Russia-Ukraine War: UK PM says Ukraine war won't have started if Putin was woman

Russia's president Vladimir Putin would not have attacked Ukraine and strated the war in Ukraine if he was a woman, UK PM  Boris Johnson said following G7 summit in Germany. Johnson told German broadcaster ZDF: "If Putin was a woman, which he obviously isn't, but if he were, I really don't think he would've embarked on a crazy, macho war of invasion and violence in the way that he has. If you want a perfect example of toxic masculinity, it's what he's doing in Ukraine."

Australia is considering reopening is embassy in Ukraine, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid. He said that he would "like to have a presence on the ground there to assist and to be able to provide that on-ground presence". 

"Australia is considering that I'll have more to say on that in coming days and weeks," he added. 

France’s president denounced Russia’s fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine as a “new war crime” Tuesday and vowed the West’s support for Kyiv would not waver, saying Moscow “cannot and should not win” the war.

The strike, which killed at least 18 people in the central city of Kremenchuk, came as leaders from the Group of Seven nations met in Europe. It was part of an unusually intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine, including in the capital, Kyiv, that renewed international attention as the war drags on.

Speaking at the end of the G-7 summit in Germany, French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to address that concern, vowing that the seven leading industrialized democracies would support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia “as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity.”

“Russia cannot and should not win,” he said. He called Monday’s attack on the mall “a new war crime.”

Source: Associated Press

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the UN Security Council wherein he asked the United Nations to enshrine the Russian Federation as a "terrorist state." Ukraine's president, in his speech, derided Russia's missile attack on the crowded shopping mall in central Ukraine, which he said cliamed lives of the civilians. He also called for Russia to be removed as a permanent member of the UN. 

While the UN did not yet have a legal definition of the term “terrorist state," said Zelenskyy, it shall gauge the warring nation's actions that coincide with one, Ukraine's leader purported. Russia war "demonstrates not only the meaning of the concept, but also the urgent necessity to enshrine it legally at the level of the United Nations, and punish any terrorist state,” said Zelesnkyy.  

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says Tuesday’s deal with Turkey on her country’s and Finland’s membership of NATO will bring “more security” to the alliance.

“It’s good for Finland and Sweden. And it’s good for NATO, because we would be security providers to NATO,” Andersson told The Associated Press.

She said completing the process of membership should be done “the sooner the better, not only for Sweden and Finland but for other NATO countries,” she said. “But there are 30 parliaments that need to approve this and you never know,” Andersson added.

Asked if the Swedish public will see the agreement as a concession on issues like extraditions of Kurdish militants regarded by Ankara as terrorists, Andersson said Swedes “will see that this is good for the security of Sweden.” Andersson said that her country’s contribution to the alliance will potentially be a strong military and navy. She said that Sweden is in the midst of the largest military buildup since the 1950s.

Andersson said she wasn’t too worried about Moscow’s reaction to Tuesday’s announcement: “Russia has reacted rather mildly so far,” Andersson said. “Maybe they see the fact that we have been a partner to NATO for quite some time ... that maybe they don’t see this as quite such a big step.”

Source: Associated Press

Russia’s war on Ukraine has dominated a gala dinner hosted by Spain’s King Felipe VI to welcome some 40 heads of state and government on the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid.

“War has returned to Europe,” he told guests Tuesday. “Russia’s unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the territorial integrity of a sovereign State. No country is unaffected by this war.”

US President Joe Biden sat to the king’s right in the elaborately decorated dining room of the 18th century Royal Palace of Madrid. Felipe said the palace had never had such a large number of world leaders together. In all, some 60 people were at the table.

A senior US administration official says Washington did not offer any concessions to Turkey to coax it to accept the deal to drop its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

The official said Tuesday that President Joe Biden made a deliberate choice to keep the US from being a party to the negotiations or being in a position where Turkey could ask for inducements from the US.  The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, said Turkey never asked the US for anything as part of the talks. But the official said the US played a crucial role in helping bring the two parties closer together.

Biden spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Tuesday morning at the behest of Sweden and Finland to help encourage the talks. The leaders of Sweden and Finland reached out to Biden late Tuesday just before accepting the agreement.

Russia is planning to capture the entire south of Ukraine with further occupation of Moldova, Mykolaiv regional military press officer said in a statement. Dmytro Pletenchuk said that the economic blockade of Ukraine 's ports in the Black Sea "is the main reason for the Russians' attacks on our southern cities. And, of course, they dream of a land corridor to the unrecognized Transdniestria with the subsequent occupation of Moldova."

Elsewhere in Kharkiv,  the Ukrainian Armed Forces repulsed an Russian assaults in the areas of Dementiyevka, Dovhalevka and Zaliman. 

In response to the constantly expanding US sanctions against Russian politicians and public figures, Russia sanctioned 25 American citizens, including senators "responsible for formulating the Russophobic policy." The sanctions includes members of McFaul-Yermak International Expert Group, which drafts recommendations concerning anti-Russia restrictions, as well as family members of US President Joe Biden.

View the complete list of sanctioned Americans by Russian Federation here 

Ukrainian forces have struck Russia's arms depot in Moscow-controlled territory in the Luhansk region with US supplied HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). 

“The first case of the use of the American MLRS M142HIMARS, which was so advertised, was detected in the LPR today,” the spokesman for the People’s Militia of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Lieutenant Colonel Andrey Marochko said in an interview with state affiliated broadcaster Russia 1.

