State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters The death toll from a Russian rocket attack on the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk on Monday has risen to 18, according to a Ukrainian official. “18 dead … Sincere condolences to relatives and friends. Rescuers continue to work,” Poltava Regional Military Administration Chief Dmitry Lunin told the Telegram on Tuesday. Russian forces have fired Kh-22 missiles at a shopping mall in the town of Kremenchuk, a town along the Dnipro River that runs through central Ukraine. About 1,000 civilians were in the mall. Earlier, it was reported that about 15 people were killed in the attack. At least 59 people were injured, 25 of whom were taken to hospital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Telegram messaging platform that the attack on the Kremenchuk shopping center had “no strategic value” and was not a website linked to the Ukrainian armed forces. The Kremlin had previously denied targeting civilians. The G-7 leaders condemned the attack on Monday, issuing a joint statement saying: “We stand with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims of this violent attack. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians are a war crime.” “Russian President Putin and those in charge will be held accountable,” the statement added.
NATO alliance to meet in Spain as Russia’s aggression grows
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg already has a preview of the alliance’s new moves, announcing on Monday that it will increase its rapid response force and strengthen its battle teams in Eastern Europe. Yves Herman | Reuters The NATO military alliance is set to meet in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday, with the war in Ukraine at the top of the agenda. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg already has a preview of the alliance’s new moves, announcing on Monday that it will increase its rapid response force and strengthen its battle teams in Eastern Europe. “At the summit we will strengthen our front defenses. We will strengthen our battle teams in the eastern part of the alliance to brigade levels. We will transform NATO’s response force and increase the number of high-level forces to well over 300,000.” Stoltenberg said in a press conference. Stoltenberg said the moves reflected “allies’ view of Russia as the most important and immediate threat to our security.” The summit comes as Russia makes slow but significant progress in eastern Ukraine, occupying most of Donbass as fierce fighting continues in the region. In addition, Russian forces have attacked several major cities in recent days, including the capital Kiev. An attack on a mall yesterday killed at least 15 people and injured 59 others. The attack was condemned by G-7 leaders who met in Germany. Rescue workers at a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine on June 27, 2022. State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters NATO has other issues to address, the biggest of which is perhaps Turkey’s continuing opposition to Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the group. Stoltenberg said Monday that “concerns for the security of all allies must be taken into account as part of the NATO accession process. Turkey’s concerns are legitimate and must be addressed.” – Holly Eliat
At least 15 people have been killed in a Russian rocket attack on a Ukrainian shopping mall
“Ukrainian firefighters are trying to put out a fire in a mall after a Russian attack on Ukraine on June 27, 2022.” This is not an off-target missile strike, this is a calculated Russian strike – right in this mall, “he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Brochure Anadolu Agency | Getty Images At least 15 people have been killed and 59 others injured in a Russian rocket attack on a Ukrainian shopping mall, Ukrainian emergency services say. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Telegram messaging platform that more than 1,000 people were inside at the time of the rocket attack, NBC News reported. “This is not an off-target missile strike, it is a calculated Russian strike – right in this mall,” Zelensky said in his overnight speech. – Chelsea Ong
G-7 leaders condemn Russian missile strike on Ukrainian mall
Rescuers are working on a site of a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine, June 27, 2022. State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters G-7 leaders have condemned a Russian rocket attack on a Ukrainian shopping mall that killed innocent people. “We are united with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims of this violent attack. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians are a war crime,” the leaders wrote in a joint statement. “Russian President Putin and those in charge will be held accountable,” the statement added. Rescue workers at a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine on June 27, 2022. State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Telegram messaging platform that the attack on the Kremenchuk shopping center had “no strategic value” and was not a website linked to the Ukrainian armed forces. The Kremlin had previously denied targeting civilians. “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not rest until Russia ends its brutal and irrational war in Ukraine,” the G-7 leaders added. – Amanda Macias
Turkey’s Erdogan unwavering in objections to Sweden, Finland’s NATO bids
