Closing summary
Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates were among countries participating at a summit on peace for Ukraine that did not sign a final communique, the Swiss government has said, Reuters reports. Brazil, which attended the summit as an “observer” country, did not sign on, but Turkey — which has sought a role as intermediary between Russia and Ukraine — did.
The vast majority – 80 of the 90 or so countries taking part – did sign the communique. The statement reiterated that Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” should be respected in any peace deal to end the war.
The final document also called for all prisoners of war to be released in a “complete exchange” and for all Ukrainian children who had been “deported and unlawfully displaced” to be returned to Ukraine. Working groups at the summit also addressed the issues of global food security and nuclear safety. And the countries also called for Ukraine to have “full sovereign control” over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the participants at this weekend’s peace summit had agreed to continue working in special groups afterwards and that once “action plans for peace” were ready, a path to a second summit would be open.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday dismissed a peace proposal presented by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin as unreasonable, saying meeting Moscow’s demands would make Kyiv even more vulnerable to further aggression. “Not only does Ukraine have to give up the territory that Russia currently occupies but Ukraine has to leave additional sovereign Ukrainian territory,” Sullivan said at the peace summit.
Canada plans to host a gathering of foreign ministers in the coming months to advance work on the human cost of the war in Ukraine, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said.
Hostages held at a detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov by detainees affiliated with Isis were released unharmed and their captors killed after special forces stormed the facility. It was not immediately clear how many of the six hostage-takers had been killed.
Kyiv held its first LGBTQ+ pride march since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Several hundred LGBTQ+ Ukrainian servicemen and women and their supporters marched in central Kyiv to demand more rights and highlight their service to their country in its war with Russia.
A follow-up summit to this weekend’s talks in Switzerland aimed at paving the way for peace in Ukraine is conceivable before the US presidential election in November, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said, Reuters reports.
Where the next conference could be held was unclear at the conclusion of the summit of world leaders in Switzerland.
AFP spoke to some of the attendees at the pride march in Kyiv earlier today.
“Even through the attacks, we need to come and show up. We are such a country, such a nation, we don’t give up. If our rights are taken, we fight for them,” said 27-year-old Dina Ivanova.
She contrasted the situation in Ukraine with that of Russia, where the Kremlin has accelerated its repression of the LGBTQ+ community since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022. “I’m very happy that I live in a country where I can even go to pride,” she said. “Those damned Russians can’t.”
Among the participants were several openly LGBTQ soldiers, including 28-year-old Petro Zherukha, whose unit gave him leave to attend the rally.
Polls show a growing acceptance of gay, lesbian and transgender people since the outbreak of the war, with LGBTQ+ soldiers joining the ranks of the armed forces.
“For many of my comrades, I was the first LGBT person they had ever seen, Zherukha said. “It was as if they had come into contact with an alien.”
“There were a lot of questions, but I think that after we talked a lot ... everything became very cool,” he said.
The lack of a legal framework for same-sex couples means that the partners of LGBTQ soldiers killed or wounded may not even be informed of what happened to their loved ones. “Is that fair, when people are sacrificing their lives? No,” said Marlene Scandal, a drag queen crowned with rainbow flowers and a blue-and-yellow Ukrainian trident.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that China should communicate its peace proposals on ending the war with Russia to Ukraine directly, instead of doing so via media outlets, Reuters reports.
The Ukrainian leader made the comment at a news conference in Switzerland after this weekend’s international summit to build consensus on how to end the war came to a close. China snubbed the summit.
Here are some more pictures from the pride march by LGBTQ+ soldiers and their supporters in Kyiv earlier today. It was the first pride march to be held in Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Several hundred LGBTQ+ Ukrainian servicemen and women and their supporters marched in central Kyiv to demand more rights and highlight their service to their country in its war with Russia.
The soldiers called on the government to grant them official partnership rights. The march took places under a heavy police guard amid threats from counter protesters.
Updated
Russian special forces freed two guards and killed several men linked to Islamic State who had taken them hostage at a detention centre in the southern city of Rostov earlier today.
You can read our report at the link below.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the participants at this weekend’s peace summit had agreed to continue working in special groups afterwards and that once “action plans for peace” were ready, a path to a second summit would be open, Reuters reports.
“We agreed to start to work in special after-summit groups on specific ideas, proposals and developments that can restore security in various aspects,” the leader told a joint news conference.
“When the action plans for peace are ready and when every step is worked out, the path will be opened for the second peace summit.”
