(Bloomberg) — The UK plans to send rocket systems to Ukraine that will let it strike locations as far as 80 kilometers (50 miles) away less than a week after the US said it would provide similar weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened in an interview with state TV aired Sunday to strike new targets in Ukraine if longer-range missiles are delivered.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited troops near the front in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, about 60% of which is occupied by the Russian army.
Kyiv said a Russian general was killed in fighting.
Russia has agreed with Turkey and Ukraine on a preliminary plan to ship Ukrainian grain from Odesa, Izvestia reported, citing an unidentified person familiar with the matter.
The New York Times reported the Kremlin has been looking to profit from grain it plundered from Ukraine.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
(All times in CET)
- Ukraine’s Tactics Show Smaller Countries How to Fight Back
- Putin Critic Kallas Needs New Allies to Stay in Power in Estonia
- What Are War Crimes?
Could Putin Face Prosecution?: QuickTake
- China’s Yuan-Ruble Trading Volumes Fail to Match Russian Frenzy
- Rusal Starts Legal Action Over Rio’s Refinery Block, Paper Says
Ukraine Says Russian General Killed (8:31 a.m.)
Russian Major General Roman Kutuzov was killed, Ukraine’s army said on its Facebook page.
Earlier, Meduza reported Kutuzov died in fighting in the Luhansk region, citing a journalist for Russian state-run television station. Russia’s Defense Ministry hasn’t commented.
Report Says Russia, Turkey Agree on Plan to Ship Grain (5:24 a.m.)
According to the plan, Turkish warships would demine the coastal area near Odesa and escort grain vessels to neutral waters of the Black Sea, Russia’s Izvestia reported.
A “road map” will be approved as early as Wednesday during a visit of the Russian foreign and defense ministers to Turkey, the newspaper said.
UK to Send Rocket Systems (12:01 a.m.)
The UK is to send multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced.
The move has been coordinated closely with the US decision to send the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System variant of MLRS to Ukraine, where forces have requested longer-range precision weapons.
“As Russia’s tactics change, so must our support to Ukraine,” Wallace said.
“These highly capable multiple-launch rocket systems will enable our Ukrainian friends to better protect themselves against the brutal use of long-range artillery, which Putin’s forces have used indiscriminately to flatten cities.”
The M270 weapons system, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can strike targets up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away with high accuracy, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Defence.
The UK will also supply M31A1 munitions “at scale.”
Russia Seeks Buyers for Plundered Grain, New York Times Says (12:01 a.m.)
The US has told more than a dozen countries that Putin’s government is trying to sell plundered wheat from Ukraine to drought-stricken African nations, the New York Times reported citing a diplomatic cable.
The paper said that in mid-May, the US sent a notification to 14 countries, mostly in Africa, of Russian cargo vessels leaving ports near Ukraine laden with what the cable said was “stolen Ukrainian grain.”
Ukraine has accused Russia of looting grain in occupied areas and selling it abroad, and local traders have said Russian troops have confiscated grain, equipment and fertilizers in occupied areas in the country’s southeast.
Read more: Egypt Says It Refused Undocumented Ukrainian Grain Shipment
Lavrov’s Visit to Serbia Abandoned After Flight Ban (9:49 p.m.)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s planned visit to Serbia on June 6-7 won’t take place after Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro didn’t grant permission for his plane to fly in their airspace, Interfax news wire reported, citing an unidentified, high-ranking official from the ministry.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