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of the ruling AKP during a meeting in parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on May 18, 2022. Murat Cetinmuhurdar / Presidential Press Office / Brochure via REUTERS AYTO ETHI NO RESOLUTIONS. NO FILES. MANDATORY CREDIT Murat Cetinmuhurdar | Reuters The President of Turkey says that he will do “whatever is necessary for the rights and interests of our country” at the NATO summit in Spain. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he would provide documents and images of “terrorist groups”, including Kurdish fighters and the network of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of plotting a 2016 coup in Turkey. “Hypocrisy” of terrorism. . Ankara has opposed Sweden and Finland’s bid to join NATO, citing a relaxed approach to groups that Turkey sees as threats to national security, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK and its Syrian expansion. Turkey has asked the two Nordic countries to extradite wanted individuals and lift arms restrictions imposed after Turkey’s 2019 military invasion of northeastern Syria. “We will tell them clearly that it is not possible to expect a different stance from Turkey if this picture does not change,” he said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara. – Associated Press
National Security Adviser confirms US will provide Ukraine with air defense systems
Jake Sullivan, a White House national security adviser, speaks during an interview at an Economic Club of Washington event in Washington, DC, USA on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Al Drago Bloomberg | Getty Images National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has confirmed that the United States is in the final stages of preparing a security package for Ukraine that includes advanced air defense capabilities. “We intend to complete a package that includes advanced medium- and long-range air defense capabilities for Ukrainians, along with some other emergency items, including ammunition for artillery radar systems and anti-battery,” Sullivan told reporters. on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Kron, Germany. “I will not go into details of the system. I will wait until the contract is completed,” he said. He added that President Joe Biden briefed his G-7 counterparts and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the forthcoming security assistance package. The United States has pledged $ 6.1 billion in defense aid since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. – Amanda Macias
NATO to significantly increase its high readiness force to 300,000
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference ahead of a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 15, 2022. Yves Herman | Reuters NATO’s military alliance will increase its troop readiness to more than 300,000 from 40,000 today, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. “We will transform the NATO Response Force and increase the number of our high-level forces to well over 300,000,” he told a news conference Monday ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid starting Tuesday. The summit will see NATO strengthen its front defenses and strengthen its battle teams in the eastern part of the alliance, he said. “We will also strengthen our capacity to strengthen in crises and conflicts,” he added. He would do this with:
More pre-installed military equipment and supplies. More forward development opportunities, such as air defense. Enhanced management and control. And upgraded defense plans, with forces predetermined to defend specific allies.
The NATO Response Force is a high-powered force that includes land, air, sea and special forces units that can be deployed rapidly. The force currently comprises about 40,000 soldiers. NATO announcements come as the military alliance seeks to best help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion, with several NATO members sending weapons to Kyiv but trying to avoid a direct confrontation with nuclear energy …
title: “Latest News About Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Dewayne Markus”
Matilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said Wednesday morning in a presentation on the human rights situation in the country that “civilians continue to bear the brunt of hostilities” in Ukraine. Bogner said more than 10,000 people have been officially documented killed or injured, including several hundred children, between the start of the conflict on February 24 and May 15. The data are largely based on on-site visits and interviews with victims and witnesses of human rights violations. “I emphasize that the real numbers are significantly higher,” he added. Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure, from homes to places of education and worship, have not complied with international humanitarian law, Bognor said. On a much lower scale, it also appears that the Ukrainian armed forces have not complied with the law in the eastern parts of the country, he added. – Holly Eliat
What to expect from this NATO summit and what has already happened
