Moscow’s allegations from Wednesday Ukraine claimed to have flown two drones at the Kremlin overnight in an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president was not present, says Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin.
The attack was stopped, and the alleged drones were destroyed, according to the Kremlin. Their fragmentation and fall caused no injuries, according to state broadcaster RIA Novosti.
Ukraine says it had no knowledge of any attempted drone strike on the Kremlin, that it did not attack other countries. “We do not have information on so called night attacks on Kremlin,” the spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Sergiy Nykyforov, told CNN on Wednesday.
“As President Zelensky has stated numerous times before, Ukraine uses all means at its disposal to free its own territory, not to attack others,” Nykyforov added.
A still image taken from unverified footage circulating on social media appears to show the moment of the attack, including a flash and some smoke in the vicinity of the Kremlin. CNN is not yet able to verify the video.
The Kremlin Press Service called the purported drone attack an “attempt on the President’s life.” “Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit,” it added.
Russia referred to the incident as an “act of terrorism,” blaming Ukraine.
Kyiv said that accusation was better directed at Russia. “A terror attack is destroyed blocks of residential buildings in Dnipro and Uman, or a missile at a line at Kramatorsk rail station and many other tragedies,” said Nykyforov, the Ukrainian presidential spokesman.
“What happened in Moscow is obviously about escalating the mood on the eve of May 9.” That day is known as “Victory Day” inside Russia, commemorating the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II.
“It’s a trick to be expected from our opponents,” he said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also denied Kyiv had any involvement and said it made no sense for Ukraine to have carried out the alleged strike.
“First of all, it absolutely does not solve any military goals. And it is very unhelpful in the context of preparing for our offensive actions. And it definitely does not change anything at a battlefield,” he said. “This would allow Russia to justify mass strikes on Ukrainian cities, civilians and infrastructure facilities. Why would we need that? What’s the logic?”
Podolyak also said Moscow’s claims were an attempt at controlling the narrative ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.
“Russia without a doubt is very afraid of Ukraine starting an offensive on the front line and is trying to seize the initiative, distract the attention and create distractions of a catastrophic nature,” he said. “So, Russian statements on such staged operations need to be taken as an attempt to create pretext for a large-scale terrorist attack in Ukraine.”
A US official said Washington had no warning about the alleged drone attack. “Whatever happened, there was no advanced warning,” the official told CNN, adding that authorities are still trying to find out more.
Another US official told CNN they are still working to assess Russia’s claims, and have not yet validated the Kremlin assertion that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had seen reports from Moscow about the alleged attack, but “can’t in any way validate them.”
“We simply don’t know,” Blinken said Wednesday at a Washington Post Live event.
“We’ll see what the facts are. And it’s really hard to comment or speculate on this without really knowing what the facts are,” Blinken added.
Kyiv is approximately 862 kilometers (about 535 miles) from Moscow. Russia has accused Ukraine of multiple attempted drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, including one earlier this year when the governor of the Moscow region claimed a Ukrainian drone had crashed near the village of Gubastovo, southeast of the capital.
A major fire at an oil store in Russian-controlled Crimea was started by a drone strike, prompting a harsh response from a top Ukrainian official.
Pictures taken yesterday morning after a drone struck a fuel storage facility in Sevastopol showed enormous plumes of smoke rising from the location.
While they have been known to use euphemisms to celebrate explosions at Russian military sites in Crimea, Ukrainian officials rarely take credit for them.
More than 10 tanks of oil products with a capacity of about 40,000 tonnes intended for use by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet were destroyed, according to Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence.
Mr Yusov did not say that Ukraine was responsible for the explosion, but instead described the blast as ‘God’s punishment’ for Russian strikes in Ukraine on Friday.
He said: ‘This punishment will be long-lasting.
‘In the near future, it is better for all residents of temporarily occupied Crimea not to be near military facilities and facilities that provide for the aggressor’s army.’
Ukrainian official Andriy Yusov said the drone attack was ‘God’s punishment’ (Picture: Reuters)
In a daily update on Facebook, the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said units had hit ‘two depots of fuel and lubricants, two air defence systems, one artillery unit and another important enemy target,’ but gave no more details.
