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June 16, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news
By Helen Regan, Christian Edwards, Hannah Strange, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal, Matt Meyer and Elise Hammond, CNN
Updated 9:51 p.m. ET, June 16, 2023
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Moscow continues its onslaught on Ukraine. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
Moscow launched attacks at Kyiv and Kherson on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the first tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in Belarus have arrived there.
Here's the latest news in the conflict:
Attacks and injuries: At least six people, including a child, were injured in the capital Kyiv region following a missile attack Friday, according to Ukrainian authorities. In the south, there were at least 23 injured in "massive" artillery shelling in the city of Kherson.
Biden on Ukraine's NATO bid: US President Joe Biden is comfortable with removing one of the hurdles for Ukraine to join NATO, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
According to the source, Biden would be willing to drop a procedural step called the Membership Action Plan. Its removal would represent a small step in easing Ukraine’s accession into the defensive alliance, though the US still does not view Kyiv's membership as imminent, due to reforms Ukraine still needs to make and its ongoing conflict.
Putin's nuclear claims: The first tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in staunch Russian ally Belarus have arrived, Putin said at an economic forum in St. Petersburg.
The use of nuclear weapons by Russia is “theoretically possible if there is a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation,” he said. Putin also claimed that Russia has more of the weapons than NATO countries.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that President Joe Biden's administration is closely monitoring the situation, but it has "no reason to adjust" its nuclear posture and doesn't "see any indications" that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.
Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko said Putin's remarks should be taken "very, very seriously" by the West.
Nova Kakhovka dam probe: It is “highly likely” the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region was caused by Russia, a team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General said, according to the preliminary findings of their investigation released on Friday. Last week's collapse of the dam is one of the biggest industrial and ecological disasters in Europe in decades.
African leaders visit Ukraine: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema called for de-escalation of the conflict on Friday after meetings between African leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Several African countries have outlined a 10-step peace initiative for the war.
However, Zelensky said any peace talks with Russia are possible only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territories.
The African leaders are scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow in St. Petersburg.
On the battlefield: Ukraine's military says there has been very heavy fighting along the southern front, and both sides allege inflicting significant losses.
Ukrainian units are consolidating advances around the southern cities of Melitopol, Berdiansk and Mariupol, their three main targets in the southern offensive, military spokesperson Valerii Shershen said. But he estimated Ukraine's gains in the region were limited to small distances of a kilometer or less.
In the east, Ukrainian troops have made some progress around the embattled town of Vuhledar and the long-contested city of Bakhmut, officials said.
CNN cannot independently verify claims about battlefield developments.
Russian air strikes and artillery barrages are currently the main issues faced by Ukrainian forces as they keep pushing forward in southern and eastern Ukraine, a senior military officer told CNN close to the front lines.
Here's the latest map of control:
US Ambassador to Russia meets with Russian counterpart in the backdrop of war in Ukraine
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
United States Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy is expected to meet with her Russian counterpart while in Washington, DC, the US Embassy in Moscow tweeted on Friday.
Tracy and Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov discussed a number of bilateral issues, including the functioning of embassies, the Embassy said in the tweet. The ambassadors were both in the US for the annual Chiefs of Mission Conference held at the State Department.
Some background: The Russian government has imposed harsh restrictions on the functioning of the US Embassy in Moscow, including barring locally employed staff.
The Russian government forced the closure of the US consulate in St. Petersburg in 2018 in a retaliatory move over the US' closure of three Russian outposts in the US, including its consulate in San Francisco. In December 2020, the US government announced it would shutter its remaining two consulates in Russia.
Russia's war in Ukraine, and the United State's support for Kyiv through aid and sanctions on Moscow, have increased tensions between the two countries.
Last month, for example, the US rejected “ludicrous” accusations from Russia that it was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin as Moscow’s deputy foreign minister warned the two powers are on the precipice of an “open-armed conflict.”
In March, a Russian plane downed a US drone over the Black Sea – a confrontation that sparked a diplomatic spat and led to a race to recover some highly classified technology.
President Biden is open to dropping a hurdle for Ukraine to join NATO, source says
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
US President Joe Biden is comfortable with removing one of the hurdles for Ukraine to join NATO, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
According to the source, Biden would be willing to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine, which was described in a 2008 agreement as “the next step for Ukraine ... on their direct way to membership.” The MAP, characterized as “the program of advice, assistance and practical support tailored to the individual needs of countries wishing to join the Alliance,” is a process that other nations have had to undertake to join NATO.
Why this matters: Its removal would represent a small step in easing Ukraine’s accession into the defensive alliance.
It is part of proposal from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and was discussed when the two leaders met in Washington earlier this week, the source said.
The US president is most concerned about finding a concrete proposal that will be supported by the rest of the allies and would signal to Ukraine that they are making progress toward membership, the source said.
However, the United States still does not view Ukraine’s membership into the alliance as imminent due to reforms that Kyiv needs to make, and the source said the Stoltenberg proposal reflects this.
The NATO chief's proposal does not set a specific timeline for Ukraine’s membership into the alliance, which is something that has been pushed by some members of the alliance.
CNN reported earlier this week that the US might be willing to drop the language around the MAP, according to a European diplomat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he understands that his country cannot become a member of NATO while it is still at war.
Ukraine's ambassador to UK: Delivery of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus should be taken "very seriously"
From CNN's Adam Charlton and Sharon Braithwaite in London
Russian President Vladimir Putin's assertion that the first Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus have been delivered should be taken "very, very seriously" by the West, according to Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko.
Rearming Belarus is a violation of international agreements, the ambassador told CNN's Bianna Golodryga in an interview on Friday.
"I believe that the West have to take it very, very seriously," he said.