“At 7:20 a.m., from the direction of the settlement of Artemovsk there was as strike on Perevalsk. This is the deep rear. I also think this shows a lot right now, about what Ukraine is doing, because, firstly, we confirmed that these systems are in the Donbass," he said. 

Image credit: AP

Germany and the Netherlands announced that they will supply additional six self-propelled armored howitzers to Ukraine, the defense ministers of both countries said at the Madrid summit of NATO. German Foreign Ministry that the two nations will provide three of the artillery weapons in addition to the 12 howitzers already dispatched to Ukraine to counter Russian aggression. 

“The self-propelled howitzer 2000 is one of the most advanced artillery pieces in the world,” the ministry said.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has declared that talks for Sweden and Finland's bid to join the Alliance have been succesful with  Turkey.  “I am pleased to announce we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join Nato,” Stoltenberg said at the NATO summit in Madrid. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed Turkey's decision to support Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bids. He took to his twitter handle to call the membership a "fantastic news."

"Fantastic news as we kick off the NATO Summit. Sweden and Finland's membership will make our brilliant alliance stronger and safer," Johnson wrote. 

As Turkey signed a trilateral memorandum with Finland and Sweden at the NATO summit in Madrid, supporting the two nordic nations' membership bids at the alliance, it said that Helsinki and Stockholm have agreed to not provide support to the Kurdish People's Protection Units, also known as YPG. 

Turkey deems the YPG and other related Kurdish organizations as "terrorist." 

"Turkey confirms its long-standing support for NATO's Open Door policy, and agrees to support at the 2022 Madrid Summit the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO," the memorandum document read. 

Turkish presidency said in the memorandum that its government extends its full support to Finland and Sweden against threats to their national security. Both countries, it said, have agreed not to support the separatist militant Kurdistan's Workers Party, also known as PKK.  

Finland and Sweden also agreed to remove the arms embargoes and made renewed commitment of intelligence sharing mechanism to help Ankara in conducting the counterterrorism operations against the terrorist organizations.  Finland and Sweden have also agreed to address Turkey's extradition requests of terrorists "expeditiously and thoroughly." They will also probe the financing and recruitment activities of the PKK, Ankara stated in the memorandum. 

Finland and Sweden, the two Nordic nations, will end their decades of neutrality and are set to join NATO. Turkey, that had earlier raised objection to their bid for membership and had blocked Finland and Sweden’s accession to the Alliance, signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding with Sweden and Finland Tuesday at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain. 

It is to be noted that Russia had warned against Finland and Sweden joining NATO as it would expand and bring the defensive military alliance "on its doorstep." Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had labelled the move as a "mistake" that would have "far-reaching consequences." 

Image credit: Associated Press

Here's what happened

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said at earlier meetings with Finnish and Swedish delegations that the talks with two nordic states had not been “at the expected level" and that it alleviates Turkey’s security concerns. “As long as Tayyip Erdogan is at the head of the Republic of Turkey, we cannot say ‘yes’ to countries that support terror joining NATO,” he had told reporters on the plane following a visit to Azerbaijan according to Hurriyet newspaper. 

Turkey's concerns

Ankara had accused Sweden and Finland of harboring Kurd groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and others it deems terrorists, and accuses of hindering its military operations in Syria. The two countries had halted arms exports to Ankara in 2019. "They are not honest or sincere. We cannot repeat the mistake made in the past regarding countries that embrace and feed such terrorists in NATO, which is a security organization," Erdogan had said. Turkey that hosts the second-largest army in the NATO alliance, had said that its demands must be met. 

Turkey's demands in exchange of Sweden, Finland's NATO bid approval

Ankara, which joined NATO three years after it was established in 1949, has been opposing Sweden and Finland’s NATO bid due to resentment of the nordic countries' support of the PKK/YPG/PYD Kurdish terrorist organisations. Erdogan had earlier affirmed that while Turkey fully supports NATO's open-door policy based on the Alliance's founding document's Article 10, the two countries had not heeded Turkey's demands to extradite more than 33 terrorists wanted in Ankara for the July 2016 coup.

The PKK, which seeks an independent state in Turkey, had attempted to overthrow Erdogan's ruling government. President Tayyip Erdogan had asserted that NATO must not expect Turkey to approve Baltic nation Sweden and Finland's membership bid without them first extraditing the PKK "terrorists." 

PKK/YPG/PYD terrorist organisations maintain their headquarters in Damascus, and are also supported by Syria’s Bashar-al-Assad regime, as well as Iran, Iraq, and Libya. Erdogan also recently derided the US for lifting sanctions on regions in Syria that are a stronghold of the nationalist YPG/PKK terror group. Washington labels these what it refers to as ‘militia groups’ as the “allies” in the fight against ISIS/Daesh in Syria. 

Erdogan warned NATO Chief Stoltenberg that Sweden and Finland must demonstrate that they do not support terrorists, are willing to cooperate with Alliance's members' concerns. Ankara demanded that the sanctions against Turkey must be repealed.

NATO's response 

NATO chief Stoltenberg, for his part, stressed that Turkey, whom he described is an essential NATO ally, must have its security obligations met as no other country has faced the terrorism issue so much as Ankara.  Notably, Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May. 

NATO chief stressed that after Turkey's security guarantees are met, all 30 NATO member nations must vote in favour of the accession. In late May, Turkey convened meetings in Ankara with the Swedish and Finnish delegations to discuss their NATO applications. In June, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Stoltenberg appealed to Ankara that adding Sweden and Finland into NATO would strengthen the alliance. 