Russia had launched a wave of airstrikes in cities across Ukraine on Friday, killing at least 23 people in the city of Uman.
Kyiv and Donetsk also came under attack by Russian missiles, leaving family homes devastated.
Mr Yusov’s comments suggest the oil depot drone strike was in response to those attacks.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would do all it could to ensure that those responsible for the attack on Uman are held accountable as soon as possible.
Donetsk came under attack on Friday, leaving family homes devastated (Picture: Reuters)
He said in an evening video address: ‘You are all terrorists and murderers and you must all be punished.’
Moscow has accused Kyiv of sending waves of aerial and seaborne drones to attack the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
According to the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, no one was injured in the strike and Russian firefighters managed to ‘prevent a catastrophe’ by putting the fire out.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, wrote on Telegram: ‘According to preliminary information, the fire was caused by a drone hit.
‘The enemy… wanted to take Sevastopol by surprise, as usual, by staging a sneak attack in the morning,’
President Zelensky labelled Russian forces ‘terrorists and murderers’ in a video address after the drone attack in response to the bombing of Uman (Credits: REUTERS)
He also said it ‘became clear that only one drone was able to reach the oil reservoir,’ after experts examined the site.
Another drone was downed and its wreckage was found on the shore near the terminal, Mr Razvozhaev added.
Ukraine’s forces lack longer-range missiles that can reach targets in places such as Sevastopol, but has been developing drones as an alternative method of attack.
The strike came as Ukraine prepares for a long-promised counter offensive to push Russian forces back from territory they seized since invading in February last year.
Ukraine says control of all its legal territory, including Crimea, is a key condition for any peace deal.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said on Telegram that air defence and electronic warfare forces on Saturday shot down two drones over the region.
Following the discovery of the leak of highly classified military papers pertaining to the Ukraine War, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was detained in the United States.
The Pentagon has deemed Jack Teixeira, 21, to be a “very serious risk to national security” after he allegedly removed confidential information about national defense without authorization.
According to US attorney general Merrick Garland, FBI agents descended upon Teixeira’s residence on Thursday, and highly armed tactical agents arrested Teixeira outside the building ‘without incident’.
Who is Jack Teixeira, exactly? Here is what you should know:
Who is Jack Teixeira?
Jack Teixeira, who comes from a military family – his stepfather having served in the US military for 34 years – was an airman 1st class at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, according to his service record.
Having joined the Air National Guard in 2019, he is reported to have worked as a ‘cyber transport systems journeyman’ – basically an IT specialist overseeing the security of military communications networks.
He lives in North Dighton, Massachusetts – a small town around 50 miles away from Boston – with his family, and attended high school there.
Teixeira is also the leader of a small online chat group hosted on the chat client Discord, which is believed to have uploaded hundreds of photographs of classified documents.
The online group which calls itself Thug Shaker Central, has around 20-30 members who share their love of guns, racist memes and video games.
Two members of the group allegedly identified Teixeira as the source of the leak, on condition of remaining anonymous.
What was in the leaked documents?
The documents which were leaked contained sensitive and classified information about the war in Ukraine, as well as offering information on other countries including China.
They are reported to have discussed Ukraine’s troop deployments, military vulnerabilities and efforts to arm its forces before a spring counteroffensive.
Private conversations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his intelligence chief were also intercepted, along with evidence of the US spying on its allies.
The documents have also suggested that military special forces from the UK are operating inside Ukraine – saying that more than half of the Western special forces in the country between February and March this year may have been British.
The National Guard previously said in a statement: ‘We are aware of the investigation into the alleged role a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman may have played in the recent leak of highly-classified documents.’
Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, referred all questions about the case to the Justice Department. But he said: ‘We have rules in place. Each of us signs a non-disclosure agreement. This is a criminal act, a wilful violation of those.’
It is believed the documents were shared in an apparent attempt to impress members of the group, rather than to achieve any particular foreign policy outcome.
Daria Trepova has been formally accused by Russian authorities with crimes related to terrorism in connection with the murder of Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.
