Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues.

Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting in various parts of Ukraine, and many civilians have fled the country. We will update the situation in Ukraine on the 18th (Japan time), including the status of the battle and diplomacy of the countries concerned.

(There is a 6-hour time difference between Japan and Ukraine and Moscow, Russia)

Russian troops step up offensive in border areas

In Ukraine, there were intensive missile attacks by the Russian military in various places such as the capital Kyiv on the 16th, and the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 17th that a missile attack was also carried out on the southern city of Mykolaiv.

On the other hand, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office Yermak posted on SNS on the 17th that Russian troops are intensifying their attacks in Kharkiv Oblast in the east, Sumyi Oblast in the northeast, and Chernibov Oblast in the north, which borders Russia.

In the week leading up to the 16th, there were more than 1 shellings, killing 160 people, including children, and accusing the enemy of "terrorism not only on the front lines of combat, but everywhere."

Regarding this, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Mallar wrote on SNS on the 16th, "The enemy is trying to keep our troops in place," and expressed the view that he is trying to prevent the deployment of Ukrainian military units to other areas.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Tells China's Representative "Refusal to Accept Peace Proposal to Cede Territory"

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba met with China's special representative who was visiting Ukraine to discuss Russia's military aggression and stressed that any peace proposal to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia would not be accepted.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 17th that Foreign Minister Kuleba met with Li Hui, Special Representative in charge of Eurasia at the Chinese government, who visited Ukraine on June 16-17.

Li's visit was based on an agreement reached in a telephone conversation between President Zelensky and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, in which Foreign Minister Kuleba explained in detail Ukraine's position that respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity is the principle of a sustainable and just peace.

He then stressed that any proposal to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia or freeze the conflict without resolving the issue is unacceptable.

The document released by the Chinese government in February calling for dialogue and ceasefire in Ukraine, Russia, and other countries does not include the withdrawal of Russian troop troops.

Foreign Minister Kuleba has made sure that China, which continues to have close relations with Russia, will not proceed with peace negotiations in a way that favors Russia in the future.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Representative Li will visit Poland, France, Germany, and Russia in addition to Ukraine, but it is unclear whether this will lead to concrete results.

Export of Ukrainian agricultural products "Agreement with Russia extended for another two months"

The agreement between Russia and Ukraine on the export of agricultural products from Ukraine is expected to be maintained until mid-July, with Turkey and the United Nations, which mediated the agreement, extending it for another two months.

Concerns were raised over this agreement, as the Russian side indicated that it would not agree to an extension.

In July last year, Russia and Ukraine agreed to resume exports of Ukrainian agricultural products through the mediation of the United Nations and Turkey, and the deadline has been extended twice so far, but the Russian side claimed that "exports of Russian agricultural products and other products are delayed" and suggested that they might not agree to the extension after the 2th of this month, and concerns were raised.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on his SNS on the 7th that this agreement would be extended for another two months, and the current export framework is expected to be maintained until mid-July.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also said at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday, "I welcome the decision, which is good news for the world. Food is reaching the world's most vulnerable."

In response, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Kubrakov welcomed the announcement on Twitter, saying, "I would like to thank the United Nations and Turkey for their efforts to strengthen food security."

On the other hand, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova confirmed that the agreement was reached for a two-month extension, and pointed out that it was "an opportunity to help the countries most in need," and it seems that Russia is aiming to show its willingness to stand by developing countries such as Africa, which are trying to strengthen relations.