Turkey signs 'trilateral memorandum of understanding' with Sweden and Finland at NATO summit in Madrid

"I'm pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey's concerns, including around arms exports, and the fight against terrorism," Stoltenberg announced at the NATO summit in Madrid. NATO chief said after the signing of the trilateral memorandum that he was "confident" Sweden and Finland becoming NATO members is "something that will take place."

"Welcoming Finland and Sweden into the alliance will make them safer, NATO stronger and the Euro Atlantic area more secure. This is vital as we face the biggest security crisis in decades," NATO chief said. 

President Joe Biden announced ways to bolster NATO against Russian aggression speaking alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the Madrid Summit of NATO. United States will send two new destroyers to the Rota Naval Station in Spain increasing the total number to six, Biden said at the conference. 

"As I said before the war started, if Putin attacked Ukraine, the United States would enhance our force posture in Europe and respond to the reality of a new European security environment," US President remarked. 

"Together, the new commitments will constitute an impressive display of allied unity and resolve and NATO's 360 degree approach to our security."

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on oil-producing countries to boost output and thereby lower world prices pushed up by the war in Ukraine. He said that the prices are putting European economies in an “untenable” situation. Speaking at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron welcomed the group’s discussions on a price cap for oil as “a very good idea,” but added: “The difficulty is technical.”

He said it’s crucial to include all major oil-buying countries in any cap agreement for it to be effective. Macron said he discussed boosting oil production with the president of the United Arab Emirates, and expressed hope that US President Joe Biden gets a “positive response” in talks about oil in an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.

Macron said oil producers have an “immense responsibility given our collective dependence on them.”

He called for expanding Europe’s liquefied natural gas processing capacity and lashed out at speculation by energy traders he called “war profiteers.”

Source: Associated Press

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called NATO plans to boost its rapid reaction force “measured and proportional” and not meant to provoke Russia. Speaking Tuesday at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany and before traveling to Spain for a NATO summit, Trudeau said Canada, is “committed to making sure we continue to stand up against Russian threats and Russian posturing.”

According to the government, about 1,400 Canadian troops are currently deployed in central and eastern Europe as part of NATO assurance and deterrence measures.

“The response that we are taking to Russia’s illegal actions is measured and proportional,” he said, adding it should not be considered a “provocative” move.

“We are looking at ensuring that Russia knows we will be there to defend democracies,” Trudeau said.

Source: Associated Press

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging other NATO allies to increase their military spending -- but is being accused by his own defense minister of underfunding the UK’s armed forces.

Britain is among nine of the 30 NATO countries that meets the alliance’s target of spending at least 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense. Johnson said Tuesday that the current figure is 2.3%, adding that he would be “having a conversation” about spending at this week’s NATO summit in Madrid.

But Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the military had been underfunded for years by successive governments and had been fed “a diet of smoke and mirrors, hollowed-out formations and fantasy savings, when in the last few years threats from states have started to increase.”

Source: Associated Press

US first Lady Jill Biden, accompanied by Spain’s Queen Letizia, has visited a welcome center for Ukrainian refugees in Madrid and talked with several young people staying there.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has made a powerful plea for Western allies meeting in Madrid to provide his country with “whatever it takes” to stop the war in Ukraine.

“Wake up, guys. This is happening now. You are going to be next, this is going to be knocking on your door just in the blink of an eye,” Klitschko said, addressing reporters at the venue in Madrid where NATO leaders are meeting.

Klitschko and his brother, Wladimir, were in Madrid on Tuesday to attend a defense think tank forum ahead of the 2-day summit. Klitschko, who said he had no plans to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the NATO meeting, rejected the idea that Ukraine should make any territorial sacrifices to end the war.

Source/Image: Associated Press

France’s president denounced Russia’s fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine as a “new war crime” Tuesday and vowed the West’s support for Kyiv would not waver, saying Moscow “cannot and should not win” the war. The strike, which killed at least 18 people in the central city of Kremenchuk, came as leaders from the Group of Seven nations met in Europe.

It was part of unusually intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine, including in the capital of Kyiv, that drew new attention to a war that some fear could fade from attention a s it drags on. Speaking at the end of the G-7 summit in Germany, French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to address that concern, vowing that the seven leading industrialized democracies would support Ukraine and maintain sanctions against Russia “as long as necessary, and with the necessary intensity.”

“Russia cannot and should not win,” he said. He called Monday’s attack on the mall “a new war crime.”

Source: Associated Press

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Tuesday warned that Russia has now become the "most direct and urgent threat to Europe, our allies and their shores." Wallace told reporters in UK, "I am serious when I say there is a very real threat of Russia turning against wider Europe." 

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. Credit: Associated Press

In an interview to the American broadcaster CNN, Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady said that her country cannot see the end to the suffering of its people as the war has ravaged the Ukrainian towns and wreaked atrocities on the civilians. She emphasized that nearly five months of war "have forced Ukrainians to adjust their expectations." Many are expecting the the likelihood of a "marathon," to this ongoing war, said Olena Zelenska. 

"It's very difficult to hold on for five months. We need to accumulate our strength, we need to save our energy. We cannot see the end of our suffering," she told the outlet. 

