Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Russia fired two missiles at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. At least 10 people were injured as one of the rockets hit a residential building in the central Shevchenko district. The blasts came soon after Guterres wrapped up talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A spokesperson said Guterres and his team were safe.
Meanwhile, explosions were reported across the country, in Polonne in the west, Chernihiv near the border with Belarus, and Fastiv, a large railway hub southwest of the capital. The mayor of Odesa, in southern Ukraine, said rockets were intercepted by air defences. In the ruined southern port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian fighters holed up in the steel plant that represents the last pocket of resistance said concentrated bombing overnight killed and wounded more people.
The United States is engaging with India over the issue of Ukraine and this will continue in the upcoming Quad summit in Japan next month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington. Ukraine hopes on Friday to evacuate civilians who are holed up in vast steelworks with the last fighters defending the southern city of Mariupol.
The United States believes Russian intelligence was behind an April chemical attack on a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Russian journalist critical of the Kremlin. Meanwhile, the US House gave final passage Thursday to legislation that would streamline a World War II-era military lend-lease program to more quickly provide Ukraine and other Eastern European countries with American equipment to fight the Russian invasion.
The Union Budget 2022-23 received a great deal of attention even before the financial year began due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the consequent rise in inflation. There has been considerable speculation on whether the fiscal targets will be altered due to the evolving conditions.