Zelenskyy will reportedly attend G-7 in person; China says there’s ‘no panacea’ to end Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the Group of Seven meetings in person on Sunday, Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the preparations on Friday.

The surprise visit comes after the president was expected to attend the meetings virtually instead.

Zelenskyy's trip to Hiroshima is "aimed at hardening western resolve in support of Ukraine and winning over other non-G7 attendees at the summit, including India and Brazil," the Financial Times report said.

— Jihye Lee

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join a meeting about Ukraine on Sunday during the G-7 leaders summit.

Kishida said that the meeting regarding Ukraine was originally slated for Friday.

The Japanese leader also said that during a bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden the two discussed "committing to close cooperation with the G-7 nations to severe measures against Russia," according to an NBC News report.

— Amanda Macias

Ukraine's deputy defense minister said on her official Telegram channel that the fierce battle of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut continues.

"The enemy has been attacking Bakhmut all day today. All attacks were repelled by our defenders," wrote Hanna Maliar on Telegram, according to an NBC News translation. She said that Russians have "significantly strengthened" their forces in the area but calling in additional reserve troops.

"The enemy went on the offensive and tried to regain the lost territories, but suffered losses and was unable to complete its tasks," she said, adding that Ukrainian troops were able to advance by approximately half a mile.

"For now, we are buying time for certain planned actions," Maliar added.

— Amanda Macias

A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity per ground rules established by the White House, said G-7 members are planning on rolling out new sanctions and export controls on Russia.

"Tomorrow you will hear a powerful statement of unity, strength and commitment in our response to Russia's war of aggression," the senior administration official said on a conference call with reporters.

"We have taken an array of actions to hold Russia accountable in coordination with our G-7 partners, we've put in place the largest set of sanctions and export control actions ever imposed on a major economy," the official said of the coordinated rounds of sanctions imposed on Moscow since the start of the war in late February.

The official said that the Biden administration will also be "rolling out a substantial package of our own" but declined to provide specific details other than the sanctions will address evasion loopholes.

— Amanda Macias

More than 8.2 million Ukrainians are refugees and have moved to nearby countries since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, the U.N. Refugee Agency estimates.

More than 5.1 million of those people have applied for temporary resident status in neighboring Western European countries, according to data collected by the agency.

According to the data, which was last updated on Monday, Poland has received the majority of Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia's war.

"The escalation of conflict in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance," the U.N. Refugee Agency wrote.

— Amanda Macias

No ships left Ukrainian ports following the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The deal, which was extended one day before its expiry, established a humanitarian sea corridor for agricultural exports.

On Wednesday, a Barbados-flagged vessel departed from Ukraine's port of Chornomorsk carrying 30,000 metric tons of corn destined for Turkey.

Since August 1, nearly 1,000 ships carrying more than 30.2 million metric tons of agricultural products and foodstuffs have left Ukraine for global ports, according to figures provided by the United Nations.

— Amanda Macias

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend G-7 meetings in Japan virtually as allies work to find additional ways to hold Russia accountable for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy met with several G-7 countries in European capitals ahead of the meetings in Japan.

The group once known as the G-8 included the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Russia — but was trimmed down to the G-7 in 2014 following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.

Russia's annexation of the peninsula on the Black Sea triggered international uproar and a slew of sanctions aimed at Moscow. Shortly after the annexation, war broke out in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

— Amanda Macias

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow had agreed to renew the Black Sea grain deal for two months even though it did not see results when it came to implementing the parts of it which apply to Russia.

Speaking at a press conference with his Ugandan counterpart, Lavrov said the deal was aimed at bolstering the food security of the world's poorest people.

Lavrov denied that Russia's renewal of the part Turkish-brokered deal was related to presidential elections in Turkey.

— Reuters

Andrii Nebytov, the head of the Kyiv division of the National Police, posted images on his Telegram channel purportedly showing the burning remnants of a Russian cruise missile.

The images were posted the day after Russia launched another missile strike on the capital Kyiv. No casualties were reported but debris from destroyed, incoming missiles fell to the ground in several districts of the city, Ukrainian officials said.

"Russia tried again to hit our capital with missiles. Thanks to the professional actions of the fighters of the Air Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the plans of the enemy failed once again," Nebytov said.

"The police officers inspect the places where the debris fell and record the damage. So far, no significant damage has been recorded, and there are no injured persons."

The official reminded civilians not to touch any fragments of missiles, drones other unknown objects under any circumstances, advising them instead to call a special hotline and await the arrival of specialist services to deal with the debris.

— Holly Ellyatt

Rail traffic has been suspended between Simferopol and Sevastopol in the Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea after a freight train carrying grain was derailed, Russian-installed officials said Thursday.