Updated
Canada plans meeting to tackle human cost of Ukraine war, Trudeau says
Canada plans to host a gathering of foreign ministers in the coming months to advance work on the human cost of the war in Ukraine, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said.
Trudeau was speaking alongside Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other leaders at the closing of this weekend’s Ukraine peace summit.
Some more detail about the countries that did – and did not – sign up to that final communique, according to AP.
Brazil, which attended the summit as an “observer” country, did not sign on, but Turkey — which has sought a role as intermediary between Russia and Ukraine — did.
As reported earlier, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates — which were represented by foreign ministers or lower-level envoys — were among those that did not sign onto the final document.
Leaders have been delivering their final remarks as this weekend’s Ukraine peace summit draws to a close.
While some key developing nations opted not to sign the final communique that reiterated Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the vast majority of the more than 90 participating countries did.
Viola Amherd, the Swiss president who hosted the event, told the final news conference that the fact that the “great majority” of participants agreed to the final document “shows what diplomacy can achieve.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the “first steps toward peace” at the meeting, and said the joint communique remains “open for accession by everyone who respects the UN Charter.”
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive commission, said the conference was rightly called “Path to Peace” because peace won’t be achieved in a single step.
“It was not a peace negotiation because Putin is not serious about ending the war. He is insisting on capitulation. He is insisting on ceding Ukrainian territory – even territory that today is not occupied by him,” she said. “He is insisting on disarming Ukraine, leaving it vulnerable to future aggression. No country would ever accept these outrageous terms.”
As many countries celebrate Father’s Day today, the Guardian has published four letters from fathers on the frontline, who share their love, fears and dreams for their children.
Below is an excerpt of a letter Danylo Khomutovsky, a driver and frontline medic with Hospitallers, a volunteer group in Ukraine, wrote to his children, Lera* and Sasha*. You can read the full piece here.
Dear Lera and Sasha,
… The weather in eastern Ukraine is terrible. Our vehicles got stuck in the mud and it’s risky in the forest. The Russians shot at us with artillery. My commander Borsuk didn’t even flinch – he said it was far away – but I ducked in fear …
I am counting the days – it is just three weeks to go until you and your mother arrive to see me. It’s a short wait compared with the months we’ve already been apart. I am excited to see how you’ve grown and who you are becoming. I truly believe you have a gift for mathematics and, away from Ukraine and this terrible war, you will get to use it.
We’ll go trout fishing soon and eat our catch. We will climb Mount Pikui together, like we used to before the war. Soon the connection will be better and I will be able to call to read you a bedtime story.
Please tell your mother that I love her and that I am well and I yearn to be with you both. I love you both deeply, and can’t wait to hug you tightly.
Kisses and love,
Dad
* Names have been changed to protect their identities
A Russian soldier has said his country’s army is suffering heavy losses in its offensive in Kharkiv, Pjotr Sauer reports.
Anton Andreev, a Russian soldier from the fifth company of the 1009th regiment, painted a bleak picture of Russia’s offensive in the Ukrainian northern region of Kharkiv.
His unit had been decimated, he said, with only 12 out of 100 soldiers still alive as they came under constant Ukrainian fire and drones in Vovchansk, a prime target of Russia’s advances.
“They just chop us up. We are sent under machine guns, under drones in daylight, like meat. And commanders just shout ‘forward and forward’,” Andreev said in a video message.
You can read Pjotr’s full report at the link below.
Ukraine peace summit says 'dialogue between all parties' needed to end war
While key players including India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates opted out of signing the final communique from this weekend’s Ukraine peace summit, 80 of the 90 or so countries in attendance did sign up to the document.
The communique reiterated that Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” should be respected in any peace deal to end the war, as they said “dialogue between all parties” would be necessary for a lasting settlement.
The vast majority of countries also backed a call for the full exchange of captured soldiers and return of deported Ukrainian children.
“We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties,” the document stated.
It added: “We reaffirm our commitment to ... the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognised borders.”
More than 90 countries had gathered in the Swiss resort of Burgenstock for the summit, dedicated to discussing Kyiv’s proposals for a route out of the conflict. Moscow was not invited and has rejected the summit as “absurd” and pointless.
The final document also called for all prisoners of war to be released in a “complete exchange” and for all Ukrainian children who had been “deported and unlawfully displaced” to be returned to Ukraine.
