Russia’s war in Ukraine is an attack on the world order, NATO chief says
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivers a statement to the media as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomes Stoltenberg at the State Department in Washington, US on June 1, 2022.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Russia’s war in Ukraine is an attack on the current world order, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Stoltenberg, speaking in his native Norway, said Europe “is experiencing its most dangerous situation since World War II” and that Russia must not be allowed to win.
“It is in our interest that this kind of aggressive policy does not succeed,” Stoltenberg said in comments reported by Reuters. Stoltenberg added that if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to consider doing something similar to a NATO country, the entire alliance would react.
A central tenet of the Western military alliance is that an attack on one member is an attack on the entire 30-member organization, with members pledging to help each other.
—Holly Elliott
Ukraine calls on Lebanon to reverse the decision to authorize the shipment of grain for travel
A picture shows a view of the bow of the Syrian-flagged ship Laodicea loaded with grain, docked at the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon on July 30, 2022.
Fathi Al-masri | Afp | Getty Images
Ukraine asked Lebanon on Thursday to reverse a Tripoli court’s decision to allow the departure of a seized Syrian ship carrying what Kyiv says is stolen Ukrainian grain, Reuters reported on Thursday.
In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was disappointed by the court’s decision to allow the departure of Laodicea, which flies the Syrian flag, and said Kyiv’s position had not been taken into account. .
— Reuters
Russian forces feel threatened by Western-supplied weapons in Ukraine, UK says
A Ukrainian military unit displays HIMARS vehicle rockets in eastern Ukraine on July 1, 2022.
The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Ukraine’s offensive to retake occupied territory in the country’s south and its use of Western-supplied weapons is putting increasing pressure on Russia’s forces, according to the latest intelligence update from the Ministry of Defense in United Kingdom.
“Ukraine’s artillery and missile units continue to target Russian military strongholds, personnel groups, logistical support bases and ammunition depots,” the ministry said on Twitter on Thursday.
“This will most likely affect the logistical resupply of the Russian military and put pressure on Russian military combat support elements.”
A photo taken on July 21, 2022 shows a car driving past a crater on Kherson’s Antonovsky Bridge across the Dnipro River caused by a Ukrainian rocket attack, amid ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine.
Stringer | AFP | Getty Images
Britain said Russia feels threatened by Western-supplied weapons systems that allow Ukrainian forces to strike back at the Russian military more effectively, citing Russia’s efforts to conceal damage to the Antonovsky Bridge, which leads in occupied Kherson and is vital for its military supplies. the city, which was hit by Ukrainian missiles last week.
“Russian forces have almost certainly placed pyramidal radar reflectors in the water near the recently damaged Antonivskiy. [Antonovsky] Bridge and over the nearby, recently damaged railway bridge, both crossing the Dnipro River at Kherson in southern Ukraine,” the UK noted.
“Radar reflectors are likely to be used to hide the bridge from synthetic aperture radar images and possible missile targeting equipment. This highlights the threat Russia feels from increased scope and accuracy of Western-supplied systems.”
—Holly Elliott
Russian ‘strike force’ building to target Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih
Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, looks increasingly vulnerable as Ukraine says Russia is building a military “strike force” to attack the industrial city in south-central Ukraine.
Early Thursday, Ukraine’s southern military command said the situation in its operational area, where fighting is intensifying around Kryvyi Rih, as well as Zaporizhzhia in the east, and Mykolaiv and Kherson in the south , is “tense and complex.”
“The enemy continues to conduct hostilities on the occupied defense line. To prevent the advance of our troops and restore the lost position, the composition of the group in the direction of Kryvyi Rih is increasing due to the transfer of units of the 35th. Army of the Eastern Military District,” the unit said, saying Russian planes were becoming “more active” and striking the area south of Kryvyi Rih.
Residential buildings and industrial plants on the city skyline in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ukraine’s southern military command said in an earlier update on Wednesday that it believed Russia was creating a “military strike group in the Kryvyi Rih region” and that “it is also very likely that the enemy is preparing a counter-offensive hostile with the subsequent plan to reach the administrative boundary of the Kherson region.”