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the west pumping Ukraine with more weapons will drag the conflict for even longer.  Speaking at a news conference during a visit to Turkmenistan today, Lavrov said Russia "did not target a shopping centre in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk yesterday." He said that the mall was empty at the time Russian froces atacked the  arms depot storing Western weapons. and because the mall was next to the depot the fire eventually spread. 36  people are still missing after the shopping centre in Kremenchuk was destroyed by Russian missiles. 

Ukraine’s interior minister Denys Monastyrskiy has said that as many as 21 people are still missing after Russia's misisle attack on Kremenchuk shopping centre. “We have the bodies of 18 people, 21 people are still missing,” Monastyrskiy said. At least 18 bodies that have been recovered so far. 

European Union on Tuesday began the delivery of more than 90 off-road trucks to the Ukraine's Armed Forces to counter the Russian aggression. In a statement posted on its website, EU emphasized that it has started to deliver more than 90 off-road trucks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the 'European Peace Facility'.

"The trucks will support medical, engineering and logistic units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the statement read.

EU notified that the logistical equipment is part of a broader Assistance Measure worth EUR 31 million adopted on December 2 to support Ukraine.

"Putin will not come to G20,"  Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at a press conference at the end of the G7 summit. "As for Putin at the G20, the Indonesian president has excluded that categorically, he will not come,"  Draghi said. Earlier Kremlin stated that the president of Russian Federation has accepted the invitation of Indonesia's President Joko Widodo. A Russian aide had also confirmed, saying that Putin will attend the meeting of the world’s major developed and emerging economies, according to Russian state affiliated press. 

"Putin’s participation — either in person or via video link — is 'envisaged' at the meeting," Russian aide Yury Ushakov had confirmed to Interfax. “They are still inviting in person. There is still a lot of time,” he had added.

On June 27, Russian Defense Ministry explained the attack on Kremenchuk shopping mall in Ukraine. Russian MoD said that its forces hit an arms depot in the city of Kremenchug (Poltava region) of Ukraine with a high-precision missiles. The facility stored the armament and munitions delivered by the US and European countries, and was located at the Kremenchug road machinery plant.

"High-precision attack has resulted in the neutralisation of west-manufactured armament and munitions concentrated at the storage area for being delivered to Ukrainian group of troops in Donbass," Russia's Defense Ministry said. "Detonation of the munitions in storage caused a fire in a non-functioning [Kremenchuk] shopping mall next to the facilities of the plant," it added. 

After the Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, emergency crews searched through the rubble for the survivors and the operation was ongoing, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region said on telegram.  Valentyn Reznichenko claimed Russia forces fired six missiles in the region that destroyed the railway infrastructure and an industrial enterprise. 

"Mass enemy attack on Dnipropetrovsk region. Six rockets," he said.  "Our missiles shot down three missiles - over the Dnieper and over the Synelnykiv district. In the Dnieper due to 'arrivals' the railway infrastructure and the industrial enterprise were destroyed."

He added: "Rescuers are working at the site of the strikes. They are looking for people under the rubble."

Due to ongoing war that has displaced civilians, about third of Ukraine's population si expected to decrease, a new study by NoBrainerData has found. Russia’s war against Ukraine may create a "demographic catastrophe" due to an excess of war-related deaths, extreme internal mobility, an increase in emigration, fewer births, and possible loss of territory, the report stated. 

In a retaliatory move, Bulgarian foreign ministry ordered expulsion of Russia diplomatic staff in order match the same numbers as the Bulgarian embassies in Russia. The country asked at least 23 diplomatic and 25 administrative and technical staff to leave the country, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. 70 Russian diplomats have been orderd to exit Bulgaria by July 3, midnight. 

Russia has fired six missiles at the Dnipropetrovsk region, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Valentyn Reznichenko posted to Telegram. "Mass enemy attack on Dnipropetrovsk region. Six rockets. Our missiles shot down three missiles – over the Dnieper and over the Synelnykiv district," he said. "In the Dnieper, due to arrivals, the railway infrastructure and the industrial enterprise were destroyed," furthermore he added. 

Over fears that the war was entering a long phase, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Tuesday said that Ukraine’s miliatry was trying to reduce the scale of its targets. Russia suffered a strategic defeat, he informed on Telegram.  Russian troops could not destroy the Ukrainian state by military intervention “or change of power with Russian puppets,” he said. 

“We forced it to reduce the scale of targets to the operational and tactical level. Against this background, we are entering a new, long phase of the war. In order to win it, we must carefully plan resources, avoid mistakes and project our strength so that the enemy finally fails to hold up," he wrote.

The US Treasury Department has announced ban on Russian gold imports with immediate effect. In addition, US has designated 70 entities, many of which are important for Russian defence industrial base, including State Corporation Rostec and the cornerstone of Russia’s defense, industrial, technology

"The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 70 entities, many of which are critical to the Russian Federation’s defense industrial base, including State Corporation Rostec, the cornerstone of Russia’s defense, industrial, technology, and manufacturing sectors, as well as 29 Russian individuals," the US government announced in a statement. 

NATO’s chief says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked a “fundamental shift” in the alliance’s defense policy, and NATO members will have to invest more in military spending in what is now a more unstable world.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke as the alliance’s leaders began gathering Tuesday in Madrid for a summit that will set the course of the alliance for the coming years.

Stoltenberg said the meeting would chart a blueprint for the alliance “in a more dangerous and unpredictable word.”

Top of the agenda is strengthening defenses against Russia and supporting Ukraine in its fight against Moscow’s invasion.