Working groups at the summit also addressed the issues of global food security and nuclear safety. And the countries also called for Ukraine to have “full sovereign control” over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Updated
Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa and others opt out of Ukraine declaration
Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates were among countries participating at a summit on peace for Ukraine that did not sign a final communique, the Swiss government has said, Reuters reports.
Switzerland, which hosted the summit, said over 90 countries took part in the talks, and the vast majority of them signed up to the communique, according to a list which the Swiss organisers posted at the close of proceedings.
The support of western and other leaders at a Swiss summit on peace for Ukraine demonstrates that the rule of international law can be restored, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after the two-day meeting in Buergenstock.
“I hope that we can achieve results as soon as possible,” he told the plenary. “We’ll prove to everyone in the world that the UN charter can be restored to full effectiveness.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday dismissed a peace proposal presented by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin as unreasonable, saying meeting Moscow’s demands would make Kyiv even more vulnerable to further aggression.
“Not only does Ukraine have to give up the territory that Russia currently occupies but Ukraine has to leave additional sovereign Ukrainian territory,” Sullivan told western and other leaders gathered at the Swiss resort of Buergenstock to explore a path towards peace for Ukraine.
He noted that Kyiv would also be bound to disarm under the Russian proposal “so that it is vulnerable to future Russian aggression down the road”.
“No responsible nation can say that this is a reasonable basis for peace. It defies the UN charter, it defies basic morality, it defies basic common sense,” Sullivan said.
Updated
Ukraine should “reflect” on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s call to withdraw its troops from the east and south of the country to open peace talks as its military situation is worsening, the Kremlin said on Sunday.
“The current dynamic of the situation at the front shows us clearly that it’s continuing to worsen for the Ukrainians,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and world leaders met in Switzerland to discuss how to end the conflict.
“It’s probable that a politician who puts the interests of his country above his own and those of his masters would reflect on such a proposal,” Peskov said.
Zelensky and other leaders have rejected Putin’s demand that Ukraine pull its troops out of the east and south of the country and drop its bid for Nato membership, in order for Moscow to halt its offensive.
Peskov said it was not an “ultimatum” but “a peace initiative that takes into account the realities on the ground”.
Zelensky has pledged to make peace proposals once they have the backing of the international community at the talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland, to which Putin was not invited.
President of the European Council, Charles Michel has called the last week a “politically successful” one for Ukraine.
In a tweet, Michel said the G7 agreeing to use $50bn (£40bn) of Russian assets for a loan for Ukraine, the global commitment to uphold the UN charter at this weekend’s peace conference and the European Council’s green light for holding the first Intergovernmental Conference were all signs of a favourable week for Ukraine.
A politically successful week for #Ukraine:
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) June 16, 2024
📍@G7 commits ~50 bn with profits from the immobilised Russian assets.
📍#UAPeaceSummit - global commitment to defend @UN Charter.
📍@EUCouncil’s green light for holding the first Intergovernmental Conference.
Next - security… pic.twitter.com/49wAQuRebR
Updated
Right-wing Swiss politicians have criticised the country’s decision to host this weekend’s peace summit without inviting Russia, arguing it is damaging for Switzerland’s traditional neutrality, Reuters reports.
The right-wing nationalist Swiss Peoples’ Party (SVP), the biggest group in the lower house of parliament, says neutrality is an integral part of Switzerland’s prosperity, and it has initiated a referendum to embed the principle in the constitution.
Nils Fiechter, chief of the SVP’s youth wing, told Russian broadcaster RT: “Switzerland is ... allowing Ukraine to dictate who may or may not be invited to this conference and it is allowing it to turn into a Zelenskiy show.”
The Swiss government has said that Russia must be involved in the process but justified not inviting it on the grounds that Moscow had repeatedly said it had no interest in taking part.
The Kremlin has described Switzerland as “openly hostile” and unfit to mediate in peace-building efforts, in particular because of its adoption of EU sanctions against Moscow.
Updated
Several hundred LGBT Ukrainian servicemen and women and their supporters marched in central Kyiv today to demand more rights and highlight their service to their country in its war with Russia, AP reports.
The soldiers – many wearing rainbow and unicorn patches on their uniforms – called on the government to grant them official partnership rights. The march took places under a heavy police guard amid threats from counter protesters.
The role of LGBT members in the military has been credited with shifting public attitudes toward same-sex partnerships in the socially conservative country.
“We are ordinary people who are fighting on an equal footing with everyone else, but deprived of the rights that other people have,” Dmitriy Pavlov, a soldier who used a cane to walk, said.
