That's our live blog wrapping up for Friday night. 

We're back on Saturday morning with all the latest developments. 

US 'working to clarify' Turkey's position on Finland, Sweden and NATO

Washington is "working to clarify Turkey's position" after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to block Finnish and Swedish membership of Nato, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Friday.

A future membership of these two countries has received "broad support" from other members of the Atlantic Alliance, she said.

Finland and Sweden can only be admitted after a unanimous vote by existing members.

The Turkish president's announcement has thrown a spanner in the works of a process that has so far been supported by most Nato members, including the United States, and by the alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, who said he was ready to welcome the two Nordic countries "with open arms".

The United States is seeking "to better understand Turkey's position", Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, adding that the country was "a valued NATO ally" and that this had "not changed".

Turkey "has been involved and effective in trying to establish a dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, and has provided assistance to Ukraine," he added. "So nothing changes in terms of its position in the Nato alliance."

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he did not want to see "the same mistake made when Greece joined", a neighbour with which Turkey has historically had complicated relations.

He also accused the two Nordic countries of serving as a "hostel for terrorists from the PKK", the Kurdistan Workers' Party, considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara, but also by the European Union and the United States.

(AFP)

Breakaway Georgia region to hold Russia referendum

The authorities of the pro-Russian Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia announced on Friday that they would hold a referendum on 17 July on its integration with Russia.

"President" Anatoly Bibilov "signed a decree on holding a referendum in the republic of South Ossetia," his office said in a statement, referring to the "historic aspiration" of the inhabitants of this small Caucasian territory to join Russia, with which it borders.

"We are coming home," Bibilov commented on the Telegram messenger. 

"The time has come to unite once and for all," "South Ossetia and Russia will be together. This is the beginning of a great new history," he added. 

Anatoly Bibilov failed to win re-election as "president" earlier this month and Russia expressed hope that his successor in the post, Alan Gagloev, would provide "continuity" in relations with Moscow.

South Ossetia was at the centre of the 2008 Russian-Georgian war, after which the Kremlin recognised its independence as well as that of another Georgian separatist region, Abkhazia, and established military bases there.

The announcement of the upcoming referendum came on the 79th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The Ukrainian separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, whose independence has also been recognised by Moscow, have also expressed interest in becoming part of Russia. 

The offensive against Ukraine has sparked a wave of solidarity in Georgia. 

(AFP)

Ukraine defence minister: 'No swift end to the war in sight'

Ukraine’s defense minister admitted Friday that there was no swift end to the war with Russia in sight.

Writing on social media, Oleksii Reznikov said that Western weapons would take some time to begin turning the tide in Ukraine’s favour.

“We are entering a new -- long-term -- phase of the war,” Reznikov said in a Facebook post. “Extremely difficult weeks await us. How many there will be -- no one can say for sure.”

He added that Russia was unable to sweep across Ukraine and capture its capital, and is now “forced to reduce the scale of its targets down to the operational-tactical level.”

“We are witnessing a strategic turning point in favor of Ukraine. This process will last for some time,” he said.

Reznikov said Ukraine is “slowly, but nevertheless” receiving heavy weapons transfers from Western partners. Kyiv expects more weapons following the meeting of the defense chiefs of more than 40 countries at the American Ramstein base in Germany last month, which Reznikov referred to as “a historic meeting.”

More than 1,500 Ukrainian troops are already being trained in the use of Western equipment, or set to begin training in the coming days.

(AP)

US says Russia used UN to spread disinformation

The United States is again accusing Russia of using the United Nations Security Council to spout disinformation and conspiracy theories about biological weapons in Ukraine to distract from its brutal war against its smaller neighbor.

US deputy ambassador Richard Mills called the Russian claims of alleged US involvement in a biological weapons program “categorically false and ludicrous.”

He warned the council Friday that Moscow’s actions follow a pattern of accusing others of violations it has perpetrated or intends to perpetrate, adding that they need to be watched closely “for the possibility of a false flag chemical or biological attack by Russia’s forces.”

UN deputy disarmament chief Thomas Markram reiterated to the council what his boss said at council meetings on March 11 and March 18 on similar Russian allegations: The United Nations is not aware of any biological weapons program in Ukraine.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said at the opening that he called for a third council meeting because his government continues to receive “very worrying documentary evidence” that the US defense department is directly involved in carrying out “dangerous biological projects that look like a secret biological military program” in Ukraine.

