WAR IN UKRAINE: May 26, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 92
Russian forces have attacked more than 40 towns in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk region, Ukraine says. It adds that five civilians died, 12 were wounded and 47 civilian sites were destroyed or damaged as a result. The cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Donbas had earlier come under intense bombardment - BBC
At least four people have been killed when the centre of Kharkiv was shelled, according to regional governor Oleh Synehubov. It's been weeks since the city has come under attack.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the launch of a new joint UK, EU, and US group to help support the efforts of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General to document war crimes and other atrocities committed in Ukraine.
Germany has warned of a fatigue setting in Europe over the Ukraine war. A Reuters report said Italy and Hungary had urged the EU to call explicitly for a ceasefire in Ukraine and peace talks with Russia. France is also seen as a party to pushing for peace negotiations, while President Emmanuel Macron has said Mr. Putin shouldn’t be humiliated in the process.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said attempts to "appease" Vladimir Putin were dangerous, in a press release ahead of her trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. "Russian aggression cannot be appeased. It must be met with force. We must be adamant in ensuring the victory of Ukraine with military assistance and sanctions. Now we can no longer take our foot off the gas pedal," she said.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry says it's too early to discuss exchanging Azovstal defenders. Kremlin-controlled media Ria Novosti reported, citing Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, that a possible exchange will be considered once the Ukrainian soldiers evacuated from Mariupol to Russian-controlled territory are “appropriately convicted and sentenced.” Other Russian media earlier reported that Azovstal defenders would be tried by a tribunal in Mariupol. Ukraine initially said that they would be exchanged for Russian POWs - Kyiv Independent
