Russia-Ukraine war updates: Ukraine says Russian strikes kill 5 near Bakhmut

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has invited US President Joe Biden to visit Minsk as he expressed his willingness to mediate between Russia and US to end the war. While speaking to journalists, Lukashenko said, "Even Putin will fly over to Minsk for the trilateral meeting: two ‘aggressors' and the ‘peace loving' president. Why not?"  This comes as US President Joe Biden is planning to visit Poland this month to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Around 125 Ukrainian soldiers arrived at Torrejon de Ardoz military air base in Spain on Friday to receive military training. The land army of Spain will be in charge of providing training to 55 Ukrainian soldiers on how the Leopard 2 A4 tanks should be operated which Spain plans to send to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the rest 70 soldiers will be provided training in the Toledo Training Co-ordination Centre under a programme aimed at providing training to around 400 Ukrainian conscripts every two months. EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had said that the mission will be able to successfully train around 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers by the end of 2023.
 

United States Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said that Crimea, which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, should be at least demilitarised and added that Washington supports the strikes carried out by Ukraine on military targets on the peninsula.

"No matter what the Ukrainians decide about Crimea in terms of where they choose to fight etcetera, Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is at a minimum, at a minimum, demilitarised," Nuland said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. "Those are legitimate targets, Ukraine is hitting them and we are supporting that," she added.

A Ukrainian official said on Friday that Russian strikes killed five people - three men and two women around the Bakhmut city on Thursday and nine other civilians sustained injuries. 

In a statement published by Donetsk region prosecutor's office, the deceased civilians aged between 32 and 66, a report by CNN said. 

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk urged residents of Bakhmut to leave the city immediately. 

Authorities said that Russia and Ukraine exchanged 101 Prisoners of War (POWs) in their latest prisoner swap. On Thursday, the Russian Defence Ministry said, "Aircraft of the military transport aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces will deliver the released servicemen to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Defence Ministry."

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government posted photographs of scores of Ukrainian servicemen posing in front of the camera after being released.  

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who would be taking part in the global security conference in Munich, said on Thursday (February 16) that America remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine. 

With Republicans controlling the House of Representatives, a question arose whether Congress will continue to pass aid packages to Ukraine. Speaking to the news agency AFP, Whitehouse said the concerns were overblown. 

"The first thing is to communicate bipartisan and bicameral American support for Ukraine as it resists the invasion by Russia," he added. 

The nationwide destruction in Ukraine due to Russia's 'special military operation' has led to urgent questions over how the war-ravaged country's reconstruction can be paid for. A report by news agency Reuters on Friday (February 17) said that after Ukraine reported a 30% contraction in its economy last year, the country will need  $38 billion by the end of this year to cover its budget deficit alone. 

Apart from the above, Ukraine also needs $17 billion (in 2023) for urgent energy repairs and de-mining and rebuilding some of its critical infrastructure. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday (February 16) that he  is not willing to give up even a single territory of his country as part of any peace deal with Russia. Speaking to BBC, Zelensky said conceding territory would mean Russia could "keep coming back."

"Russian attacks are already happening from several directions," the President added. 

Russia's offensive in Ukraine will dominate the global security meeting in Munich on Friday (February 17). Politicians, military officials and diplomats from across the world will gather to survey a European security landscape transformed by the Ukraine war. 

Some of the top participants include French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and United States Vice President Kamala Harris, a report by news agency Reuters said.