June 27, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Helen Regan, Andrew Raine, Sana Noor Haq, Hafsa Khalil, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, June 28, 2022
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8:44 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

Biden and Xi likely to speak in coming weeks, White House says

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

US President Joe Biden smiles at the start of a lunch with Representatives of Seven rich nations (G7) and Outreach guests during their fifth working session about "Investing in a better future: Climate, Energy, Health" on June 27, at Elmau Castle, Germany.
US President Joe Biden smiles at the start of a lunch with Representatives of Seven rich nations (G7) and Outreach guests during their fifth working session about "Investing in a better future: Climate, Energy, Health" on June 27, at Elmau Castle, Germany. (Susan Walsh/AFP/Getty Images)

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will likely speak in the coming weeks, the White House says. 

"We do expect that the President and President Xi will have the opportunity to engage over the course of the next few weeks. I can't put a particular timeframe on it. It's not going to be immediately after the G7," US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Germany.

He said China had been a primary topic of discussion at this week's summit.

He said that "there is increasing convergence at the G7 and NATO around the challenge poses" but that "competition does not mean confrontation."

"We're not looking to divide the world into rival blocks and make every country choose" he said. "We want to stand for a set of principles that are fair to everybody. And we want to ensure that we're working with like-minded partners to hold China accountable to adhere to those rules."
9:16 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

Zelensky focused on regaining momentum in months — not years, US national security adviser says

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a working session of G7 leaders via video link from his office in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 27.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a working session of G7 leaders via video link from his office in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 27. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was focused on regaining momentum in Ukraine over the coming months — and not years — when he spoke to leaders of the G7 on Monday, according to a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden.

"Zelensky was very much focused on trying to ensure that Ukraine is in as advantageous a position on the battlefield as possible in the next months as opposed to the next years, because he believes that a grinding conflict is not in the interest of the Ukrainian people," US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said after the meeting.

Earlier, a source familiar with the matter told CNN that Zelensky told leaders he wanted the war to be over the end of the year, before winter sets in.

Sullivan declined to characterize Zelensky's message. But he said the Ukrainian president was clear that he wants support in the near-and-medium term, not in the distant future.

"He would like to see his military, and those in the West who are supporting his military, make maximum use of the next few months to put the Ukrainians in as good a position as they can possibly be in with respect to the situation on the ground in both the east and the south," Sullivan said. 

"That's consistent with the American approach of trying to flow in the necessary material and equipment to put the Ukrainians in an advantageous position on the battlefield. But that's really what he was focused on," he said.

Zelensky's timeframe was based on battlefield considerations but also the plight of his people, he said.

"I think another really important consideration is just the sense of suffering of the Ukrainian people with each day and week that this goes on," Sullivan said. "And so, he's got an urgency to try to show his people that Ukraine is first of all, holding fast against the Russian onslaught, and secondly, making some progress in areas where they feel that they can, in fact push back against the Russians."

8:08 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

Russia will use reserve units in Ukraine war, UK's defense ministry predicts

From CNN's Tim Lister

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has projected that Russia will increasingly use its reserve units in its bombardment of eastern Ukraine.

Russia will "highly likely increasingly rely on echelons of reserve forces" in upcoming weeks, the ministry said in its latest assessment of the conflict.

"Despite a continued shortfall in the number of deployable reservists for Ukraine, the Russian leadership likely remains reluctant to order a general mobilisation," the ministry said. It added that Russia’s main operational focus remains the eastern Severodonetsk-Lysychansk pocket.

The ministry added that "consistently heavy shelling suggests Russia is now trying to regain momentum on the northern Izium axis."

Some background: On Saturday, Severodonetsk's head of military administration said the city had fallen under "Russian occupation" following the months of grueling bombardment. Neighboring Lysychansk is the last city in the Luhansk region to remain in Ukraine's control, but Russian forces are gaining ground, and civilians have been urged to evacuate.

