Putin warns United States against supplying Ukraine longer range missiles

LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin warned the United States in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Russia would strike new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems.

The United States has ruled out sending its own or NATO forces to Ukraine but Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kyiv such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

President Joe Biden last week said Washington would supply Ukraine with M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, after he received assurances from Kyiv that it would not be used to target Russia. 

Putin said the arms shipments were "nothing new" and changed nothing but cautioned that there would be a response if the United States supplied longer-range munitions for the HIMARS systems which have a maximum range of up to 300 km (185 miles) or more.

If longer-range missiles are supplied, "we will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting," Putin told the Rossiya-1 state television channel in an interview.

Putin said the range of the Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) HIMARS systems depended on the munitions supplied and that the range announced by the United States was around the same as Soviet-made missile systems that Ukraine already had.

"This is nothing new. It doesn't change anything in essence," Putin said. He said the arms merely replaced those that Russia had destroyed.

Putin did not identify the targets Russia would strike, but said the "fuss" around Western arms supplies was designed to drag out the conflict.

The U.S. Department of Defense said it was supplying Ukraine four M142 HIMARS systems along with the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System that it said had a range of over 40 miles (64 km) - double the range of the howitzers it supplied.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address announcing the start of the military operation in eastern Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia, in a still image taken from video footage released February 24, 2022. Russian Pool/Reuters TV via REUTERS

'CRACKING NUTS'

The war in Ukraine, Europe's biggest ground invasion since World War Two, has shown the limits of Russia's post-Soviet military power with significant losses and several changes of strategy in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.

Speaking about the drones delivered by Western states to Ukraine, Putin said Russian air defences were "cracking them like nuts". Dozens, he said, had been destroyed.

Although Russian officials have warned that the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems would exacerbate the conflict, Putin said it would not bring on any fundamental changes on the battlefield.

The interview, which the Kremlin said was recorded on June 3 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, showed Putin sitting before a large wall map of Russia, Europe and Central Asia.

Asked about Ukrainian grain exports, he said the best solution would be to transport it through Belarus but said that sanctions would have to lifted from the Russian ally. read more

Since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, Ukrainian grain shipments from its Black Sea ports have stalled and more than 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in silos.

Putin and Russian officials do not use the words war or invasion, saying it is a "special military operation" aimed at preventing the persecution of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

Putin also casts it as a turning point in Russian history: a revolt by Moscow against the United States, which he says has humiliated Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine says it is fighting for its very survival against a Russian imperial-style land grab that has irrevocably divided the two biggest Eastern Slav peoples and sown death and destruction across Europe's second largest country by area.

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War 'hottest' around Severodonetsk - military intelligence chief

Fighting around Severodonetsk now represents the "hottest" area of conflict in Ukraine, says the country's military intelligence chief.

Maj Gen Kyrylo Budanov claims his forces are gradually ousting Russian troops from the important eastern city despite "a tenfold advantage of the enemy in artillery".

It was not possible to independently verify the claim. The regional governor earlier warned that the Severodonetsk situation had "worsened a little" despite progress made to retake parts of the city.

Elections 2022: Parties to formalise candidacies as of 6 June

Luanda – Political parties and coalitions interested in running for general elections, scheduled for August 24, are required to submit their candidacy to the Constitutional Court as of Monday (6).

Under the Law on General Elections, the presentation of candidacies takes place up to 20 days after the calling of polls.

The general elections were called on Friday (3) by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.

Under a Presidential Decree, the date of June 3, which comes into force from next Monday, marks the official start of the submission of candidacies.

The contestants should appoint a representative, that is, a person who represents them in every operation of the electoral process.

Candidacies are presented at the Data Processing Center (CPD) of the Constitutional Court.

The centre is tasked with analysing the regularity of the process, the authenticity of documents and the eligibility of the proposed candidates.

Under the electoral legislation in force in the country, each interested political party must submit to the court the personal documentation of the head of the list and the second figure appointed for the functions of President of the Republic and Vice-President, as well as their candidates for MPs.

The documents include, application for submission of candidacy (complete details of the candidate and their declarations of commitment and acceptance), copy of the identity card and criminal record.

So far, the Constitutional Court has recognised eight political parties and a coalition of parties, which have already received subsidies to support all expenses linked to the electoral process.

They are  MPLA, UNITA, PRS, FNLA, APN, BD, P-Njango, Partido Humanista Angolano and CASA-CE (integrated by PDP-ANA, PADDA-AP, PALMA, PPA and PNSA).

Recently, the president of the Constitutional Court (TC), Laurinda Cardoso, expressed her body’s availability to begin the process of receiving candidacies from political parties.

This year Angola holds its fifth elections, a process that began in September 1992, with the first presidential and legislative elections won by MPLA, followed by UNITA.

The then leaders of the two parties, José Eduardo dos Santos (MPLA )and Jonas Savimbi (UNITA) obtained, respectively, 49 and 41 percent of the valid votes.

There was a need for a second round between the two, but, due the political and military instability that led to the post-electoral war, this did not happen.

It was only in 2008 that the country entered a regular cycle of elections, with the holding of legislative elections, also won by the MPLA.

Under the 2010 Constitution of the Republic of Angola, the first two names on the list of the party with the most votes in the election are elected President of the Republic and Vice-President.

Consular registration covers over 300 Angolan citizens in Turkey

Luanda – At least 300 Angolan citizens who reside in Turkey were registered on 3rd and 4th June in the Consular Sector of the Angolan Embassy in Istanbul, in compliance of the fourth phase of the Consular Registration of the Community.

According to a note from the Embassy of Angola in Turkey that has reached ANGOP, Ambassador José Patrício, who visited the place, delivered the first Consular Cards to the citizens who got registered in the first day.

 

The act gathered Angolans who reside in that Asian country, among them head of families and their children, young workers and everyone interested as a national citizen.

 

Among the citizens there are the football players Jesus Alexandre Morais who plays in Teditepe Club from Turkey and Caetano Cando who plays for Konya Sport.

 

The consular services provide the issuing and renewing of passports, birth certificates, issuing of consular card and provide legal advice.

 

During the two working days were delivered 152 consular cards, 5 birth registrations and collected 52 processes for national passport issue.

 

The presence of Ambassador José Patrício in Istanbul served also to assess the conditions of the future General Consulate of Angola in Istanbul.

FNLA: Social sector among top priorities

Luanda - The resolution of the various problems that affect the social sector in the country is the main priority of the government programme of the opposition FNLA party in the elections set for 24 August this year.

The party’s programme was disclosed to the media by its secretary general, Aguiar Laurindo, during an awareness-raising activity held in Rocha Pinto neighbourhood, in Luanda.

According to the politician, the FNLA will, throughout the electoral campaign, convey a message of hope on improving living conditions.

He said that "Angola is struggling with serious social problems, with stress to the health, education and drinking water supply, whose resolution is urgent".

He announced plans to released the electoral strategy’s guidelines at the opening of the electoral pre-campaign.

The Saturday's event is part of a series of activities underway, aimed at ensuring permanent contact with the voters.

During the door-to-door awareness-raising event, propaganda material consisting of party flags, pamphlets and t-shirts was distributed.

 Aguiar Laurindo confirmed that his party has received the monetary values ​​allocated by the competent structures for the preparation of the electoral campaign.

He also explained that the party is working on the constitution of the list of candidates for President of the Republic and MPs to the National Assembly.