According to a court statement released on Tuesday, Trepova, 26, was charged under the criminal code with “illegal carrying of explosive devices done by an organised group” and a “terrorist act committed by an organised group that resulted in the deliberate infliction of death on a person.”
Tatarsky was a guest of a pro-war organisation when he was killed in an explosion on Sunday at a cafe in the heart of St. Petersburg.
Investigators allege that Trepova, acting at the behest of Ukraine, brought a “statuette filled with explosives” to the venue and handed it to Tatarsky.
It subsequently exploded, killing him and injuring more than 30 other people. The Russian investigative committee has requested that Trepova remain in detention until June 2.
In Russia, it is standard procedure to keep a suspect in custody for a certain period of time while their trial is ongoing, and Trepova could be held past June 2.
Multiple videos show the moments leading up to the explosion.
One 25-second video shows Tatarsky standing with the event’s host receiving an unexpected gift. Video shows the blogger taking the statuette out of a box – a small figurine painted gold and wearing a combat helmet in his likeness.
The footage then pans over to a woman in the audience, purportedly Trepova.
Russian state media TASS reported that “preliminarily, it was Trepova who handed Tatarsky a figurine with explosives” at the cafe.
A witness said Trepova gave the statuette to the event’s host, before moving to a different part of the room. The video itself does not show her handing the statue to the host and CNN is not able to independently verify the claims.
Another clip, shot from further back in the room, appears to show an interaction between Trepova and Tatarsky before the blast.
At one point Tatarsky calls her Nastya – not her real name. After the statuette is presented, she turns to return to her seat toward the back of the hall, but Tatarsky calls her to sit near the front, which she does.
“Sit here or here. Sit over on the chair,” Tatarsky said to her.
“I’ll sit over there. I am too shy,” she replied.
At least 32 people were injured in the blast, with 10 people in serious condition, state media Ria Novosti reported, citing the Russian Ministry of Health.
Security cameras recording outside caught the explosion tearing through the building, blowing out the cafe’s windows and frontage.
No evidence has yet been presented about who carried out the bombing.
Russia’s interior ministry added Trepova to a wanted list following the explosion, and her arrest was announced on Telegram by the Investigative Committee of Russia shortly after.
The ministry then released a video of the suspect in custody, identified by Russian authorities as Trepova. In the video, a male voice asks the woman if she understands why she has been detained. She replies in the affirmative, and said she was detained for being at the scene of the murder of Tatarsky.
A male interrogator then asks Trepova what she did at the cafe. She replies that she brought the figurine, but declined to answer who gave it to her.
The video was selectively released by the Russian authorities and it’s unclear if she was speaking under duress.
Human-rights advocates and international observers say Russian police routinely use torture and ill treatment to extract confessions, and Russia’s security service uses coercion and entrapment to recruit informants among Russia’s opposition groups.
Trepova’s husband, Dmitry Rylov, told an independent Russian publication that he is convinced his wife was framed.
“She was really just set up and used,” Rylov was quoted as saying by The Insider.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, Trepova was arrested in the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine for demonstrating against it, and sentenced to 10 days in prison.
Her husband was a member of the Libertarian Party of Russia, TASS said. Trepova, however, was not associated with the small political party and the Libertarian Party has denied she was ever a member or supporter.
Within Russia,suspicion has fallen on Ukrainian special services, informal Russian opposition groups and associates of the jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny, though his supporters have denied having anything to do with the explosion.
Russia’s Investigative Committee for St. Petersburg said it had opened a murder investigation but later reclassified the criminal case as a terrorist act, claiming that “the planning and organization” of the killing was “carried out from the territory of Ukraine.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also called the explosion a “terrorist attack” and accused Ukraine of being behind it. “There is evidence that the Ukrainian special services may be involved in the planning of this terrorist attack,” Peskov said.
Ukraine has said little about the explosion, beyond blaming in-fighting in Russia. On Monday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declined to make any comment about the blast.
Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was one of Russia’s most outspoken and ultranationalist military bloggers, known for his ardent pro-war commentary and occasional criticism of Moscow’s battlefield failures. He amassed a large following on the social media platform Telegram for his commentary on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
CNN’s Teele Rebane, Jennifer Hauser, Svitlana Vlasova, Anna Chernova, Katharina Krebs and Darya Tarasova contributed reporting.
In what he called a “new tradition of respect,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enjoyed Iftar on Friday with military personnel who were Muslims and were observing Ramadan.
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, iftar is the meal that breaks the daily fast.
Zelensky expressed gratitude to the Muslim community in his remarks to dinner attendees, among them officials of the Mejlis, the highest executive and representational body of the Crimean Tatars.
He said the month of Ramadan was “respected everywhere in Ukraine – even at the front line, even in combat conditions.”
Since Moscow’s unprovoked invasion in February 2021, Ukraine has launched multiple strikes against Russian positions in Crimea, which was previously annexed by Moscow in 2014 and is currently under Kremlin control.
Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to liberate Crimea, which he says remains “part of Ukrainian people and society.
He also criticized Russia’s treatment of Muslims in Crimea.
“Russia’s attempt to enslave Ukraine and other people of Europe began precisely from the occupation of the Ukrainian Crimea, precisely from repressions in the Crimea against Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar freedom, against Crimean Muslims,” Zelensky said.
“The liberation of Crimea has no alternatives not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world.”
In a message commemorating the conflict’s first full year, Britain’s King Charles praised the people of Ukraine for their “really incredible fortitude and resilience in the face of such human sorrow.”
The monarch stated in a statement on Friday that “the people of Ukraine have now suffered unimaginably from an unjustified full-scale attack on their nation.”
“In the face of such a disaster affecting people, they have displayed genuinely tremendous fortitude and resiliency. The unnecessary pain inflicted upon Ukrainians, many of whom I have had the privilege of meeting here in the UK and, in fact, all over the world, from Romania to Canada, has been witnessed by the entire world in horror.
The King added that it was “heartening” to see the UK and its allies “doing everything possible to help at this most difficult time.”
King Charles reaffirmed his support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he met at Buckingham Palace earlier this month, and expressed his “personal support” for the people of Ukraine.
When Zelensky was in London in early February, he praised Britain for its steadfast support of his homeland in the year since Russia’s unprovoked invasion. Standing in the historic surroundings of Westminster Hall – the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, where the late Queen Elizabeth II lay in state a few months before – he namechecked former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an early and steadfast supporter, and commended UK lawmakers for their “strong British character.”
Earlier this week, King Charles visited an undisclosed location in southwest England where Ukrainian military recruits are being trained.
King Charles watched as the troops – many of them civilians with little to no military experience – were taught basic combat training as part of a five-week course delivered by the UK and international partner forces.
He viewed defensive training exercises, including a scenario where recruits stormed a trench amid a gun battle. Scenes reminiscent of World War I trench warfare have been commonplace in Ukraine over the past year.
The course, which has been in operation since last summer, is designed to provide recruits with hostile-environment training. Over 35 days, they learn basic fieldcraft, medical care, marksmanship, weapon handling, and awareness of the laws of armed conflict, among other subject areas.
“You are amazing, I don’t know how you do it. I am full of admiration,” the King said to a senior Ukrainian officer shortly after his arrival, UK news agency PA Media reported.
The British Army’s Chief of General Staff, Gen. Patrick Sanders, accompanied the King during his visit and outlined the training being delivered. He later described the monarch’s visit as “an honour” before adding that the international training effort had so far made 10,000 troops combat-ready.
A 32-year-old Ukrainian high school teacher, who volunteered to fight in the war, told PA: “We’ve been mostly digging trenches for now, how to defend a trench and counter attack and take it back.
“One of my favorite parts was the urban terrain which will be particularly useful for fighting in the Donbas (region of Ukraine). The hard fight there is mostly urban and we look forward to putting these skills to use and pushing the enemy back,” he added.
As well as meeting many of the Ukrainian recruits and their interpreters, the King also spoke with some of the military personnel providing the training – including instructors from New Zealand, Australian and Canadian forces.