Campaigners are seeking legal reforms to allow people in same-sex partnerships to take medical decisions for wounded soldiers and bury victims of the war.
They argue that an improvement in gay rights would create a further distinction between Ukraine and Russia, where LGBT rights are severely restricted.
Organisers faced hurdles in planning the rally. City authorities turned down a petition to allow it to be held at a metro station, and it was condemned by one of the main branches of the Ukrainian Orthodox church. Police set up cordons to keep the marchers clear of a counterdemonstration.
Updated
Reuters reports that Russian president Vladimir Putin is not ruling out talks with Ukraine, but guarantees will be needed to ensure the credibility of any negotiations, citing Russian news agencies who quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Russia was not invited to this weekend’s peace summit, but leaders have not ruled out inviting Russia to subsequent peace talks.
Speaking at the summit today, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba hinted that Russia could be involved in a future summit, but dismissed Putin’s demand that Kyiv cede four regions of Ukraine that Russia has occupied and drop its goal of joining Nato.
“Of course we ... understand perfectly that a time will come when it will be necessary to talk to Russia,” he said. “But our position is very clear: We will not allow Russia to speak in the language of ultimatums like it is speaking now.”
Updated
Norway has announced that it will provide 1.1 billion kroner (£80m) to Ukraine to help repair its energy infrastructure and secure the country’s electricity supply before next winter, Reuters reports.
“Russia is carrying out massive, systematic attacks to paralyse the power grid, but Ukrainians are working day and night to maintain essential electricity supplies for the population,” prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement.
According to new estimates, more than 50% of Ukraine’s power production capacity has been destroyed, the government said.
“We are in close dialogue with Ukraine on how it can use these funds most effectively. The Ukrainians themselves have the best insight into what is needed,” Store said, adding that it was important to begin infrastructure repairs before the onset of winter.
Norway said it had already been decided that 120 million kroner would go toward repairs in the Kharkiv area, which has been hit particularly hard by Russian attacks recently.
Solar panels will be installed at seven maternity units and operating theatres in the Kharkiv area, Store said in the statement, which was issued as he attended the peace summit in Switzerland.
In 2022, Norway provided 2.1 billion kroner in funding to the Ukrainian energy sector, and 1.9 billion kroner last year.
The Scandinavian country has pledged 75 billion kroner in military and civilian aid to Ukraine for the five-year period 2023-2027, with funding allocated each year in line with Ukraine’s needs.
Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer has said the final declaration at this weekend’s summit of world leaders aimed a paving the way for peace in Ukraine is not headed for unanimous support, Reuters reports.
Nehammer was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the conference.
Earlier he posted a picture with Kenya’s president William Ruto, saying they had discussed the issue of food security in Africa in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Good exchange with President @WilliamsRuto on the impact of Russian aggression on food security in Africa. Kenya is our crucial partner and an anchor of stability in a volatile region. 🇰🇪🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/JzUJUBXxm7
— Karl Nehammer (@karlnehammer) June 16, 2024
AP provides some more detail on the hostage situation at a detention centre in Rostov, which ended when Russian special forces stormed the facility:
Security forces stormed a detention centre in southern Russia on Sunday, killing inmates who had taken two members of staff hostage, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
The hostages at the pre-trial detention centre were uninjured, said RIA Novosti, citing Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service.
It said that the hostage takers had been “liquidated,” with other local news outlets reporting that at least some of the prisoners had been killed.
Earlier, state news agency Tass, citing unnamed sources in law enforcement, had said that six hostage takers were in the central courtyard of the detention centre, armed with a penknife, a rubber baton and a fire axe. The prisoners include men accused of links to the Isis.
Updated
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has said the text of the final communique from this weekend’s peace summit is finished.
He said Kyiv’s positions have been considered and told reporters at the Buergenstock resort in Switzerland that the text was complete and “balanced.” He also said no alternative peace plans had been discussed at the two-day event.
Rostov detention centre hostages freed
The hostages held at a detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov were released unharmed and their captors killed after special forces stormed the facility, Russia’s Interfax news agency said, citing Russia’s prison service.
It was not immediately clear how many of the six hostage-takers had been killed.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked leaders and officials for attending this weekend’s peace summit as today’s talks get under way.