After the 15 council members spoke, all calling for an end to the war and Western nations strongly backing the US position, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky asked for the floor, accusing the United States of not providing any information about the aims of its biological activities in Ukraine.

(AP)

Russia cuts electricity to Finland - but with no real impact

Finland's power grid operator said it would be able to do without power imports from Russia, which were suspended on Saturday due to unpaid bills, as Finland prepares to announce its NATO membership bid.

"We were prepared for this and it won't be difficult. We can manage with a bit more imports from Sweden and Norway," Timo Kaukonen, an operations manager at operator Fingrid, told AFP new agency on Friday.

"Just under 10%" of Finland's electricity consumption comes from Russia, with up to 900 megawatts (MW) of import capacity currently available, he said.

Russia will suspend its electricity supplies to Finland from Saturday because of unpaid bills, RAO Nordic Oy, a wholly-owned Russian company, announced on Friday.

The company said it had not received payment for electricity supplied to Finland since 6 May, without saying whether the payment problems were linked to EU sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

A message to this effect appears on the website of Nordpool, the Nordic electricity market, with electricity deliveries halted from midnight local time (21:00 GMT) on Friday night.

This announcement comes against a backdrop of rising tensions between Moscow and Helsinki, which has announced its desire to join NATO "without delay" under the influence of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. This intention is viewed very negatively by Moscow, which has already threatened a "military-technical" response.

At the end of April, Fingrid had reduced the import capacity from Russia from 1,300 to 900 MW in order to "safeguard the security of the electricity system in Finland" in the context of "the changing international situation".

(AFP)

Lativa dismantles last Soviet monument in capital 

A giant monument to the glory of the Red Army, dating back to the Soviet era, has been taken down in the Latvian capital of Riga on Friday. 

The statue had been subject to much controversy in the Baltic state, which shares a border with Russia and was once in the USSR. 

Riga city council instructed the Municipal Monuments Agency to organise the dismantling of this 79-meter-high monument.

It was built between 1979 and 1985 to commemorate the victory of the Soviet army over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Once a year, thousands of Russians in Latvia - who make up about 30% of the population - gather on May 9 to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. 

Most Latvians see this date as the beginning of the Soviet occupation until 1991 and the coming of difficult times. 

“The demolition work will not be cheap, because the monument is made of reinforced concrete and consists of several giant sculptures,” said Martins Stakis, mayor of Riga. 

Almost all monuments and plaques from the Soviet era, except those located in the cemeteries of soldiers, were removed in 1991. 

However Riga monument in Riga was protected under a 1994 treaty between the Republic of Latvia and the Russian Federation. 

On Thursday, the Latvian parliament voted to amend this treaty, which deprived the monument of legal protection. 

In a tweet, the Russian embassy in Riga said Thursday "outraged" by this step "traitorous and unjustified which has no moral or legal basis".

Activists in 1997 tried to demolish the monument with dynamite but the explosion went off prematurely, killing two. 

Later, several petitions in favour of the demolition reached the necessary threshold of 10,000 signatures, but each time the proposal was rejected/ 

Debates around dismantling the monument resumed immediately after the Russian attack on Ukraine, especially after the discovery of mass graves in the country. 

EU poised for agreement on Russian oil embargo, despite concerns, say diplomats

The European Union could agree on a phased embargo on Russian oil next week, despite concerns about supply in eastern Europe, according to EU diplomats and officials. 

"There will be a deal," hinted one senior diplomat to Reuters, while a second said an agreement could come as early as Monday when Eu foreign ministers meet in Brussels.

Another said there was a chance of an agreement later in the week. 

"This is going to be decided at the highest political level, between Budapest and Brussels," said one diplomat. "I am optimistic." 

An embargo on Russian oil was first proposed by the European Commission in May.

However, dependence on energy supplies from Russia in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia poses a big obstacle to the plans. 

Hungary has already obtained an exemption until the end of 2024, as has Slovakia, and the Czech Republic would have until mid-2024.

Zelenskyy 'ready' for talks with Putin - but only if Russian forces 'get out' of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated an offer to hold talks with the Russian leader, but only if the country's forces 'get out' of territory they have occupied since the outbreak of war. 

The comments mark the Ukrainian president's clearest public declaration on possible peace talks with Russia, which have stalled in recent weeks. 

Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine is the starting point for any discussions, said Zelenskyy, adding that he is unwilling to compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity. 

"Get out of this territory that you have occupied since February 24," he told Italy’s RAI 1 television, Reuters reports. "This is the first clear step to talking about anything."