NATO leaders gather in Madrid to outline their vision for the West’s security agenda. Nurphoto | Getty Images The NATO summit in Madrid will be historic, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, with an agreement at the table for accepting new members and a proposal for a new “strategic idea” that would be a blueprint. he said. , “Take NATO into the future in a more competitive and dangerous world”. As the alliance changes its defenses, Stoltenberg said the summit would be a “historic and transformative” one for the alliance. NATO has already reached an agreement to allow Sweden and Finland to join the alliance after Turkey withdrew its opposition to the effort. It has also already announced that it will massively increase its rapid response force to 300,000, from the current level of about 40,000 troops. Speaking to the press after arriving at the summit on Wednesday, CNBC’s Hadley Gamble asked Stoltenberg about the timing and structure of these additional troops. “I expect them to be available and ready next year, this is the plan. These forces will be paid for and organized by the various NATO allies,” he said, noting that most of them will then be assigned to specific NATO territories in the eastern part of the alliance, where they would be trained and experienced in this territory. Pre-installed heavy equipment and pre-determined forces in some countries will allow NATO to strengthen its deterrents and defenses, Stoltenberg said. – Holly Eliat
“Russian terror” responsible for the deaths of many innocent Ukrainian civilians, says Zelensky
Rescue workers at the mall were hit by a Russian missile in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on June 27, 2022. Ukraine’s Interior Minister said yesterday that there were no survivors under the rubble due to the fire that spread to the building after the fire. Anna Voitenko Reuters Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia is responsible for “state terrorism” in Ukraine, with more than 2,800 Russian missiles hitting its cities so far during the war. In his last speech last night, Zelensky said he had attended a special meeting of the UN Security Council convened at Ukraine’s request on Tuesday to “use all international leverage to bring Russia to justice for state terrorism.” “ “For everything that the Russian army did against the Ukrainians in Kremenchuk, Ochakiv, Lysychansk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, in many, many other cities of Ukraine. As of this afternoon, the total number of Russian missiles that hit our cities “There are already 2,811. And there are a lot more air bombs, a lot of artillery shells,” he said. The president noted that the UN Security Council remained silent today to honor the memory of all Ukrainians killed by the Russian military during the conflict, noting that “members of the Russian delegation looked at everyone present at the Security Council. “They also decided to stand up. But everyone knows that it is the Russian terror, it is the Russian state that is killing innocent people in this war being waged against the Ukrainian people.” Carbonated products in a grocery store of the destroyed Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk, on June 28, 2022, one day after being hit by a Russian missile, according to Ukrainian authorities. Genya Savilov | Afp | Getty Images Russia has been charged again with war crimes after a Russian missile struck a shopping mall in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine. The attack killed at least 20 civilians shopping in the building and injured at least 59 others, while others are missing. Ukraine’s Interior Minister said yesterday that there were no survivors under the rubble due to the fire that spread to the building after the rocket attack. Russia has repeatedly denied that it had targeted civilians or civilian infrastructure, despite numerous allegations that it refutes these allegations. He has also spread lies and misinformation about such attacks. On Tuesday, Russia said it was targeting a weapons depot donated by the United States and Europe near the mall, a claim denied by Ukraine. – Holly Eliat
“We are in a hybrid war,” said the German foreign minister
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the country as facing a “hybrid war”, with the conflict in Ukraine having a profound effect on Europe’s energy landscape and Germany having to implement plans in the event that its gas supplies – which are supplied via Nord Stream 1 from Russia to Germany – are cut off from Moscow. “We are now faced with the question in Germany that if there is no gas through Nord Stream 1 … we have to decide which institution can be cut off from the grid,” Baerbock told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Tuesday. “We are in a time of war, in Ukraine people are dying, but we are in a hybrid war where war is also taking place. [fought] from energy, “Baerbock said. Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Before the war, there were plans to double that supply with a second pipeline, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, despite doubts about the pipeline from the United States. , Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, in particular Poland. The giant energy infrastructure project, while fully constructed and ready for operation, has been put on ice – perhaps permanently – due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. – Holly Eliat
NATO concludes agreement with Turkey to allow Sweden and Finland to join
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson give a press conference after their meeting in Harpsund, Sweden, on June 13, 2022. Henrik Montgomery | Tt News Agency | Via Reuters NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the world’s strongest military alliance has reached an agreement on the acceptance of Sweden and Finland after resolving Turkey’s concerns. The push to add Sweden and Finland to the world’s most powerful military alliance comes as Russia’s attack on Ukraine heightens fears by other countries in the region. Moscow, long reluctant to expand NATO, has opposed the two nations’ plans to join the alliance. Both Finland and Sweden already meet many of the conditions for NATO membership. Some of the requirements include a functioning democratic political system, a willingness to provide financial transparency and the ability to make a military contribution to NATO missions. However, all 30 NATO members must approve a country’s bid to be accepted into the alliance. – Amanda Macias