“A united world is a world of peace, a world that knows how to do the right thing. I thank everyone who worked for this day – every leader, all the teams and advisors of the leaders, all the countries. Our unity here proves that the very idea of international law remains alive and effective,” Zelenskiy said in a tweet.
A united world is a world of peace, a world that knows how to do the right thing. I thank everyone who worked for this day – every leader, all the teams and advisors of the leaders, all the countries. Our unity here proves that the very idea of international law remains alive and… pic.twitter.com/SXOR0KlPRN
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 16, 2024
Reuters reports that gunfire was heard near the detention centre where prison guards were taken hostage by detainees, citing a report from the scene by Russia’s RIA news agency.
The full text of that summit declaration draft is here:
“The ongoing war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine continues to cause large-scale human suffering and destruction, and to create risks and crises with global repercussions for the world. We gathered in Switzerland on 15-16 June 2024 to enhance a high-level dialogue on pathways towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. We reiterated resolutions A/RES/ES-11/1 and A/RES/ES-11/6 adopted at the UN General Assembly and underscored our commitment to upholding International Law including the United Nations Charter.
“This Summit was built on the previous discussions that have taken place based on Ukraine’s Peace Formula and other peace proposals which are in line with international law, including the United Nations Charter.
“We deeply appreciate Switzerland’s hospitality and its initiative to host the High-Level Summit as expression of its firm commitment to promoting international peace and security.
“We had a fruitful, comprehensive and constructive exchange of various views on pathways towards a framework for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on international law, including the United Nations Charter. In particular, we reaffirm our commitment to refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, within their internationally recognized borders, including territorial waters, and the resolution of disputes through peaceful means as principles of international law.
“We, furthermore, have a common vision on the following crucial aspects:
“1) Firstly, any use of nuclear energy and nuclear installations must be safe, secured, safe-guarded and environmentally sound. Ukrainian nuclear power plants and installations, including Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, must operate safely and securely under full sovereign control of Ukraine and in line with IAEA principles and under its supervision.
“Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is inadmissible.
“2) Secondly, global food security depends on uninterrupted manufacturing and supply of food products. In this regard, free, full and safe commercial navigation, as well as access to sea ports in the Black and Azov Seas, are critical. Attacks on merchant ships in ports and along the entire route, as well as against civilian ports and civilian port infrastructure, are unacceptable.
“Food security must not be weaponized in any way. Ukrainian agricultural products should be securely and freely provided to interested third countries.
“3) Thirdly, all prisoners of war must be released by complete exchange. All deported and unlawfully displaced Ukrainian children, and all other Ukrainian civilians who were unlawfully detained, must be returned to Ukraine.
“We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties. We, therefore, decided to undertake concrete steps in the future in the above-mentioned areas with further engagement of the representatives of all parties.
“The United Nations Charter, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as a basis in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Reuters reports that it has seen a draft of the final summit declaration from this weekend’s peace summit.
The draft refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war” - a label Moscow rejects - and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov Sea ports to be restored.
The draft, dated 13 June, called for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be respected.
But – in line with the conference’s more modest stated aims – it omitted knottier issues of what a post-war settlement for Ukraine might look like, whether Ukraine could join the NATO alliance or how troop withdrawals from both sides might be managed.
Peace summit talks will focus on food security, avoiding a nuclear disaster and repatriating deported children
Leaders and officials from more than 90 countries are in attendance at the peace summit in a secluded resort about Lake Lucerne in Switzerland – though China snubbed the event and Russia was not invited.
Countries will break into three working groups today, looking at nuclear safety and security, humanitarian issues, and food security and freedom of navigation on the Black Sea.
The session on humanitarian aspects will focus on issues around prisoners of war, civil detainees, internees and the fate of missing persons. It will also discuss the repatriation of children taken from occupied Ukrainian territory into Russia.
“We have seen around 20,000 Ukrainian children effectively abducted from their families, community and country. How terrifying a thing is that to say, and how can the world turn its back on that?” Irish prime minister Simon Harris told reporters.
Talks on food security will examine the slump in agricultural production and exports, which has had a ripple effect across the world as Ukraine was one of the world’s breadbaskets before the war.
The 30 countries in this working group include the UK, Brazil, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Kenya, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and Turkey.
The nuclear safety group will look at the fragile situation surrounding the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, notably Zaporizhzhia, where all of the reactors have been shut down since mid-April.
Talks will hone in on reducing the risk of an accident resulting from a malfunction or an attack on Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
Minds are also turning to a potential second summit, at which Ukraine wants to present Russia with an internationally-agreed plan for peace.