One of them said the royal visit had boosted morale. “To hear that The King was coming to visit was very exciting, not only for the Ukrainian recruits but also for those of us who are training them,” said Capt. Freddie Bradshaw, Company Second in Command, 1st Battalion Irish Guards. “It means a lot to us all to know that he is keen to understand what is taking place here.”
The new monarch has enlisted famed British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to write the flagship anthem for his upcoming May 6 coronation. The King has personally selected the musical program for the service, which will see “a range of musical styles and performers blend tradition, heritage and ceremony with new musical voices of today,” according to Buckingham Palace. Twelve new pieces have been prepared for the occasion. Lloyd Webber, whose hit musicals “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera” have been performed around the world, said he was “incredibly honoured” to be involved. Lloyd Webber isn’t the only familiar name the King turned to. Find out more here.
Top UK defense minister criticizes Prince Harry.
The UK’s Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, has said he disagrees with the Duke of Sussex’s decision to reveal how many Taliban fighters he killed while serving in the British Army in Afghanistan, adding that “boasting about tallies” lets down others in the armed forces. Prince Harry faced criticism last month from some British security and military figures, as well as the Taliban itself, after he revealed in his autobiography, “Spare,” that he had killed 25 of the insurgent group’s fighters. “So, my number: Twenty-five. It wasn’t a number that gave me any satisfaction. But neither was it a number that made me feel ashamed,” Harry wrote. Wallace, a former soldier himself, told British radio station LBC Thursday that “every veteran makes their own choices about what they want to talk about,” but “the armed forces is not about a tally.” Read more here.
Catherine, Princess of Wales put a thrifty spin on regal elegance at the 2023 BAFTAs on Sunday night, pairing an upcycled Alexander McQueen gown with $28 earrings from fashion retailer Zara. Arriving at the British film industry’s equivalent to the Oscars with her husband, Prince William, the princess turned heads on the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall in a dress she previously wore to 2019’s awards. But she transformed the look with an altered shoulder design and a pair of opera gloves. Read the full story.
Speaking of the BAFTAs, the Waleses appeared visibly moved when veteran screen star Helen Mirren took center stage to lead a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday night. Take a look:
Watch Helen Mirren pay tribute to late Queen Elizabeth at the BAFTAs
02:46 – Source: CNN
A childhood letter written by King Charles to his “granny” has been discovered by a couple living in Warwickshire, England, as they cleared out their attic during the Christmas break.
“Dear Granny, I am sorry that you are ill. I hope you will be better soon,” the letter reads on one side, carefully written on lined Buckingham Palace notepaper and dated March 15, 1955, when the King was 6 years old.
It was discovered inside an envelope addressed from Queen Elizabeth II to the Queen Mother, providing a “three generation run,” Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers and who is responsible for the sale of the letter, told CNN.
Read more on this story.
Norwegian King’s first ever motorbike restored for 86th birthday.
Norway’s King Harald turned 86 on Tuesday and as a gift from all employees at the Royal Court, the monarch received a “repaired and restored” motorbike that was first given to him 70 years ago. In a press release to mark the King’s birthday, the Royal Court said the King had received a “Husqvarna light motorcycle, model 30 Sport, for his 16th birthday in 1953,” which was “a gift from his father, then Crown Prince Olav.” The Royal Court said the King used the bike until he received his full driver’s license in 1955, when it was sold. During a visit to an exhibition of royal vehicles last year, the King had “asked if anyone knew where his first motorcycle was kept today.” The refurbished bike was presented to the King with its original license plate number in the Royal Palace in Oslo. (With contributions from CNN’s James Frater)
Disgraced art dealer’s family returns rare royal jewels to Cambodia.
While most monarchies’ crown jewels are heavily protected or given pride of place in a museum, dozens of Cambodia’s were, until recently, stashed away in four boxes near London. The pieces have now been safely returned to their home. The crown jewels were among 77 pieces of centuries-old gold jewelry handed over by the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British antiquities dealer and leading scholar of Khmer art who in 2019 was accused by US authorities of trafficking artifacts looted from Cambodia. Get the full story on the return of the royal jewels.