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned in recent days that Russia is redeploying massive numbers of troops to the country’s south, where Ukraine has launched counteroffensives to try to recapture lost territory, particularly the occupied city of Kherson.
Ukrainian gunners at the military assembly center check weapons and special equipment in preparation before going to their duties at the front in Kherson, Ukraine, on July 15, 2022.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
In his late-night speech on Sunday evening, Zelenskyy praised the bravery of residents of his hometown, as well as other cities under repeated attacks as Russia seeks to extend its territorial gains in eastern and southern Ukraine .
“I want to thank all the residents of Mykolaiv for their indomitability, for protecting the city and the region. I also thank Nikopol, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and the entire Dnipropetrovsk region, the strong people of Zaporozhzhia and the region, all Ukrainians from Kherson. region, all of you who defend the approaches to Odessa and the region… Thank you for your courage.”
“Strategically, Russia has no chance of winning this war,” he added.
—Holly Elliott
Zelenskyy says he wants to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen during a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on July 4, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Zelenskyy is seeking an opportunity for direct talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help end Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine, the South China Morning Post reported.
Alexey Furman | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to speak directly to Xi Jinping in the hope that China’s president can use the country’s influence to end Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has held talks with China since the beginning of the war. He told the newspaper that Russia would feel much more isolated economically without the Chinese market and could use that to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war.
China has repeatedly said it supports a “peaceful resolution” of the situation in Ukraine, but has so far refused to call Russia’s war an “invasion.”
—Natalie Tham
The US Senate approves the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto attend a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after signing the NATO Protocols accession of their countries at the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels, Belgium, on July 5, 2022.
Yves Herman | Reuters
The US Senate voted 95 to 1 to ratify the entry of Finland and Sweden into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling the expansion of the western defensive bloc a “slamdunk” for the national security of USA and a day of reckoning for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion. of Ukraine
Senators invited ambassadors from the two Nordic nations to witness the debate and vote, a crucial step in ushering in a new era for the 30-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its mutual defense pact of 73 years between the United States. and democratic allies in Europe.
President Joe Biden has requested fast-track entry for the two previously non-military-aligned northern European nations. Their candidacies have won the ratification of more than half of NATO member nations in the roughly three months since the two were submitted, a deliberately fast pace intended to send a message to Russia about its six-year war months against Ukraine’s west-facing government.
“It sends a warning shot to tyrants around the world who believe that free democracies are at stake,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, said in Senate debate before the vote.
“Russia’s unprovoked invasion has changed the way we think about global security,” he added.
– Associated press
Ukraine’s nuclear power plant is ‘out of control’, says UN nuclear chief
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi attends a joint press conference following talks in Tokyo, Japan on May 19, 2022.
Issei Kato | Reuters
The UN nuclear chief warned that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine “is completely out of control” and issued an urgent plea to Russia and Ukraine to allow experts to quickly visit the sprawling complex to stabilize the situation and avoid a nuclear accident.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press that the situation is becoming increasingly dangerous at the Zaporizhzhia plant in the southeastern city of Enerhodar. which Russian troops soon captured in early March. after his invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“All principles of nuclear safety have been violated” at the plant, he said. “What is at stake is extremely serious and extremely serious and dangerous.”
Grossi cited many security violations at the plant, adding that it is “in a place where there is an active war,” near Russian-controlled territory.
– Associated press
Zelenskyy says the “global security architecture” is not working and cites tensions in the Balkans and Taiwan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a working session of G7 leaders via video link, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 27, 2022.
Presidential Press Service of Ukraine | via Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the “global security architecture” is not working and referred to tensions in the Balkans, Taiwan and the Caucasus.
“If it worked, there wouldn’t be all these conflicts,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address on the Telegram messaging app.
“And this is really something that Ukraine has been paying attention to not just 161 days after the start of a full-scale war, but for years. Since Russia completely ignored international law, the interests of the humanity as such,” he added.
— Amanda Macias