At least 1 killed in Odesa after Russian missile attack, Ukrainian officials say
From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv
An industrial building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Odesa, Ukraine, on May 18. Operational Command South of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters
At least one person was killed and two others wounded after a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Wednesday night, according to Ukrainian military officials.
“Late night, the enemy launched a missile attack on Odesa. The attack was carried out using various missiles from different directions. Most of them were destroyed by air defense, but unfortunately [an] industrial infrastructure was hit,” Ukraine’s Operational Command South said in a statement on Facebook.
Explosions were heard overnight across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, as authorities activated air defenses against a nationwide Russian attack.
1:24 a.m. ET, May 18, 2023
"No panacea in resolving the crisis," Chinese envoy tells Ukrainian officials
From CNN’s Wayne Chang and Simone McCarthy
China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday confirmed that Beijing's special envoy Li Hui met with President Volodomyr Zelensky and other senior Ukrainian officials on Wednesday.
In a statement, the ministry said Li reiterated that China is willing to serve as a peace broker for resolving the Ukrainian crisis, on the basis of its previously stated positions on the war.
“There is no panacea in resolving the crisis. All parties need to start from themselves, accumulate mutual trust, and create conditions for ending the war and engaging in peace talks,” Li said, according to the readout.
Kyiv’s readout made no mention of the meeting with Zelensky.
Instead it said Li met foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and discussed “topical issues of cooperation between Ukraine and China,” as well as “ways to stop Russian aggression.”
Last week, China’s Foreign Ministry announced Li would visit Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia starting May 15 — just days before the Group of Seven (G7) leaders are expected to affirm their solidarity against Moscow in a summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
China has attempted to cast itself as a peace broker and deflect criticism that it has not acted to help end Russia’s warin Ukraine, more than one year after Moscow invaded its western neighbor.
The Ukrainian statement on Li’s visit appeared to allude to daylight between Beijing and Kyiv’s positions on ending the conflict.
Kuleba talked about restoring peace “based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and emphasized “that Ukraine does not accept any proposals that would involve the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict.”
He also stressed the importance of China’s participation in the implementation of Zelensky’s “peace formula,” according to the statement.
Russia launches new assault as air raid warnings sound across Ukraine. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
Smoke rises after a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 18. Stringer/Reuters
Explosions were heard in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions in the early hours of Thursday, as authorities reported a nationwide air attack.
Kyiv military officials said the capital's air defenses were activated, resulting in falling debris that caused a fire.
Authorities are yet to provide information on casualties or the extent of the damage.
Here's what else to know:
On the ground: Ukraine's deputy defense minister says Kyiv's forces are holding substantial areas around Bakhmut that it claims to have retaken from Russia as "fierce fighting" rages in the eastern city. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his Russian mercenaries advanced 260 meters [0.16 miles] in the city. Videos emerging from the battles show intense shelling and heavy destruction in the city's western part, the last area where Ukrainian forces have a presence.
Elsewhere on the front lines: According to Ukraine's military, the Russians aretrying to improve their "tactical situation" in Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region but offensives close to the Oskil River were unsuccessful amid heavy shelling of Ukrainian-held areas. The General Staff added that the situation had been quieter in another hotspot, around Avdiivka in Donetsk, and that Russian forces in occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia had continued to shell settlements in the area, striking more than 20 places over the past day. Meanwhile, at least three civilians were killed near the southern city of Kherson following Russian shelling, according to Ukrainian officials.
Damaged defenses: Two components of a US-made Patriot battery were damaged in a Russian attack Tuesday, but the system "was never offline," according to a US official familiar with the matter. The Russian barrage damaged the Patriot battery’s generator and part of the system’s electronics.
Budapest pushes back: A Hungarian official said Wednesday it would be very difficult for Hungary to join the EU's next round of sanctions against Moscow after Kyiv blacklisted a Hungarian bank. A senior EU official said later that it’s not for the EU "to decide what private banks do. But again, we have to deal with a question that is influencing and affecting decisively one of our main foreign policy objectives, which is to support Ukraine."
Chinese envoy departs: Beijing’s Special Representative on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui wrapped up a two-day visit to Ukraine Wednesday, Kyiv said, completing the first stop on his European tour as China attempts to fashion itself as a peacemaker despite its close ties with Russia.