“I can only hope the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe may bring not only practical aid, but also strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united.”King Charles III in a message marking one year of conflict in Ukraine.
In remarks delivered from Warsaw, Poland, three days before the anniversary of Russia’s complete invasion of Ukraine, Biden specifically criticised Putin.
“President Putin believed we would submit when he ordered his tanks to advance into Ukraine.” He was mistaken,’ Biden said on Tuesday in front of the Polish Presidential Palace.
‘The Ukrainian people are too brave. America, Europe, a coalition of nations for the Atlantic to the Pacific, we were too unified. Democracy was too strong.’
Biden: ‘Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia’
Biden said Putin ‘no longer doubts the strength of our coalition’ but that he ‘doubts our continued support for Ukraine’ and the unification of NATO. The US president assured that ‘NATO will not be divided, and we will not tire’.
‘President Putin’s craven lust for land and power will fail. And the Ukrainian people’s love for their country will prevail,’ Biden said.
‘Democracies in the world will stand guard over freedom today, tomorrow and forever. For that’s what it’s – that’s what’s at stake here: Freedom.’
Biden delivered his remarks a day after making a surprise visit to Kyiv, during which he stood alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced $460million more in military aid.
President Joe Biden delivered a speech marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the Royal Castle Gardens in Warsaw (Picture: AP)
The US notified the Kremlin of Biden’s surprise visit ‘some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes’, according to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
On Tuesday, Biden said the world a year ago ‘was bracing for the fall of Kyiv’. But, ‘I can report that Kyiv stands strong’, he said.
Biden concluded that the world is at ‘an inflection point’ and that decisions in the next five years will shape the decades to come.
‘While decisions are ours to make now, the principles and the stakes are eternal,’ Biden said. ‘The choice between chaos and stability, between building and destroying between hope and fear, between democracy lifting up the human spirit – and the brutal hand of the dictator who crushes it.’
President Joe Biden condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin by name in remarks from Warsaw, Poland (Picture: Reuters)
Biden ripped Putin, but did not call for him to be ousted.
Hours earlier, Putin told Russia’s parliament that the country would no longer participate in the New START nuclear arms treaty with the US. It was the last major arms control agreement between the two superpowers. Russia will suspend, but not withdraw from the treaty.
Putin did not mention Biden by name in his announcement.
Biden’s speech was not intended as a response to Putin, but rather coincided with the one-year anniversary of the war on Friday, according to Sullivan.
‘We did not set the speech up as some kind of head to head, this is not a rhetorical contest with anyone else,’ Sullivan said. ‘This is an affirmative statement of values, a vision for what the world we’re both trying to build and defend should look like.’
FIFA turned down Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to deliver a message of world peace before the World Cup final kicked off on Sunday, a source told CNN.
According to the source, Zelensky’s office offered to appear in a video link to spectators in the stadium in Qatar before the game and was taken aback by the response. It’s not clear if Zelensky would deliver a live or recorded message.
“We thought FIFA wanted to use its platform for the greater good,” the source said.
However, talks between Ukraine and the sport’s governing body are still underway, the source added.
The request, while unorthodox, is unsurprising. Kyiv has repeatedly tried to use major world events, regardless of their theme, to keep the global spotlight on the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky has appeared via video at everything from the Group of 20 Nations summit to the Grammys and the Cannes Film Festival. He’s also done interviews and conversations with a diverse array of journalists and famous entertainers, including Sean Penn and David Letterman.
The UShas vowed to keep supporting Ukraine “unwaveringly” and has denounced Russia’s “horrific” attacks this morning, during which it launched several missiles.
“We will continue to provide unwavering economic, humanitarian, and security assistance so Ukraine can defend itself and take care of its people,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted.
Blinken said he had spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba “to reiterate US support for Ukraine”.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has spoken to Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, following this morning’s air strikes.
“The United States condemns Russia’s attacks on the infrastructure facilities of Ukraine and is committed to holding Russia accountable for war crimes and atrocities committed in our country. Thank you for your support!” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
