June 16, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Helen Regan, Ivana Kottasová, Sana Noor Haq, Hafsa Khalil, Adrienne Vogt and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 2:56 a.m. ET, June 17, 2022
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6:04 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

Russian military had expected to take control of Kyiv within 12 hours of invasion, says Ukrainian defense minister

From CNN's Matthew Chance, AnneClaire Stapleton, and Katharina Krebs in Brussels

The Russian military expected Kyiv to fall within 12 hours of the February 24 invasion, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told CNN's Matthew Chance in an exclusive interview in Brussels.

A document was found on a Russian military officer who was killed in the invasion, which stated the Russian military objectives, Reznikov said.

"They thought they were going to be in the center of Kyiv in 12 hours," he said the document stated. 

Russians naively anticipated that within 72 hours of their invasion, the Ukrainian government would flee the capital, Reznikov said.

"Frankly speaking, our partners in the different capitals of the world also were naive. They told us that invasion was imminent, and you will fall. You only have 72 hours. That's why they didn't give us heavy weaponry."

Only after Ukraine liberated the Kyiv region in late March, did Western partners start to provide Ukraine with heavier weapons, he said.

5:58 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

Tens of thousands have been killed since the invasion, says Ukrainian defense minister

From CNN's Matthew Chance, AnneClaire Stapleton, and Katharina Krebs in Brussels

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said he believes tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Speaking to CNN's Matthew Chance in an exclusive interview, Reznikov refused to give exact figures of Ukrainian losses, but he said he "hopes" the figure is below 100,000.

Reznikov said he disagreed with the most recent US assessment that 16,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion, saying he believes their casualty numbers to be considerably higher. 

As of June 15, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), recorded 4,452 killed since the invasion, of whom, 280 were children. The eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk -- where Russia's bombardment has been continuous -- saw 2,583 of the recorded total deaths. The OHCHR believes actual figures to be "considerably higher."

Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced by the war, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on June 14 recording 5,094,531 refugees scattered across Europe alone. In the rest of the world, they estimate there are 6.1 million Ukrainian refugees.

5:17 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

France wants to see Ukraine take back Crimea, says French diplomatic source

From CNN’s Joseph Ataman in Paris

Oleksiy Chernyshov, Ukrainian President Zelensky's special envoy for EU accession, walks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian PM Mario Draghi past destroyed buildings in Irpin, Ukraine, on June 16.
Oleksiy Chernyshov, Ukrainian President Zelensky's special envoy for EU accession, walks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian PM Mario Draghi past destroyed buildings in Irpin, Ukraine, on June 16. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance/Getty Images)

France wishes to see Ukraine take back control of Crimea as part of a military victory against Russia, according to a French diplomatic source.

The remarks came as French, German and Italian leaders visit Kyiv. The source was speaking to pool journalists traveling with the French delegation on Thursday.

"We are for an integral victory with restoration of territorial integrity on all territories conquered by the Russians, including Crimea,” the French official said, referring to the Black Sea peninsula that Russia forcibly annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Once the war is over, talks will be necessary to determine the sort of security guarantees for Ukraine and the relationship between Ukraine and NATO, the diplomatic source said, in order “to know how we build a lasting peace.”

"What is at stake is the security of us all,” they said, adding that, a Ukrainian “military victory is for Zelensky to define.”

Some background: French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv on Thursday.

The three leaders have traveled to Kyiv by train, where they are expected to convene with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and express "a message of European unity."

Speaking to reporters on the platform as he arrived at Kyiv train station, Macron said the leaders will also visit the site of an alleged massacre.

Asked if he had a message for Ukrainians, Macron said he had a "message of European unity addressed to Ukrainian men and women."

"The coming weeks, we know, will be very difficult," he said. "I want to support them and be at their side."

CNN's Pierre Bairin in Kyiv contributed reporting to this post.

11:03 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

New weapons will allow Ukraine to reclaim occupied territory, says Ukrainian defense minister

From CNN's Matthew Chance, AnneClaire Stapleton, and Katharina Krebs in Brussels

US weapons will help Ukraine seize back Russian-occupied territory, including Crimea and Donbas, the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told CNN's Matthew Chance in an exclusive interview in Brussels.

"We are going to liberate all our territories, all of it all, including Crimea," he said.

"Crimea is a strategic objective for Ukraine because it's Ukrainian territory," Reznikov added. "But we will move step by step."

The defense minister said the first step would be stabilization of the situation on the ground to prevent further losses against Russian forces. The second stage, he said, is to push Russian forces back to their positions before the invasion on February 24.

Only in the 3rd stage, he told CNN, would there be discussions with Ukraine's partners on "how to liberate territories, including Crimea," Reznikov said. Ukraine officials say they will not use the weapons to attack the Russian Federation, however, Ukraine does not consider Crimea to be Russian territory. 

When asked if attempting to recapture Crimea by military means would further provoke Russia -- which considers Crimea to be part of the Russian Federation -- Reznikov said that was not a consideration.

"It doesn't matter. Because they [Russians] will see that in Kherson, they will see it in Zaporizhzhia, they will also see it in Mariupol…. but these are Ukrainian lands, and Crimea is also Ukrainian land, no matter what," he told CNN.

The headline on this post has been updated.

4:48 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

Macron, Scholz and Draghi arrive in Kyiv on trip designed to smooth tensions

From CNN’s Ivana Kottasová, Mick Krever, Joseph Ataman and Elias Lemercier

From left, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz travel on board a train bound to Kyiv after departing from Poland on June 16.
From left, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz travel on board a train bound to Kyiv after departing from Poland on June 16.

The leaders of European Union's three biggest countries -- France, Germany and Italy -- arrived in Kyiv on Thursday morning on a high-profile trip designed to smooth tensions over what Ukrainian officials perceive as a lukewarm support in their fight against Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi traveled to the city together on a special train, setting off from Poland in the middle of the night.

