal of buoys was related to any Russian…
Read More: Ukraine war news live: Putin arrives in Belarus to stage nuclear drills as Kyiv