Russia-Ukraine War: List of main events, day 842 | Russia-Ukraine war news

As the war enters its 842nd day, these are the key developments.

This is the situation on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

Politics and diplomacy

• World leaders gather in Switzerland for the second day of a major peace conference to reach consensus on condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underlining concerns about the human cost of the war.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope of reaching international agreement on a proposal to end the war that he could present to Moscow.
• The circle of countries participating in the work process for a peace plan for Ukraine must be widened, French President Emmanuel Macron said during the opening of the peace summit.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as “propaganda” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine effectively surrender before any peace talks.
• US Vice President Kamala Harris announced an additional $1.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine, while pledging the US’ full support in supporting Kiev’s efforts to achieve “a just and lasting peace.” in the face of war with Russia.
• A draft of the summit’s final declaration refers to Russia’s invasion as a “war” – a label Moscow rejects – and calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and its ports on the Sea of ​​Azov, it said. the Reuters news agency.
• White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that Qatar helped mediate the return from Russia of 30 or more Ukrainian children to their families. Kiev says around 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of their family or guardians since the start of the war.
• More than 90 countries are taking part in the summit, but China said it would boycott the event after Russia was excluded from the process.

Fighting

• The peace summit comes at a dangerous time for Ukraine on the battlefield, with Russian forces advancing against Ukrainian units devoid of personnel and weapons.

• Near Ukraine’s embattled eastern front, hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough are slim to none. “I would like to hope that this will bring some changes in the future. But, as experience shows, nothing happens,” Maksym, a tank commander in the Donetsk region, told the AFP news agency.

• Outside the peace summit site in Switzerland, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier captured by Russia said she hoped leaders would agree to “some exchange process for prisoners of war.” “I want to see my husband,” Hanna, who fled her home in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol and now lives in Sweden, told AFP.

• Meanwhile, deserters from the Russian army live in fear of reprisals from Moscow after abandoning their posts in the ongoing war with Ukraine. Many also feel abandoned by the West, as they do not have the necessary passports and only have documents that allow them to reach neighboring Kazakhstan or Armenia.