oh, because no one has to stay with make up your own mind. w. made for mines. ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin. ukraine says its forces are still holding on in the eastern city of sedated. the next. the region is the focus of heavy russian shelling and intense the street fighting. also coming up could chance earl of shoulds soon be on his way to ukraine. a german newspaper report that

a joint visit is planned with the leaders of france and italy before the end of the month. and missing in the amazon. the search for a british journalist and his brazilian colleague who disappeared while on a reporting trip. or we can go ah, america evans, dean, it's good to have you with us. ukraine says it remains in control of a chemical plant and the eastern city of savannah nance where hundreds of civilians are sheltering. the hans regional governor rejected claims by pro russian separatist that ukrainian troops had been blockaded there. he says ukrainian forces continue to hold an industrial zone in the city. the area has been continuous and intense. st. battles and heavy russians showing severe, denounced,

has become the epicenter in the battle in eastern ukraine, and we can now speak to w correspondent rebecca ritter's who's in the ukrainian capital t. hello to you, rebecca. so what can you tell us about the current situation in savannah, the next well, as you said, marianna, quite rightly server. the net has been at the epi center of the battle for don basses. it's been called for some weeks now and it continues to be so russia is managing very slowly, however, to push forward. then i'll control around about 90 percent of that city, but fighting continues and is now centered in this localized area underneath this chemical plant. the atoms, chemical plant, and that is, or where the russian troops are and now fight a fighting ukrainian forces there. and it was saying st. reminiscent of matter you paul and the as of style plant are also hearing about 800 civilians, 200 workers,

600 or family members and various civilians also taking cover there underneath that steel. we're sorry that a chemical plant. but what, what is concerning is that ukraine has said that, that city may well fall in the next day or 2, and then russia will advance and to on to the next is to city lisa chance. and then they will have captured all of the loo hans region, which is part of what they're trying to do to capture that on bass. will rebecca, we should also remember that as this intense fighting goes on, there are still many civilians there who are trying to get out. do these people have any way of leaving the area where all this fighting is going on? well, at the moment it's just too dangerous to really attempt to any evacuations from several the net people in the la hans region have been warned since early april to leave that region. and many people have been in several de next. there is still

around about $10.00 to $15000.00 people believe to be taking shelter there. we're seeing people evacuate from some surrounding towns and villages still mainly in the donnette region, but it, but definitely people and a don, it's really struggling. they're like, mandatory in such situation is very dire. as you can imagine. there's no electricity running water and humanitarian aid is impossible to get in. so people running out of food as well, being completely bombarded and living on the ground with no way of getting out at this stage. rebecca just yesterday and the european union chief, or sla funder line was in t f. and she promised that by the end of the week, there would be an official response to ukraine's request for membership status on their bid to join the you. we know that president zalinski talked about that in his latest video address. i'd like to listen to part of it now and then get your reaction to a squirrel or durham, i am sure that we will soon receive an answer on the candidate status for ukraine.

i am convinced that this decision can strengthen, not only our country yours, but the entire european union. she'll milestone. what else needs to happen in europe to make it clear to skeptics that the very fact of keeping ukraine outside the european union works against europe. you are to go to evil, was the last key sounding very determined. but we have heard from some e leaders like the french president and model, not crohn and others saying it's gonna take years or maybe even decades for ukraine to join the european union. so rebecca, why is this membership bid so important to zalinski right now, if it's not going to happen in the foreseeable future? well, marianna zalinski has been pushing for this for some time, but it was the formal application to join me a you came as 4 days after rush invaded ukraine. i'm in the urgency is perhaps all the is there. they really looking for security assurances from the a you, but as for president micron of france has stated and as we've seen from other

a u. s. session processes, it is a very long process and this is something that is not going to happen overnight. that's something that isn't on the line. the european commission will have been pains to get across to president salenti and i'm still president unless he also understands that. but this is a very important 1st step, and it is looking like the commission will recommend that they be granted candidacy status and then it needs to go and be voted on by 27 members before, amid therefore triggering a very, very lengthy process that could take indeed, years or decades dw rebecca readers for us in key of rebecca, thank you so much. well, a german media outlet is reporting that chance are off shoals plans, the travel to ukraine's capital key if before the end of june. the bid newspaper says that the chancellor will visit together with french president, a mental micron and italian prime minister mario drawing game. while this would

mark the 1st time that shoals has visited the ukranian capital since the war began . german government has so far declined to comment on the more in this i'm joined now by the w political correspondent, benjamin of ours group or benjamin. so what more do we know about this report? i mean, is sholtes really going to be visiting t of coding to this media reports. berlin in paris, haskin in toast for a long time, no. t planned this visit. it was the idea of french president emanuel monochrome, to invite italian counterpart, italian prime minister, maria drive that they would wait for the trip for off of the parliamentary elections that are taking place now in france, they want to send the sign of unity in support of ukraine and battle would go to kia ford before they do 70 to somebody that will take place at the end of june in

