Russia-Ukraine crisis live updates | Ukraine, Russia battle in the east as Zelensky visits front

Here are the latest developments from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict

Russian and Ukrainian troops traded blows in fierce close-quarter combat on May 29 in an eastern Ukrainian city as Moscow’s soldiers, supported by intense shelling, attempted to gain a strategic foothold to conquer the region. Ukraine’s leader also made a rare frontline visit to Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, to assess the strength of the national defense.

In the east, Russian forces stormed Sievierodonetsk after trying unsuccessfully to encircle the strategic city, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation there as “indescribably difficult,” with a relentless Russian artillery barrage destroying critical infrastructure and damaging 90% of the buildings.

Meanwhile, Germany’s government and conservative opposition have agreed on a deal that will release 100 billion euros ($107 billion) to modernise the army in the face of the Russian threat.

Read more news on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis here.

Germany’s government and conservative opposition have agreed on a deal that will release 100 billion euros ($107 billion) to modernise the army in the face of the Russian threat. An agreement was reached late Sunday to create a special fund for military procurement that will also allow Berlin to achieve NATO’s target of spending two percent of GDP on defence.

The deal, which involves amending budgetary rules in the national constitution, was struck after weeks of difficult negotiations between the parties in the governing coalition and the conservatives of former chancellor Angela Merkel, representatives of these groups told AFP.

Three days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a special budget of 100 billion euros to rearm the German military and modernise its outdated equipment over the next few years. - AFP