Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Pelosi backs Zelensky –
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi voices support for Ukraine’s “fight for freedom” at a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on a visit to Kyiv, US and Ukrainian officials say.
“We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom… Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done,” Pelosi tells Zelensky.
– Angelina Jolie visits Lviv –
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie makes a surprise appearance in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv where she meets displaced people and is spotted in a cafe.
Jolie also visited injured children at a hospital and spoke to volunteers. The actress is a UNHCR special envoy but it was not known if she was visiting the country in that capacity.
– Turkey spokesman meets Zelensky –
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, his office says.
There were no immediate details about the content of Kalin’s meeting, but Ankara has been mediating between Ukraine and Russia in efforts to end the war.
– Civilian group leaving Mariupol –
A group of 20 civilians are leaving the Azovstal steelworks, where the last Ukrainian troops are holed up in the Black Sea port of Mariupol, the soldiers there say.
Their departure could signal the start of a long-awaited larger evacuation of the last hold-out in the Russian-held city.
– Missile hits Odessa airport –
A Russian missile destroys the runway at Odessa airport in southern Ukraine but there are no victims, the regional governor Maxim Marchenko says on his Telegram account.
– Russian plane enters Swedish air space: Stockholm –
A Russian reconnaissance plane briefly violated Sweden’s airspace, Swedish defence officials say, as the Scandinavian country ponders a bid for NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
– Ukrainians freed in prisoner swap –
Fourteen Ukrainians including a pregnant soldier have been freed in the latest prisoner exchange with Russian forces, Ukraine says, without revealing the number of Russians returned to Moscow.
The exchange of seven military personnel and seven civilians included a soldier who is five months pregnant, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announces on Telegram.
– More bodies found near Bucha –
The bodies of three men shot in the head and with their hands tied have been found in a pit near Bucha, a town close to Kyiv, police say.
There were also traces of torture, says the statement. Bucha has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes since dozens of bodies were first discovered there in early April.
– France to ‘intensify’ aid –
French President Emmanuel Macron says France will “intensify” its supply of military and humanitarian support following a conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
– Kharkiv shelled again –
Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv is hit by multiple Russian shellings, though President Zelensky says Ukrainian forces are making “tactical successes” in the region.
One person was killed and five injured, Kharkiv’s regional military administration says on Telegram.
– 13 million uprooted –
More than 5.4 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded two months ago, with tens of thousands joining their ranks every day, the United Nations says.
Beyond the refugees, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates more than 7.7 million people have been displaced within Ukraine, meaning that more than 13 million people overall have been uprooted by the conflict.
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