June 16, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The US State Department said it knows of reports of a third American who traveled to Ukraine to fight against Russia who has been identified “in recent weeks” as missing, but was unable to give further details. This is in addition to the two Americans reported missing on Wednesday.

Price said the department is in contact with the families of the two other US citizens reportedly captured in Ukraine, as well as Ukrainian authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross, but that they similarly could not confirm reports that these two citizens were captured.

“We continue to urge in every way we can American citizens not to travel to Ukraine because of the attendant dangers that is posed by Russia’s ongoing aggression,” Price said.

Price also said that the US is not in contact with Russia about the missing American citizens because they do not yet have “credible reason” to believe the Russians have captured them and also because Russia has not claimed to have captured them.

“If we feel that such outreach through our embassy in Moscow or otherwise would be productive in terms of finding out more information on the whereabouts of these individuals, we won’t hesitate to do that,” said Price.

Price also said the US is in contact with “other partners,” including the UK.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Russia's invasion has a goal "to break Ukraine and to break the whole of Europe through Ukraine."

During a joint press conference in Kyiv with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Zelensky told his counterparts that Russia's attack on Ukraine amounted to an attack on all of Europe:

"Russia wants to demonstrate that united Europe is unable to be effective and that European values do not work for protecting freedom. We can and we should break this scenario and prove them that Europe will continue to be free, democratic and ... united," he said.  

Zelensky said the best way to demonstrate "our common and strong position" is by supporting Ukrainian integration into the European Union, adding that Ukraine's status as candidate for EU membership "can amplify freedom in Europe historically and become one of the key European decisions of the first third of the 21st century."

Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to work to become a full EU member.

The Ukrainian president has called on EU leaders to give his country fast-track membership to the bloc through a shortened procedure to counter Russian aggression. 

Zelensky said the total number of Russian missiles used against the civilian population in Ukraine has "already reached 3,000 this month," adding that the sooner Ukraine receives more powerful weapons from the West, the faster it will be able to end the Russian attacks.

"Each batch of such supplies equals rescued Ukrainians. And every day of delaying or postponing decisions is a chance for the Russian military to kill Ukrainians or a chance to destroy our cities. There is a direct connection: The more powerful weapons we get, the faster we can liberate our people and liberate our land," Zelensky said.

Russia plans to withstand the Western sanctions and complete its goal in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN Thursday.

Asked by about Russia’s intention to occupy parts of Ukrainian territories in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Kherson, Peskov said that the decision would depend on the "will of local people."   

"The number one goal is to protect the people of Donbas and Luhansk from those who are shelling Donetsk, for example, right now, and killing civilians there. And have been doing that for the last eight to nine years," he said.  

“As for other territories and regions of Ukraine, you know, the more our military is cleaning up the territory from those nationalistic regiments, the more people are welcoming them and the more people declaring their desire to discontinue their future life with the modern regime in Kyiv,” he claimed. 

Peskov said Russia poses no threat to the Baltic states and Finland, which announced its intention join NATO last month, breaking the decades-long military non-alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.   

“We are sure that the membership of Finland and Sweden in NATO, it won’t bring any additional benefits to the security of the European continent. On the opposite, it will bring additional tension,” he said.   

The spokesperson admitted that Moscow is not in a “comfortable position” following the “unprecedented” economic sanctions by the West against Russia but claimed that “the crucial effect” of the sanctions that the West had hoped for “didn’t happen.”   

“We are now even feeling a little bit better than one would think,” Peskov said, adding, “Of course, we understand our problems, we understand that in a very short time we will have to compensate the quite a significant decrease in more than 40%-45% in imports."

He said Russia is planning on a “very serious boost” to its domestic production and infrastructure.   

“In order to reorganize imports, we have to reorganize the direction of imports. To compensate for the western direction, by increasing imports from the eastern direction,” Peskov said hinting towards increasing imports from Asian countries. "All of this is quite possible because our world is so big and so rich."

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis invited the European Union to grant Ukraine candidacy status, stressing “there is no time for hesitancy” while speaking alongside his Ukrainian, French, German and Italian counterparts during a historic visit to Kyiv on Thursday. 

“We are at a turning point in European history,” he said. 

“Extraordinary times call for an extraordinary strategic and visionary response. Granting EU candidate status to Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia at the European Council next week, is key in building a strong and lasting shield around all values,” he added.

Speaking alongside him, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi also pledged their support for granting Ukraine candidate status to join the EU. 

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi reaffirmed his support for Ukraine's hopes of joining the European Union and said the EU “cannot delay this process.”

He is in Kyiv on an official visit along with other European leaders.

“The Ukrainian people defend every day the values of democracy and freedom that are the basis of the European project, of our project. We cannot delay this process,” Draghi added.

Zelensky understood the path from candidate to member of the EU was “a path, not a point,” the Italian prime minister also said, adding that “profound reforms” in the Ukrainian society had to be seen.

