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

Political and Diplomatic Moves

• Global leaders are converging in Switzerland for the second day of a critical peace summit, aiming to form a united stance against Russia's incursion into Ukraine and spotlight the war's severe humanitarian impact.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is optimistic about forming an international consensus on a peace plan to propose to Moscow.
• Although Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to discussions with Ukraine, he emphasized the need for guarantees to ensure the talks' credibility. Notably, Russia was excluded from the Swiss summit.
• Norway has pledged 1.1 billion kroner ($103 million) to aid Ukraine in restoring its energy infrastructure before winter. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store accused Russia of executing "massive, systematic attacks to cripple Ukraine's power grid."
• French President Emmanuel Macron suggested expanding the group of nations involved in efforts to formulate a peace plan for Ukraine during the summit's opening.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for Ukraine to capitulate before any peace negotiations as "propaganda."
• U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced an additional $1.5 billion in aid to Ukraine, reaffirming America's unwavering support for Kyiv's mission to achieve a "just and enduring peace" amid the war with Russia.
• A draft of the final summit declaration reportedly labels Russia's invasion as a "war"—a term rejected by Moscow—and advocates for the restoration of Ukrainian control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and its Azov Sea ports, according to Reuters.
• White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan disclosed that Qatar facilitated the return of over 30 Ukrainian children from Russia to their families. Kyiv asserts that up to 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied areas without guardian consent since the conflict started.
• While more than 90 countries are partaking in the summit, China has opted out, citing Russia's exclusion from the process.

Combat Situations

• The peace summit occurs at a critical juncture for Ukraine, facing intensified combat with Russian forces making gains against outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian troops.
• Russian troops have seized control of the village of Zahirne in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, according to Russia's defense ministry as reported by Interfax.
• Near Ukraine's embattled eastern front, expectations for a diplomatic solution are minimal. "I hope it brings some change eventually. But, as past experience shows, nothing comes of it," said Maksym, a tank commander in the Donetsk region, to AFP.
• Outside the Swiss summit venue, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier captured by Russia expressed hopes that the leaders could agree on "some exchange process for the prisoners of war." "I want to see my husband," said Hanna, who fled Mariupol and now resides in Sweden, to AFP.
• A Russian journalist was killed in a drone strike in eastern Ukraine, announced News.RU on Telegram, following another journalist’s death near the frontline two days prior. Nikita Tsitsagi died in an attack near the Saint-Nicolas monastery in Vugledar. President Putin recently stated that "at least 30" Russian journalists have died since the conflict began, although this figure has not been independently verified.
• Russian army defectors live in constant fear of retaliation from Moscow after deserting their posts amid the ongoing war with Ukraine. Many feel abandoned by the West, lacking necessary passports and possessing only documents permitting travel to neighboring Kazakhstan or Armenia.