Ukraine Russia news – live: Kremlin confirms Putin meeting with Wagner commanders including Prigozhin

Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his most commanders just five days after the aborted mutiny and they pledged loyalty to his regime, the Kremlin has said.

The three-hour meeting took place on 29 June, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said yesterday, in a likely attempt to portray a return to normalcy in the ties between two men who faced off in the biggest military mutiny Russia has seen in decades.

No comments have been issued by Mr Prigozhin himself on the meeting, which was first reported earlier yesterday.

During the meeting Mr Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine, where the mercenaries have fought alongside regular Russian troops, and of the revolt itself.

Elsewhere, Joe Biden will meet Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit in Lithuania tomorrow, US officials confirmed to The Independent.

The meeting comes as Mr Biden expressed doubts in recent days about Ukraine’s long-sought goal of joining the trans-Atlantic alliance. The two leaders last met in Japan in May for the G7 summit.

Key Points

• Wagner chief’s commanders met Putin after short-lived mutiny, pledged loyalty

• Russia launches overnight air attack on Kyiv as Nato summit starts

• Why Ukraine’s plea for Nato membership is such a challenge for the West

• Biden to see Zelensky at Nato summit in Lithuania tomorrow

• Nato agrees regional plans on how to respond to Russian attack

• Zelensky says Ukraine holds ‘initiative’ on battlefield

Pay up to deter Russia, Sunak tells Nato allies

10:47 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak will head to the Nato summit in Lithuania with a renewed call for all members of the alliance to commit to spending 2 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence to “deter the kind of tactics Putin has used in Ukraine”.

The PM will tell allies in Vilnius that plans to make Nato’s armed forces “more lethal and more deployable” start with “meeting the 2 per cent commitment”.

No 10 said the Prime Minister will travel to Vilnius with the dual message of strengthening Nato and stressing the need to continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invading troops.

Speaking ahead of his trip, Mr Sunak said: “When thousands of Russian troops crossed the border in February last year, it marked a grim new chapter in Europe and Nato’s history.

“In the 500 days that have elapsed since, we have witnessed the most terrible crimes and human tragedies in Ukraine.

“But we have also seen the Nato alliance come together like never before in support of Ukraine and with firm determination that Russia cannot succeed.

“That is work we need to continue this week. We cannot let the fog of war obscure the clear lessons our alliance must learn if we are going to outpace and outmanoeuvre those who seek to do us harm.

“That is why the UK is investing record amounts in defence, to make our armed forces more lethal and more deployable, and to ready our defence industry for the challenges ahead.

“And that’s something we need to see across Nato - starting with meeting the 2% commitment.”

NATO’s Stoltenberg: Not seen any movement of Wagner fighters to Belarus

09:44 , Martha Mchardy

NATO has not seen any movement of Wagner group fighters to Belarus, Russia’s ally in its war against Ukraine, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

“We are monitoring the situation very closely,” Stoltenberg told journalists ahead of NATO’s two-day summit in Vilnius.

Over the week-end, Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country amid rising concern in the NATO member that the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border.

Putin’s forces ‘caught in trap’ in Bakhmut as Kyiv’s troops advance

09:42 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine said on Monday its troops had caught occupying Russian troops “in a trap“ in the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut, where its forces have been gaining ground as part of their counter-offensive.

Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow’s forces have repelled or contained Ukrainian advances in the east and south.

More than 500 days into the invasion, Ukraine’s counter-offensive which began early last month has focused on capturing clusters of villages in the southeast and moving in on Russian forces holding Bakhmut.

Officials on Monday noted advances in both sectors.

“Bakhmut. The enemy is caught in a trap,” general Oleksander Syrskyi, in charge of Ukraine’s ground forces, said bluntly on the Telegram messaging app. “The city is under the fire control of (our) defence forces...the enemy is being pushed out of their positions.”

In the south, general Oleksander Tarnavskyi said on Telegram Ukrainian forces were “on the move” and Russian forces had lost the equivalent of hundreds of men over 24 hours.

Bilateral assurances for Ukraine will complement NATO summit decisions -Stoltenberg

09:33 , Martha Mchardy

Bilateral security assurances for Ukraine will complement decisions on the country’s future membership of NATO made at the alliance’s summit in Vilnius, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

“Some allies are having bilateral and multilateral dialogues with Ukraine on a framework to have in place continued support for Ukraine (...) this will complement and supplement the decisions made at the NATO summit,” Stoltenberg said before the start of the summit.

No changes in Russia’s nuclear posture, NATO chief says

09:32 , Martha Mchardy

NATO has not seen a change in Russia’s nuclear posture despite its announcement that it is stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

“The nuclear rhetoric of Russia is reckless and dangerous. NATO allies are monitoring closely what Russia is doing; so far we haven’t seen any changes in the Russian nuclear deployment posture that requires a change from us, but we will remain vigilant,” Stoltenberg said before a summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, what is Nato and what is it doing to help?

