• Meloni from the USA: “Biden and I are very determined in supporting Kiev, but that doesn’t mean not seeking negotiating solutions.”
• Putin: «Ready to give free grain to African countries». Guterres: “Donations will not solve the supply problem.”
• The three points of the war: where the two armies advance (and hold back).
08:37 am – Isw: geolocated videos show the progress of Kiev
Geolocated footage released yesterday suggests that Ukrainian forces are operating in areas well ahead of what the Kiev counter-offensive was thought to have achieved so far. The US think tank Isw (Institute for the study of war) writes it in its latest report. The Ukrainian army is fighting on at least three sectors of the front, reporting successes in some areas. US analysts point out that the Kremlin and the entire Russian information space are stepping up efforts to portray the Ukrainian counter-offensive as a failure.
08:03 – The US wants to deliver the first Abrams to Kiev in September
US authorities plan to begin deliveries of American Abrams tanks to Ukraine in September. This was reported by the Politico website, which cites six different sources. The plan is to send several tanks in August to Germany, where they will undergo modernization work; Once this process is completed, the first batch of Abrams will be shipped to Ukraine the following month.
08:01 am – Usa: «China supplies key technology to Moscow»
US intelligence said China is helping Russia evade Western sanctions and providing it with key technology and equipment for the war in Ukraine. According to the report, Beijing “has become an increasingly important backer of Russia in its war effort,” with China having supplied it with more than $12 million (about 11 million euros) of military equipment, such as drones which it has supplied in March. In addition, Chinese state-owned defense companies have made available to sanctioned Russian firms other technologies that “Moscow’s military can use to continue the war in Ukraine,” such as navigation equipment or parts for fighter jets, reports CNN. .
China’s semiconductor exports to Russia have also increased significantly since 2021, with “hundreds of millions of dollars of US-made or US-branded semiconductors” reaching Russian territory despite sanctions and export controls. The report said Chinese firms are “probably” helping Moscow evade sanctions, though the extent of that assistance is “difficult to determine.” However, the document notes that Chinese authorities have become more critical of the Kremlin following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
07:39 – Putin thanks North Korea for support in the conflict
North Korea’s “firm support” for Russia’s special operation in Ukraine strengthens the two countries’ determination to stand up to the West, Vladimir Putin said in a speech to North Korean officials, according to state media in Pyongyang who did not specify whether the Russian president’s speech was on video or in writing. Cnn reports it.
Putin did not go into detail about the nature of Pyongyang’s support, but US officials said last year that North Korea was selling Russia millions of rockets and artillery shells for use on the battlefield in Ukraine.
05:15 am – The mayor of Moscow: “A drone attack foiled”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said earlier today that Russia’s defense ministry had thwarted a nighttime drone attack by Ukraine. “There was an attempted attack with an enemy drone,” he said on Telegram, without specifying the location. The device «was shot down by the forces of the Ministry of Defence. No damage or casualties (they have been reported) », he specified. The attempted attack comes days after Ukraine claimed responsibility for a drone strike in central Moscow. A drone crashed near the Defense Ministry in the center of the Russian capital on Monday, while another one hit an office building in a southern neighborhood. Moscow and its environs are about 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, but the capital has been attacked by several drones this year. In early May, two drones were shot down over the Kremlin and later the same month, more hit Moscow’s skyscrapers. Earlier this month, Russia said it had shot down five Ukrainian drones that stormed the Russian capital’s Vnukovo International Airport. The drone strikes on the Russian capital come several weeks after a Ukrainian counter-offensive to liberate territory captured by Moscow since full-scale hostilities erupted in February 2022.
01:02 am – Ukraine: Biden-Meloni, aid to Kiev for as long as necessary
President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni both affirm that «the NATO summit in Vilnius demonstrated the unity and strength of the transatlantic bond and the unique ability of the Alliance to adapt its deterrence and defense position to face the challenges coming from all strategic directions, including the southern flank of NATO”. Furthermore, both leaders affirm their support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal aggression.
«The United States and Italy will continue to provide political, military, financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine for as long as necessary, with the goal of achieving a just and lasting peace that fully respects the Charter of the United Nations and the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine’. This is what we read in the joint statement released at the end of the bilateral agreement between Biden and Meloni. The United States and Italy also recognize «the need to address the global consequences of the conflict, in particular on the stability, energy and food security of vulnerable countries. They reiterate the importance of allowing Ukraine to export food via the Black Sea and condemn Russia’s unilateral withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has been instrumental in reducing world food prices, and its attacks on Ukrainian grain storage and transport infrastructure”.
Biden and Meloni also “committed to further coordination on the reconstruction of Ukraine and recognized the role that Italy will play in this effort, with the Italian presidency of the G7 in 2024 and the hosting of the Conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine in 2025”.