12 hours ago
According to Ukraine, Russian forces have carried out 334 airstrikes in the past week
A Russian soldier walks through the rubble on the east side of Mariupol, where fierce fighting is taking place between Russian and pro-Russian forces and Ukraine March 15, 2022.
Maximilian Clarke | SOPA images | flare | Getty Images
Ukraine said Russian forces launched 39 missiles and 334 airstrikes across Ukraine over the past week, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on the Telegram platform.
Meanwhile, Maliar said Ukrainian forces had carried out more than 79 attacks on Russian positions and on 11 ammunition depots. Ukraine also destroyed 24 Russian anti-aircraft missile systems and nearly 40 Iranian-made Shahed-brand precision attack suicide drones.
– Amanda Macias
12 hours ago
Biden meets with Turkish President on the sidelines of NATO summit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Murat Cetinmuhurdar | Portal
President Joe Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday as the two attend the NATO leaders’ summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The White House said Biden and Erdogan agreed to meet during a nearly hour-long phone call over the weekend.
“They discussed a number of issues related to the upcoming summit, including the war in Ukraine and Turkey’s really strong and unwavering support, including very concrete military support for Ukraine’s defense needs,” said Jake Sullivan, Biden’s top minister national security adviser, told reporters on Air Force One.
“They also talked about Sweden’s membership and agreed that they have the opportunity to sit together in Vilnius,” Sullivan added.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter earlier Monday that Erdogan had agreed to ratify Sweden’s accession protocols to the military alliance.
– Amanda Macias
13 hours ago
Biden welcomes Turkey’s decision to admit Sweden into the NATO alliance
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks prior to the signing of the agreement to admit Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) August 9, 2022 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
President Joe Biden hailed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to ratify Sweden’s ascension protocols, bringing the Nordic country one step closer to NATO membership.
“I stand ready to work with President Erdogan and Türkiye to improve defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic space,” Biden wrote in a statement.
“I look forward to welcoming the Prime Minister [Ulf] Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO ally. And I thank Secretary General Stoltenberg for his steadfast leadership,” Biden added.
Last May, Sweden and Finland began the formal application process to NATO. All 30 members of the alliance must ratify the countries’ entry into the world’s most powerful military alliance.
Last August, Biden signed ratification documents to admit Finland and Sweden to NATO. In April, Finland joined the alliance as the 31st member.
– Amanda Macias
14 hours ago
Turkey agrees to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership, NATO chief says
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have agreed to move forward with Sweden’s entry into the NATO alliance.
“This is a historic move that will make all NATO allies stronger and more secure,” Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.
Sweden officially applied for NATO membership together with its Nordic neighbor Finland a year ago.
Both Finland and Sweden already meet many requirements to be NATO allies. The requirements include, among other things, a functioning democratic political system, the willingness for economic transparency and the ability to make military contributions to NATO missions.
Despite initial disagreements with Turkey, Finland joined the military alliance in April.
– Amanda Macias
15 hours ago
John Kerry raises concerns about the environmental impact
US Climate Change Secretary John Kerry speaks during a press conference at the White House April 22, 2021 in Washington, DC
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden’s climate chief John Kerry raised concerns about the environmental impact of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
“Many parts of the world are currently exacerbating the problem. But when bombs go off and septic tanks or power plants, etc. are damaged, there is a huge release of greenhouse gases, methane, etc. Family and greenhouse gases, and the result is that it exacerbates the problem,” Kerry told MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera Reports .
A resident walks in the town of Hola Prystan after flood waters receded following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, June 16, 2023.
Stringers | Agency Anadolu | Getty Images
“Believe me, the fight in Ukraine is a fight that we have to fight, that the world has to fight. The values at stake are hugely important to all of us,” added Kerry.
Kerry also raised concerns about the ongoing energy crisis.
“Faced with the loss of the gas that made its way into Europe from Russia, many countries must either restart coal production or have some other form of dirty fuel on hand for emergencies to prevent their economies from collapsing,” Kerry said.
– Amanda Macias
16 hours ago
Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence applauds the Biden administration for arming Kiev with cluster munitions
Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence delivers a speech at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 23, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Drew Angerer | Getty Images
Former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News that he supports the Biden administration’s decision to arm Ukraine with cluster munitions, a controversial weapon banned in more than 100 countries.
“I welcome cluster munitions,” Pence said in an interview with America’s Newsroom.
Pence, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, added that the US “needs to give Ukrainians what they need to win.”
Last week, the Pentagon announced it would supply Ukraine with cluster munitions as part of its latest $800 million security package.
According to the Pentagon, the US last used the weapon, which is an unguided bomb that fires smaller bombs over a large area, in the Iraq war in 2003.
A photo taken on July 3, 2022 shows the tail section of a 300mm rocket, apparently containing cluster bombs, fired from a BM-30 Smerch ground-embedded multiple rocket launcher after being shelled in Kramatorsk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Genya Savilov | AFP | Getty Images
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House Friday that Ukraine had written to the Biden administration to minimize the risk to civilians.
Sullivan said Ukraine had been asking for the weapons for months and the US had weighed the risk of supplying Kiev with cluster bombs.