09:30 , Martha Mchardy

With Russia’s war on Ukraine in its 17th month, and Western countries sending increasingly hi-tech and long-range weapons and ammunition to help President Volodymyr Zelensky defend his country, it’s easy to lose track of where Nato stands.

Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg – the top civilian official at the world’s biggest security alliance –routinely praises allies for helping Ukraine’s troops to fight back. But when he does, Stoltenberg is talking about individual member countries, not Nato as an organization.

Ahead of the Nato summit in Lithuanian capital Vilnius begins on Tuesday, here’s a look at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and what it’s doing to help Ukraine:

As Russia's war on Ukraine drags on, what is NATO and what is it doing to help?

NATO allies will send clear and positive message to Ukraine -Stoltenberg

09:16 , Martha Mchardy

NATO allies will make clear at their summit in Vilnius how Ukraine can become a member of the alliance in the future, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

“I expect allies will send a clear, united and positive message on the path towards membership for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said as he arrived for the start of a summit with leaders of NATO member countries.

Russia says U.S. arms supplies to Ukraine signal lack of interest in diplomacy - RIA

08:55 , Martha Mchardy

By announcing plans to increase arms supplies to Ukraine, the United States makes clear that it is not interested in a diplomatic solution, the RIA news agency cited senior Russian diplomat Konstantin Gavrilov as saying on Tuesday.

Gavrilov also said in comments published on the day of a NATO summit in Lithuania that Europe would be the first to face “catastrophic consequences” if the war escalates.

Ukraine claims to have shot down majority of Russian drones overnight

08:53 , Martha Mchardy

Russia launched 28 kamikaze drones on the southern port of Odesa and Kyiv in early hours on Tuesday, Ukraine‘s military said.

Ukraine‘s Air Force said that air defence systems shot down 26 of the Iranian-made “Shahed” drones that Russia launched.

Over Odesa, 22 were downed and two drones hit an administration building in the port, the local governor said.

A grain and another terminal near the Odesa port caught fire, which was quickly extinguished causing no “critical damage” or injuries, governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

All drones sent towards Kyiv were intercepted, but debris damaged a number of houses in the region, the military said.

“The enemy attacked Kyiv from the air for the second time this month,” Serhiy Popko, a head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a post on the Telegram channel.

Witnesses in Ukraine‘s capital heard blasts resembling the sound of air defence systems intercepting targets during the air raid.

In the Kyiv region that surrounds the capital, 12 residential houses and one multi-storey building suffered minor damage by falling debris, the military head of the region, Ruslan Kravchenko, said on his Facebook page.

There were no injuries reported.

Europe to face ‘catastrophic consequences’ if Ukraine war escalates, says Russian diplomat

08:35 , Martha Mchardy

Europe will be the first to face “catastrophic consequences” if the Ukraine war escalates, the RIA news agency cited Konstantin Gavrilov, a Vienna-based Russian diplomat and senior security negotiator, as saying on Tuesday.

Gavrilov, who blamed the United States for pushing towards such an escalation, spoke as NATO countries held a summit in Vilnius.

Nato should remove Ukraine’s membership action plan requirement: Stoltenberg

08:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

Nato allies should agree to remove the requirement of a Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine to become a member of the alliance in the future, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

“Ukraine has come a long way since we made the decision in 2008 that the next step would be a Membership Action Plan. Ukraine is much closer to Nato, so I think the time has come to reflect that in Nato decisions,” he said before a summit of Nato leaders in Vilnius.

“All put together, including that we’ll make clear that Ukraine will become a member, we’ll remove the Membership Action Plan, (....) will send a very strong and positive message from Nato to Ukraine,” Mr Stoltenberg added.

Nato policy increases risk of conflict with Russia, diplomat says

08:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Nato’s policy towards Russia increases the risk of direct conflict between bloc members and Moscow, Russia‘ RIA news agency cited the Russian ambassador to Belgium, Alexander Tokovinin, as saying on Tuesday.

Tokovinin said the regional defence plans which Nato intends to adopt at the summit starting on Tuesday in Vilnius would make the bloc’s confrontation with Russia more tense and prolonged.

Nato to send ‘positive signal’ about Ukraine’s bid to join alliance, says US

07:26 , Arpan Rai

Nato will send Ukraine a “positive signal” about Kyiv’s bid to join the alliance when their leaders meet at a summit in Lithuania today, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

The top US official was speaking to reporters as negotiators from the 31-strong alliance were finalising a final communique to outline Kyiv’s pathway to membership.

In retaliation, Russian diplomats said that differences between the US and Moscow were now narrowing.

