War day number 66. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is still ready to talk to Vladimir Putin despite the atrocities committed by the Russians in Bucha, Mariupol and other cities. Speaking to the Polish media, however, he specifies that the risk that the negotiations with Moscow will fail is “high”. In the evening, TASS broadcasts two interviews with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, one to Al Arabiya and the other to Chinese Xinhua. NATO countries “are doing everything to prevent the completion of the Russian special operation in Ukraine through political agreements,” said the Kremlin’s chief of diplomacy. Moscow accuses Kiev of stalling peace talks and also of sowing mines in the Black Sea threatening navigation. But he assures that he will honor the contracts.
The comment – European mistakes: Kiev is not Aleppo
The point – Margelletti: “If NATO had not armed Zelensky, Ukraine would no longer exist for two months. And Putin would not have stopped “
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7.33 – More bombing on Kharkiv
Russia continued bombing Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, this morning, although President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces are achieving “tactical successes” in the region. Although Ukraine has retained control of Kharkiv, the city has repeatedly come under pressure from Moscow forces and undergoes daily attacks. One person was killed and five were injured “as a result of enemy artillery and mortar rounds,” the regional military administration of Kharkiv reported on Telegram.
7.15 – Lavrov: Kiev troops threaten navigation in the Black Sea
The mines laid by the Ukrainian troops are adrift in the Black Sea and represent a threat to the maritime and port infrastructures of the Black Sea countries. This was stated by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, reported by Tass. «The Ukrainian side continues to block foreign ships, creating a threat of bombing in its internal waters and in the territorial sea. In addition, units of the Ukrainian naval forces have planted mines on the coast, in port waters and in territorial waters, ”said the Russian Foreign Minister. And he added: “The explosive devices have detached from the anchor lines and are drifting in the open sea, representing a serious danger both for the navies and for the port infrastructures of the Black Sea countries.”
7 – Kiev, attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk rejected
Ukrainian forces repelled 14 attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Kiev Independent reports. According to the Ukrainian armed forces, “Russia has lost 11 tanks, 7 artillery pieces, 27 battleships, a combat vehicle and 14 other vehicles in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts”.
6.30 – The Pentagon denounces Putin for his “depravity”
The Pentagon denounces Vladimir Putin for his “depravity”. «It is difficult to look at what his forces are doing in Ukraine and think about how an individual, a leader can justify it. It is depravity ». This was stated by the Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, assuring that the United States will continue “to support Ukraine”.
6.15 – Six mysterious suicides by Russian oligarchs in three months
At least six Russian businessmen have died of apparent suicide in the past three months, and some allegedly killed members of their families before taking their own lives. CNN reports, specifying that four of the six deaths are associated with Gazprom or one of its subsidiaries.
6 – Lavrov: NATO is preventing peace
The NATO countries “are doing everything possible to prevent the completion of the Russian special operation in Ukraine through political agreements”: the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Xinhua news agency, taken up by TASS. “We are witnessing the manifestation of the classic double standard and hypocrisy of the Western establishment right now. By publicly expressing support for the Kiev regime, the NATO countries are doing everything to prevent the completion of the operation by reaching an agreement with Kiev ”.