The Pentagon said the decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions had been discussed with US lawmakers and allies.
– Amanda Macias
17 hours ago
According to an independent statistical analysis, 47,000 Russian men were killed in the Ukraine war
A freshly dug grave is located near graves of Russian soldiers in a cemetery in the city of Yefremov, Tula region, March 24, 2023.
Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty Images
At least 47,000 Russian men under the age of 50 have died in the invasion of Ukraine so far, according to a joint study by journalists from Meduza and Mediazona and a data scientist from the German University of Tübingen.
The publications said they analyzed existing reports of published obituaries, mortality data from the Federal State Statistics Service and extensive records from the National Probate Registry.
Meduza reported that at least 125,000 men were wounded so badly that they could not return to military service. This estimate excludes missing or captured soldiers or Ukrainian nationals fighting with Russian proxy forces in Donetsk and Luhansk.
When asked by the Associated Press during a conference call with reporters on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was unaware of the study because the Kremlin had “stopped monitoring” Meduza. Peskov also declined to comment on the death counts cited in the study, saying only that “the Department of Defense provides the numbers, and they are the only ones who have that prerogative.”
According to the AP, Russia has publicly acknowledged the deaths of just over 6,000 soldiers.
– Melody Warner
18 hours ago
Blinken is holding separate talks with Ukrainian and Turkish counterparts
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference at the State Department December 22, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Win Mcnamee | Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan over the weekend ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Kuleba provided an update on Ukraine’s counteroffensive and thanked Blinken for US security support, according to a reading of the call by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
In a separate conversation with Fidan, Biden’s top diplomat stressed “that now is the time for Sweden to officially join the NATO alliance,” according to the State Department.
Turkey has raised concerns about Sweden’s application for NATO membership, which was submitted more than a year ago.
– Amanda Macias
19 hours ago
Black Sea grain deal expires in a week
Grain corridor traffic from Istanbul on April 18, 2023 in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Cemal yurts | Getty Images
A ship left Ukraine’s port of Odessa over the weekend carrying agricultural produce, according to the United Nations-backed organization that tracks export data related to the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
The ship is destined for Tunisia and is carrying 27,000 tons of corn.
Since the beginning of the Black Sea Grains Agreement, more than 32 million tons of food and agricultural products have left Ukrainian ports. The deal negotiated between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations expires next week.
– Amanda Macias
21 hours ago
Israeli-style security is an option for Ukraine, says German politician Scholz
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) holds a press conference in the Chancellery.
Kay Nietfeld | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Germany on Monday backed a United States proposal that Ukraine could benefit from Israeli-style security guarantees.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said such guarantees are an option being discussed by Western allies as they explore ways to protect the non-NATO country that remains under Russian attack.
This comes after US President Joe Biden told CNN on Sunday that Washington is ready to provide security to Ukraine in a similar way to Israel, by providing “the weapons they need and the capability for self-defense.” .
— Karen Gilchrist
22 hours ago
Biden touts ‘rock solid’ US-UK relationship
US President Joe Biden underscored the strength of Washington-London ties during a brief visit to the UK, which also included meetings with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and recently crowned monarch, King Charles.
US President Joe Biden (left) with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (right) at 10 Downing Street on July 10, 2023.
wpa pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images
“Our relationship is rock solid,” Biden told reporters alongside Sunak on Monday.
The US leader will attend the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies are expected to discuss aid to Ukraine and Sweden’s bid to join the military coalition.
— Ruxandra Iordache
23 hours ago
According to the Kremlin, Putin met with Prigozhin a few days after the mutiny
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Strong Ideas for the New Times forum June 29, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. President Putin attended an annual forum hosted by the Strategic Initiatives Agency (ASI).
Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with disgraced Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin five days after his mercenary troops attempted a mutiny, press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
During a daily media briefing, Peskow said the meeting lasted about three hours and about 35 people were in attendance, including Wagner fighters, according to NBC News.
Further details of the discussion were not immediately disclosed.
Prigozhin was apparently exiled to Belarus after the failed uprising, but is said to have later stayed in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. He has not been seen in public for more than two weeks.
— Karen Gilchrist
23 hours ago
The Kremlin says there will be negative consequences if Ukraine joins NATO
The Kremlin said on Monday that Europe would face negative consequences if Ukraine were allowed to join the NATO military alliance.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of the Russian President and Armenian Prime Minister at the Kremlin in Moscow May 25, 2023.
Ilya Pitalev | AFP | Getty Images
Ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Lithuania, the Kremlin said it viewed Ukraine’s accession – which has long been one of Russia’s red lines – as a threat and that it would have implications for Europe’s security architecture, according to Portal- To report.
“You know the absolutely clear and consistent position of the Russian Federation that Ukraine’s membership in NATO will have very, very negative consequences for the security architecture, the already half destroyed security architecture in Europe. And it will be an absolute danger, a threat to our country, which will require a sufficiently clear and decisive response from us,” said Peskov.
— Karen Gilchrist
Monday July 10, 2023 5:56 am EDT
NATO removes the most important barrier to Ukraine’s membership, says Foreign Minister Kuleba
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks during a news conference amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine April 7, 2022 at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Evelyn Hockstein Portal
Ukraine’s foreign minister said Monday that NATO scrapped a key requirement that would have slowed its path to joining the military alliance.
