Zelensky accuses China of obstructing peace summit

MOSCOW

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused China on Sunday of working hard to stop countries from going to a peace summit, which Beijing has publicly criticised because Russia is not invited.

Zelensky made the remarks at a security forum in Singapore as he sought to rally support for the conference and appealed for more military aid for Ukraine, which has been ceding ground to Russian troops.

"China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit," Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, which draws defense officials from around the world.

Beijing believes the conference "should have the recognition of Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans", foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Friday.

"Otherwise, it is difficult for the conference to play a substantive role in restoring peace," she said.

Zelensky also expressed disappointment that "some world leaders" had not signed up to the conference, with China signalling Xi Jinping will not attend while U.S. President Joe Biden is yet to commit.

China said it would be "difficult" for it to attend if Russia did not participate, which Ukraine has rejected.

Nine wounded in Russia by Ukrainian strikes

Nine people were wounded in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian border regions of Belgorod and Kursk, the respective regional governors said on Sunday.

"Six civilians were wounded as a result of the bombardment of Shebekino town," Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram, adding that they had been taken to hospital.

All six, five of whom were in two buses and the sixth who was on the street, were wounded by shrapnel.

Shebekino is a town of 40,000 people close to the border with Ukraine, fewer than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Kharkiv.

Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, has been the target of a sustained push by Russian forces since early May.

Ukraine regularly attacks Belgorod.

Kiev says it is targeting military sites from which Russia launches its deadly missile and drone assaults on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and towns.

Gladkov also announced on Sunday the death of a local official in an explosion that wounded three other officials, without giving any more details.

Russia claims capture of village in Donetsk

Russia's defense ministry claimed on Sunday to have captured a tiny village in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where it has been on the offensive making territorial gains.

Russian troops "have managed to liberate the village of Umanskoye in the popular republic of Donetsk", the ministry said in reference to the Ukrainian village of Umanske.

Umanske is a tiny village that had fewer than 180 inhabitants before Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.

It lies about 25 kilometers (15 miles) to the northwest of Donetsk, which is the main city of the region and is under Russian control.

Russian defense Minister Andrei Belousov said on Friday Russia had made advances "in all tactical directions".

Moscow's forces had seized 880 square kilometers (340 square miles) of territory this year alone, he said.

Ukraine's outnumbered and outgunned forces have been under pressure for several months, particularly since Russia launched a new push in early May around the eastern city of Kharkiv, the second largest in Ukraine.

Russian soldiers have also been pushing hard in the east towards Pokrovsk, a city around 30 kilometres northwest of Umanske.

Kiev hopes the imminent delivery of Western munitions it has long been waiting for will allow its troops to regain the upper hand on the battlefield.

Likewise, U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to allow Kiev to use American-supplied weapons to strike certain targets inside Russia has provided Ukraine with a significant boost.