7:56 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

US and European officials eye NATO summit for making progress on Finland and Sweden joining NATO

From CNN's Kylie Atwood

inland's Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden's Ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff pose during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, Belgium, on May 18.
inland's Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden's Ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff pose during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, Belgium, on May 18. (Johanna Geron/AFP/Getty Images)

European and US officials do not expect Turkey’s concerns about Finland and Sweden joining NATO to be assuaged before the NATO summit this week, US and European officials told CNN. 

Yet some officials believe that Turkey may be eyeing the NATO summit as a place to finally make agreements that could propel the process forward. 

"My best projection based on what I've seen is that they will run this to the wire at Madrid. They also always prefer if they're going to make concessions to do it at the leader level, they believe that enhances that status," said one European official when discussing the matter. "It is Turkey’s standard operating procedure not to give concessions till the last possible moment. And that last possible moment is usually defined as a bilateral with the US president followed by a leaders meeting."

But Turkish officials have said that they do not see any "limited timetable" to the talks, and some US and European officials are less convinced that Turkey is ready to strike an agreement in Spain. 

White House officials have been circumspect about whether Biden and Erdogan will meet in Spain. But one person familiar with the matter said they expected the men to speak at some point about the accession process, though it may not be elevated into a formal bilateral meeting. 

US officials have been wary about inserting Biden directly into the discussions, aware that having the US directly involved could raise the stakes and escalate Erdogan’s demand — including the likely extradition request for a US-based cleric Erdogan accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt. 

Still, US officials are confident the two countries' applications will eventually be successful.

Read the full report here.

7:47 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

Ukraine hits a second missile system on Snake island

From CNN's Anastasia Graham-Yooll in London

The Ukrainian military says it has hit a second missile system on Snake Island, as well as several Russian personnel in a “continued operation” to liberate the Black Sea island.

“Overnight there were over 10 targeted hits on the island. We are still investigating the results, but we are getting reports that one more ‘Pantsir S1’ missile system was hit,” said Natalia Humenyuk, a Ukrainian South Defense spokesperson.

A radar station that Humenyuk described as Russia’s “eyes and ears” on the island had been hit last week, she added.

Snake Island was the scene of one of the opening salvos of the war in Ukraine and is of strategic importance to both sides. During the opening days of the war, it was the site of a demand from a Russian war ship to Ukrainian defenders to surrender. They replied, infamously, with "Russian warship, go f**k yourself” – a phrase that become a motif of Ukrainian resistance.

CNN's Sebastian Shukla contributed reporting to this post.

7:38 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

Ukrainian official urges civilians to "get out" of Sloviansk after rocket attacks

From CNN's Tim Lister and Oleksandra Ochman

After a series of explosions in the city of Sloviansk overnight, local officials are urging civilians to leave the city.

Vadym Liakh, head of Sloviansk civil military administration, said there had been "night arrivals" in the center of the city, and further attacks on Monday morning.

"There are no military facilities here. Russia is at war with the civilian population. And this is a war of annihilation. Don't wait for it to arrive at your home. Get out," Liakh said in a short video message on Facebook.

"There are wounded and killed. Please don’t forget about evacuation," Liakh said.

Russian forces are within about 15 kilometers (9 miles) of Sloviansk, to the north and north-east.

Some context: Sloviansk is one of the larger conurbations in the eastern separatist Donetsk region still in Ukrainian hands. Civilians remaining in Lysychansk are also being urged to evacuate, while those still in the recently fallen Severodonetsk can only evacuate to Russia or Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, a local official has said.

7:19 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has given a virtual address to the G7 summit, while the Kremlin has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will take his first overseas trip since Moscow's invasion, as he heads to Tajikistan on Tuesday.