Crimea's Russian-installed leader Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram that train wagons carrying grain were derailed but there were no casualties.

"The movement of electric trains on the stage Simferopol - Sevastopol is suspended," Aksyonov said, saying bus transfers would be organized for civilians wanting to use the route.

The Crimean Parliament speaker Vladimir Konstantinov was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying the cause of the accident, which derailed eight wagons, was an explosion.

"The explosion occurred due to the intervention of unauthorized persons, law enforcement agencies are working, we will wait for official information," he said.

"Of course, these are all tricks of the Ukrainian terrorist team. They sent those people here. Of course, these are not Crimeans."

Ukraine has been accused by Russia of being behind other acts of sabotage in and around Crimea, such as an explosion that damaged Russia's prized Kerch Strait Bridge linking Crimea and the Russian mainland. Kyiv denied any involvement in the incident. Kyiv has not publicly commented on the latest incident involving the railway.

— Holly Ellyatt

The Kremlin said on Thursday that a decision to freeze the bank accounts of Finnish embassies and consulates in Russia was a response to what it called the unfriendly acts of "the collective West", including Finland.

Officials from Finland and Denmark said on Wednesday that the diplomatic bank accounts of both countries in Russia had been frozen, prompting their embassies to make payments in cash.

Finland, which has a long border with Russia, formally joined NATO on April 4 in a historic policy shift triggered by Russia's war on Ukraine, something Moscow calls "a special military operation."

Russian embassies across Europe have had problems with their bank accounts since, and in some cases have had funds confiscated to punish Moscow for its actions in Ukraine.

Commenting on Russia's freezing of Finnish diplomatic bank accounts, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:

"This is not an initiative from the Russian side. We are reacting to the situation created by the authorities of several countries of the collective West, including, to our regret, Finland."

Peskov said Russia never left what he called "unfriendly actions" unanswered.

— Reuters

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wished his compatriots a happy "Vyshyvanka Day" Thursday, a day used to celebrate Ukraine's folk traditions and culture with the national costume, the "vyshyvanka."

The vyshyvanka is an embroidered, traditional shirt or dress and the day celebrating the iconic dress falls on the third Thursday in May. Different regions in Ukraine have their own vyshyvanka style, designs and colors.

Zelenskyy posted a picture of himself wearing a vyshyvanka on Telegram, saying the shirts "symbolize the unity of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar peoples. Symbols of our strength and our desire to live in our home."

"Let this year's Vyshyvanka Day in Ukraine be a reminder of what our people have been through and how strong our culture is. Eternal memory to all our people whose lives were taken by totalitarian regimes," Zelenskyy said.

Vyshyvanka Day has become more even more symbolic and significant in the last two years as Ukraine fights for its sovereignty and the restoration of its territorial integrity as well as its culture and traditions.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine's military said it shot down 29 of 30 missiles launched by Russia overnight in the latest series of strikes to target the capital Kyiv as well as the southern port city of Odesa, where one person was killed.

It was the ninth time since the start of May that Kyiv was targeted, but officials said all incoming missiles targeting the city had been destroyed, although falling debris caused some damage. No casualties have been reported so far.

"All targets over Kyiv were shot down," General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said in a statement on Telegram.

The 30 cruise missiles fired at Ukrainian targets overnight included 22 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles launched from the air and six "Kalibr" cruise missiles, fired from Russian warships in the Black Sea.
Two "Iskander-K" cruise missiles from ground-based missile systems were also launched.

Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive by Ukraine. Earlier this week, the capital was targeted, with one official describing the number of missiles used in a short time as "exceptional."

— Holly Ellyatt

China said it's willing to help bring about a cease-fire in Ukraine, but said "there is no panacea to resolve the crisis," as it called on Russia and Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.

"All parties need to start from themselves, build mutual trust and create conditions to stop the war and talk," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Thursday after a visit by China's special representative on Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, to Ukraine.

Li met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the visit, as well as other ministers, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

"The two sides exchanged views on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and China-Ukraine relations," the Chinese foreign ministry said, noting that the two sides agreed they should "work together to continue the tradition of mutual respect and sincere treatment between the two sides and keep the mutually beneficial cooperation moving forward."

Li affirmed China's position on a political settlement (Beijing has already issued a proposed peace plan, although it lacks substance) to the "crisis," the ministry said, but noted "there is no panacea to resolve the crisis, but all parties need to start from themselves, build mutual trust and create conditions to stop the war and talk."

China tends to call the war in Ukraine a "crisis" and has refused to condemn Russia's unprovoked invasion, remaining close to its ally Moscow throughout the war. It did, however, make a reference to the "war" in its latest statement.

"China is willing to promote the formation of the broadest common understanding in the international community to resolve the crisis in Ukraine and make its own efforts to stop the war and ceasefire and restore peace as soon as possible," it said.