Stoltenberg said “we hope to make progress” at the gathering in breaking a logjam over applications by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. Turkey is blocking the move and says the Nordic pair must change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists.

The three countries’ leaders are due to meet in Madrid, alongside Stoltenberg, later Tuesday.

(The Associated Press)

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on oil-producing countries to boost output and thereby lower world prices pushed up by the war in Ukraine.

He said Tuesday the prices are putting European economies in an “untenable” situation.

Speaking at the end of a G-7 summit in Germany on Tuesday, Macron welcomed the group’s discussions on a price cap for oil as “a very good idea,” but added: “The difficulty is technical.”

He said it’s crucial to include all major oil-buying countries in any cap agreement for it to be effective.

Macron said he discussed boosting oil production with the president of the United Arab Emirates, and expressed hope that U.S. President Joe Biden gets a “positive response” in talks about oil in an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.

Macron said oil producers have an “immense responsibility given our collective dependence on them.”

He called for expanding Europe’s liquefied natural gas processing capacity and lashed out at speculation by energy traders he called “war profiteers.”

(The Associated Press)

French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that the sanctions imposed against Russia will "as long as necessary and with the necessary intensity." Speaking at the end of the G7 Summit in Germany, Macron asserted that Russia "cannot and should not win" the war in Ukraine, according to AP. Macron termed Russia's shelling on the shopping mall in Kremenchuk on June 27 a "new war crime." 

Andrii Hodyk, the First Deputy Head of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration, has said that the Ukrainian forces shot down 24 Russian missiles over Lviv since the onset of military conflict on February 24, Ukrainska Pravda reported. In addition, the Ukrainian forces brought down 11 unmanned aerial vehicles that were targeted at Lviv Oblast since the war began. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that the Group of Seven (G7) leaders would attend the upcoming G20 summit despite Russia's President Vladimir Putin's participation. The German Chancellor confirmed this while addressing the final press conference of the three-day G7 summit in the Bavarian Alps. "There was a great deal of agreement here that we do not want to let the G7 drift apart," Scholz remarked, as per the DPA news agency. Notably, the G20 summit is slated to be held in Indonesia in November. 

During the summit, the G7 leaders also vowed to continue assisting Ukraine and stated that they would explore the possibility of capping Russia's income from oil sales that are financing the war. In their final declaration, they also reaffirmed their intention to subject Russia to further "severe and immediate economic penalties". “We remain steadfast in our commitment to our unprecedented coordination on sanctions for as long as necessary, acting in unison at every stage,” the leaders said, the Associated Press (AP) reported. 

Read more here

The US State Department held a telephonic conversation with an Alabama man who was recently captured in Ukraine, The Guardian reported citing his family. The Alabama man was voluntarily helping Ukraine's armed forces against Russian troops. Alexander Drueke told the state department that he is "ok" and was getting "food and water" and is having "shelter and bedding," his aunt Dianna Shaw told The Guardian. 
 

Finland will give Ukraine 70 million euros (Rs 5,82,63,26,785.30)  for development and humanitarian aid, The Kyiv Independent reported. Finland’s Foreign Ministry said that the announcement shows Finland's long-term development cooperation in Ukraine in different sectors like education, energy, rule of law and climate resilience. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephonic conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. During the talks, Zelenskyy stressed the importance of a powerful missile defence system for Ukraine to stop Russian attacks. 

Amid the threat of further gas cut-offs by Russia, the European Union (EU) energy ministers approved a new law to ensure that Europe's gas storage is at least 80% full by November this year. According to reports, the decision was taken at the ministerial meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, June 27. According to the European Commission, Russian gas deliveries have been interrupted in as many as 12 EU nations so far, and supply levels are now half in comparison to the previous year.

The EU is now apprehensive of cut-offs that may continue potentially to the point where the bloc loses its entire supply of Russian gas by year's end. “Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we have known that a very serious disruption is possible and now it seems likely,” the energy commissioner Kadri Simson told reporters in Luxembourg, Euractiv reported.  According to Simson, Russia is seeking to exploit the availability of gas to create doubt, erode supply security, destabilise the EU market, prevent appropriate gas storage for the upcoming winter, and raise energy costs. 

Read more here

Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky has said that the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine have obtained the names of the pilots who launched missiles at a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Nexta reported. The regional governor, Dmytro Lunin, has said that at least 18 people have been killed and 59 others have been injured in the Russian attack on the shopping mall in Kremenchuk, as per AP. 

Leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies have taken a united stance to support Ukraine for “as long as necessary,” as Russia’s invasion of its neighbor grinds on for a fifth month.

The final statement from the Group of Seven summit in Germany said Tuesday the countries would “explore” far-reaching steps to cap Kremlin income from oil sales that are financing the war in Ukraine.

The statement left out key details on how the fossil fuel prices caps would work in practice, setting up more discussion in the weeks ahead to assess measures on barring the import of Russian oil above a certain amount.

That would hit a key Russian source of income and, in theory, ease the energy price spikes afflicting the global economy as a result of the war.

Leaders also agreed to a ban on imports of Russian gold and to step up aid to countries hard hit with food shortages by the blockage on Ukraine grain shipments through the Black Sea.

Unity in the seven democracies’ confrontation with Putin was a key theme of the summit at a luxury resort in the Bavarian Alps.

The G-7 countries have set aside $29.5 in Ukraine assistance this year, on top of $60 billion since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014.

