Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukraine welcomes military support from UK

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday welcomed the UK government's decision to provide another 1 billion pounds (about 1.21 billion U.S. dollars) in military support to Ukraine.

"The UK is our true friend and strategic partner," Zelensky tweeted.

- - - -

Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of two self-proclaimed regions in eastern Ukraine's Donbass, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"We consider this decision to be an unfriendly act against Ukraine, an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state, and a gross violation of Ukrainian law, the UN Charter, and the fundamental norms and principles of international law," the ministry said in a statement.

- - - -

Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the supplies of grain and fertilizers amid a global food shortage.

During a joint briefing after their talks in the Kremlin, Putin said he informed Widodo in detail of the situation in Ukraine.

- - - -

Ukraine began exporting electricity to Europe on Thursday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

"The long-awaited export of Ukrainian electricity to Europe has begun," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

Shmyhal said the first flows of electricity went to Romania at an initial capacity of 100 megawatts.