- G20 foreign ministers head to a joint summit Friday that will put some of the staunchest critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the same room as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in the first such meeting since the war started in February.
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the “world is in big trouble” due to multiplying issues including the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, adding that multilateralism is the only way to tackle these problems.
- Three people were killed and another five wounded after Russian forces fired rockets at a district in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, the regional governor says.
- At least one person was killed and several wounded in a Russian air raid on the city of Kramatorsk, the mayor says, while the nearby city of Sloviansk also came under fire.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Kyiv and its Western allies that Moscow has not yet started its military campaign in Ukraine “in earnest”.
Here are the latest updates:
Indonesia foreign minister urges G20 to find ways to end Ukraine war
Indonesia’s top diplomat Retno Marsudi has called on the G20 to “find ways to move forward” and end the war in Ukraine sooner rather than later during a speech to open the meeting of foreign ministers from the group.
Retno said multilateralism was the only way to address global challenges and hoped the forum would provide an avenue to address the repercussions of the war, which are rippling across the globe.
War looms large over G20 event as Russia meets rivals in Bali
G20 foreign ministers head to a joint summit on Friday that will put some of the staunchest critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the same room as Moscow’s top diplomat, in the first such meeting since the war started in February.
Russia’s invasion has cast a cloud over Indonesia’s presidency of the Group of 20 largest economies this year, with speculation of boycotts from some members and a walkout in April at a finance ministers’ meeting in Washington. Indonesia’s
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said it was important for the host to “create an atmosphere that’s comfortable for everybody” and the G20 was an opportunity for progress.
Friday’s agenda includes a closed meeting with top diplomats of G20 countries including China, India, the United States, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Japan, South Africa, as well as bilateral talks on the sidelines. Ukraine’s foreign minister is expected to address the meeting virtually.
Brazil’s president says Western sanctions against Russia have failed
Brazil’s president has said that the economic sanctions imposed by the West against Russia had not worked.
“The economic barriers that the United States and Europe imposed against Russia did not work,” Jair Bolsonaro told supporters, adding that his position towards Putin and the war “was one of balance”.
Bolsonaro said that stance had allowed him to acquire fertilisers, a key input for Brazil’s vast agricultural sector, from Russia. He also said Russia shared Brazil’s concerns over “sovereignty” of the Amazon.The president has often described criticism by other nations of his stewardship of the rainforest as an infringement on Brazil’s sovereignty.
Bolsonaro’s comments are likely to go down badly with the United States and many European countries, which have previously criticised Brazil’s engagement with Russia. In June, Bolsonaro and Putin discussed global food security in a phone call, and confirmed their intention to strengthen their strategic partnership.
Black Sea blockade ‘must stop’: Von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the world is “in a defining moment”, and decried Russia’s “senseless” war.
“Indeed, we are in a defining moment. We just barely recovered from COVID, the pandemic, when Russia started the senseless and atrocious invasion in Ukraine with terrible knock on effects not only for the people in Ukraine that are horribly suffering, but also with enormous knock on effects globally of this senseless war,” von der Leyen said alongside Antonio Guterres in New York.
“Russia is blocking the export of grain from Ukraine and thus bringing hunger to millions of people. The blockade of the Black Sea must stop and I’m very grateful, Secretary General, for your tireless work to try to create a solution for the export of Ukraine grain via the Black Sea,” she added.
China’s relationship with Russia shows ‘strong resilience’: Foreign minister
China and Russia have maintained normal exchanges and promoted cooperation in various fields and cast aside any “interference”, showing the “strong resilience” and “strategic resolve” of their relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.
China will also support all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis, Wang told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.
‘Our world is in big trouble’: UN chief
Antonio Guterres has called for “multilateralism” between nations and blocs around the world to deal with ongoing issues including the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Our world is in big trouble. We still have the COVID among us,” Guterres said. “Conflicts are multiplying and we have now the dramatic impact of the Russian invasion in Ukraine that has led to, independently of the suffering of the Ukrainian people, to a terrible crisis, both in food, in energy and in finance.”
“No country can solve these problems alone. We need more than ever, multilateralism, but not any kind of multilateralism, because no organisation can also solve the problems of this world alone. We need the networked multilateralism and the partnership between the EU and the UN is a fundamental pillar of this networked multilateralism,” he said in New York.
UK assures Ukraine of support: Zelenskyy
The United Kingdom has assured Ukraine its support for the embattled country will not change, regardless the leader, Zelenskyy has said, after thanking Johnson for his support.
