• Blinken claims 50pc occupied land recaptured by Ukraine
• Minsk, Moscow hold strategic dialogue

KYIV: The Ukrainian port city of Odesa came under renewed Russian missile attack early on Sunday, just hours before President Vladimir Putin declared that Kyiv’s counteroffensive had “failed” as he began two-day talks with his Belarus counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko.

The longtime leaders met for the first time since Lukashenko helped end a mutiny by Russian Wagner mercenaries in Russia last month, in the biggest threat to Putin’s more than two-decade rule.

“There is no counteroffensive,” Lukashenko said, before being interrupted by Putin: “There is one, but it has failed.”

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an interview to CNN on Sunday claimed that Ukraine took back about 50pc of the territory that Russia had initially seized, although Kyiv’s counteroffensive would extend several months. “These are still relatively early days of the counteroffensive. It is tough,” he said, adding: “It will not play out over the next week or two. Were still looking I think at several months.”

Hours before Lukashenko’s meeting with Putin in St Petersburg for “strategic” dialogue, Russian strikes targeted Odesa, which has been bombed several times since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian leader Zelensky promised to strike back at Russia for the deadly attack. “Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral,” Zelensky said. “There will definitely be a retaliation against Russian terrorists for Odesa.”

Also, Unesco while condemning the attack on Odesa stated: “Unesco is deeply dismayed and condemns in the strongest terms the brazen attack carried out by the Russian forces, which hit several cultural sites in the city centre of Odesa, home to the World Heritage property ‘The Historic Centre of Odesa’”.

At Saint Petersburg, it was the first time Putin and Lukashenko have met since the latter helped end a dramatic mutiny by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group.

The Belarus strongman now hosts Wagner fighters on his territory, after brokering a deal that convinced its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to end a march on Moscow and exile himself to Belarus.

Lukashenko said Minsk was “controlling” the situation with the notorious Wagner fighters, and restricting them to staying in the centre of the reclusive country. Wagner’s presence in Belarus has rattled EU and Nato member Poland, which has strengthened its border.

Both Putin and Lukashenko accused Warsaw of having territorial ambitions on Ukraine and Belarus, with the Belarusian strongman issuing a veiled threat.

Lukashenko accused Poland of trying to “rip off a western chunk” of Ukraine. He also accused Poland of bringing mercenaries to the border, saying he had “brought him a map of moving armed forces of Poland to the borders of the union state”.

After their talks, Putin and Lukashenko greeted crowds in the naval town and base of Kronstadt on Kotlin Island in a rare walkabout.

Earlier, Ukraine’s southern operational command said Odesa was targeted with at least five types of missile, including Kalibr cruise missiles. “Air defence forces destroyed a significant amount of the missiles,” it said.

“The rest caused damage to port infrastructure,” and several buildings, it said, adding that a missile had hit the Orthodox cathedral in the city centre.

The Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa was damaged, according to a video posted by city hall on its Telegram channel.

The strategic port has come under repeated attack since Moscow pulled out of a grain export deal last week.

More missiles

The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, repeated Kyiv’s call for more missiles and defence systems after the latest attack on Odesa. “The enemy must be deprived of the ability to hit civilians and infrastructure. More missile defence systems, as well as ATACMS — this will help Ukraine,” he said on Telegram, referring to the long-range tactical missiles that Kyiv wants Washington to supply.

Kyiv has accused Russia of targeting grain supplies and infrastructure vital to any resumption of Ukrainian grain exports.

Moscow has claimed it only targeted military sites.

The attack on Odesa comes a day after a Ukrainian drone strike blew up an ammunition depot in Crimea, forcing the evacuation of the surrounding population and temporary suspension of rail traffic on the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2023