The latest updates from the war in Ukraine.
ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held bilateral meetings with the President of Hungary Tamás Sulyok and the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday as part of the Three Seas Initiative summit in Lithuania.
The leaders and representatives of 25 central eastern and southern European countries would normally discuss cooperation on transport, cybersecurity and energy. But as Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid intensify, boosting Ukraine's air defences has become the priority.
A Russian strike has effectively destroyed a major power station near Kyiv, dealing a new blow to Ukraine's already badly damaged civilian energy grid.
The attack knocked out the entire generative capacity of the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant in the city of Ukrainka in Kyiv Oblast, according to local authorities. It was one of a hail of overnight aerial strikes targeting critical infrastructure, part of a Russian strategy to put the Ukrainian economy and everyday life under intolerable strain.
As reported by the Kyiv Independent, the chair of Ukraine's state energy company Centerenergo described the attack on the plant as "a dark day". However, all workers on duty at the time of the strike are said to have survived.
Ukraine expands conscription with controversial new law
Ukraine’s parliament passed a law on Thursday that will govern how the country recruits new conscripts, following months of delay and after thousands of amendments were submitted to water down the initial draft.
Lawmakers dragged their feet for months over the law, which is expected to be unpopular. The law was spurred by a request from the military command under former army Commander Valerii Zaluzhny, who said Ukraine needs up to 500,000 new recruits to boost army ranks.
Exhausted soldiers, many of whom have been on the front lines since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, have had no option of rotating out for rest, while many thousands of Ukrainian men continue to evade the draft.
The law brings into effect a host of changes to the current system by expanding the powers of Ukrainian authorities to issue draft notices using an electronic system.
Switzerland to host Ukraine peace conference without Russia
Switzerland's government said on Wednesday it will host a high-level international conference in June to help chart a path toward peace in Ukraine after more than two years of war and expressed hope that Russia might one day join in the peace process.
The conference will take place 15-16 June, gathering top government officials from dozens of countries, following up on a plan laid out in recent months by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
China, an ally of Russia, has said it will consider taking part. The country laid out a 12-point peace plan to end the war last year that received a lukewarm reception from both Moscow and Kyiv.
More than 100 countries will be invited to the gathering.