(The Associated Press)

Ukraine has claimed that 8 Russian missiles have hit Mykolaiv, The Kyiv Independent reported. No casualties have been reported so far. Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said that Ukraine shot down three missiles while others hit a local stadium and an abandoned military base. 

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said that 341 children have lost their lives since the onset of the military conflict. Taking to Facebook, the Prosecutor's Office said that another 622 children have been wounded in the war-torn nation since the Russian invasion began. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office further noted, "These figures are not final as work is underway to install them in active combat areas, temporarily occupied and liberated territories."

French tyre manufacturing company, Michelin, has announced its plans to transfer its activities in Russia to local management by end of 2022. The tyre manufacturing firm further stated that the new entity would function through an independent structure from Michelin. 

"After suspending its manufacturing activities in Russia on March 15, Michelin now confirms that it is technically impossible to resume production, due in particular to supply issues, amid a context of general uncertainty," Michelin announced in a statement. 

Russia has imposed sanctions on 25 US citizens, including US President Joe Biden's family members, TASS reported. The people who have been sanctioned include Joe Biden's wife Jill, his daughter Ashley and Stanford professor Francis Fukuyama. The people included in the sanctions list have been banned from entering Russia. 

The Group of Seven (G7) leaders strongly denounced a Russian missile strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine's Kremenchuk city on Monday, June 27. Following the deadly strike, the G7 leaders issued a joint statement in Germany and also termed the incident a "war crime." According to Ukrainian officials, more than 1,000 people were inside the mall at the time of the attack, with at least 18 people losing their lives and over 60 others injured, the Associated Press (AP) reported. 

"We solemnly condemn the abominable attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk. We stand united with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims of this brutal attack. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime. Russian President Vladimir Putin and those responsible will be held to account," the G7 leaders said in the joint statement. They also underscored their unwavering support for Ukraine, and vowed to continue providing financial, humanitarian as well as military assistance to the war-torn country for as long as possible. "We will not rest until Russia ends its cruel and senseless war on Ukraine," the G7 leaders remarked.

Following the incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the mall presented “no threat to the Russian army” and had "no strategic importance." He accused the Putin administration of thwarting people’s attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so enraged.

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The Russian Defence Ministry in the daily assessment report has said that Moscow's troops hit hangars with weapons and ammunition received from the US And European nations in Kremenchuk. According to Russia, Western-made weapons and ammunition that were stored for further deployment were hit. It claimed that the detonation of Western weapons caused a fire in a non-operational shopping mall next to the plant in Kremenchuk. 

"As a result of a high-precision strike, Western-made weapons and ammunition concentrated in the storage area for further shipment to the Ukrainian grouping of troops in the Donbass were hit. The detonation of stored ammunition for Western weapons caused a fire in a non-functioning shopping center located next to the plant," the Russian Defence Ministry said in the statement. 

Russian attack in Ochakiv, Mykolaiv Oblast killed 3 people, including 1 child on Monday. According to Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych, Russia attacked Ochakiv at 4 a.m. on June 28, hitting the city market, a community center, and residential buildings. Six people, including children, were injured, Sienkevych said, Kyiv Independent reported. 

Finnish company KONECorporation has decided to leave the Russian market, BBC reported. This came after electronics home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation sold its assets to a Turkish company. 

A three-day mourning period has been declared in Kremenchuk in honour of the victims of the Russian attack on the shopping complex. 

At least 18 people have been reported dead in the brutal attack carried out by invading troops on Monday. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the incident as the "deadliest" in European history.

The Institute for Study of War (ISW) in its war briefing state that  Russian forces made incremental advances southwest of Lysychansk near the T1302 Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway but have not entirely severed Ukrainian lines of communication into Bakhmut. Russian forces made measured advances during offensive operations to the east of Bakhmut.

The Institute for Study of War (ISW) in its briefing said, "Russian military authorities continue to seek ways to replenish their increasingly exhausted force capabilities without announcing general mobilization. An unnamed senior US defense official stated on June 27 that Russian forces are likely running low on senior military leaders and are relying more heavily on retired officers and reserves to replace officer casualties." Citing the UK Ministry of Defense, the research organisation claimed that Russian forces will likely rely heavily on reserve echelons, namely the Combat Army Reserve (BARS) and Human Mobilization Resource, in order to galvanize volunteer support and fill out the third battalion tactical group (BTG) within regular (and depleted) brigades.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed 4,731 deaths and 5,900 injuries of civilians in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24. At least 330 children were killed and 489 injured.

The actual figures may be much higher because information from some places where intense hostilities are taking place is delayed, and many reports of civilian casualties still need to be confirmed.

Ukrainian Armed Forces in its latest war update claimed that at least 35,250 Russian troops have been killed in the war in Ukraine since February 24. In addition, the defenders have also inflicted significant damage to artillery and vehicles used by the invaders in its "special military operation" in Ukraine. 

IMAGE: UkraineGeneralStaffofArmedForces/Facebook

An investor service and bond credit rating business, Moody's Corporation, on Monday announced that Russia has failed to clear debts on Eurobonds, NEXTA reported. On 27 June, holders of Russia's sovereign debt had not received coupon payments on two Eurobonds worth $100 million, Tass reported, citing a statement by the corporation. 

This comes as Moscow is unable to make international payments despite the Russian currency rate being all-time high, in addition to massive revenue from oil sales amid skyrocketing energy prices.  