Unhappy Russian diplomats berate US, Nato: ‘Most unfortunate’ confrontation

06:48 , Arpan Rai

Russian diplomats are accusing the US of pushing Nato towards a “most unfavourable” confrontation with Moscow with the decisions expected from the alliance’s summit in Lithuania starting today, claiming that Kyiv’s allies are “losing” in Ukraine.

“The situation continues to slide towards the most unfavourable outcome in the confrontation between the Russian Federation and the members of the alliance,” Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said late last night.

Accusing Washington of preparing to take anti-Russian decisions at the Nato summit, he said: ““Everything is being done to prepare the local public opinion for the approval of any anti-Russian decisions that will be made in Vilnius in the coming days.”

The Kremlin says Ukraine’s potential membership in the alliance would be a threat to Russia and that Moscow will react “clearly and firmly”.

The summit in the Lithuanian capital is set to be dominated by the repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with leaders set to approve Nato’s first comprehensive plans since the end of the Cold War to defend against any attack from Moscow.

Diplomats also said differences were narrowing over Ukraine’s push for Nato membership.

Konstantin Gavrilov, a Vienna-based Russian diplomat and a senior Russian security negotiator, told the Russian RIA state news agency in an interview the West is “losing” in Ukraine.

Moscow threatening ending contracts with construction firms over volunteers for Ukraine war, says UK MoD

06:26 , Arpan Rai

Moscow’s municipal authorities are highly likely threatening to withdraw contracts from construction firms if they fail to hit quotas for providing “volunteers” to serve in Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defence said.

One company has reportedly been set a target of 30 volunteers by the end of August 2023, the ministry said in its latest intelligence update today.

It added that this ultimatum will likely “primarily affect ethnic minorities from poorer regions of Russia such as Dagestan and central Asian states, who make up the majority of Moscow’s construction workers”.

“This measure is highly likely at least tacitly endorsed by Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin. It continues his track record of trying to minimise the impact of the conflict on better-off Muscovites, while still being seen to support the war effort,” the ministry said.

Why Ukraine’s plea for Nato membership is such a challenge for the West

05:58 , Arpan Rai

For Ukraine’s Western allies, the question of whether the country should be granted its long-held wish for Nato membership is not so straightforward.

The advantages in terms of security guarantees from being a member of the alliance are obvious, and only more so given the scale of destruction wrought by Russia’s invasion.

While some Eastern European members have been pushing for a swift timetable to admit Ukraine, given their own misgivings about Russia’s action near their borders, a number of Western nations are more cautious, aware that a bond built on collective defence can only hold secure if all believe it is strong.

Yesterday, the Kremlin made it clear that “Ukraine’s membership in Nato will have very, very negative consequences”.

Offering Ukraine membership if the war ends doesn’t work, either.

It gives Moscow an incentive to keep the war going, allowing Vladimir Putin to keep pushing one of his narratives that the West is trying to claim Ukraine to weaken Russia.

Chris Stevenson explains here:

Analysis: Why Ukraine’s plea for Nato membership is such a challenge for the West

Russia fires Iranian Shahed drones on Kyiv hours before Nato summit

05:31 , Arpan Rai

Russia fired Iranian Shahed drones on Kyiv in an air strike in the early hours of today, officials from Ukraine’s military said, confirming the second attack this month.

“The enemy attacked Kyiv from the air for the second time this month,” said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

He added that Ukraine’s air defence systems shot down all the drones Russia launched before they reached their targets but did not mention the total number of aerial targets fired and intercepted.

There was no immediate information about damage or casualties.

This comes just hours before the start of the Nato summit in Lithuania that is to focus on security threats from Moscow.

The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed air raid alerts were sounded over Kyiv for an hour and longer in parts of eastern Ukraine.

Russia has spoken out against the US and the wider Nato alliance on the eve of the summit over their support for Ukraine, warning that Kyiv’s potential membership of Nato would be met with a “clear and firm” reaction.

Wagner chief’s commanders met Putin after short-lived mutiny, pledged loyalty

04:24 , Arpan Rai

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his commanders met with Russian president Vladimir Putin just five days after the aborted mutiny and pledged loyalty to the government, a senior government spokesperson from the Kremlin has said.

The three-hour meeting took place 29 June and involved not only Mr Prigozhin but commanders from his Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed yesterday, in a likely attempt to portray normalcy in the ties between two men who faced off in the biggest military mutiny Russia has seen in decades.

He added that Mr Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine, where the mercenaries have fought alongside regular Russian troops, and of the revolt itself.

“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland,” Mr Peskov said.

The confirmation that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, who led troops on a march to Moscow last month to demand a military leadership change, was extraordinary.

Though the Russian leader branded Prigozhin a traitor as the revolt unfolded and vowed harsh punishment, the criminal case against the mercenary chief on rebellion charges was later dropped.

No comments have been issued by Mr Prigozhin himself on the meeting. He could still face prosecution for financial wrongdoing or other charges, as threatened by his boss.

