Our live coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine has moved here.
June 20, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news
By Tara Subramaniam, Sana Noor Haq, Mike Hayes, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal and Tori B. Powell, CNN
Updated 12:03 a.m. ET, June 21, 2023
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European Union proposes $55 billion financial aid package for Ukraine
The European Union proposed a four-year financial assistance package for Ukraine worth $55 billion, the union's commission president said in a news conference Tuesday.
The assistance will be administered through loans and grants, EU President Ursula von der Leyen said. It aims to provide Ukraine with "perspective and predictability" as well as “incentivize other donors to step up” their support.
"It will allow us to calibrate our financial support according to the evolution of the situation on the ground because we all know that a war requires at most flexibility from us," von der Leyen noted.
Norway, which is not part of the European Union, also recently announced it will allocate funds for Ukraine.
In a news release, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Oslo will provide 250 million Norwegian kroner (approximately $23 million) for Ukraine’s "nuclear safety and security." And around $9.3 million will be provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), "to ensure that IAEA experts can maintain a presence in Ukraine."
Norway is also increasing funding for "nuclear safety and security cooperation" with Ukraine by $14 million. The funding will be administered by the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) and will be used "to reduce the risk of radiological incidents."
It's past midnight in Kyiv. Here's what you should know
From CNN staff
Within the last day, the Ukrainian military reported 35 clashes with Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, according to an earlier update from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Russia continues to focus on the areas of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in the Donetsk region, the update said.
Here's what else you should know to get up to speed:
On the ground. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy minister of defense, said Ukrainian forces "are gnawing our way meter by meter" to advance, also noting that the main strike of the counteroffensive "is still ahead." Maliar said in an interview Tuesday with Ukrainian media that Ukraine's offensive is ongoing in several directions in the south. Meanwhile, she claimed that Russia's main offensive is in the east.
Meetings. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. Blinken briefed Kuleba about his meetings in Beijing and talks with Chinese officials about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to Matt Miller, State Department spokesperson.
Aid and recovery. The United Kingdom is set to outline a landmark financial support package for Ukraine this week, according to 10 Downing Street. Ukrainian officials and the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine on Tuesday also discussed the establishment of a Community Recovery Fund, a joint approach to the recovery of Ukraine at the community level.
Dam collapse update. At least 21 people are dead and 28 others were injured following the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse earlier this month in the Kherson region, according to Minister Ihor Klymenko of Ukraine's Internal Affairs.
Returned prisoners. Three out of 11 soldiers who were held as prisoners of war (POWs) by Russia and who were relocated to Hungary earlier this month, have now returned to Ukraine, according to a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry.
3 out of 11 prisoners of war sent from Russia to Hungary have returned to Ukraine
From CNN's Mariya Knight
Three out of 11 soldiers who were held as prisoners of war (POWs) by Russia and who were relocated to Hungary earlier this month, have now returned to Ukraine, according to a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry.
"The Embassy of Ukraine in Budapest managed to take three Ukrainian PoWs out of Hungary," Oleh Nikolenko, foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“They are already on Ukrainian territory, they are provided with all kinds of support,” he continued, adding that Ukrainian diplomats are “taking active measures to bring home the rest of the Ukrainian defenders taken from Russia to Hungary.”
Nikolenko claimed on Monday that the soldiers were being “kept in isolation, do not have access to open sources of information, their communication with relatives takes place in the presence of third parties, [and] they are denied the right to establish contact with the Embassy of Ukraine.”
The Hungarian government has refuted Nikolenko’s claim and denied its involvement in the POWs transfer.
“These eleven people can move freely in Hungary, they do what they see fit, they interact with whoever they want," Péter Szijjártó, the Hungarian minister of Foreign Affairs, said in a Facebook post Tuesday.
At least 21 people dead and 28 others injured since dam collapse, official says
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Mariya Knight
At least 21 people are dead and 28 others were injured following the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse earlier this month in the Kherson region, according to Ihor Klymenko, minister of Ukraine's Internal Affairs.
At least five of those killed were injured by Russian attacks during the dam evacuations, he said on Telegram Tuesday.
“[Five hundred ninety-five] houses in the Kherson region remain flooded. The death toll of the Kakhovka dam disaster has risen to 21, including 5 people killed and 28 injured by Russian attacks during evacuation or other emergency measures,"
The epidemiological situation in the region is stable and under control, but Klymenko warned residents against fishing and consuming fish in the affected areas.
