Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 07-13-2024

Kyiv’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, told CNN in an interview with renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour that “we cannot wait another 75 years to celebrate Ukraine’s accession.”

Ukraine cannot wait another 75 years to celebrate its membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Ukrinform reports.

“We will be entirely happy only when Ukraine becomes a member of NATO and the promise of this is fulfilled,” Kuleba said. “We heard very reassuring messages over the last days at all levels that the path to membership is ‘irreversible’, that Ukraine will be in NATO. But, you know, we cannot wait another 75 years to celebrate Ukraine’s accession.”.

Speaking at National Association of Governors, the Ukrainian president asked leaders of the 50 states in the US to send their representatives to “personally assess the consequences of Russian terror”

President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his speech at the session of the National Association of Governors of the United States in Utah on Friday, invited its representatives to visit Ukraine to personally assess the consequences of Russian terror.

“Many of you have probably heard or seen in the media about the recent Russian missile strike on a children’s hospital [Ohmatdyt],” said Zelensky. “Several days ago. A direct hit on one of the hospital buildings – and this could not have been just a coincidence.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

President Joe Biden is on a public and private blitz to shake off concerns about his cognitive capacities. But with public doubts about his fitness to serve unabating, Biden’s every move is now under a withering microscope as any potential stumble risks becoming magnified and delivering another blow to his candidacy.To wit: As he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a NATO summit event Thursday, Biden flubbed and called him “President Putin,” prompting audible gasps from the audience. He corrected himself, saying, “I’m so focused on beating Putin” before ceding the lectern. Shortly after, at a news conference, Biden errantly referred to “Vice President Trump” — a gaffe that overshadowed what his aides felt was otherwise a commanding performance. And a significantly hyped interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos a week earlier was meant to show Biden could handle scrutinizing questions from the media but only flared more concerns from Democrats about whether he could continue to serve as the party’s nominee.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his centrist coalition government suffered a bitter defeat on Friday in parliament. A slim majority rejected the bill that would have eased the strict anti-abortion law: 218 lawmakers voted against decriminalising performing or assisting an abortion, 215 voted for it and two abstained. Tusk and his liberal Civic Coalition parliamentary caucus supported the bill. It means that those found guilty of aiding an abortion will continue to face up to three years in prison. The liberalisation was a key element in Tusk’s programme of reversing various policies of the previous right-wing government that have drawn massive protests - Euronews

Ukrainian leader heading for UK via Ireland.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to pay a visit to the UK next week, The Guardian reports.

According to the ezine, Zelenskyy will also make his first visit to Ireland on Saturday morning when he touches down in Shannon airport, Co Clare, for a meeting with the Irish taoiseach, Simon Harris.

The visit coincided with the ongoing “anti-terrorist” exercise involving Chinese and Belarusian troops on the Polish border, with the discussions on “logistics support” a cause of some concern.

A military delegation from China arrived in Minsk, Belarus, to negotiate bilateral military logistics support cooperation.

“From July 11 to 13, a Chinese military delegation of the Joint Logistics Forces of the People’s Liberation Army of China is visiting Minsk,” a Telegram announcement from the Belarusian Ministry of Defense said on Friday.

A Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane belonging to Gazprom-Avi crashed near Moscow on Friday killing its three-person crew according to the Russian emergencies’ ministry report.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) aircraft, which came into service in 2014, went down in a forested area near the village of Apraksino about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of the Russian capital on Friday, July 12. It was carrying no passengers, but its three-man crew were killed.

TASS, Russia’s state-run media reported that the plane, which belonged to Gazprom avia, a carrier owned by the Gazprom energy conglomerate, crashed during a test flight following repair works. According to an airline spokesperson the plane had taken off from the Lukhovitsy aircraft-making plant and was heading to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport when it crashed eight minutes after takeoff.

Pyongyang answered NATO statements condemning the Kim regime for helping Russian aggression in Ukraine by issuing a denial and counter-condemnation of the Alliance.

NATO does not doubt that North Korea provides significant military support to Russia to continue its war of aggression in Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated this in an interview with Kyodo News, as seen by Ukrinform.

A selection of what European newspapers are saying about the results of the NATO summit this week.