Dmytro Kuleba was referring to NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP), which includes advice, assistance and support for potential members.
“After intense talks, NATO allies have agreed to remove MAP from Ukraine’s path to membership. I welcome this long-awaited decision that shortens our path to NATO,” Kuleba said said on Twitter ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania this week.
“It is also the best time to clarify the invitation to Ukraine for membership,” he added.
— Karen Gilchrist
Monday July 10, 2023 3:26 am EDT
Questions remain about Turkey’s opposition to Sweden’s NATO entry
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during his party’s parliamentary group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, Turkey, June 21, 2023.
Agency Anadolu | Agency Anadolu | Getty Images
NATO allies will meet in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12 for talks that will focus on Russia’s ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and Sweden’s attempt to join the coalition.
Turkey, NATO’s second-largest military power, has opposed accession and has repeatedly raised security concerns about Stockholm’s support of Kurdish groups, which Ankara describes as terrorist.
It remains unclear whether the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will continue to object.
Read the whole story here.
Monday July 10, 2023 2:58 am EDT
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia struggles with medical supplies in combat operations
Russia suffered an average of 400 casualties a day for 17 months and is “almost certainly grappling with a combat medical supplies crisis,” Britain’s Defense Ministry said on Monday in his latest intelligence update.
“It is likely that up to 50 percent of Russian combat deaths could be prevented with proper first aid,” the ministry said. “The very slow evacuation of casualties coupled with the improper use of the primitive Russian task force deployed is reportedly a leading cause of preventable deaths and amputations.”
The ministry understands that medical care for Russian civilians has likely been affected and many special military hospitals are earmarked for treating officer casualties.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Monday, July 10, 2023 at 2:40 am EDT
Ukraine commemorates 500 days of war
Over the weekend, Ukraine marked the 500th day of fighting since the devastating major invasion of Russia on February 24, 2022. The Office of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marked the occasion by releasing a video shot on Snake Island in the Black Sea – an underage outpost which went down in the tumultuous history of the war as a show of defiance against the Kremlin’s refusal to surrender to Russian forces early in the invasion.
Snake Island was captured by Moscow’s troops shortly thereafter and was recaptured by Ukraine in June last year.
“Even though this is a small piece of land in the middle of our Black Sea, it is great proof that Ukraine will retake every piece of its territory,” said Zelenskyy, recalling the victims of the fallen Ukrainian armed forces.
“From here, from this place of victory, I want to thank each of our soldiers for these 500 days.”
— Ruxandra Iordache
Monday July 10, 2023 2:38 am EDT
Biden arrives in Britain, likely to discuss Ukraine counter-offensive
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden arrive for an official meeting at Downing Street on July 10, 2023 in London, United Kingdom.
Rasid Necati | Agency Anadolu | Getty Images
US President Joe Biden arrived in London on Sunday and will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Discussions on the Ukrainian counteroffensive are expected.
The visit is Biden’s fifth with Sunak in as many months and “will be an opportunity for them to share experiences of our support to Ukraine and their ongoing battlefield efforts,” Amanda Sloat, senior director of the National Security Council, said Friday.
The meeting comes just days after the US’ controversial decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine – a type of deadly weapon banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, to which the UK is a signatory.
Biden will attend the NATO summit in Vilnius after his stay in London.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Monday July 10, 2023 1:42 am EDT
The NATO summit begins this week in Vilnius
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda address media ahead of the 2023 NATO Summit July 10, 2023 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images
CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick reports from Vilnius, Lithuania, where the Ukraine war and Sweden’s accession will be key issues at a NATO summit beginning Tuesday.
Discussions will reportedly revolve around whether Ukraine could adopt a security assistance model based on the United States’ relationship with Israel.
Monday July 10, 2023 2:36 am EDT
Ukraine demands progress in contested Bachmut
Ukrainian soldiers of the 60th Territorial Defense Battalion fire shots at Russian positions using an S60 anti-aircraft gun on a truck outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine, June 19, 2023.
Wojciech Grzedzinski | Agency Anadolu | Getty Images
According to a Google translation, Ukrainian forces have “definitely advanced” on the southern flank of the long-contested and strategically important eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar told Telegram on Sunday.
She added that Russian troops on the ground were “on the defensive” and that no changes in position had been detected north of the city.
“Bakhmut direction. We’re making progress, the defense forces keep advancing, and the enemy is trapped in places,” Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who commands Ukraine’s Ground Forces, said on Telegram on Sunday, according to comments translated by Google.
A Ukrainian soldier of the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade fires at Russian front-line positions near the town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region June 17, 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Anatoly Stepanov | AFP | Getty Images
Maliar said the Ukrainian military was engaged in a “fierce battle” in the Melitopol and Berdyansk oblasts, both in the Zaporizhia region of south-eastern Ukraine.
The Russian paramilitary group Wagner took control of Bakhmut in late May.
CNBC could not independently verify the situation on the ground.
— Ruxandra Iordache