The two countries have not held face-to-face discussions since 29 March, although Interfax news agency has quoted Moscow’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, as saying peace talks were being held remotely.

Zelenskyy also rebuffed suggestions that Ukraine should make concessions for the sake of securing peace, even if it would allow Putin to save face. 

"As president, I am ready to talk to Putin, but only to him," said Zelenskyy. "Without any of his intermediaries. And in the framework of dialogue, not ultimatums."

(Reuters)

210,000 children forcibly deported by Russia, claims Ukraine

Russia has been accused of deporting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children by the country's human rights ombudsperson. 

Lyudmyla Denisova said more than 210,000 children were among 1.2 million Ukrainians who Kyiv says have been deported against their will by Russia.

"When our children are taken out, they destroy the national identity, deprive our country of the future," said Denisova on Ukranian national television. 

"They teach our children there, in Russian, the history that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has told everyone," she said. 

No evidence was provided to support these figures. 

Euronews cannot independently verify them. 

Moldova fears spread of regional conflict 

Moldova is watchful for signs that fighting from the Ukraine war might be spilling over into its borders, says the country's top diplomat. 

Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said on Friday that “the situation is of course fragile, but it is nonetheless relatively calm.

"We do not face an acute military crisis today," he added. 

Popescu made the comments to reporters on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Germany over the Russian invasion. 

He said the small eastern European country is watching events carefully and has been preparing for the "full spectrum of options."

Popescu claimed there were Russian troops in the separatist region of Transnistria, a Russian-backed separatist territory in Moldova that borders southwestern Ukraine. 

The area has seen an uptick in tensions since the start of the Ukraine war in February. 

"We all have a commitment and an obligation and a duty to keep peace in the entire Moldova, which includes the Transnistrian region," said Popescu. 

He noted that the Moldovan government was in regular contact with the de facto authorities in Transnistria. 

(AP)

Turkey objects to Finland and Sweden joining NATO

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that his country is “not favorable” toward Finland and Sweden joining NATO, indicating that Turkey could use its status as a member of the Western military alliance to veto moves to admit the two countries.

“We are following developments concerning Sweden and Finland, but we are not of a favorable opinion,” Erdogan told reporters.

The Turkish leader explained his opposition by citing Sweden and other Scandinavian countries’ alleged support for Kurdish militants and others whom Turkey considers to be terrorists.

He said he also did not want to repeat Turkey's past “mistake” from when it agreed to readmit Greece into NATO's military wing in 1980. He claimed the action had allowed Greece “to take an attitude against Turkey by taking NATO behind it."

Erdogan did not say outright that he would block any accession attempt the two Nordic nations might make, but NATO takes all its decisions by consensus, meaning that each of the 30 member countries has a potential veto over who can join.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Finland and Sweden, should they formally apply to join the world’s biggest security organization, would be welcomed with open arms.

The accession procedure could be done in “a couple of weeks,” several NATO officials have said, although it could take around 6 months for member countries to ratify the accession protocol.

(AP)

Russians advised against UK travel 

Russia has recommended that its citizens do not travel to the United Kingdom, while tightening entry requirements for Britons travelling to the country. 

These measures, announced on Friday, come amid a worsening of relations between the two countries, with Russia saying they were a response to "unfriendly" actions by London. 

"Due to the extremely unfriendly evolution of the United Kingdom towards our country (...) we recommend that Russian citizens avoid travelling to Great Britain," said the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

It also criticised the difficulties Russians face obtaining a British visa.

Some 200,000 Russians visited the UK in 2019, according to Visit Britain. 

(AFP)

75-minute call between Russian and German leaders over Ukraine war 

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken with Putin by phone on Friday for the first time since March. 

During the 75-minute phone call, the pair discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and "efforts to end it," said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

Scholz urged the Russian leader to strike a ceasefire with Ukraine as soon as possible, and improve conditions on the ground for civilians, he said. 

The German leader also “clearly rejected the Kremlin accusation that Nazism was widespread in Ukraine,” according to Hebestreit.

Speaking about the global food situation, Scholz “reminded (Putin) that Russia has a special responsibility” with regard to the issue as a major world supplier, Hebestreit said in a statement.

(AP)

Putin's 'shady network' hit with new UK sanctions 

The United Kingdom has slapped fresh sanctions on Putin's inner circle and financial network, according to the country's Foreign Office (FCO). 

