Russia-Ukraine live updates | As war in east rages on, Ukraine gets chance to ‘live the European dream’

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

The European Union's executive recommended on June 17 that Ukraine and Moldova become candidates for membership, a milestone in their potential path from ex-Soviet republics to developed economies in the world's largest trading bloc. If the European Commission's decision is ratified as expected next week at a summit, it will be a morale boost for Kyiv and further Western snub for Russian President Vladimir Putin after his invasion of Ukraine in February.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Twitter the bravery of Ukrainians had brought an opportunity for Europe to “create a new history of freedom, and finally remove the grey zone in Eastern Europe between the EU and Russia”. As diplomacy advanced with Brussels, intense fighting continued in the eastern region of Donbas, where Russia seeks to solidify and extend recent gains, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to the capital, Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin railed at the West, the United States in particular, in a grievance-filled speech in St Petersburg, but sought to play down the EU issue. "We have nothing against it," he said. "It is not a military bloc. It's the right of any country to join economic union."

A Russian state TV channel aired videos on social media of two Americans who went missing last week while fighting alongside the Ukrainian army, stating they had been captured by Russian forces.

United States President Joe Biden had said earlier Friday he did not know the whereabouts of Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, both U.S. military veterans whose relatives lost contact with the pair.

The missing Americans — including a third identified as a former U.S. Marines captain — are believed to be part of an unknown number of mostly military veterans who have joined other foreigners to volunteer alongside Ukrainian troops. - AFP

Ashes littered a square in the war-ravaged east Ukrainian city of Lysychansk on June 17 as smoke rose from a cultural centre following a Russian air strike that killed four people sheltering there. The embattled city is preparing for a possible street battle, with Russian troops fighting Ukrainian soldiers in the city of Severodonetsk, just across the river.