Chinese President Xi Jinping left Moscow on Wednesday morning after a three-day visit to the Russian capital that seemed to result in mixed results for the tentative allies.
China’s leader and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin reaffirmed areas of strategic cooperation and plans to extend economic ties and increase trade up to 2030. They also both criticized the US for undermining global strategic stability.
But there was little in terms of substance from the meeting, and official statements from both sides, made after talks concluded Tuesday, disclosed few details about the implementation of economic agreements.
In other news, both Ukrainian and Russian officials said separately that Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, and Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea, had been targeted by drone and missile attacks Wednesday morning.
White House downplays Putin awarding Russian pilot involved in downing US drone over Black Sea
The White House downplayed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s presentation of an award to one of the pilots involved in the downing of a US drone over the Black Sea.
“I don’t know of another military in the world that would award a pilot for ramming into a drone,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
“I don’t know why they would throw a bravery award at a pilot who was at best an idiot,” Kirby added.
Last week, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed its two fighter aircraft had not come into contact with the US drone.
Death toll in Kyiv rises following overnight drone strikes
At least seven people died following a Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Head of Kyiv’s regional police Andriy Nebytov said on Telegram that “a total of 12 drones were shot down by security and defense forces in the Kyiv region during the attack by the occupiers.”
Nebytov said that nine people so far have been injured in the attack, which was carried out by Iranian-made drones.
Zelensky visits troops on Bakhmut frontline
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukrainian soldiers on the Bakhmut frontline in eastern Ukraine. At least one person was killed and 32 more injured in a block of flats in Zaporizhzhia, a city near the frontline, just before Zelensky announced his visit, the mayor said.
During the visit to the front near Bakhmut, which has seen the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia’s invasion, Zelensky recognized the troops had a “difficult” task.
“I am honored to be here today to award our heroes. To shake hands and thank them for protecting the sovereignty of our country,” he stated.
Video released by Zelensky’s office showed him meeting servicemen in a warehouse and handing out state decorations.
Russian and Ukrainian forces have invested heavily in the battle for Bakhmut, even though analysts say the city carries little strategic value.
Kyiv says the battle for the industrial town, which had a pre-war population of around 80,000 people, is key to holding back Russian forces along the entire eastern front.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, which claims to be spearheading Moscow’s offensive in Bakhmut, said this week that his forces control some 70% of the city.
Zelensky also distributed images of the strike on Zaporizhzhia, showing a projectile smashing into a residential building and a large plume of black smoke rising.
“We will certainly respond to every blow of the occupier on our cities,” he said, citing “Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia and the night attack on the Kyiv region.”
As the battle grinds on, the International Criminal Court rejected threats reportedly made against the court by a key ally of President Vladimir Putin after it issued a war crime warrant against the Russian leader.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev reportedly talked about targeting The Hague, where the court is based, with a hypersonic missile as a reprisal for the Putin warrant, according to Dutch media.
The presidency of the Assembly of States Parties, which groups the ICC’s 123 member countries, said it “regrets these attempts to hinder international efforts to ensure accountability for acts that are prohibited under general international law”.
Moscow said it had “repelled” a drone attack by Ukraine targeting the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.
The Crimean Peninsula, seized by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, is home to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet and has been hit by a series of drone attacks since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Britain over its plan to supply Ukraine with armor-piercing ammunition containing depleted uranium.
“This is a step towards a further escalation, and a serious one at that,” Lavrov said.
The United States dismissed Russia’s complaints, with White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying the ammunition was “a commonplace type of munition”.
Drone strikes on Kyiv show Russia isn’t interested in peace, Zelensky says
Zelensky said overnight drone strikes on Kyiv show Russia isn’t interested in pursuing a peaceful end to the war, despite talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping covering Beijing’s proposed peace plan.
“Over 20 Iranian murderous drones, missiles, and shelling in just one night of Russian terror against Ukraine,” he said on Twitter Wednesday.
“Every time someone tries to say the word “peace” in Moscow, another order is given for such criminal strikes,” he added.
Zelensky’s comments came just hours after President Xi left Moscow after several days of talks.
Compiled by Ana Dumbadze