Those targetted include the Russian president's wife, his cousins and Alina Kabaeva, who is reported to have a close relationship with Putin.

"We are exposing and targeting the shady network propping up Putin's luxury lifestyle and tightening the vice on his inner circle," said UK foreign secretary Liz Truss. 

"We will keep going with sanctions on all those aiding and abetting Putin's aggression until Ukraine prevails," she added. 

While Putin's official assets are modest, his lifestyle is funded "by a cabal of family, friends and elites", whom he rewards with state positions and wealth in return for "undying loyalty", the FCO said.

(Reuters)

Germany starts training Ukrainian soldiers to use powerful artillery guns

Germany says it has started to teach Ukrainian troops how to use its Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000 howitzer artillery system on Friday. 

The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful artillery weapons in the German army. 

It can fire three rounds in nine seconds and hit targets up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) away. 

(AP/Reuters)

Ukraine asks G7 to hand over seized Russian assets 

Ukraine asked the G7 group of wealthy nations on Friday to confiscate Russian assets that it could use to help rebuild the country. 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba made the remarks during a meeting with the G7's top diplomats in Germany. 

"Today, I asked the G7 states to adopt legislation and put in place all the necessary procedures in order to seize Russian assets and give them to Ukraine for the reconstruction of the country," said Kouleba. 

"Russia must pay politically, economically but also financially" for the damage caused by its invasion," he added. 

Kouleba pointed to Canada, which vowed to give Russian assets to Ukrainian victims in April. 

"Canada has done it before and I have a feeling the others are going to do it sooner or later," he said.

Last week, European Council President Charles Michel called for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets in the EU as part of broader sanctions against Moscow.

"Personally, I am absolutely convinced that it is extremely important not only to freeze the assets, but also to make possible their confiscation, in order to make them available for the country which is rebuilding," he said. 

Frozen assets are still owned by their original owners, whereas confiscated assets would no longer be under their control. 

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Wednesday he was "open" to the idea of ​​using frozen money belonging to the Russian Central Bank to help rebuild Ukraine. 

Yet, seizing and redistributing the property of private individuals and companies is more complicated he said because "of law which we cannot ignore at the political level".

Report greenlights Sweden's NATO membership 

An official report has paved the way for Sweden to join NATO, after it drew favourable conclusions on the benefits of membership for the country. 

The 40-page strategic review, which was presented on Friday, highlighted several advantages of the Nordic country joining the defensive alliance. 

However, it stopped short of formally expressing a recommendation. 

Neighbouring Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometres (830 miles) long border with Russia, is expected to formalise its NATO candidacy this week. 

"Sweden's membership in NATO would raise the threshold (of triggering) of military conflicts and would thus have a deterrent effect in Northern Europe," the report concluded. 

Although Moscow has said there will be "consequences" if Sweden and Finland were to enter NATO, the report dismissed an armed attack as very unlikely, although it did recognise the possibility of Russian "provocations" and "realisations." 

The report added that outside of NATO Sweden currently has no "guarantees" of support in the event of Russian aggression. 

"Our opinion is that we would not suffer a conventional military attack in reaction to a possible candidacy for NATO," Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said at a press conference.

But she stopped short of ruling out a military attack on the country, reiterating a government position.

Russia is strongly against a larger and expanded NATO on its borders, which it views as a threat to the country's security.

The Russian leadership has previously warned that nuclear weapons will be deployed near Scandinavia and the Baltics, should Finland or Sweden decide to sign up. 

A formal decision on whether Sweden will join NATO is expected in the coming days. 

EU set to give €500 million military aid package to Ukraine 

The European Union will provide 500 million euros worth of military assistance to Ukraine in a bid to help it resist the Russian invasion.

Friday's announcement was made by the EU's head of diplomacy, Josep Borrell, at a G7 gathering in Germany.

But the head of EU foreign affairs said the funds would only be released if approved by all member states. 

Borrell said the cheque would be spent on heavy weaponry, such as armoured vehicles, tanks, heavy artillery and ammunition, although stopped short of promising finance for fighter jets - a key Ukrainian demand. 

If ratified, it would mean that the bloc has provided Ukraine with a grand total of 2 billion euros in both lethal and non-lethal support.

Some EU member states are hesitant about providing more military aid to Ukraine, although other figures in the bloc, such as the EU Council president, have thrown their support behind the measure. 

The package will likely take weeks to be greenlit by the EU. 

Borrell also hoped that the EU would agree on an oil embargo against Russia, which has been discussed in recent weeks. 