Draghi also warned that the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine “must not turn into a world catastrophe” and asked to “unlock the millions of tons of grain that are blocked in the Black Sea ports” through safe corridors.

“The only way forward is with a United Nations resolution, which regulates the creation of corridors in the Black Sea. Russia has so far rejected it,” Draghi said.

The Biden administration will continue to provide significant military assistance to Ukraine “as fast as we can send it” for as its long as is necessary until Russia stops combat, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communication and retired Rear Admiral John Kirby told CNN on Thursday. 

“They’re getting as much as we can send as fast as we can send it,” Kirby said, pointing to Biden’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin’s meeting with counterparts in Brussels earlier this week.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin “has shown no inclination of stopping the combat” and negotiating in good faith, and until then, “We’re going to be committed to helping Ukraine’s armed forces defend themselves and try to take back the territory, particularly in the east, in the south, that they’re trying to take back now,” he added. 

Kirby reiterated that the conflict with Russia “could be a prolonged effort” but said additional aid from Congress is not necessary at this stage.  

“We’re not at a point right now where we believe, you know, we need to plan for another supplemental package. We’ve only just begun spending and producing off the supplemental package that they just approved,” he said.  

Kirby had no update on the two missing Americans that have been fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

“We just are not in a position to confirm their whereabouts. Obviously, our thoughts are with the families who I’m sure are going through just this terrible anguish right now. But we’re not able to confirm what might have happened to these individuals,” he said. 

He stressed that Americans should not travel to Ukraine. 

“It is a useful reminder though, and we’ve been saying this for months: this is not the time to go to Ukraine, however altruistic one might be wanting to help Ukraine on the battlefield. This is not the time for American citizens to travel there.Stay away from Ukraine, it is an active war zone. And if you’re in Ukraine as an American, please leave immediately,” Kirby said.

He instead encouraged people to support Ukraine through other ways, including contributing to organizations like the Red Cross.

French President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that France, Italy, Germany and Romania support the candidacy of Ukraine for membership in the European Union, during an official visit of the four leaders in the country on Thursday.

“All four of us [France, Germany, Italy and Romania] support the status of immediate candidacy for membership. This status will be accompanied by a roadmap and will also imply that the situation of the Western Balkans and of the neighborhood, particularly of Moldova, is taken into account,” Macron told Zelensky.

Macron also said the current global food crisis was a “direct consequence of the war waged by Russia,” and he called on Russia “to accept that the United Nations organize the export of cereals, which requires the lifting of the Russian blockade and provide all security guarantees for Ukraine to allow the exit of these cereals on Ukrainian ports.”

Germany is in favor of a positive decision for Ukraine’s candidacy to the European Union, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, adding that Ukraine “belongs to the European family.”

“My colleagues and I have come here to Kyiv today with a clear message: Ukraine belongs to the European family. One milestone on what is likely to be a long European road is the status of an accession candidate. The member states of the European Union will be discussing this in the next few days. We know that unanimity is needed among the 27 EU countries," Scholz said during a joint news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his fellow travelers French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

"Germany is in favor of a positive decision for Ukraine, including for the Republic of Moldova," Scholz said.

He added that all candidates had to fulfill ascension criteria concerning democracy and constitutional law.

“We also support Ukraine by supplying weapons, and we will continue to do so for as long as Ukraine needs our support. We are currently training the Ukrainian military in state-of-the-art weapons, the self-propelled Howitzer 2000 and the Gepard anti-aircraft tank. In addition, I have agreed to supply the modern Iris-T air defense system, which can defend an entire city against air attacks, and the special radar," Scholz said.

Earlier today, German defense minister Christine Lambrecht announced the delivery of three German rocket launchers to Ukraine end of July or beginning of August. Training for Ukrainian soldiers could start in June the minister said upon arrival to a NATO-meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that Russia is “in a very difficult place” and Ukrainian success could depend on how quickly it deploys heavier weapons to the frontline for a counteroffensive as opposed to a counterattack.

Speaking to CNN’s Oren Liebermann during the NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Wallace said:

Wallace added that Russia will be “desperately trying to find some form of victory no matter how small to make its morale feel a bit better,” but was not confident for how long Russia can sustain this offensive.

“Russia has been in the field for months; remember, they were predominantly deployed three months before the invasion. No army is designed to be [a] conscript army out in the field that way, badly equipped, suffering huge losses,” he said.

He praised Ukraine’s determination, saying he is “cautiously optimistic” that with “that home advantage with the moral component with the fact the international community is absolutely determined to support them, Ukraine will start to push back in small ways Russia and make Russia have even more problems in its army.”

Asked on whether he worries the economic hardship cause by the war could shift public opinion against Ukraine and wear away NATO support, Wallace admitted that there is a cost-of-living crisis across Europe but said that “Russia has chosen to use food, use fuel as a weapon” and that “a lot of people's day-to-day problems they're facing is actually driven by Russia.”

“All governments have to manage public opinion and explain to their public why things are being done in their name,” he said.