Here are the latest developments:

  • Group of 7 summit: G7 countries will try capping the price of Russian oil, with one senior US official saying "the goal here is to starve Russia, starve Putin of his main source of cash and force down the price of Russian oil." A joint statement from the G7 leaders supporting Ukraine said they will continue providing "financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."  
  • Zelensky at G7: In a virtual meeting on Monday at the G7 summit, Zelensky said he wants the war in Ukraine to be over by the end of 2022, a source has said. He called for a major push to end the war before the winter sets in in several months' time, the source added.
  • Luhansk evacuation calls: Civilians in Lysychansk have been urged to leave immediately, as Russian forces close in on the last remaining city Ukraine holds in the eastern Luhansk region. Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration, said staying was a "real threat to life and health." He promised civilians they would be taken care of in other Ukrainian cities.
  • Evacuation ‘towards Russia’ only: In the fallen city of Severodonetsk, remaining civilians can now only evacuate "towards Russia or occupied" Ukrainian territories. On Monday, Oleksander Struik, the head of the city’s military administration, made this announcement, adding that Ukrainian troops can only leave via rafting across the river, with most already having left.
  • More US defense support: The US plans to announce as soon as this week that it has purchased an advanced, medium-to-long range surface-to-air missile defense system for Ukraine, a source familiar with the announcement told CNN. The military assistance includes additional artillery ammunition and counter-battery radars. Ukrainian officials have asked for the missile defense system, known as NASAMS, given the weapons can hit targets more than 100 miles away.
  • Russian victory 'catastrophic': Allowing Putin to succeed in his invasion would have "absolutely catastrophic" consequences for the world, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told CNN on Sunday. Johnson urged Americans, Britons and others in the West to maintain resolve in punishing Moscow, despite the effect the war has had on global oil prices.
7:15 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

G7 leaders pledge support for Ukraine "as long as it takes"

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

Summit participants (front, clockwise) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), U.S. President Joe Biden, Boris Johnson, prime minister of the United Kingdom (obscured), Fumio Kishida, prime minister of Japan, Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission president, Charles Michel, EU Council President, Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron, President of France, sit at the working session, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj is connected via video conference in Elmau, Germany on June 27.
Summit participants (front, clockwise) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), U.S. President Joe Biden, Boris Johnson, prime minister of the United Kingdom (obscured), Fumio Kishida, prime minister of Japan, Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission president, Charles Michel, EU Council President, Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron, President of France, sit at the working session, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj is connected via video conference in Elmau, Germany on June 27. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/Getty Images)

The G7 is vowing to continue providing support for Ukraine "for as long as it takes" in a joint statement at their summit in Germany.

"We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," the G7 statement on support for Ukraine read.

The leaders also said it would be up to Ukraine to determine a diplomatic path ahead.

"We are committed to helping Ukraine to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to defend itself, and to choose its own future. It is up to Ukraine to decide on a future peace settlement, free from external pressure or influence," the statement read.

The leaders said they would work together to help Ukraine defend itself once the war ends.

 "With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we are ready to reach arrangements together with interested countries and institutions and Ukraine on sustained security commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression," the statement read.

7:01 a.m. ET, June 27, 2022

Zelensky tells G7 leaders he wants the war to finish by the end of 2022

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told G7 leaders he wants the war in Ukraine to finish by the end of 2022, according to a source familiar with his remarks.

Zelensky delivered the message virtually at the Group of 7 summit on Monday, which is taking place at the Schloss Elmau castle in the Bavarian Alps.

He called for a major push to end the war before the winter sets in in several months' time, the source said.

The message was as clear a sign as Zelensky has given about how he sees the trajectory of the war.

Some background: Zelensky, who is also planning to address this week's NATO summit in Madrid, has pressed the West for accelerated sanctions on Moscow and heavy artillery to beat back the Russian invaders.

So far, leaders have decided on new steps to isolate Russia's economy, including a ban on new imports of Russian gold, and are discussing ways to further limit Moscow's energy profits by applying a cap on the price of Russian oil.

G7 leaders also plan to announce a lengthy set of new sanctions, including on Russian defense supply chains, Russians responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, private military companies and new visa restrictions on 500 officials. 

Yet how much further leaders will be willing to go in applying new sanctions on Russia remains to be seen.