1:37 a.m. ET, May 18, 2023
Explosions heard in Kyiv as Ukraine raises nationwide air raid alert
From CNN’s Mia Alberti and Josh Pennington
Smoke rises after a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 18. Stringer/Reuters
Explosions were heard Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions in the early hours of Thursday, as authorities reported a countrywide air attack.
"Multiple explosions have occurred in the capital, in the Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts. Emergency services are en route to the affected areas,” Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Telegram. Other explosions were reported in the Desnianskyi district.
The Kyiv city military administration said the capital's air defenses were activated, resulting in falling debris in the Darnytskyi district, which caused a fire.
"Data on casualties and damage are currently being updated. Remain in your shelters until the air raid alert is over!" Serhiy Popko, the head of the city military administration, said on Telegram.
Nationwide air raid alert: Air defense forces in Vinnytsia, in west-central Ukraine, were activated to "countering airborne threats,” Serhiy Borzov, the head of the region's military administration, said on Telegram.
"We are currently facing another wave of cruise missile attacks from the enemy!" Borzov wrote.
12:45 a.m. ET, May 18, 2023
China's special envoy ends Ukraine visit as Beijing attempts to play peacemaker
From CNN's Simone McCarthy
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba attends a meeting with China's special representative for Eurasian affairs Li Hui, in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 16. Eduard Kryzhanivskyi/Press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Chinese envoy Li Hui wrapped up a two-day visit to Ukraine Wednesday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said — completing the first stop on a European tour focused on the war there, as Beijing attempts to fashion itself as a peacemaker in the grinding conflict, despite its close ties with Russia.
A seasoned former diplomat, Li served as ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2019 and is the highest ranking Chinese official to travel to Ukraine since the start of Moscow’s devastating war.
Western leaders have hoped Chinese leader Xi Jinping might use his close rapport with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the conflict — an outcome that analysts say may be unlikely at this stage, given Beijing’s interests in maintaining the relationship.
Li met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during his visit on May 16 and 17, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which did not specify if Li met President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The parties discussed “topical issues of cooperation between Ukraine and China,” as well as “ways to stop Russian aggression,” the statement said.
China has remained tight-lipped about the visit of Li, Beijing’s Special Representative on Eurasian Affairs,which it had billed as part of a five-country tour to promote communication toward “a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
When asked about Li’s trip at regular press briefings through Wednesday this week, China’s Foreign Ministry said information would be shared “in due course.”
Last week, the Foreign Ministry said Li would visit Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia starting May 15 — just days before the Group of Seven (G7) leaders are expected to affirm their solidarity against Moscow in a summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
Wagner boss claims fighters continue to advance in Bakhmut
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement from an unknown location in a video released on Friday, May 12. Prigozhin Press Service/AP
Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner private military company, said his fighters have advanced in Bakhmut amid fierce fighting surrounded by the remaining buildings still controlled by Ukrainian troops.
"Wagner PMC has advanced 260 meters [0.16 miles] more in Bakhmut," Prigozhin posted on the Telegram channel of his Concord Group. "The enemy now occupies 1.85 km of territory [1.15 miles]. The enemy offers fierce resistance. They fight for every house, every entranceway, every square meter of territory, despite the fact that the enemy only occupies a tiny percentage of territory.”
Prigozhin added it wasn't possible to surround remaining Ukrainian positions because of the recent withdrawal of Russian paratroopers.
“Really [what happened was], Russian paratroopers, as a result of an enemy assault near Bakhmut, took up a favorable line, for the enemy,” he said.
Taking aim at Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the Russian General Staff chief, Prigozhin said “the instantaneous retreat of Gerasimov from the enemy today does not allow to close [Bakhmut] off. But we are advancing.”
Prigozhin has frequently been at odds with the Russian Defense Ministry on its tactics and leadership in the conflict.
12:54 a.m. ET, May 18, 2023
The Black Sea grain deal has been extended. It aims to avert a global food crisis
From CNN's Sophie Tanno
Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on May 17. Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A crucial deal aimed at averting a global food crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been extended for two months.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday an agreement has been reached with Russia and Ukraine to extend the Black Sea grain deal.
