- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for talks with Moscow
This article was last updated at 08:02 UTC/GMT
Russia claims to have used hypersonic missiles for the first time in combat
Russia’s defense ministry claims it used hypersonic weapons to destroy targets in Ukraine.
“The Kynzhal aviation missile system with hypersonic missiles destroyed a large underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the settlement of Deliatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region,” Interfax quoted Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying.
If true, it would be the first time Russia has used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in combat operations.
It can reportedly travel as fast as Mach 10 over a distance as great as 1,200 miles (1931 kilometers), all while maneuvering. No existing defense equipment can stop them.
In October last year, Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, called China’s tests of hypersonic missiles “very concerning.”
He likened it to a “Sputnik moment,” a reference to the Soviet Union’s pioneering launch of a satellite in 1957, giving it an early lead in the space race and shocking the US.
Humanitarian corridor open in Luhansk
The governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region has said a humanitarian corridor for evacuation would be open on Saturday.
“A humanitarian corridor has been agreed, we will try to evacuate people and bring food today,” regional governor Serhiy Gaiday said on Telegram.
Fighting has hampered efforts to evacuate civilians, but the local authorities hope a temporary ceasefire can hold on Saturday to allow trucks to distribute food, medicine, and other aid to people most in need.
Luhansk is in Ukraine’s coal-rich Donbas region. On Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it controlled more than 90% of the area.
Japan’s Kishida to stress unity on Ukraine in meeting with India’s Modi
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will urge a unified approach on Ukraine when he meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
He is on his first bilateral as Prime Minister to India and will meet Modi in New Delhi.
“Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine coincides with this trip, I’d like to emphasize the importance of international unity and confirm that Japan and India will work together on various issues,” Kishida said ahead of his visit.
Japan and India are part of the Quad security grouping, with the United States and Australia. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they agreed; “any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force, such as this time, must not be tolerated in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Although not mentioning it by name, the message was aimed at China.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to virtual address Japan’s parliament next Wednesday.
Former US presidents show support for Ukraine
Former US presidents Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, laid flowers outside a Ukrainian church in Chicago in a show of support for the Ukrainian people.
“America stands united with the people of Ukraine in their fight for freedom and against oppression,” Clinton wrote on Twitter.
It is a message echoed on the Twitter handle of Bush’s foundation.
The two men from different political parties also wore ribbons with the colors of Ukraine’s flag.
They said the initiative aimed to show their solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Earlier in the conflict, former President Barack Obama slammed Russia’s “brazen attack” on Ukraine. He has posted several messages on social media directing people to help Ukrainians through ordinary organizations deployed on the ground.
Ukraine loses access to Sea of Azov
Ukraine’s defence ministry said that it had “temporarily” lost access to the Sea of Azov in the face of Russian advances around Mariupol.
“The occupiers have partially succeeded in the Donetsk operational district, temporarily depriving Ukraine of access to the Sea of Azov,” Ukraine’s defence ministry said.
The ministry did not specify whether Ukraine had regained access to the sea, but said that Russian forces had been pushed back from approaches toward the southern city of Mykolaiv.
Russia on Friday said that it was “tightening the noose” around Mariupol.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls for talks with Moscow
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for meaningful peace and security talks with Russia in a Saturday video address.
Zelenskyy said that the talks were “Russia’s only chance to reduce the damage of its own mistakes.”
“I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk,” Zelensky said.
“The time has come to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy added.
“Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such that it will take you several generations to recover.”
Zelenskyy said that there was, as of yet, no information about how many people have been killed in the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol after a theatre was struck on Wednesday. According to Ukraine’s president, more than 130 people had been rescued so far.
Bilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine have been ongoing for weeks with no major breakthroughs.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of stalling negotiations in phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Summary of Friday’s events in Ukraine-Russia crisis
US President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday by video call and warned China against giving Russia military and economic assistance.
The UN migration agency says nearly 6.5 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine, in addition to the 3.2 million who have already fled the country.
The Dutch government said it would send a Patriot missile defense system to Sliac, Slovakia, as NATO moved to strengthen air defenses in Eastern Europe. According to the Dutch government statement, Germany will send two Patriot systems.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said rescue work was ongoing at the site of a bombed theater in Mariupol from where 130 people had so far been recovered alive.
President Vladimir Putin praised the war waged on Ukraine as a “heroic” mission by the Russian army during a patriotic rally at a Moscow stadium.
The Bulgarian foreign ministry declared 10 Russian diplomats “persona non grata” and demanded that they leave the country within 72 hours, accusing them of carrying out activities incompatible with their diplomatic status.
The Baltic states also expelled a total of 10 Russian diplomats on Friday: three from Latvia and Estonia each and four from Lithuania.
lo,sdi/aw (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls for talks with Russia — live updates
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