It insisted that "China has always played a constructive role in its own way to ease the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine within its capabilities."

— Holly Ellyatt

China is walking a diplomatic tightrope when it comes to trying to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, wanting to appear neutral enough to gain Kyiv's trust while wanting to ensure any deal doesn't hurt its ally Moscow.

Beijing — which has sent representatives to Ukraine, Russia and several European countries this week in a bid to lay the groundwork for peace talks — has a particular vested interest in Moscow not looking like it has been "defeated" in any settlement as this could backfire on Beijing, analysts note.

"A total Russian defeat does not serve Chinese interest, especially if it leads to [President Vladimir] Putin's demise," Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States, told CNBC Tuesday.

"Russia is an increasingly important partner for [Chinese President] Xi Jinping. There is no other country that can help weaken U.S. leadership in the world and revise the international order," she added.

Read more on the story here: China walks a tightrope, searching for a Ukraine peace deal that doesn't hurt its ally Russia

— Holly Ellyatt

Kyiv was hit by another series of Russian missile attacks overnight, with one official describing it as "unprecedented" in terms of intensity.

Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv city military administration, said on Telegram overnight that "a series of air attacks on Kyiv, unprecedented in their power, intensity and variety, continues."

"This time the attack was carried out by strategic bombers Tu-95MS, Tu-160 from the Caspian region, probably by cruise missiles of the X-101/555 type. After launching the rockets, the enemy deployed its reconnaissance UAVs [drones] over the capital," Popko said.

He said preliminary information suggested that all incoming missiles had been detected and destroyed. Final information on the number, type of missiles and UAVs would soon be announced by Ukraine's air force. There was no information on any injuries from the strike.

Debris from destroyed rockets fell on several districts of the capital, causing a fire at a garage.

The latest attack is the ninth since the start of the month. On Tuesday, Kyiv was hit by another massive attack that it said involved cruise and ballistic missiles, and drones. CNBC was unable to immediately verify the details in Popko's post.

— Holly Ellyatt

Maxar satellite images capture the brutal fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the city of Bakhmut.

The eastern Ukrainian city in the Donetsk region, which has largely been reduced to rubble, has been the site of intense conflict for several weeks.

— Maxar Technologies via Getty Images

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Li Hui, the special representative of China, during a two-day visit to Ukraine, according to a statement provided by the Ukrainian government and translated by NBC News.

The meeting comes on the heels of a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.

Kuleba reiterated to Li that Kyiv will not accept proposals that would involve the forfeiture of Ukrainian sovereign territory to Russia in order to end the ongoing conflict.

— Amanda Macias

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the decision between Russia, Ukraine and Turkey to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative for another two months.

The agreement, which established a humanitarian sea corridor for agricultural exports in July, was set to expire on Thursday.

"These agreements matter for global food security.  Ukrainian and Russian products feed the world," Guterres told reporters at the United Nations. "I hope we will reach a comprehensive agreement to improve, expand and extend the [Black Sea Grain] Initiative – as I proposed in a recent letter to the Presidents of the three countries," he added.

Since August, nearly 1,000 ships carrying more than 30.2 million metric tons of agricultural products and foodstuffs have left Ukrainian ports for global destinations, according to figures provided by the United Nations.

— Amanda Macias

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a humanitarian sea corridor for Ukrainian agricultural exports, will be extended for another two months.

Erdogan, who announced the extension of the current deal on Twitter, thanked Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations for carrying out the negotiations.

The deal, which was brokered in July to reopen key Ukrainian ports, was set to expire on May 18.

Under the agreement, nearly 1,000 ships carrying more than 30 million metric tons of agricultural products have departed from Ukraine's ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny-Pivdennyi.

Moscow has previously threatened to leave the current agreement because it claims that the deal only benefits Kyiv.

— Amanda Macias

Momentum appears to be building behind Ukraine's so-called "jets coalition," but it remains to be seen who will supply the fighter aircraft.

Ukraine has been requesting fighter aircraft to combat Russia's invasion for months. Its preference is to receive F-16s, jets operated by the U.S. as well as Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The U.K., which does not operate F-16s, said earlier this week that it's happy to train Ukrainian pilots and, on Tuesday, the prime ministers of Britain and the Netherlands agreed "they would work to build international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F16 jets."

Belgium's prime minister said Wednesday that Belgium is also ready to train pilots to fly such jets, but cannot provide the aircraft. The U.S. previously ruled out providing F-16s too.

Denmark previously seemed more amenable to the idea, with its defense minister saying in February that it is "open" to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

For now, however, Ukraine has international partners willing to help it procure the aircraft but not willing to provide them.

— Holly Ellyatt

Turkey says grain deal has been extended for Ukrainian shipping corridor