Satellite image shows the destruction of a shopping center in Ukraine
A satellite image taken by Planet Labs Inc. on June 28, showing the destruction of the shopping center in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. Planet Labs Inc. A satellite image from Planet Labs shows the destruction of a shopping center in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Telegram messaging platform that more than 1,000 people were inside at the time of the Russian rocket attack, according to NBC News. “This is not an off-target missile strike, it is a calculated Russian strike – right in this mall,” Zelensky said in his afternoon speech. Rescuers are working on a site of a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine, June 28, 2022. Anna Voitenko Reuters G-7 leaders condemned the Russian missile strike and vowed to hold “Russian President Putin and those in charge accountable.” The Kremlin had previously denied targeting civilians. – Amanda Macias
Europe needs ’emergency plans’ in case Russia cuts off gas supplies altogether
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the G7 summit in Schloss Elmau on June 26, 2022 near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Sean Gallup | Getty Images News Getty Images Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said EU gas reserves were rising as the bloc looked to suppliers other than Russia, but added that the region should have contingency plans in the event that Russia cuts off supplies. “There should be – especially if Russia decides to cut supply completely – emergency plans, but [gas] stocks are growing nicely. “We have reached a good level of reserves; and if we complete the reserves, we will be able to manage this transition as soon as we are completely independent of Russian gas,” Steve Sedgwick told CNBC in a press conference. Draghi said Europe has implemented measures to address the economic effects of the conflict, including diversifying its suppliers and investing in renewable energy. “We went everywhere [for other suppliers]”and we have replaced a large part of Russian gas,” he said, noting that 40% of …
title: “Latest News About Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-21” author: “Matthew Linnen”
Russian forces, meanwhile, continue to pursue a “creeping” approach from the direction of Popasna, south of Lysychansk, removing the need to force a new wide crossing of the river Siverskyi Donets (which separates the Lroydonetsk from the Severodonetsk ), noted the UK. in his Twitter update on Thursday. The ministry said it was very likely that “the ability of Ukrainian forces to continue fighting by delaying the fighting, and then withdrawing well-ordered troops before they were surrounded, will continue to be a key factor in the outcome of the campaign”. The ongoing ground battle is likely centered around the Lyschansk oil refinery, 10 km southwest of the city center, the United Kingdom added, citing similar information from the Ukrainian armed forces this morning. “At the operational level, Russian forces continue to make limited progress as they try to encircle Ukrainian defenders in the northern province of Donetsk through Izium sources.” – Holly Eliat
The city of Lysychansk under “continuous bombardment” as the battle rages for control of the wider area
Ukrainian troops in the eastern Luhansk region on June 23, 2022. On Wednesday, Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region where fighting is fiercest, said the city of Lysychansk was under “constant bombardment”. Anatoly Stepanov Afp | Getty Images As global attention turns to this week’s NATO summit in Spain and Ukraine, the battle for control of Donbass in the east continues to rage. On Wednesday, Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk region where fighting is fiercest, said the city of Lysychansk was under “constant bombardment”. “The Orcs are constantly trying to invade Lysychansk, fighting continues in the suburbs, the city itself is under constant fire,” Haidai said in a Facebook post last night. Ukrainian officials regularly describe Russian fighters as “orcs” according to the beastly characters in JRR Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” Lysychansk is the twin city across the Siverskyi Donets River from Severodonetsk, which was occupied by Russian forces last weekend after a regular retreat by Ukrainian fighters. Haidai said about 15,000 civilians remained in Lysychansk, despite a “quiet”, indistinguishable evacuation. In its latest military briefing on the Russian invasion on Thursday morning, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Thursday that Russian troops were carrying out attacks and “fighting was ongoing” in the area of the Lysychansk oil refinery. “In the direction of Donetsk, the enemy, with the support of artillery, is trying to block the city of Lysychansk and take control of a section of the Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway,” Ukraine said, adding that Russian forces were firing on . . Russian forces are heavily focused on seizing territory in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which are part of the wider Donbas in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s goal of controlling the territory where two pro-Russian separatist “democracies” are located is expressed. Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Wednesday that the so-called “liberation” of Donbass was his main goal, as well as “the protection of these people.” [in the pro-Russian areas]and the creation of conditions that would guarantee the security of Russia itself. “
