Ukraine Russia war live: Zelensky accuses China of sabotaging peace summit

Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 24 of the 25 attack drones that Russia launched overnight, Ukraine’s air force said this morning.

Russia also launched an Iskander-K cruise missile towards Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and an anti-aircraft guided missile, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

It did not say what happened to the missiles.

Russian forces have taken over the village of Umanske in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Russian defence ministry said today.

The claims could not be independently verified.

It came a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure that left 19 people injured.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged a group of top defence officials at Asia’s premier security conference to attend an upcoming conference on ending the Russian war on Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky told the group of more than 500 delegates from about 40 countries that he was “disappointed” some world leaders had not yet confirmed attendance at the conference in Switzerland in about two weeks.

He did not specify any country by name, but the possible participation of China, Russia’s most important ally, has been seen as a key issue.

Chinese defence minister Dong Jun spoke earlier in the day at the Shangri-La conference but he did not appear to be in the room when Mr Zelensky made his appeal.

In his own address to the forum, Mr Dong did not specifically mention the Switzerland meetings but did say: “On the Ukraine crisis, China has been promoting peace talks with a responsible attitude.”

He added that China had not provided weapons to either side of the conflict.

“We have never done anything to fan the flames,” he said. “We stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue.”

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin also attended the conference and sat in the front row as Mr Zelensky talked.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused China of helping Russia to disrupt an upcoming Swiss-organised peace conference on the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at Asia’s premier security conference, Mr Zelensky said that China is pressuring other countries and their leaders not to attend the upcoming talks. He did not say which ones.

“Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit,” he said at a news conference at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence forum.

“Regrettably this is unfortunate, that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin.”

Ukraine’s allies will step up to provide military assistance as the country weathers attacks by Russia, officials said at the Shangri-La Dialogue global defence forum in Singapore, where Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelensky was a surprise visitor.

More than two years after Russia invaded, Kyiv faces renewed assaults on its territory, particularly in the region around the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

A greater flow of artillery ammunition has strengthened defences there, but more is needed – particularly surface-to-air missiles, said Germany’s chief of defence, General Carsten Breuer.

“What we see is that Ukraine needs air defences… and of course, artillery ammunition and weapon systems to fight against Russia and this present attack,” General Breuer said in an interview on the sidelines of the conference.

Experts and defence officials from three other Western countries said air defence systems are particularly critical for Ukraine.

Stepped up missile and air attacks by Russia mean Kyiv must work harder to defend not just its military units near the front lines, but cities and critical infrastructure – straining its existing defences.

“It has always been a high-priority requirement for a lot of different reasons,” said Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army. “One, to protect critical infrastructure; two, to protect civilians, who have been targets of attacks all the way through the war; three, to protect critical military capabilities; and four, so Ukraine can use its air capabilities to attack Russian systems.”

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked countries, including the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, for their military assistance, particularly with air defence systems. He cited a Russian attack on Sunday with nearly 100 missiles – something he said had happened hundreds of times – and noted “no country could handle this alone”.

He later said that although he was grateful to the US for allowing Kyiv to use its High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars) to fire across the Russian border in the Kharkiv region, it was not enough.

He said Russia was using many airfields to launch attacks on Ukraine “knowing that Ukraine will not fire back because it has no responding systems and no permissions”.

A local official in Belgorod died when some ammunition detonated, while six people were injured in Ukrainian shelling of the southern Russian region, Belgorod’s governor.

Igor Nechiporenko, deputy head of Korochansky district administration in Belgorod, was killed as a result of ammunition detonating, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

“I offer my most sincere and deepest condolences to the family and loved ones,” Mr Gladkov said.

He also said that six civilians received shrapnel injuries during Ukraine’s shelling of the town of Shebekino and were taken to hospital. The reports could not be independently verified.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war, which Moscow launched against its smaller neighbour in 2022.

Belgorod region is adjacent to Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, where Russian forces launched a new offensive in May. Kyiv has said it is attacking only military targets in Russia supporting the Russian offensive.

The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday that its air defence systems destroyed three Ukraine-launched drones early on Sunday over the territory of the Belgorod region.

Countries worldwide still supply parts of Russia’s weaponry, Volodymyr Zelensky has told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

This is allowing Moscow to circumvent sanctions, he said.

Watch his full comments below:

Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones on Saturday that damaged energy facilities and critical infrastructure across Ukraine, injuring at least four people, and prompting president Volodymyr Zelensky to issue a fresh plea for more air defence assistance.

Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 35 of 53 Russian missiles and 46 of 47 attack drones used for the strikes, which pile more pressure on Ukraine’s hobbled energy system as the war with Russia is in its third year.

“Russia’s main goal is to normalise terror, to use the lack of sufficient air defence and determination of Ukraine’s partners,” Mr Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.

“Partners know exactly what is needed. Additional ‘Patriots’ and other modern air defence systems for Ukraine. To accelerate and expand F-16 deliveries to Ukraine. To provide our soldiers with all the necessary capabilities.”

The pro-Russian leader of Moldova’s largest opposition party has called for better relations with Russia and China and urged other groups to join forces in fielding a single challenger to pro-European president Maia Sandu in an October election.

Ms Sandu views Russia as one of the biggest threats facing Moldova, which is located between Ukraine and Romania, and has led the effort to join the European Union. A referendum on EU membership will take place alongside the presidential election.

Igor Dodon, the leader of the leftist Socialist party and a former president who was defeated by Ms Sandu in 2020, said Moldova was ignoring its traditional allies, and its pro-European stance ran the risk of dragging the country into conflict.

“Let us return to a normal dialogue with our partners – Russia, China and other countries. This is what we should be doing,” Mr Dodon said in a weekly online broadcast. “There is a lot of work to be done.”

Moldova, he said, should take no further part in military exercises with foreign partners – as have been conducted with US and Romanian forces – or maintain large numbers of reservists.

“Everyone should understand that Moldova stands for peace and will not allow itself to be dragged into geopolitical quarrels as Ukraine has been dragged,” he said.

Ms Sandu sees EU membership for Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries, as the best way to safeguard its sovereignty in the face of what she sees as Russian threats.

A poll published this week put support for Ms Sandu at 30 per cent versus 18 per cent for Mr Dodon. Recent surveys suggest Moldovans will back EU membership, with about 60 per cent in favour of joining the bloc.