This came on the same day the Russian defence ministry published a video featuring military chief General Valery Gerasimov – who was one of the main targets of Mr Prigozhin’s rebellion. Monday was the first time Gerasimov has been seen since the revolt last month.

Russia launches overnight air attack on Kyiv

03:52 , Arpan Rai

Parts of Ukraine are under air raid alerts as Russia is firing overnight airstrikes on the besieged country.

The head of the Ukrainian military administration, Serhiy Popko, said Russia had fired airstrikes towards Kyiv and that air defence systems were engaged in repelling the attack.

The air attacks have resumed after five days, after a missile strike on Lviv that killed four civilians.

Biden to see Zelensky at Nato summit in Lithuania tomorrow

03:43 , Arpan Rai

Joe Biden will meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit in Lithuania tomorrow, US officials confirmed to The Independent.

The meeting comes as Mr Biden expressed doubts in recent days about Ukraine’s long-sought goal of joining the trans-Atlantic alliance. The two leaders last met in Japan in May for G7 summit.

“I don’t think there is unanimity in Nato about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the Nato family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” he told CNN last week.

“If the war is going on, then we’re all in war,” he added. “We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.”

The president also said that Ukraine would need to make reforms in terms of “democratisation” before joining the alliance.

Biden will meet Zelensky at Nato summit in Lithuania as war with Russia rages on

How the Wagner Group’s armed uprising almost toppled Vladimir Putin

Tuesday 11 July 2023 00:00 , Matt Drake

Three weeks on from the extraordinary mutiny staged by the Russian paramilitary organisation the Wagner Group, which threatened to bring down Vladimir Putin, details are continuing to emerge about precisely how it was averted.

The armed uprising saw the group’s mercenaries leave their posts in eastern Ukraine on Friday 23 June to cross into Russia and occupy the western city of Rostov-on-Don before engaging in what their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called a “march for justice” on Moscow to demand the removal of Russia’s top military officials Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov in protest at their botched handling of the Ukraine invasion.

Mr Prigozhin, 62, had complained for months that his men had been left without sufficient resources as they fought to secure the town of Bakhmut over the hard winter months, frequently taking to Telegram to record messages denouncing the insufficient supplies of ammunition his forces had received from the Defence Ministry.

With things looking black for Mr Putin by the Saturday evening as a Wagner column approached the Russian capital, the standoff was abruptly ended after Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko, a long-time ally of Mr Putin, stepped in to help broker a deal between the two sides, wherein Mr Prigozhin agreed to relocate to Belarus and for his forces to stand down.

How the Wagner Group’s armed uprising almost toppled Vladimir Putin

NATO agrees regional plans on how to respond to Russian attack

Monday 10 July 2023 23:00 , Matt Drake

The NATO alliance has reached an agreement on regional plans about how to deal with a possible Russian attack.

NATO had no need for a large-scale defence plan for decades as it fought smaller wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in recent years.

Also, the USSR collapsed in 1991 which no longer posed an existential threat.

But now Russia has invaded Ukraine, the bloc has agreed that all planning must be in place before a conflict erupts.

The plans will also give nations guidance on how to upgrade their forces and logistics.

NATO officials believe it will take a few years for the plans to be fully implemented but the alliance can head into battle immediately if required, Sky News reported.

At least 13 civilians have been killed by Russia in the last month

Monday 10 July 2023 22:00 , Matt Drake

The Ministry of Defence said Russia has killed 13 civilians over the last month.

Posting on Twitter, the MoD said: "Russia continues to claim they don’t target civilians as their illegal invasion passes the 500 days mark.

"Last month Russian forces targeted and bombed a pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk, killing at least 13 civilians, including children."

Joe Biden arrives in Vilnius for NATO summit

Monday 10 July 2023 21:00 , Matt Drake

Joe Biden arrived at the Lithuanian capital ahead of a two-day NATO meeting.

It comes after a brief stint in the UK where he met Rishi Sunak and King Charles.

The US president was greeted by Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda at the airport.

Boris Johnson says NATO summit must 'atone for decades of fatal ambiguity'

Monday 10 July 2023 20:00 , Matt Drake

The former Prime Minister tweeted that it is "ridiculous" to say Ukraine's NATO membership could provoke Putin.

He also said it was absurd to talk about the risk of escalation and the alliance should offer a clear path for Ukraine's NATO membership.

Writing on Twitter, he said: "Putin didn’t launch the bloodiest war in Europe for 80 years because he feared that Ukraine was about to join Nato. Everybody could see that was nonsense.

"He attacked precisely because Ukraine was NOT a member, and unlikely to become one for the foreseeable future – and therefore had no valid western security guarantees.

"Putin attacked Ukraine because for 30 years we in Nato have dithered and refused to be clear about Ukraine’s future.

"The time for ambiguity is over. Our doublespeak has brought us nothing – and it has brought disaster for Ukraine.