Answering questions from reporters, he said "I am sure we will have an agreement - we need this agreement, and we will have it.

"We have to get rid of the oil dependency on Russia," he added.

. 

UK: Russian commanders 'under pressure' in Ukraine 

The UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) has said Moscow's military leaders are under pressure to make progress in eastern Ukraine, following recent heavy Russian losses. 

British military officials said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had repelled a Russian column of armour, which was trying to cross the Siverskyi Donets river in the Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on a pontoon bridge. 

"Significant" elements of at least one Russian battalion tactical group, alongside equipment used to deploy the floating bridge, were lost by Russia, the MOD said.  

“Conducting river crossings in a contested environment is a highly risky manoeuvre and speaks to the pressure the Russian commanders are under to make progress in their operations in eastern Ukraine,” the MOD said in its daily intelligence update.

It added that Russia has failed to make any major significant advances in eastern Ukraine, despite concentrating forces in the Luhansk and Donbas regions of the country. 

(AP)

Boy, 15, survives the attack that killed his father in front of him 

After the Russian troops' retreat from the outskirts of Kyiv, revelations of mass graves with dozens of civilians, some with their hands tied behind their back and most shot to the head in towns like Bucha shocked the world. 

Fourteen-year-old Yura Nechyporenko from Bucha feared he would become one of them after his horrifying encounter with Russian forces who were occupying the streets he grew up in.

He also witnessed his father die, unable to do anything to save his life.

Read more below 

Boy, 15, survives the attack that killed his father in front of him

G7 united in support of Ukrainian victory, says France

France assured Kyiv on Friday that the G7 group of western nations would support Ukraine "until victory."

"We will continue to support Ukraine's fight for its sovereignty over time until Ukraine wins," said French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at a meeting of the G7 in Wangels, northern Germany, adding that the G7 would support Kyiv "in the long term." 

"We are not at war with Russia, it is Russia that is at war with Ukraine: there is an aggressor and an attacked and we support the attacked," he said.  

Britain's Foreign Secretary also called for "more weapons" to be delivered to Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. 

"It is very important at this time to keep the pressure on Vladimir Putin by supplying more weapons to Ukraine and increasing sanctions,” she said.  

“G7 unity has been vital during this crisis to protect freedom and democracy and we will continue to work together to achieve this,” she added.

These remarks come as foreign ministers of the G7 are meeting with their Ukrainian counterparts until Saturday in Germany to find out how to help Ukraine defend against the Russian invasion. 

The G7 is a group of powerful advanced economies, including Germany, France, Italy, Canada, the US, Japan and the UK.

(AFP)

Zelenskyy condemns bombardment of schools and hospitals as 'stupidity, barbarity'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces on Thursday night struck the Chernihiv region and hit schools.

“Of course, the Russian state is in such a condition that any education only gets in its way. But what can be achieved by destroying Ukrainian schools? All Russian commanders who give such orders are simply sick, and incurable.”

He condemned what he suggested were senseless attacks on the refinery in the central Ukrainian industrial hub of Kremenchuk, on the Zaporizhzhia region and the Donbas.

“They are cowards, and they try to hide the truth behind missiles, airstrikes and artillery shelling,” he said in his nightly video address to the nation.

“Therefore our task is to fight until we achieve our goals in this war: to free our land, our people and secure our security.”

Noting that Thursday is International Nurses Day, Zelenskyy thanked Ukraine’s nurses and other medical workers for their part in the fight and urged all Ukrainians to do the same.

He said since the invasion began on 24 February the Russian military had damaged 570 medical facilities, fully destroying 101 hospitals.

“What is that? It’s stupidity. It’s barbarity. It’s the self-destruction of Russia as a state that anyone in the world could see as a cultured nation.”

Ukraine strikes another Russian ship near Snake Island, officials claim

Ukrainian officials say their forces took out another Russian ship in the Black Sea.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said late Thursday the Vsevolod Bobrov logistics ship was struck as it was trying to deliver an anti-aircraft system to Snake Island. He said the ship was badly damaged but was not believed to have sunk.

A spokesman for the Odesa regional military administration said the vessel caught fire after the strike. There was no confirmation from Russia and no reports of casualties.

The British Ministry of Defence said this week that Ukraine has been targeting Russian air defences and supply vessels on Snake Island in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s efforts to expand its control over the Black Sea coastline.

The Ukrainian military last month sank the Moskva cruiser, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. In March, the military destroyed the landing ship Saratov.