Ukraine Latest: China Pushes Its Cease-Fire Plan to More Leaders

(Bloomberg) – China has urged Europe to back its proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, despite the US saying Beijing’s plan would freeze the Kremlin’s territorial gains. President Xi Jinping will meet with other dignitaries, including leaders of Brazil and Spain, to push the draft forward.

Ukraine’s president called on European Union leaders to convene a “peace summit” in “one of the world’s capitals” as he addressed an EU leaders’ meeting in Brussels via video on Thursday.

Meeting officials in Brussels approved plans to send a million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine over 12 months. Four MiG-29 fighter jets have been transferred to Kiev from Slovakia, out of a total of 13 to be donated by the EU nation.

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(All times CET)

Three Women Killed by Rockets in Eastern Ukraine (7:00 am)

The women were killed when a Russian missile hit a “point of invincibility” in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, according to the Kiev prosecutor general’s office. Two people were injured. The Russians used S300 missiles, originally designed to intercept missiles.

Thousands of “points of invincibility” have been set up across Ukraine to provide residents with basic services – from internet access and cell phone charging to drinking water supplies, first aid and personal care products.

Wheat Prices Fall With Focus on Russian Exports (6:38 am)

Chicago wheat futures are heading for their biggest weekly loss in a month as traders assess the strength of Russian exports.

Black Sea wheat continues to dominate the trade as the 2022-23 marketing year draws to a close. Russian shipments tend to run out at this time of year, but large stocks from last year’s bumper crop mean exports are running hot.

Read more: Wheat faces weekly decline with focus on Russian exports

China calls on Europe to back its draft (4am)

China’s top diplomat has urged Europe to play a role in supporting the peace talks, even as the US said Beijing’s latest plan would effectively freeze the Kremlin’s territorial gains in eastern and southern Ukraine over the past year.

“A ceasefire, ending the war, resuming peace talks and finding a political solution to the crisis should become the strategic consensus between China and Europe,” Wang Yi, a diplomatic adviser to the French president, said in a phone call on Thursday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s diplomatic foray is gaining momentum after his return from Moscow. Xi is set to meet with more dignitaries as he tries to spark impetus for a ceasefire proposal to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Xi’s diplomatic push picks up steam again after Moscow visit

Zelenskyi Says Residents Return to Destroyed Villages (10:45 p.m.)

Zelenskyi said he had returned from a tour of Kherson in the south, where about 50 villages had been almost completely destroyed by the Russians. However, he added that residents would be coming back anyway.

“In some places more than 90% of the buildings in the villages have been destroyed. But even to such villages, people are returning, and it is proof that life is still alive,” he said in his late-night address on Thursday.

“I would like to especially thank everyone involved in demining,” added Zelenskiy. It’s nice to see when the fields of the Kherson region, cleared by Russian mines and shells, are cultivated again, come alive again.

Zelenskyy calls on EU to convene “peace summit” in a world capital (8:17 p.m.)

Zelenskyy called on European Union leaders to hold a “peace summit” in “one of the world’s capitals” because the convening in Kyiv means not all leaders could attend.

“Wouldn’t that add to Europe’s global strength? I will certainly do that,” Zelenskyy said in a video address ahead of the EU leaders’ meeting in Brussels.

The Ukrainian President also repeated his calls for long-range missiles and modern fighter jets, as well as faster delivery of weapons and ammunition that had already been promised.

Ukraine backs away from claim that Russia abandoned Nova Kakhovka (7:21 p.m.)

The Ukrainian military retracted a claim that Russian troops had abandoned the southern Ukrainian town of Nova Kakhovka, which would have come as a surprise given Moscow’s attempts to advance into eastern Ukraine. It blamed inaccurate information it received.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said on Facebook that “inmates are still staying in Nova Kakhovka. Information about the enemy’s withdrawal from the city was released due to improper use of the available data.”

Handover of four Slovak fighter jets to Ukraine (2:45 p.m.)

Kiev received its first four MiG-29 jets from Slovakia on Thursday, with Ukrainian pilots flying the fighter jets. The rest of Slovakia’s Soviet-era warplanes will be transported in the coming weeks, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said in a statement.

Slovakia last week approved sending 13 MiG-29 jets to Ukraine as part of a broader military aid deal.

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