"The Ukrainians are fighting for freedom everywhere, and when they have won they will need the same protection as the east Europeans and the Baltic states.

"The Ukrainians need the clarity and simplicity of Nato membership – and with that clarity will come peace and stability, for Russia as well as for Ukraine."

Death toll at Zaporizhzhia aid distribution rises to five

Monday 10 July 2023 19:22 , Matt Drake

The body of a fifth victim has been recovered from the rubble.

According to the General Prosecutor’s office, the attack is being treated as a war crime.

Yuriy Malashko, governor of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, said a guided aviation bomb was used in Sunday’s attack on a school building in Orikhiv.

Turkey's EU membership bid should not stop Sweden joining NATO, US says

Monday 10 July 2023 19:13 , Matt Drake

The US state department said it does not think Turkey's wish to be admitted into the European Union should affect Sweden's NATO bid.

Spokesperson Matthew Miller said: "The United States has for a number of years supported Turkey's EU aspirations, and we continue to do so.

"However, we do not believe that it should be an impediment to Sweden's accession to NATO.

"We continue to press the case that Sweden has taken a number of steps to address the concerns that Turkey raised, and we believe that it is time for Turkey to support Sweden's NATO accession."

Russia struggling with combat medical provision

Monday 10 July 2023 17:19 , Matt Drake

According to the British Defence Ministry, Russia suffered an average of 400 casualties a day for 17 months.

Russian medical services have likely been affected and are said to be battling a healthcare crisis which is also impacting civilian care in border regions.

In a statement, the ministry said: "It is likely that up to 50 per cent of Russian combat fatalities could have been prevented with proper first aid.

"Very slow casualty evacuation, combined with the inappropriate use of the crude in-service Russian combat tourniquet, is reportedly a leading cause of preventable fatalities and amputations.”

Putin met Wagner chief Prigozhin days after mutiny, Kremlin says

Monday 10 July 2023 16:16 , Matt Drake

Vladimir Putin met the Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin days after his fighters marched on Moscow in an aborted mutiny, the Kremlin has said.

Mr Putin declared the armed mutiny to be treasonous as it happening, appearing in an emergency television address to denounce what was the most serious challenge to his two-decade rule of Russia. Yet, according to the Kremlin, the president invited the Wagner chief – and a number of his commanders – to a meeting in Moscow so that Mr Putin could give his “assessment” of both the armed uprising and the mercenary group’s war effort during the invasion of Ukraine.

“The president gave an assessment of the company’s actions on the front,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said of the three-hour meeting on 29 June, to which 35 people were invited. “Putin listened to the commanders’ explanations and suggested variants of their future employment and their future use in combat,” Mr Peskov added.

Putin met Wagner chief Prigozhin

Nato agrees to accelerate Ukraine membership plan, says Kyiv

Monday 10 July 2023 16:10 , Matt Drake

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has said Nato has agreed to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) which is normally required of prospective allies.

“Following intensive talks, Nato allies have reached consensus on removing MAP from Ukraine’s path to membership,” he tweeted.

He added: “I welcome this long-awaited decision that shortens our path to Nato. It is also the best moment to offer clarity on the invitation to Ukraine to become a member,” he wrote on Twitter.

Ukrainian officials have urged Nato to offer a “meaningful” move towards membership at this week’s summit in Lithuania.

Turkey wants to join EU in return for Sweden NATO membership

Monday 10 July 2023 16:07 , Matt Drake

Sweden has also been seeking to join NATO but joining would require consent from all existing members.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far frustrated progress.

Mr Erdogan said the EU must open the door for Turkey before it will approve Sweden's NATO application.

Turkey first asked to join the EU in 2005 but talks have been frozen for years.

Ahead of his departure for the NATO summit in Vilnius, Mr Erdogan said: "I am calling from here on these countries that are making Turkey wait at the door of the European Union for more than 50 years.

“First, come and open the way for Turkey at the European Union and then we will open the way for Sweden, just as we did for Finland."

Kremlin warns of ‘firm and clear’ response if Ukraine joins NATO

Monday 10 July 2023 15:45 , Matt Drake

The Kremlin issued a statement warning of allowing Ukraine into the alliance.

It comes after NATO dropped a bureaucratic requirement for membership.

This is to allow Ukraine to join faster when the war ends.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "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 from us a sufficiently clear and firm reaction."

Russia accused of war crimes as school handing out food parcels hit in bomb attack

Monday 10 July 2023 15:15 , Matt Drake

At least four are dead and 11 are injured following a bomb strike which hit a humanitarian station.

The attack happened on Sunday in Orikhiv, southeastern Zaporizhzhia.

Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Yuriy Malashko said: "Russians have committed another war crime.

"They launched a guided aerial bomb at a residential neighborhood as people were getting aid.

"Three women and a man died immediately, and 11 were hospitalised."