Russia and Ukraine continue to point fingers as to who was responsible for the dam collapse. Ukrainians estimate the cost of damage to be 1.5 billion euros.
The UK will announce landmark financial support package for Ukraine at recovery conference
From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls and Lauren Kent
The United Kingdom is set to outline a landmark financial support package for Ukraine this week, according to 10 Downing Street.
The announcement will be made at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on Wednesday, hosted jointly between the UK and Ukraine in London. More than 400 companies from 38 countries will pledge “to back Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction in the wake of Russia’s illegal invasion,” said Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank Group.
In a statement on Tuesday, Downing Street said the package would include $3 billion of World Bank loan guarantees and $305 million of bilateral assistance. According to the statement, the funding is said to support vital public services, such as schools and hospitals.
“It is the first bilateral package of multi-year fiscal assistance to be set out by a G7 country, underlining the UK’s unwavering commitment to the country, both now and in the future,” the statement said.
Downing Street said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will also announce up to $318 million of new capital for the UK’s Development Finance Institution, the British International Investment (BII).
Downing Street said the BII funding would boost UK aid for Ukraine, including mine clearance, disaster relief kits, reform programmers and energy projects. The statement outlined that over half of the BII funding will be used for humanitarian support through partners such as the UN and the Red Cross.
“As we’ve seen in Bakhmut and Mariupol, what Russia cannot take it will seek to destroy. They want to do the same to Ukraine’s economy,” Sunak is set to tell attendees at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on Wednesday. “Together with our allies, we will maintain our support for Ukraine’s defense and for the counter offensive, and we’ll stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes as they continue to win this war.”
“The question for us today is what can we do to support this – to fast-track recovery and help Ukraine unleash its potential,” Sunak will continue. “We must bring to bear a partnership of governments, international financial institutions, and business leaders… to make this happen.”
Ukraine and UN to discuss establishing fund to restore housing and critical infrastructure
From CNN's Mariya Knight and Yulia Kesaieva
Ukrainian officials and the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine on Tuesday discussed the establishment of a Community Recovery Fund, a joint approach to the recovery of Ukraine at the community level.
The main priorities of the fund “will include the restoration of housing, critical and social infrastructure, as well as humanitarian demining of territories and support for local businesses," the Ministry for the Restoration of Ukraine said in a statement.
According to the statement, the UN plans "to mobilize US $300 million for the needs of the fund over the next five years,” with a start-up budget of $50 million.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, said that “a regional structure of support teams” will be created to help communities cope with the challenges of recovery.
According to UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown, the UN and the Government of Ukraine are already working on the recovery of the cities of Kharkiv and Izium, where “central and local authorities, the UN and the public are working together to rebuild damaged infrastructure,” which includes demining, clearing debris and rebuilding of housing medical facilities.
Ukraine's "main strike is still ahead," deputy defense minister says
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Mariya Knight
Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces "are gnawing our way meter by meter" to advance, also noting that the main strike of the counteroffensive "is still ahead."
"There are some directions, where we advance and the enemy is on defensive, but also on some axis, the enemy is trying to conduct offensive, while we are on defensive. We gradually advance step by step. So one can say we are gnawing our way meter by meter," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said in an interview with Ukrainian media.
"The tasks that are being given to the military are being fulfilled, so the gradual advance in all directions, where the offensive began is taking place," Maliar said. "However, the main strike is still ahead."
Maliar said that Ukraine's offensive is ongoing in several directions in the south; meanwhile, she claimed that Russia's main offensive is in the east.
The Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksii Danilov, said on Tuesday that one of Ukraine's main priorities right now is "to exhaust" and destroy Russian artillery and armament systems.
"The destruction of the Russian control points, ammunition storages, fuel, food products, supply routes – these tasks are being performed by the Ukrainian defenders excellently. The number of destroyed Russian military equipment is the highest since the beginning of the war," Danilov said in a social media post.
Ukrainian foreign minister meets with Blinken
From Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv and Lauren Kent in London
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.
"We discussed next steps to bolster Ukraine's counter-offensive capabilities, preparing the Vilnius summit deliverables on Ukraine's NATO membership perspective, and growing the global support for the Peace Formula," Kuleba said in a tweet, adding that he thanked the United States for its support.
The United Kingdom and Ukraine will jointly host the Ukraine Recovery Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, which aims to work toward international investment to rebuild the country in the wake of the Russian invasion.
