Here are the key events so far on Monday, July 4. Get the latest updates here.
Militant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Lysychansk and vowed to regain lost territory after Russia claimed full control of the eastern Luhansk region. At least six people were killed and 20 wounded in Sloviansk after Russian multiple rocket launchers hit the eastern city, officials said. Russia accused Ukraine of firing missiles at the border city of Belgorod. At least three people were killed and dozens of residential buildings were damaged in the attacks. Ukrainian forces hit a Russian military logistics base with at least 30 strikes in the occupied southern city of Melitopol, the city’s exiled mayor said. A Russian official confirmed that the raids had hit the city. (AFP)
Diplomacy
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to send 14 more armored personnel carriers and 20 Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine after his visit to Kyiv. The president of Belarus – Vladimir Putin’s closest ally – said on Sunday that his former Soviet state was fully behind Russia in its military effort in Ukraine as part of its long-standing commitment to a “union state” with Moscow. Delegations from Ukraine, donor countries and civil society groups are gathering in Lugano, Switzerland for the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022), where discussions will focus on how to rebuild the war-torn country. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the United Kingdom wants to follow Canada’s lead and seize Russian assets in the country and redistribute them to victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the Guardian newspaper.
Economy
Turkish customs authorities have seized a Russian cargo ship carrying grain that Ukraine says is stolen, Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey said. The European Investment Bank is proposing a financing structure previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic to help rebuild Ukraine with investments of up to 100 billion euros ($104.3 billion), Reuters reported. Russia may continue to suspend natural gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline beyond a planned maintenance shutdown this month, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.