Ukrainian attack helicopter fires rockets at Russian military

Monday 10 July 2023 14:25 , Matt Drake

Images reportedly show a Ukrainian attack helicopter firing rockets at a Russian military target.

The images were obtained from the 18th Separate Brigade of Army Aviation named after Igor Sikorsky of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Monday, July 10, along with a statement saying: “The unceasing work of the crews of the 18th separate army aviation brigades to destroy the enemy.”

The images and statement were also relayed by the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 502nd day of the full-scale war.

Ukraine troops take back 3.9 square miles of territory in counterattack, Kyiv claims

Monday 10 July 2023 13:46 , Matt Drake

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar said Kyiv’s troops had taken back 3.9 sq miles (10.2 square km) of territory in the south and four sq km in the east in the past week of a counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Ukraine’s forces had also taken control of the main commanding heights around Bakhmut and established fire control over entrances and exits to the shattered city, she said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia says it hit Ukrainian positions with T-80BV Tank

Monday 10 July 2023 13:37 , Matt Drake

Footage apparently shows a Russian tank manoeuvring into position before repeatedly firing its main gun.

The images then cut to explosions, reportedly on Ukrainian positions.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday, July 10 along with a statement claiming (in English): “Western MD’s tank crews launch attack on AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) stronghold.”

The statement also said: “At one of the directions of the special military operation, for the advance of Russian motorised rifle units, the crews of T-80BV tanks advanced to the front edge of the enemy defence and delivered a powerful fire attack. The enemy was about five kilometres away.

“According to Russian intelligence there were about 50 nationalists in the stronghold, including sabotage and reconnaissance groups. The AFU could not even launch a return fire attack from their positions.”

The footage has not been independently verified.

UK PM Sunak wants to discuss pathway for Ukraine to join NATO - spokesperson

Monday 10 July 2023 13:04 , Martha Mchardy

British prime minister Rishi Sunak wants to work with allies to discuss a pathway for Ukraine to join NATO, but the exact mechanism is up for discussion, his spokesperson said on Monday, following talks with U.S. president Joe Biden.

The spokesperson said it would not be appropriate for Ukraine to join NATO when the war with Russia was going on, but Sunak believes Ukraine’s “rightful place” is within alliance.

“We want to work with the U.S. and our allies on the pathway for Ukraine to join,” the spokesperson told reporters.

Downing Street downplays reports of UK and US split over Ukraine’s Nato bid

Monday 10 July 2023 12:51 , Martha Mchardy

Downing Street played down reports that the UK and US were split over the extent of commitments to offer Ukraine on Nato membership.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said it would be a topic for discussion at the Nato summit in Lithuania.

“Certainly, we do want to support Ukraine on the pathway to joining the alliance, the exact mechanisms for that are for discussion with Nato allies,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman rejected suggestions there was a difference between the US and UK positions on the issue: “I have seen that reporting but I don’t believe that’s accurate.”

Biden and Sunak discussed ‘support Ukraine needs to win war'

Monday 10 July 2023 12:49 , Martha Mchardy

Following the meeting between Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “Looking ahead to this week’s NATO Summit, the prime minister and president Biden agreed on the need to strengthen our alliance and maintain our support for Ukraine.

“They discussed the progress of the counter-offensive and emphasised the importance of the country’s international partners committing to its long-term defence, providing the support Ukraine needs to win this war and secure a just and lasting peace.”

Sunak 'discourages' use of cluster bombs in Ukraine

Monday 10 July 2023 12:45 , Martha Mchardy

Rishi Sunak “discouraged” the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine during his meeting with Joe Biden this morning, Downing Street has said.

Downing Street said Sunak discussed the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine with Joe Biden.

The UK is signed up to an international convention to ban the weapons, placing Mr Sunak under a duty to speak out against their use, but the US is not signed up to that agreement.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said providing the weapons “was a difficult choice for the US” that had been “forced on them by Russia’s war of aggression”.

The two leaders “discussed the commitments that UK has under that convention, both not to produce or use cluster munitions and to discourage their use”.

Asked if Mr Sunak complied with that commitment to discourage the use of the weapons in his talks with Mr Biden, the spokesman said: “Yes, they discussed the requirements the prime minister is under because of this convention, and the UK is upholding that.”

Western allies fine-tune security assurances for Ukraine as NATO meets

Monday 10 July 2023 12:34 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine’s largest Western allies are still finalising a joint framework that would pave the way for long-term security assurances for Kyiv, and may wait until the end of a NATO summit this week to announce them, European diplomats say.

The 31-member NATO alliance meets in Lithuania on Tuesday, aiming above all to give Ukraine some kind of path to membership, but still divided over how far to go.

Ukraine knows it will not get entry into the alliance while the war with Russia continues, given that NATO’s Article 5 - which says that an attack on one member is an attack on all -could push the alliance into war with Russia. But it wants a firm commitment at the summit that it will be invited to join after the war.