When asked if Ukraine views it as a threat from Putin to use nuclear weapons in the months ahead, Prystaiko said, "I believe that he was blackmailing all of us: Ukrainians, first of all, but then Europeans and Americans and all our partners around the globe."
Prystaiko also said Ukraine is now “much better equipped to withstand this pressure” from Russia, because it has anti-air missiles from its international partners.
The ambassador also addressed the counteroffensive, as Kyiv's forces make incremental advances along the southern front lines.
“We have not engaged and committed all the forces; we are probing, trying to find the best place for the attack,” he said.
Prystaiko added the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam “is changing our cards a bit” and “delaying our counteroffensive.”
Zelensky: There will be no negotiations until Russian forces withdraw from all occupied Ukrainian land
From CNN's Tim Lister and Yulia Kesaieva
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that any peace talks with Russia are possible only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territories.
"Today, I have clearly said repeatedly at our meeting that to allow any negotiations with Russia now that the occupier is on our land means to freeze the war, to freeze pain and suffering," Zelensky said at a news conference after meeting with several African leaders in Kyiv.
"It is obvious that Russia is now trying to return to its old primitive tactics of deception. But fooling the world in Russia will no longer work. It is definitely impossible to deceive Ukraine. I emphasize once again: We need real peace, and therefore, a real withdrawal of Russian troops from our entire independent land," he said.
Zelensky appeared to be at odds with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who stood alongside him at the news conference and called for a de-escalation of the conflict.
Ramaphosa said “there must be de-escalation on both sides so that peace can find a way to resolve the problem.”
Black Sea grain initiative: Zelensky said he and the African leaders had also discussed the Black Sea grain deal, which is crucial for food security around the globe. Ukraine is one of the world’s leading grain exporters.
"We really help the world and precisely many peoples of Africa, Asia, Europe to maintain social stability and price predictability in the food market through our exports. Together with partners, we are working on grain hubs in Africa," Zelensky said.
In May, the grain deal was extended for two months in an agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations.
"The food supply must be reliably guaranteed and everyone's right to food must be ensured by stopping any attempts by states such as Russia to use the threat of hunger and social instability to blackmail the people," he said.
Blinken: US closely monitoring Russia-Belarus situation but has "no reason to adjust" its nuclear posture
From CNN's Mike Conte
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that President Joe Biden's administration is closely monitoring the situation between Russia and Belarus after President Vladimir Putin claimed Friday that Moscow has deployed tactical nuclear weapons to the neighboring country.
The US has "no reason to adjust" its nuclear posture and doesn't "see any indications" that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon, Blinken said at a news conference Friday with Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan at the State Department.
Blinken said the US remains committed to defending “every inch” of NATO territory.
“And as for Belarus itself, this is just another example of (Belarus President Alexander) Lukashenko making irresponsible, provocative choices to cede control of Belarus’s sovereignty against the will of the Belarusian people,” said Blinken.
What Russia and Belarus are saying: In remarks during an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Putin alleged earlier that the tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in Belarus have arrived.
His comments came after Russian state media TASS reported that the country's main investigative authority had opened an office in Belarus in connection to a delivery of tactile nuclear weapons.
The Russian president also slammed NATO and warned that there is "serious danger of further drawing" the alliance into the military conflict by supplying military weaponry to Ukraine.
Belarus is one of Russia’s few allies in its war on Ukraine. It helped Russia launch its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, allowing the Kremlin’s troops to enter the country from its territory.
Earlier this week, Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko said the country was set to receive the tactical nuclear weapons from Russia and claimed such weapons are needed to act as a "deterrent" against aggression.
CNN’s Lindsay Isaac, Zahid Mahmood, Uliana Pavlova and Anna Chernova contributed reporting to this post.
South African leader calls for de-escalation of Ukraine conflict after meeting with Zelensky in Kyiv
From CNN’s Zahid Mahmood in London
African countries are prepared to participate further in a peace pact in Ukraine, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday after meeting with African leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
“There must be a de-escalation of the conflict,” Ramaphosa said while outlining a 10-step peace initiative several African countries have agreed to participate in.
“And we argue that there must be de-escalation on both sides so that peace can find a way to resolve the problem.”
Speaking alongside other African leaders and Zelensky, Ramaphosa called for diplomatic negotiations to take place, adding that he was listening to Zelensky today and will be hearing from Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow in St. Petersburg.
“There should be peace through negotiations and diplomatic means,” he said.
“And we should as we advance towards that peace because all wars, in the end, come to an end. I really believe that this war should be brought to an end as quickly as possible,” he said.
Ukraine is facing headwinds from Russian aviation and artillery in advancement on front lines
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio, Frederik Pleitgen and Darya Markina Tarasova in Zaporizhzhia
Russian air strikes and artillery barrages are currently the main issues faced by Ukrainian forces as they keep pushing forward in southern and eastern Ukraine, a senior military officer told CNN close to the front lines.
“Their aviation works in waves, as it was in Vietnam, Afghanistan. Continuously, all day long, they work either by helicopters or by airplanes, and they work all day,” a deputy battalion commander with the call sign "Spas" with the Separate Territorial Defense Brigade told CNN in an interview on Friday. “It's hard to advance like that.”
“In general, aviation support is sorely lacking,” he also said, adding that Russian artillery made their advance even more difficult.
Despite the challenges, Spas says Ukrainian forces are finding ways to work around these issues.
“We retake territory, we do not allow them to hit the columns,” he said. “We come in small groups. We use all the tactics we can. We have experience.”
“We are advancing, knocking the enemy out of positions, not as quickly as we would like, but we are moving forward. In places, the enemy is already panicking, throwing reserves here,” he added.