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday claimed refuted Moody's claims that Russia has defaulted payments on sovereign bonds. Brading the allegations "illegitimate," Peskov stated that the mandated sum in the currency was fulfilled in May. "These allegations of a default are absolutely unjustified, because back in May, the obligatory payment in the currency was fulfilled, and the fact that Euroclear withheld this money, or did not deliver it to the recipients is no longer our problem," he told reporters, as quoted by TASS. 

Peskov further noted that Russia is aware that using frozen reserves sanctioned by the West would mean outright theft of these funds. "Our position is well known: they [reserves] are illegally blocked. Any attempts to use these reserves in any way will also be illegal and, in fact, will mean outright theft," Peskov stressed. 

In a European Union meeting in Luxembourg, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjrto on Monday stated that Hungary does not want to talk over a potential ban on Russian gas with EU nations. He added the decision was made with a "clear mandate" on understanding that such a move "would practically incapacitate our economy and the entire country," Tass reported

The US flooding Ukraine with weapons will only "escalate" the ongoing conflict and heighten the threat of further aggravation, said Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov. As reported by TASS on Monday, Antonov also warned of "unpredictable consequences" provided Washington did not end its deliveries to Kyiv.

 "The reckless and unanswered flooding of Ukraine with arms only tightens the conflict spiral and increases the threat of the further escalation with unpredictable consequences," the Russian Embassy’s Telegram channel quoted him as saying. "However, Washington’s ruling circles, blinded by the idea to weaken Russia, are still not capable of rationally assessing the whole danger of their moves," the envoy added, as quoted by TASS. 

This comes after the United States is ready to announce the purchase of medium-to-long-range surface-to-air missile defence systems for Ukraine. In adherence to requests made by Kyiv, Washington is also expected to announce additional military assistance, including artillery ammo and counter-battery radars, CNN reported. Noting high-profile missile losses, Ukraine officials also demanded modified missile defence systems, known as the NASAMS system. These weapons precisely hit targets even at 100 miles from the source. Apart from delivering such top-class military equipment, the US will also train the Ukrainian defenders to use them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the Russian pilots after Moscow’s forces shelled Kyiv and said, “we will find you”. In the daily nightly address on Sunday, Zelenskyy said “All pilots, dispatchers must understand that we will find you” while adding that “Judgement awaits you all”. Ukrainian President termed the shelling of residential buildings in Kyiv the act of war crime. 

Zelenskyy’s remarks came in the backdrop of Russian missiles striking an apartment block close to a kindergarten in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday. It is to mention that as many as four explosions devasted the war-torn nation’s capital city, which was also the first such attack in weeks. Additionally, he also called for more powerful weapons to be delivered to Ukraine to deter Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine which has continued unabated since February 24. 

After the weekend which witnessed heightened attacks from Russia across Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in his nighttime address, that he called for “powerful” air defence while decrying Moscow’s attacks in Kyiv, Mykolaiv region, the Chernihiv region, Odesa, Cherkasy. He noted that the mortar shelling “did not stop in the Kharkiv region.

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The death toll in the ghastly Kremenchuk shopping center has risen to 18. Initially, the casualties were reportedly 16 and at least 59 severely injured. About 25 people were immediately hospitalised after Russia struck the massive Amstor mall in the center of Kremenchuk city, Ukraine State Emergency Services reported. 

Russian Federal Guard Service is expected to honour participants of the "special military service" with medals inscribed with letter 'Z', The Insider reported. 

According to The Guardian, the open-source analysts and military experts first spotted the mysterious Z-shaped thick brushstroke on Russian tanks and military trucks massed on the Ukrainian border on 19 February. At the time, days before Russian President Vladimir Putin officially announced the ‘special’ military operation in Ukraine saying that it would demilitarise Kyiv. However, the mark since late February triggered widespread speculation among western experts about the actual meaning of the ‘Z’ letter in the Russia-Ukraine war. 

According to Kamil Galeev, who is an independent researcher and former fellow at a non-partisan policy think tank named Wilson Center, “Z” could be interpreted as “Za pobedy” which is Russian for “for victory” or as “Zapad” for “West”. CNN separately stated that digital sleuths have suggested that “Z” might stand for Russia’s self-styled “target number one” which is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

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As the war between Russia and Ukraine shows no sign of cessation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday extended help to facilitate prisoner exchange between the two warring countries. According to sources cited by the Russian media network RIA Novosti, the proposal forwarded by the Emirati is currently under review by both factions. Russia and Ukraine officials have to prepare a concrete list of POWs before the slated swap is finalised.

This comes as both Russia and Ukraine have claimed to capture scores of troops since the Russian Federation launched the brutal invasion of Ukraine in February after months of palpable tension along the east European borders. As quoted by RIA Novosti, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that Russia has detained more than 6,500 Ukrainian fighters since the inception of the war. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Deputy PM Iryan Vereschuk has flagged that Kyiv has conducted at least 11 rounds of prisoner exchanges in the past months. A dozen of POWs were swapped in the attempts, she had said.

Meanwhile, the countries in conflict have repeatedly accused each other of committing atrocities against the civilian population. While Kyiv has produced credible evidence of alleged war crimes by Russia, Moscow has voiced concerns over the treatment of Russian "civilian hostages" in Ukrainian territory. Russia's top human rights official Tatyana Moskalkova also slammed the International Red Cross for failing to provide solid information on the Russian POWs held in Ukraine.