bavarian german. well, we do have to remember that the german chancellor has been widely criticized for being indecisive in his reaction to this war. and also in particular for not sending ukraine enough military support. so how significant would a visit the key of b, especially now more than 3 months into the war? it is highly significant in as you just pointed out, the has the criticism not only from the position but also by a government parties by the probations, f t p party by the greens and also within the social democratic party to tell shows that it's important for him to go there to give a sign in to actually also say not just was not just promise is this will many have been demanding by the german chancellor, but it shows himself pointed out he does not want to be one of those who go into you create pretty quickly for in photo opportunity and then to leave again. so he needs to have something in his suitcase with him within this delegation,

i could be 2 things on one side, having showing german support for a possible membership with the european union for ukraine. you just mentioned it with rebecca that, that a european commission president was off on the line was that that, that they want to show the support and want to have this final assessment that will present next week on one. so it could be that, and on the other side, it could be the heavy weapons that ukraine is having, relying on, especially now that, that munition is going out in the ukraine, ukraine's defense ministry has stated so it's not just going that, but also having something in the suit because that's what many are wondering and asking the german chancellor tentatively is benjamin as grover. thanks so much benjamin. let's take a look now at some other developments in the war, russian forces occupying southern ukraine have begun handing out passports. 23

locals, including the new moscow and stone governor of had a san, have accepted russian citizenship. russia has also opened a passport office and many thoughtful in origin still partly held by ukraine. former mcdonald's restaurants and russia have reopened under a new name and logo delicious full stop. but not all russians are happy about the change. the opening ceremony in moscow was disrupted by a protest are holding up a sign demanding the return of the big mack further. mcdonald's closed, it's $850.00 russian outlets in response to the invasion of ukraine. while a week has passed since a journalist and his travel companion went missing in brazil, yesterday, investigators raised the prospect that human remains found near a river might hold a clue to the men's whereabouts. but to day reuters news agency is reporting that federal police are skeptical of that british journalist dom phillips and his associates, bruno pitt era who previously led the government's indigenous agency have been

reporting on issues in the amazon, including deforestation, and the encroachment of business interests on to indigenous lands, the search continues. british journalist, dome phillips and brazilian indigenous sex bud drew north. betty eta were last seen on june 5th. the 2 had received chats as they conducted research in brazil, jo body rally afford ested region, which has seen a surge in illegal fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking. police have arrested one man so far suspected of dealing the missing men. a spot of blood was found on his boat. lucas have joined in on the search too, but there is still no sign of the missing men. the ladder. i know we haven't found anything. we came all the way on the river and there is nothing. i don't meet

them in brazilian authorities, including the president, said they are taking action, bellagio, premier or mail from the moment they went missing. our armed forces and federal police have been unstoppable in the tireless search for these people vulgar. we pray to god that they all sound alive. you vision quote that i was going to give, but pressures mounting while the bull sonata government, which has faced accusations that did not scale up the such fast enough good. the disappearances, i don't have flexion of a state policy of complete disregard for the environmental cause. for protected ages, for the public, servants, for state solven's, fulfilling their function and for the indigenous themselves in their own data to v o. the far right president has also been criticized for allowing a surge in default a station in the amazon and pushing to open protected indigenous lands to mining

subjects. the 2 missing men were looking into china's defense minister away. thank a has warned that any attempt to bring about ty, one's independence will trigger a fight to the end. it was speaking at original security form, and singapore general way accused the united states of pursuing an indo pacific strategy bound to lead to confrontation. he said, china's relationship with the us was at a critical juncture and that it was up to washington to improve ties to literacy. that age is most important security summit in singapore, a threat of war. that's a very good thought. we would also know if anyone dares to spit taiwan from china, flew the chinese military will fight at all costs a smash, any secessionist attempt to see better, and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty. and territorial integrity with our from troy, couldn't go under that warning, followed

a meeting between the chinese and us top defense officials, way fang. he and lloyd austin. tensions between beijing and washington over the self governing island of taiwan. have sword in recent months. frequent incursions by the chinese air force and to tie one's air defense own have angered the biden administration. we were witness by studying increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near ty warren. and we remain focused on maintaining peace stability and the status quo. a course across the tri, one street. but the p. r. c's moves, threatened to undermine security and stability and prosperity in the endo pacific are you will last month president joe biden announced at washington would defend ty, one should china attack provoking an angry rebuke from bay ging. but the white

house has since walked back. those statements caught have a deliberate policy of vagueness on taiwan, known as strategic ambiguity. for the small island living in the shadow of its increasingly assertive neighbor, that ambiguity provides little comfort. and that's the latest on definitely a news this our stay tuned for world stories. we have a special focus on reports from crane. a marion, i haven't seen. i'll have another update for you at the top of the hour. but don't forget, there's lots more news in our website. just go to the w dot com. thanks for watching . ah, understanding i want that tag and into andy to meet you. i'm not allowed to see you anymore. we will send you back. are you familiar with this.