“Everything went well between us”: Putin expresses disappointment over NATO expansion
“There is nothing to worry about for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. If they want to, then go ahead,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. Getty Images President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will “respond in kind” if NATO infrastructure and troops are developed in Sweden and Finland when they join the alliance. “There is nothing to worry about when Finland and Sweden become members of NATO. If they want it, then please go ahead,” he said on Wednesday. “But they must make it clear that they have not faced threats before. Now, if NATO infrastructure and troops are developed, we will have to respond with the same kind and create the same threats to the territories where the threats against us are being made.” he added. “It’s obvious – they do not understand it? Everything was going well between us, but now there will be tensions. This is obvious and inevitable.” Putin’s comments came as NATO leaders and their allies met in Madrid on Wednesday. At the summit, the alliance pledged to step up its support for Ukraine and described Russia as an “immediate threat” to its security. He also formally welcomed Sweden and Finland – historically non-aligned countries – to join the alliance. The leaders of the two Nordic countries said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed their dial when they were about to decide to apply for NATO membership. Russia is saddened by the expansion, as its land border with NATO territory will now double. It has an 830-mile border with Finland’s candidate member and borders five other NATO members: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Norway. – Holly Eliat
The United Kingdom announces 1 1 billion in military support to Ukraine
Soldiers of the Azov Regiment fire weapons during target training on June 28, 2022 in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine. The United Kingdom will provide another ρες 1 billion ($ 1.2 billion) in military support to Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing the British government. Paula Bronstein | Getty Images News Getty Images
Russia has shown no real diplomatic effort, Blinken told NATO
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks about US policy towards China during an event hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2022. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken said the United States had not seen substantial Russian diplomacy in ending the war in Ukraine. “We have not seen any interest on the part of Vladimir Putin in engaging in any substantial diplomatic initiative,” Blinken said during the NATO summit in Madrid. “But in any case, as we said from the beginning, it is really important for the Ukrainians to set the terms of any possible negotiation,” he added. The top US diplomat said the United States would continue to send security assistance to Ukraine to curb and repel Russian aggression. “When a negotiating table finally emerges, which at some point will happen, they [Ukraine] “They have the strongest possible hand to play at the negotiating table,” he said. – Amanda Macias
“If Russia does not stop in Ukraine, NATO will inevitably be drawn into the war,” warns a Ukrainian official.
A Ukrainian soldier speaks by telephone as he walks through the rubble of a building of the Kharkiv National Technical University Polytechnic Sports Complex after being hit by a Russian rocket in Kharkov on June 24, 2022, amid a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sergei Bobok AFP | Getty Images Ukrainian official Andriy Yermak said Russia was likely to advance its war across Ukraine into NATO territory, according to a NBC News translation. “History has taught us that the aggressor’s appetites increase with each concession,” said Yermak, head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Telegram messaging app. “That is why the security of not only Europe but of all humanity is threatened. And we believe that if Russia does not stop in Ukraine, NATO will inevitably be dragged into war,” he said, calling for more weapons and ammunition for Ukrainian forces. “Russia is increasingly convinced that it can not defeat Ukraine on the battlefield. That is why they are increasingly resorting to bloody terror and the killing of civilians and the destruction of political infrastructure,” he added. – Amanda Macias
Biden thanks Erdogan for allowing Finland, Sweden to join NATO
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of the ruling AKP during a meeting in parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on May 18, 2022. Murat Cetinmuhurdar / Presidential Press Office / Brochure via REUTERS AYTO ETHI NO RESOLUTIONS. NO FILE. MANDATORY CREDIT Murat Cetinmuhurdar | Reuters US President Joe Biden has thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for agreeing to allow Sweden and Finland to join NATO’s military alliance. “I want to thank you very much for what you have done by combining the situation with Finland and Sweden and all the incredible work you are doing to try to get grain out of Ukraine, I told you, you are doing a great job. “I want to thank you,” Biden said, along with his Turkish counterpart. Erdogan thanked Biden for the renewed US commitment to strengthening NATO, and said the alliance should work together to resolve the growing food crisis, Russia’s naval blockade of Ukrainian ports and related issues. natural gas. – Amanda Macias