The question of how to deal with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine was at the heart of the NATO summit that ended on Thursday. Kyiv will receive 40 billion euros in military aid over the next year, including F-16 fighter jets and five air defense systems. Russia was described as the "greatest and most immediate threat", and China as its "decisive accomplice". While Ukraine did not receive a formal invitation to join, its path into NATO is "irreversible", the alliance has stressed. The reactions in the press are mixed.

Friends and foes clearly named

A Russian soldier is being sought after reportedly shooting three fellow fighters and escaping with weapons from his unit in the Belgorod region.

A 28-year-old Russian serviceman said to be from Cheboksary in Russia’s Chuvashia Republic, shot dead three of his fellow soldiers and fled from a military unit in Russia's Belgorod region, Russian Telegram channels report.

An “Interception” plan to capture him was announced.

Kyiv Post interviews Dr. Daniel Szeligowski, the head of the Eastern Program at the Polish Institute of International Affairs about 2022 talks in Minsk and Istanbul.

The topic of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia is increasingly being discussed by the media and politicians.

There are also reports suggesting that a proposal was allegedly on the table as early as 2022.

Another oil depot in Russia apparently set ablaze following what the Rostov governor says was a Ukrainian drone attack.

An oil depot was on fire Saturday in Russia’s Rostov region after a Ukrainian drone attack, its governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram.

“After a drone attack, a fire broke out in a petrol refinery in the Tsimlyansky district,” Golubev wrote, adding that there were no casualties.

Russia’s Defense Minister called the US Secretary of Defense to “lower risks of returning to a Cold War,” while the Pentagon says sporadic calls are important to “maintaining lines of communication.”

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin held a telephone call where they discussed lowering the risk of “possible escalation”, the Russian defense ministry said on Friday.

The call, which was initiated by Moscow, comes as tensions between the two sides flare over Washington’s plan to deploy long-range missiles in Germany, a decision the Kremlin warned could spell a return to Cold War-style confrontation.

Kamala Harris should seek the presidency and include the Republicans’ “Proposed Plan for Victory in Ukraine” as part of her platform.

The debate on June 27 between the two candidates for US president – and, consequently, for the position of Leader of the Free World – provided definitive proof to all of us, supporters of this world, and, most importantly, to those fighting and dying now for the right of Ukraine to be free, that the United States is experiencing a profound political and moral crisis. 

At a moment when the forces of absolute evil have challenged the very idea and existence of a Free World, the US political system has nominated two candidates to lead it:

OSCE condemned it as "a grave violation of participating states' commitments under international law" and called for the immediate release of Vadym Golda and two other jailed OSCE officials.

A court in Ukraine's Russian-controlled Donetsk region on Friday jailed a member of the OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine for "espionage" in a judgement condemned by the European security organisation.

The Supreme Court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic found Vadym Golda, 56, guilty and sentenced him to 14 years in a strict-regime penal colony, Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement.

Finnish transportation authorities told a local news outlet it had recorded a surge of GPS malfunctions in recent weeks due to Russian jamming, which disrupted radar functionalities.

Finnish authorities confirmed to a local news outlet that there had been a surge of GPS malfunctions in the area in recent weeks due to Russian jamming while commenting on a report of radar malfunction on social media.

The reports were brought to attention when a Finnish maritime pilot reported the incident and shared a video depicting radar malfunctions on Thursday, July 11, on social media.

The Request for Proposal, issued on Wednesday, is for new aircraft-launched long-range weapon which the USAF has explicitly said is intended for use by Ukraine.

The military issues website Army Recognition reported that the US Air Force issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to develop a new aircraft-launched weapon on Wednesday, July 10. The RFP was sent to 16 companies who had responded to an earlier Request for Interest (RFI) issued by the USAF in January with proposals to be received by July 24.

The call to industry is for a system that is being called the Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM). It explicitly says that the project is intended to support Ukrainian defense requirements by providing an efficient and affordable, autonomous long-range attack weapon.

Amid Tokyo’s warnings, Beijing says the Joint Sea-2024 exercises along its southern coast “will further deepen Chinese-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership” after NATO 75th Anniversary Summit.

China said Friday it was conducting joint military drills with Russia along its southern coast, after US-led NATO Western defense alliance met in Washington and Japan warned of a growing threat from Beijing’s strong ties with Moscow.

Beijing rejected the warnings as “irresponsible and provocative,” hours after China’s defense ministry said the two militaries had begun the exercises – called Joint Sea-2024 – in “early July,” lasting until the middle of this month.