Russia Ukraine war latest: Putin’s Kyiv strikes ‘damaged US Patriot system’

The wave of Russian strikes has likely caused damage to the US-made Patriot missile defence system being used by Ukraine, two US officials said on Tuesday, adding that it did not appear to have been destroyed.

Washington and Kyiv were already talking about the best way to repair the system and at this point it did not appear the system would have to be removed from Ukraine, one of the officials said on the condition of anonymity.

The official added that the US would have a better understanding in the coming days and information could change over time.

This comes just hours after Russia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed a US-built Patriot surface-to-air missile defence system with a “hypersonic” Kinzhal missile in an overnight strike on Ukraine but did not share more details.

Vladimir Putin had issued a clear threat to damage and “weed out” the West-supplied Patriot anti-missile defence system to Ukraine.

Ukraine shot down 18 Russian missiles overnight, including an entire volley of six Kinzhals. It was not clear which Western weapon Ukraine used.

When asked about the Ukrainian claim, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu dismissed it. The Pentagon had no immediate comment.

The Patriot is one of the most advanced US air defence systems, designed to work against a mix of aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. It typically includes launchers along with radar and other support vehicles.

“We haven’t reached a solution yet,” said Wopke Hoekstra, the Dutch Foreign Minister, when asked about talks to between the Netherlands , the UK, Denmark, Belgium and other partners to possibly deliver F-16’s to Ukraine.

“When we are ready to cross that bridge and are ready to communicate this, we will.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Tuesday that he had agreed with his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, to “work to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F-16 jets.”

Ukraine’s forces are about ready to start a counter offensive claimed a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The key may not be breaking through Russian lines so much as the “cognitive effect” any attack has on the Kremlin says Dan Sabbagh, The Guardian’s defence editor, in a Twitter thread.

Ukrainians will have to be “able to show that they are having momentum” perhaps pushing towards to the Sea of Azov.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a top Chinese envoy that Kyiv would not accept any peace proposals that involved losing territory to Russia, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, became the first senior Chinese envoy to visit Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Since the start of the invasion China has leant towards Russia and avoided referring to Russia’s actions as invasion.

In a statement the Ukrainian foreign ministry said:

“Kuleba briefed the special envoy of the Chinese government in detail on the principles of restoring a sustainable and just peace based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said.

“He stressed that Ukraine did not accept any proposals involving the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict.”

Today UN secretary-general António Guterres has also welcome the extension of the deal that will enable the safe export of Ukraine grain via the Black Sea for 60 more days.

Guterres told reporters: “The continuation is good news for the world.

“Looking ahead, we hope that exports of food and fertilisers, including ammonia, from the Russian Federation and Ukraine will be able to reach global supply chains safely and predictably.”

He noted that there are still issues and Ukraine will continue to discuss these with Turkey, Russia and the UN.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Poland could not supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

Speaking to journalists at a summit in Iceland, Duda said Poland has a “relatively small number” of F-16s. This meant that supplying Ukraine with these jets was not an option.

However, Dudad said Poland was ready to “support the process of training Ukrainian pilots.”

“We donated unprecedented amounts of armaments to the EU, we donated more than 300 tanks to Ukraine, we donated almost all our MiG-29s, which Ukraine asked us for from the very beginning of the war,” he added.

Devastating photos show before and after shots of some buildings destroyed in Bakhmut, Ukraine.

The satellite pictures show a school, university and a theatre in Bakhmut before the recent strikes.

They also show homes and shops in the city, which is in eastern Ukraine.

In the photos taken after the attacks, smoke can be seen rising up from buildings and everything has been destroyed, including trees and green spaces.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, the agreement that allows Ukraine to continue exporting its grain without Russian attacks, has been extended for 60 more days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on May 17.

“The Black Sea grain corridor deal has been extended by two months with the efforts of Turkey,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech.

He also thanked the Russian and Ukrainian leaders and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres for their help.

Negotiations went down to the wire with fears of worsening global food shortages if the agreement lapsed.

As part of the agreement Russia will recieve help with exporting its grain and fertiliser.

A Ukrainian-born activist was jailed for seven years by a Russian court on Wednesday for “justifying terrorism”, according to a Telegram channel petitioning for his release.

Mikhail Krieger, 63, was arrested last November over social media posts he wrote in 2020 in which he praised two men who staged attacks on buildings of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) as “heroes”.

Prosecutors also said Krieger had “incited hatred” when he posted in 2020 that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be hanged, according to Russian news outlet Insider. They had sought a nine-year prison term, according to the Telegram channel organized in Krieger’s support.

He denied the charges against him and spoke out during the trial against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“I consider this war to be that rare conflict in which the truth is 100% present on one side. And that side is Ukraine,” Krieger said on Wednesday, referring to himself as a native of Ukraine, according to the Telegram channel.

Fighters from Russia’s mercenary group Wagner are entering Bakhmut “like rats” going to a trap, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces has said.

Oleksandr Syrskyi visited troops on the frontline in Bahmut, which has become the longest-running battle since Russia invaded in February last year.

“Wagner’s men went into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap,” he said, referring to the Russian paramilitary group.