Ukraine has released dramatic footage of a shopping mall strike
The Ukrainian government has released footage showing a rocket hitting the Amstor shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 59 others. The video, which shows CCTV footage from a machinery factory near the mall on Monday, was shown during Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s night speech on Tuesday and was posted on Facebook. CNBC has not been able to independently verify that the missile is a Kh-22, as reported in the tweet, and has been stated by several Ukrainian officials. The Kh-22 missiles are large, long-range anti-ship missiles developed by the Soviet Union and first used in the early 1960s for use against US Navy aircraft carriers in the Cold War. The strike in the mall was condemned …
title: “Latest News About Russia And The War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-31” author: “Joann Kaleta”
Jean Catuffe | Getty Images American basketball player Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February 17, has arrived in a Moscow court for her trial. The Olympic gold medalist was accused by the Russian authorities of having cannabis oil in her luggage and of drug trafficking, a crime that could lead to 10 years in prison. U.S. officials say Greener is being held unjustly. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said this week that the athlete “is being held illegally, unjustly, and we have made this clear as an official decision by the U.S. government.” – Natasha Turak
Iron curtain “already coming down” between Russia and the West, Russia says
An iron curtain between Russia and the West is essentially already here, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, describing the political and economic wall that has formed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “As far as the iron curtain is concerned, it is, in fact, already coming down,” Lavrov said after talks with the Belarusian Foreign Minister, according to a French translation agency. He added that the EU had made no attempt to understand Russia’s interests, saying “it is interested in what was decided in Brussels. And what was decided in Washington was decided in Brussels”. Since the beginning of March and the imposition of numerous sanctions on Russia by the West, which have severed many travel, economic and business ties, many historians have invoked the so-called “Iron Curtain” to describe international relations. The term was first coined by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the political, military and ideological barrier set up by the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin to be sealed by the West. – Natasha Turak
Biden: US will stay with Ukraine for “as long as necessary”
US President Joe Biden has pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. He was speaking at the end of a NATO summit in Madrid that saw the alliance agree to massively strengthen its troop presence in Eastern Europe. Asked during a new conference on Thursday if there was a limit to US spending on aid to Kyiv, Biden said: “We will stay with Ukraine and all allies will stay with Ukraine as long as necessary, and make sure do not be defeated “. Biden also announced a new $ 800 million military aid package for the country as the war enters its fifth month. – Natasha Turak
Zelenskyy thanks Ukrainian troops after Russia’s withdrawal from Snake Island
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a working meeting 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 has thanked Ukrainian forces for liberating Snake Island, a remote island in southern Ukraine. Undoubtedly the main word today is “Snake”. Apparently, there was just as much talk about the island of Zmiinyi (Snake) only the day the Russian ship arrived there. “After the ship left forever and now the island is free again,” Zelenskyy said via the Telegram messaging platform, according to NBC News. Ukrainian officials said earlier that Russian troops had evacuated Snake Island, which was occupied by Russian forces on the first day of the invasion. Russia’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the withdrawal. – Amanda Macias
Trindo says Canada will increase its military presence in Latvia
The Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trinto gives a press conference after the NATO Summit at the IFEMA Conference Center in Madrid, Spain on June 30, 2022. Dursun Aydemir | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trindade says his government will increase the presence of Canadian troops in Latvia as part of NATO’s commitment to step up its deterrents along Russia’s border. Trinto made the announcement at the close of the three-day NATO summit in Madrid. He did not give specific numbers. Canada leads the NATO battle team in Latvia with about 2,000 troops in total. Albania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain also provide troops to the group. “We will strengthen our military development in Latvia and work with other allies so that we can quickly increase our current strength in our capable combat brigade when needed,” Trindo said. Trinto said his government also wants to send up to 39 armored combat vehicles to Ukraine along with six additional drone cameras to help fight the Russian invasion. – Associated Press