The deal has now been resuscitated for a third time after a question mark hung over its survival.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is the Black Sea grain deal and why is it important? Ukraine is one of the world’s leading grain exporters but after the war began, Russia blockaded Ukrainian ports, sparking fears of a global famine. Since last summer, an agreement between the two sides has enabled the safe passage of ships from Ukraine. It is the first and only major pact to be made between the warring sides since the outbreak of the war.Since being struck the deal has enabled an estimated 900 ships to safely leave Black Sea ports, delivering 24 million tons of grain to countries as far afield as Africa and the Middle East.
Who are the main players? The deal was made between Russia and Ukraine — however, it was not a direct agreement. During its signing in Istanbul, representatives from Russia and Ukraine did not sit together during the ceremony, the Washington Post reported at the time. NATO-member Turkey, who has positioned itself as an intermediary between Kyiv and Moscow since the beginning of the conflict, brokered the rare deal with the United Nations.
Why was its renewal for a third time in question? The deal’s survival rests in Russia’s hands. Prior to its third renewal, the Kremlin had remained elusive as to whether it would remain in the pact. Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, it remained unclear whether the agreement would be renewed for a third time after two days of urgent talks in Istanbul earlier this month failed to reach a decisive outcome. Russia had once again threatened to quit the deal and cited a list of demands, largely over exports of its own food stuffs and fertilizers.
Does everyone gain from the grain deal? Not quite. Following Russia’s blockade, the European Union lifted all duties on grain from Ukraine via land, to facilitate exports. This, though, caused a glut of cheap Ukrainian grain to flow into central and eastern Europe, hitting the sales of local producers.
2 Patriot system components were damaged in Russian attack, official says
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
Two components of a Patriot battery were damaged in a Russian attack Tuesday, but the system “was never offline," according to a US official familiar with the matter.
The Russian barrage — which consisted of hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and other munitions — damaged the Patriot battery’s generator and part of the system’s electronics.
The damage was minimal, according to three other US officials, with one describing it as “minor.” The system remained functional throughout the attack and remains online, an official said.
The US sent inspectors to examine the system on Tuesday, after being told by the Ukrainians that it appeared to have been damaged, one of the officials said.
US officials are still assessing how exactly the Patriot components were damaged since it does not appear that any of the components sustained a direct hit from a Russian Kinzhal missile or other munition.
One possibility is that debris from a falling missile damaged the Patriot components, but officials are examining other options as well.
1:07 a.m. ET, May 18, 2023
Hungary may halt further EU sanctions against Russia after Ukraine blacklists Hungarian bank
From CNN's James Frater
Peter Szijjarto speaks during an interview at the United Nations headquarters on Friday, March 24. John Minchillo/AP
A Hungarian official says it would be very difficult for Hungary to join the European Union’s next round of sanctions against Russia after Ukraine blacklisted a Hungarian bank.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó described the move by the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) to include Hungarian Bank OTP on its list of “international sponsors of war” as “outrageous.”
He added “that as long as OTP stays on this list, it will be very difficult for us to even enter into negotiations on the eleventh sanctions package,” and “it will be very difficult for us to negotiate economic restrictions that require additional sacrifices.”
In a statement earlier this month, NAZK said the decision to classify OTP bank as an international sponsor of war was “due to the position of the bank’s management to continue operations in Russia” as well the bank’s “recognition of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk ‘people’s republics.’”
The Hungarian Foreign Minister refuted Kyiv’s claims on Monday, saying that as Hungary’s biggest bank, “OTP has not violated any international laws. Its operations fully comply with all kinds of expectations and legislation.”
Szijjártó also said placing the bank “on the list of international sponsors of war is unacceptable and scandalous.”
What the EU is saying: A senior EU official, briefing journalists in Brussels on Wednesday, said the EU’s priority “is to ensure that we can support Ukraine so that they can win,” and that “we're going to talk to the Ukrainian side. We'll talk to the member states, talk to Hungary, of course.”
The senior official said it’s not for the EU “to decide what private banks do. But again, we have to deal with a question that is influencing and affecting decisively one of our main foreign policy objectives, which is to support Ukraine.”
“It's affecting our decisions on military and financial support. We have to deal with that, we will be dealing with that and I can tell you that the High Representative [Josep Borrell] is already dealing with that,” the official added.
The official also said that EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue on Monday in Brussels at a scheduled meeting. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will also attend the meeting virtually.