In the meantime, it has sought assurances of current and long-term security commitments to help it defend itself now and deter renewed aggression from Moscow once the war ends.

NATO has assiduously abstained from giving military assistance to Ukraine as an organisation, to avoid entering a direct conflict with Russia, and is keen to continue leaving that to member states and others.

Britain, France, Germany and the United States, known as the Quad, have been negotiating with Kyiv for weeks over a multilateral text that would create a broad framework for member states that want to provide, or keep providing, military aid including advanced weapons, as well as financial assistance.

The European Union, which would pursue its financing of weapons support through its Peace Facility, and Group of Seven (G7) powers including Japan, have also been privy to the discussions.

A French presidency official told reporters on Friday that the discussions were “very advanced”. Two other diplomats said the hope was to complete them by the end of the summit.

A senior German official told reporters that there would be an agreement at the level of the G7, which comprises the United States, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Italy and Britain, as well as the European Union.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who is en route to Lithuania, told CNN on Sunday that Washington was ready to provide security to Ukraine in the mould of what it provides to Israel: “the weaponry they need, the capacity to defend themselves”.

Moscow can count on China’s ‘friendly shoulder’, says Russian lawmaker

Monday 10 July 2023 12:27 , Martha Mchardy

Russia will continue to co-operate with Beijing and can count on China’s “friendly shoulder”, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said on Monday after meeting Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing.

“We can count on a firm and reliable friendly shoulder in China,” Valentina Matvienko said.

Japanese PM Kishida eyes meeting with Ukraine’s Zelensky at NATO Summit - Kyodo

Monday 10 July 2023 11:48 , Martha Mchardy

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida is arranging a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Kyodo news agency reported on Monday, citing a government source.

Zelensky is expected to attend the U.S.-led security pact’s leaders summit in Lithuania this week to press for Ukraine to be admitted into NATO soon after the war triggered by Russia’s invasion comes to an end.

Kishida last met Zelensky at the Group of Seven Summit in Hiroshima in May, where the Ukrainian leader made a surprise trip on a French plane to the Japanese city known for suffering from the world’s first atomic bombing.

Kremlin: there is ‘nothing new’ to say on Black Sea grain deal

Monday 10 July 2023 11:33 , Martha Mchardy

The Kremlin said on Monday that there was nothing new to say about the Black Sea grain export deal, which is set to expire next week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that there were currently no plans for President Vladimir Putin to meet Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan to discuss renewing the deal, and that it was not known when Putin might visit Turkey.

Moscow has repeatedly said it sees no grounds to extend the grain deal beyond July 17.

The deal allows Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, but Russia says not enough has been done to remove barriers to its own exports of grain and fertilisers.

Kremlin says Ukraine joining NATO would have negative consequences for Europe

Monday 10 July 2023 11:24 , Martha Mchardy

The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukrainian membership of the NATO military alliance would have very negative consequences for Europe’s security architecture and that Russia would consider such a step a threat which demanded a harsh response.

NATO is holding a summit on July 11-12 in Lithuania aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine while not yet accepting Kyiv as a member of the alliance.

Kremlin says mercenary chief Prigozhin met Putin after rebellion

Monday 10 July 2023 11:21 , Martha Mchardy

Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 29, five days after the group marched towards Moscow in a short-lived rebellion, the Kremlin said on Monday,

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin invited 35 people to the meeting, including unit commanders, and that it lasted three hours. The Wagner commanders told Putin they were his soldiers and would continue to fight for him, Peskov said.

The brief mutiny led by Prigozhin, in which Wagner fighters took control of the southern city of Rostov, confronted Putin with the gravest challenge to his hold on power since taking over as Russia’s paramount leader on the last day of 1999.

It was defused in a deal brokered by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. Putin has since thanked his army and security services for averting chaos and civil war.

Prigozhin has said the mutiny was not aimed at overthrowing the government but at “bringing to justice” the army and defence chiefs for what he called their blunders and unprofessional actions in Ukraine.

Prigozhin was meant to leave for Belarus under the terms of the deal but Lukashenko said last week he was back in Russia and that Wagner fighters had not yet taken up an offer to relocate to Belarus, raising questions about the implementation of the agreement.

Turkey's Erdogan says he will discuss grain deal extension with Putin

Monday 10 July 2023 11:18 , Martha Mchardy

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he will discuss with Russian president Vladimir Putin the extension of a deal that allows the export of Ukrainian grain from its Black Sea ports beyond the current July 17 deadline.

Speaking ahead of his departure for a NATO summit in Vilnius, Erdogan said he expects Putin to visit Turkey in August.

