US says ‘bitter words’ to Ukraine, EU needs to negotiate with Russia to export wheat

Reuters reported that this statement of the head of the White House was made in the context of the upcoming US shipment of multiple missile systems launched to Ukraine.

Earlier, on May 21, Biden signed a law providing military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Kiev. President Biden initially asked Congress for $33 billion, but congressmen increased the amount to nearly $40 billion.

EU needs to negotiate with Russia to export 20 million tons of Ukrainian wheat

The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) Josep Borrell announced on Monday (May 30) when he arrived for the Summit of the Leaders of the Nations. In the community in Brussels, the EU needs to reach an agreement with Russia to export 20 million tons of wheat from Ukraine.

“We are looking at how to export 20 million tons of wheat from Ukraine. That is not easy. Obviously, there needs to be an agreement with Russia to use the sea lanes,” Borrell said.

Mr. Borrell emphasized that the food crisis will be one of the main topics of the current EU Summit. “This is an extremely important topic. We can’t let the world go hungry,” Borrell added.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Russia and Ukraine account for 30% of the total world grain exports. Countries such as Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Afghanistan are most threatened by the worsening food security situation.

President Erdogan invites Putin to hold Russia-Ukraine-United Nations meeting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited President Vladimir Putin to hold talks between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul through the mediation of the United Nations.

“During negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Erdogan proposed holding a meeting in Istanbul between the delegations of Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations,” the press release read.

Accordingly, Mr. Erdogan stated that it is necessary to establish peace between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible. “During the phone call, President Erdogan clearly stated the need to establish peace between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, as well as take measures to eliminate the negative consequences of the war and build trust. ”, the announcement added.

The Kremlin noted that, when discussing Ukraine, politicians pay special attention to the issues of ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov, as well as eliminating the threat of landmines in these waters. “.

Meanwhile, Putin also noted Moscow’s willingness to facilitate the movement of goods through the Black Sea.

Canada must replenish its stockpile after delivering weapons to Ukraine

According to International Business Times, the Canadian government has requested artillery supplies from South Korea to make up for the shortage of weapons due to military aid to Ukraine.

Previously, South Korea had refused to supply weapons directly to Ukraine and instead provided only humanitarian aid as well as bulletproof vests and medical supplies.

However, South Korea’s new president Yoon Seok-yeol has recently expressed an interest in cooperating with Washington. Accordingly, he can give the green light to the indirect supply of weapons to Ukraine.

“There has been no official action regarding this request by Canada,” a South Korean defense ministry spokesman commented.

However, South Korean broadcaster SBS quoted a spokesman for South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense as saying that the country plans to sell about 100,000 artillery shells from its reserves to Canada at below-market prices.

Ukraine is negotiating with Slovakia on the supply of self-propelled artillery Zuzana

The TASR news agency on Monday (May 30) quoted the press secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Defense, Martina Koval-Kakashchikova, as saying that Slovakia is in talks on the supply of Zuzana self-propelled howitzers to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The issue of artillery delivery was discussed during Monday’s online talks between Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad and Ukraine Alexei Reznikov.

The production of the Zuzana self-propelled howitzer has already begun at defense plants in Slovakia. Since 2021, they have served in the national armed forces. The cannon has a caliber of 155 mm and is mounted on a heavy-duty off-road vehicle with an 8×8 chassis.

French Foreign Ministry orders investigation into journalist’s death in Donbass

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna demanded an investigation into the death of French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imoff, who died in Donbass.

“France asks to start an investigation as soon as possible to determine all the circumstances of the death of the BFM journalist,” the report said.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the news of the journalist’s death on Twitter.

The 32-year-old journalist used to work as a TV cameraman, BFM said. This is his second trip to the war zone to shoot reportage. According to the channel, the journalist sat in an armored vehicle and died from a shell explosion.