Reuters provides some more detail on the hostage situation in Rostov: six detainees, some with links to Isis, took guards hostage at a pre-trial detention centre and demanded free passage in negotiations with the authorities, Russian media reported on Sunday.
The men, who include some already convicted of terrorism offences, knocked out the bars of a window in their cell and entered a guard room where they took at least two prison officers hostage, the Baza Telegram channel said.
State media said that some of the prisoners were accused of terrorism offences including affiliation with the Isis militant group, which claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall in March.
Russian photographer Nikita Tsitsagi, who was working for Russian news website News.ru, has been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Donbas, the news site reported.
“Our correspondent Nikita Tsitsagi was killed in an attack by Ukrainian armed forces drones,” the site said. “We offer our condolences to Nikita’s family and friends.”
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
A police source told Russian state news agency Tass that Isis members who are due to appear in court on terrorism charges are among the hostage takers at the Rostov detention centre, according to AFP.
Another Russian news agency, Interfax, reports that the hostage takers have demanded a car and free passage, citing unidentified sources.
Detainees who took hostages in Rostov claim they are supporters of Isis
Five men who took hostages at a detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov claim they are supporters of ISIS, Reuters reports, citing the Baza Telegram channel, which has sources in Russian law enforcement.
Prisoners at a pre-trial detention centre took two employees hostage, the Federal Penitentiary Service said on Sunday.
“The institution operates as usual, the situation is under control,” the service said in message on the Telegram messaging app.
It added that law enforcement agencies were called to the site.
Russia’s RIA state news agency reported, citing unidentified sources, that the detainees who ere involved in taking the employees hostage are accused of terrorism.
Road traffic around the centre has been limited, Russian agencies reported.
The Baza report could not be independently verified but we will bring you any updates as soon as we know more.
Peace summit enters second day as western powers look to exert pressure on Russia
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Western powers and countries from the rest of the world will use the second day of a major summit in Switzerland today to pursue a consensus on condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underscoring concerns about the war’s human cost.
A draft of the final summit declaration, seen by Reuters, refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war” – a label Moscow rejects – and calls for Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov seaports to be restored.
Moscow casts what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine as part of a broader struggle with the west, which it says wants to bring Russia to its knees. Kyiv and the west say Russia is waging an illegal war of conquest.
World leaders including US vice-president Kamala Harris, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron gathered this weekend at a mountaintop resort in a bid to bolster international support for ending the war.
Many western leaders voiced forceful condemnation of the invasion, invoking the UN Charter in defence of Ukrainian territorial integrity, and rejecting Russian president Vladimir Putin’s demands for parts of Ukraine as a condition for peace.
“One thing is clear in this conflict: there is an aggressor, which is Putin, and there is a victim, which is the Ukrainian people,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said.
Here’s a summary of the rest of the day’s events:
Shortly before leaving for the summit yesterday, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz said that G7 leaders did not discuss Vladimir Putin’s proposals for peace in Ukraine since everyone knew they were not serious. Scholz said the Russian president’s proposals – for Ukraine to abandon four provinces Russia claims, stop fighting and drop its ambition of Nato membership – were aimed only at distracting from the conference. The Kremlin said on Saturday that the west had reacted unconstructively to Putin’s proposals for a new security architecture and peace talks with Ukraine.
The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, who attended the summit in place of the US president, Joe Biden, announced more than $1.5bn (£1.2bn) in aid for Ukraine. The $1.5bn includes $500m (£395m) in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of $324m (£256m) in previously announced funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair and other needs in Ukraine, the vice-president’s office said. She also announced more than $379m (£300m) in humanitarian assistance from the state department and the US agency for international development to help refugees and other people affected by the war.
Prisoners at a pre-trial detention centre in Russia’s southern region of Rostov took two employees hostage, the Federal Penitentiary Service said on Sunday. The five men who took hostages claim they are supporters of Islamic State, the Baza Telegram channel, which has sources in Russian law enforcement, reported on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Swedish fighter jets intercepted a Russian military aircraft after it briefly violated Sweden’s airspace on Friday east of the Baltic island of Gotland, the Nordic country’s armed forces said. Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billstrom, called the airspace violation “unacceptable” and said officials from the Russian embassy in Stockholm would be summoned to his ministry over the incident.
Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Ukraine-sceptic prime minister Robert Fico, was sworn in as Slovakia’s new president.