Joe Biden arrives at Downing Street

Monday 10 July 2023 11:10 , Martha Mchardy

US president Joe Biden has arrived at Downing Street, where he is set to discuss the war in Ukraine with prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Mr Biden’s visit to the UK is part of a three-nation trip that will feature a Nato summit in Lithuania aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against Russia while not yet accepting Kyiv as a member of the defence alliance.

Russia doubles production of Su-34 and Su-35 warplanes - RIA

Monday 10 July 2023 10:56 , Martha Mchardy

Russia has doubled production of its Su-34 and Su-35 fighter aircraft to meet its military needs in Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported on Monday, citing a top manager from state conglomerate Rostec.

Ukraine foreign minister: NATO removes hurdle to Ukraine's NATO membership

Monday 10 July 2023 10:43 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Monday NATO had decided to drop a requirement for Kyiv to follow a Membership Action Plan (MAP) as part of its pathway to joining the military alliance.

“Following intensive talks, NATO allies have reached consensus on removing MAP from Ukraine’s path to membership. I welcome this long-awaited decision that shortens our path to NATO,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter on the eve of a NATO summit in Lithuania.

How many casualties has Russia suffered in Ukraine?

Monday 10 July 2023 10:20 , Martha Mchardy

Establishing accurate data on the number of military casualties sustained since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 is difficult for two reasons. The severity of the fighting on the ground and the fact that both sides are inclined to keep their cards close to their chests to avoid damaging morale – especially at a time when the war is entering a pivotal new stage.

The Kremlin, in particular, is unlikely to admit to high fatality rates among its troops because to do so would amount to a confession that Vladimir Putin’s spurious war to “de-Nazify” Russia’s neighbour state is not going according to plan and, in fact, represents a monumental miscalculation on the part of its leader, who is already under pressure at home over the attempted uprising by Wagner Group mercenaries.

Moscow is more likely to downplay its own (rarely offered) numbers – putting the official number at around 6,000 – and accuse its enemies of dishonestly briefing against it whenever outside estimates are offered that imply significant Russian losses.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

How many casualties has Russia suffered in Ukraine?

How many Russians have died in Ukraine? Data shows what Moscow hides

Monday 10 July 2023 09:43 , Martha Mchardy

Nearly 50,000 Russian men have died in the war in Ukraine, according to the first independent statistical analysis of Russia’s war dead.

Two independent Russian media outlets, Mediazona and Meduza, working with a data scientist from Germany’s Tübingen University, used Russian government data to shed light on one of Moscow’s closest-held secrets — the true human cost of its invasion of Ukraine.

To do so, they relied on a statistical concept popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic called excess mortality. Drawing on inheritance records and official mortality data, they estimated how many more men under age 50 died between February 2022 and May 2023 than normal.

Read the full story:

How many Russians have died in Ukraine? Data shows what Moscow hides

Announcement expected on German defence delivery to Ukraine - govt official

Monday 10 July 2023 08:57 , Martha Mchardy

A substantial announcement on a German delivery of military hardware to Ukraine is expected over the course of this week’s NATO summit, a senior government official said in Berlin on Monday.

Germany is also working on bilateral security guarantees for Ukraine, the official said, adding that it was not the right time for an invitation for Kyiv to join the defence alliance.

Western leaders are meeting in Vilnius from Tuesday for a two-day NATO summit.

Russian air strike on Ukraine aid distribution at school branded a war crime

Monday 10 July 2023 08:56 , Martha Mchardy

Russian airstrike on a school in southern Ukraine killed four adults as people gathered to receive humanitarian aid, the governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region said Monday, branding the incident “a war crime.”

Three women and a man, all in their 40s, died in Sunday’s attack in the town of Orikhiv, governor Yuriy Malashko said.

A guided aerial bomb caused an explosion at the school, Malashko said, without providing evidence. Eleven other people were wounded in the attack.

Overall, Russia fired on 10 settlements in the province over the course of a day, he said.

Moscow denies it targets civilian locations. Russia has been accused numerous times of doing so and committing other war crimes since its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.

In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

Broad investigations are also underway in Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, located in The Hague, is helping with those investigations.

Russian strike on Ukrainian aid distribution point killed four, Kyiv says

Monday 10 July 2023 08:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Four people were killed in a Russian attack on a humanitarian aid distribution point in the southeastern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.

The General Prosecutor’s office said it had opened a criminal case into war crimes after the attack on the town of Orikhiv, which it said was carried out on Sunday afternoon.

Regional Governor Yuriy Malashko said a guided aviation bomb was used in the attack on a school building being used as an aid distribution point.

Malashko said on the Telegram messaging app that three women and a man, all in their 40s, had been killed. The General Prosecutor’s office said 13 had also been wounded.

Images from the scene posted by the interior ministry online showed rubble and debris scattered across a courtyard and street.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, denies deliberately targeting civilians.

Ukraine‘s military is conducting a counteroffensive to try to retake Russian-occupied territory in the Zaporizhzhia region.