“Britain’s role in protecting freedom is truly global. And although this is a reflection of the position of British society, the leadership and charisma of the head of state are always of special importance. Especially at such a time – the time of Russia’s full-scale anti-European war, which started its attack on Europe precisely from our state. So it is not surprising that Ukrainians feel personal gratitude to Boris,” Zelenskyy said in his nighttime address.
“But let’s not forget that we are building relations between states. Great Britain’s support for Ukraine should not change, no matter what happens in London’s power circles, both Boris and all our friends in the United Kingdom assured me of this,” he added.
Griner’s guilty plea will not impact release talks with Russia: White House
A guilty plea by US basketball star Brittney Griner, who was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport with vape cartridges containing hashish oil, will not impact negotiations to bring her home, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said.
The move also will not impact talks with Moscow to secure the release of former US Marine Paul Whelan, who is imprisoned in Russia and accused of spying, Jean-Pierre added.
Zelenskyy sends message of hope to followers
Zelenskyy has sent a message of hope to followers on his social media.
Speaking in barely a whisper in a video message issued on Instagram, Zelenskyy said he wanted to share his thoughts at one minute to midnight after 134 days of war.
“We are Ukrainians, simple people, good people, peaceful people who have found themselves at the top of the world news as super heroes. But at what a price! All we wanted to do was live — free and in our own country.”
“But God has his own plan. And if the dragon that had half the world trembling is to be slain and if it befalls us to be the underdog who was given three days to survive and now we are fighting for the fifth month, that means we are able to do it.”
Ukraine’s negotiator dismisses Putin’s comments
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, has dismissed Putin’s comments in which the Russian leader warned that if the West wanted to attempt to beat Russia on the battlefield, “the the last Ukrainian”, it was welcome to try, but this would bring tragedy for Ukraine.
“There is no ‘collective West’ plan,” Podolyak said, blaming only the Russian army “which entered sovereign Ukraine, shelling cities and killing civilians”.
“Everything else is a primitive propaganda. That’s why Mr Putin’s mantra of the ‘war to the last Ukrainian’ is yet another proof of deliberate genocide,” he added.
There is no “collective West” plan. Only a specific z-army which entered sovereign 🇺🇦 , shelling cities and killing civilians. Everything else is a primitive propaganda. That’s why Mr.Putin’s mantra of the “war to the last Ukrainian” is yet another proof of deliberate 🇷🇺 genocide
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) July 7, 2022
Residents of Bakhmut brace for Russian attacks
Residents of Bakhmut, a small town some 50km (31 miles) from Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, say they fear a Russian attack is imminent.
“Looking at what’s happening here, it is exactly how it all started back home. This is only the beginning …The same is going to happen here,” Tetiana Demidova, a 47-year-old evacuee from a village occupied by Russians, told the Reuters news agency.
Others, who like Demidova had to leave their homes before, said they were not going to leave.
“I lived through it all in 2014, I left with my children. And now the same again. I am not going to run again because I have nowhere to run,” 45-year-old Marina Baryshuk said.
Three killed, five injured in Kharkiv: Governor
Three people were killed and another five were wounded on Thursday after Russian forces fired rockets at a district in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, the regional governor has said.
“Three civilians were killed and five were wounded as a result of shelling of the Nemyshlianskyi district,” Oleh Synehubov wrote on Telegram.
He said other attacks occurred throughout the Kharkiv region, including populated areas of the towns Chuhuiv, Izyum and Bohodukhiv.
One killed, several wounded in Kramatorsk: Officials
At least one person was killed and several wounded in a Russian air raid on the heart of the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, the mayor said.
Governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said the missile had damaged six buildings including a hotel and an apartment bloc in the large industrial hub.
The nearby city of Sloviansk, also in the Donetsk region, also came under fire. Mayor Vadym Lyakh said there had been casualties but gave no further details.
Ukrainian officials have said they expect Kramatorsk and Sloviansk to become the next focus of Russia’s offensive.
White House reaffirms ‘strong alliance’ with UK after Johnson quits
The White House has reaffirmed Washington’s “strong alliance” with the United Kingdom, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday.
During a briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States and the UK will continue to work together on a range of issues, including support for Ukraine against “Putin’s brutal war”.
In a statement, US President Joe Biden said he looks forward to further close cooperation with the UK government, without mentioning Johnson who resigned in the face of scandal.
Read all the updates for July 7 here.