As if to remind them they were visiting a country terrorized by an unprovoked assault, air raid sirens went off shortly after the three leaders arrived at their hotel in central Kyiv.

Though all three countries have pledged weapons to aid Ukraine's defense against Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made no secret of the fact that he believes they are not doing enough. 

He has been especially critical of Scholz and Macron, going as far as suggesting the two leaders were trying to appease Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"[Scholz] and his government must choose not to do a balancing act between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but to choose which is their priority," Zelensky told German broadcaster ZDF earlier this week.

Zelensky has had harsh words for Macron too. The French President has tried to present himself both as an ally to Ukraine and as an honest broker with Russia. 

Macron, in an interview earlier this month, said that "we must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means. I am convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power."

Zelensky told the Financial Times that "in order to be a leader, you do not need to consider yourself one, but to be behave as a leader."

Speaking to reporters at the train station in Kyiv, Macron said the leaders would visit a "war site where the massacres were committed" and speak to Zelensky. 

Asked if he had a message for Ukrainians, he said, "A message of European unity addressed to Ukrainian men and women, of support to talk about both the present and the future because the coming weeks, we know, will be very difficult weeks. I want to be in support and at their side."

3:55 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

Air raid sirens in Kyiv as European leaders arrive in Ukraine's capital

From CNN's Salma Abdelaziz in Kyiv

Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv as the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday morning.

The sirens don't necessarily mean there has been an attack but they often sound in warning.

4:05 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

Ukraine's defense minister says Western officials told him their military support "will never stop"

From CNN's Matthew Chance, AnneClaire Stapleton and Katharina Krebs in Brussels

Left to right, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste A. Wallander, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Ukrainian Lieutenant General Levgen Moisuk attend the Ukraine Defence Contact group meeting ahead of a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 15.
Left to right, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste A. Wallander, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Ukrainian Lieutenant General Levgen Moisuk attend the Ukraine Defence Contact group meeting ahead of a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 15. (Yves Herman/AFP/Getty Images)

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Western defense officials told him their military support for Ukraine "will never stop." 

In an exclusive interview, Reznikov told CNN that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace and other Western officials said: "Oleksiy, don't worry, we will not stop. We will continue help your country, your people, and your president," he said.  

"I heard it yesterday and I felt it absolutely honestly, I saw the eyes of Lloyd Austin for example ... I saw the real understanding that they will never stop," Reznikov said, when asked if long-term US commitment to Ukraine is sustainable.

He said US and Western pledges are not just for military support but also financial, economic, and political. 

"I think they [Western allies] have decided that they want to be partners in this victory," Reznikov said. 

The Ukrainian Defense Minister told CNN Western allies now understand that the idea of not provoking Russia to avoid conflict does not work. 

Russia is now considered to be an adversary rather than a strategic partner by NATO, he said. 

"I am sure that Russia is the main threat for NATO, EU countries, and main threat for the world security system," he said.

3:52 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says NATO at "critical juncture"

From CNN's Radina Gigova

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shake hands as they take part in a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 16.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shake hands as they take part in a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 16. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the suffering in Ukraine could end immediately if Russia ends "its reckless war of choice," ahead of a meeting with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Thursday.

Austin said the meeting comes at a "critical juncture in the history" of the security alliance.

"We see that as Finland and Sweden have made the historic decision to seek NATO membership. We welcome that. They are proud, capable democracies who share NATO’s core values," he said.
"In recent months, NATO has united in the face of Russia’s unjustified, cruel, and indefensible invasion of Ukraine. We’ll continue to strengthen our allies to meet the greatest threat to European security in decades."

Austin said NATO will continue to support Ukraine "as it defends itself against Russia’s unprovoked aggression" and "continue to adapt our alliance to meet evolving security conditions."

3:34 a.m. ET, June 16, 2022

Ukraine's Deputy PM "not expecting bright announcements" despite "historical meeting"

From CNN’s Joseph Ataman, Elias Lemercier and Luke McGee

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, right, walks next to French President Emmanuel Macron, second right, after welcoming him as he arrives at Kyiv train station on June 16, after travelling with the German Chancellor and the Italian Prime Minister from Poland.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, right, walks next to French President Emmanuel Macron, second right, after welcoming him as he arrives at Kyiv train station on June 16, after travelling with the German Chancellor and the Italian Prime Minister from Poland. (Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images)

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister said she is not expecting "bright announcements" from a visit by the French, Italian and German leaders to Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk was speaking to journalists on a train platform in Kyiv as she welcomed the three leaders on Thursday. 

"I’m not sure there will be bright announcements following the meeting but regardless how it will end, it will be a historical meeting which would either pave the way to a stronger Europe or to a stronger Ukraine,” she said.
"That three European leaders have come to Ukraine right in the middle of total war, it’s a great signal that strengthens Ukraine and Europe."

Vereshchuk said there are "two important questions" to put to the leaders.

"How to put an end to the war and how to turn a new page for Ukraine and open the way for Ukraine into the European Union," she said.

Some context: The EU Commission is expected to offer its opinion on Friday that Ukraine should be considered a candidate state. It will then be for the 27 EU member states to decide whether or not they agree with the Commission's opinion.

While most European nations are firmly behind Ukraine and have, to varying degrees, aided the country's war efforts, it's far from certain that they will back its bid for EU membership.

The question of whether or not Ukraine should join the EU and how Russia would react has been a contentious issue for years. In 2013, pro-European protests erupted after former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych made a sudden decision to not sign an agreement with the EU that would pull Ukraine further into the EU's orbit. Instead, he opted to pursue closer ties with Putin's Russia. The following year, Russia invaded Donbas and illegally annexed Crimea.