rious setback for Moscow's plans to capture the entire Donbas region.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation in Donbas remained very difficult, adding that Russian forces were still trying to salvage some kind of victory there.Later on Saturday, Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won the popular Eurovision Song Contest in Italy, a sign of how European public sentiment has swung in Kyiv's favour since Russian forces launched an all-out assault against the country in February.
As well as losing large numbers of men and much military equipment, Russia has been hit by economic sanctions. The Group of Seven leading economies pledged in a statement on Saturday to"further increase economic and political pressure on Russia" and to supply more weapons to Ukraine. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto told Putin by phone that his country, which shares a 1,300km border with Russia, wanted to join Nato to bolster its own security.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke to Putin by phone on Friday, said he detected no sign of any change in the Russian leader's thinking on the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West's sanctions amounted to a"total hybrid war" against Moscow but Russia would withstand sanctions by forging deeper partnerships with China, India and others.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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