Leaders of Germany, France and Italy are in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ahead of the trip, French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his support for Ukraine, but repeated his call for Ukraine and Russia to hold talks to end the war.
On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the second known call between the two leaders since the war began. Xi reportedly expressed support for Russia’s, quote, “sovereignty and security” and pledged to increase ties with Moscow. He is also said to have called on all parties to push for a, quote, “proper settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
Also on Wednesday, NATO defense leaders met in Brussels and pledged to increase military support for Ukraine. Speaking at NATO headquarters in Belgium, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new $1 billion U.S. military package to Ukraine.
— source democracynow.org | Jun 16, 2022