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Following the ghastly missile strikes at a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy labelled Moscow the "largest terrorist organisation" in the world. Noting the aftermath of the attack, Zelenskyy said: "A fire broke out in an area of more than 10 thousand square meters. The rescue operation continues, but we must be aware that the losses may be significant." As of now, at least know about 16 people are reported dead and 24 wounded. "We are establishing the number of people under the rubble," Zelenksyy said. 

"Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object. And this is not an off-target missile strike, this is a calculated Russian strike - exactly at this shopping mall," the Ukrainian president said referring to Moscow. 

Russian Deputy Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy on Monday called the missile strikes on the Kremenchuk shopping mall "Bucha-like provocation." 

Russian missiles slammed the civilians-crowded market in the central city of Kremenchuk on Monday, killing at least 16 people and scores wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decried the attack, calling it "one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history." Massive fire after the attack sent dark smoke billowing into the sky, videos surfaced on social media showed. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an address to the G7 nations, said that his military forces have been facing the urgency to be helped with advanced weaponry to counter Russians that have been gaining a stronghold in the eastern region. Helping Ukraine's military will improve its position against Russia, said the Ukrainian leader in the video meeting. The G7 leaders, in response,  pledged to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes". Zelesnkyy meanwhile demanded that the G7 leaders weaken Russia's resolve in Ukraine by imposing a price cap on Russian oil, raising tariffs on Russian goods and imposing new sanctions.

Zelenskyy also urged the G7 "to do everything possible" to end the war in his country by the end of the year, 2022 as he addressed the summit in Bavaria by video link. Zelenskyy "had a very strong message that we must do everything possible to try to end this war before the end of the year," a G7 source reportedly said. He [Ukraine leader] stressed the importance of "not lowering the pressure and continuing to sanction Russia massively, heavily". 

IMAGE: @Zelenskyyofficial/Facebook

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now made India’s position clear on the issue at the G7 summit as he called for an immediate end to the hostilities. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra informed that the PM reiterated the need to end the conflict with dialogue and also claimed that a resolution should be reached by choosing the path of diplomacy. PM Modi has been appealing to both Russia and Ukraine for peace ever since the war started on February 24.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra was speaking at a press conference when he said that PM Modi reiterated his stand on the Russia-Ukraine war. Replying to a query on India’s stand on the issue, Kwatra said, “On Russia-Ukraine, PM made India’s position clear including an immediate end to hostilities; dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the situation.” He further highlighted that PM Modi has spoken with the world leaders on the knockdown effect of the conflict in Eastern Europe on the food security crisis, especially in the vulnerable countries.

As the Russian war mounted, leaders of the seven largest economies in the world on Monday vowed to stay united with Ukraine "for as long as it takes" by ramping up sanctions. In a joint statement on the second day of the summit, the state heads of the UK, US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan promised to continue their "military, humanitarian, diplomatic, financial support" to Ukraine as pressure escalates to assert impactful push against Russia and "its enablers in Belarus." This came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday addressed the convention taking place in luxurious Elmau Castle, Bavaria, Germany via video link.

"We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. As we do so, we commit to demonstrating global responsibility and solidarity through working to address the international impacts of Russia’s aggression, especially on the most vulnerable," the statement said.

IMAGE: @ursulavonderleyen/Twitter

On the 125th day of the war, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych reported that Russia used the Uragan multiple rocket launcher to fire at the city late on June 27.

However, there are currently no reported casualties, although several residential buildings and a car were damaged.

Mayor Sienkevych added that some cluster munitions fragments were found near a public transport stop, Kyiv Independent reported. 

Baykar company has recently announced that it will give Ukraine's military three free Bayraktar drones. 

Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on Tuesday said that its Air Force launched a strike with four high-precision missiles on the shops of the "Artem rocket-building corporation" in the Shevchenkovsky district of Kyiv, refering to the mall where civilians were seen in the footages shared by Ukraine. Moscow said that the mall previously was empty and that an enterprise was manufacturing ammunition for Ukrainian multiple launch rocket systems.

Russia has accused Ukraine's army of "trying to implement false provocations" in order to accuse the Russian Armed Forces of destroying civilian infrastructure and causing "humanitarian crisis" and "civilian atrocities" in the country. 

Ukrainian command "purposefully deployed its armed formations at the Krivoy Rog thermal power plant (Zelenodolsk, Dnipropetrovsk region)," said Kremlin. This is the territory from where Ukraine launches missile from MLRS units daily on Russia's firing positions, and carry out systematic shelling in northern region of Kherson. They then take cover at a power plant, provoking Russian troops to return fire, said Kremlin. 

Such actions of Ukraine's armed forces show that they install defense equipment within civilian areas and carry out combat to provoke Russian troops to attack.  But having failed to provoke the Russian Armed Forces to strike at the Krivoy Rog thermal power plant recently, it is possible that Ukrainian military "themselves may blow up the power plant and present to the world community and to the West fake evidence of a strike by Russian troops," said Kremlin. 

Russia called to remove the Ukrainian forces from the sensitive area of the thermal power plant, which if attacked, will render the civilian population without electricity.

"We call on the management, maintenance personnel of the Krivoy Rog TPP, as well as residents of the Dnipropetrovsk region, to make every effort to prevent this provocation and have them withdraw from the territory of the thermal power plant," Kremlin urged. 

Russia's statement came as Ukraine shared footages accusing Russian troops of firing (or possibly returning fire) that hit the crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk that is a civilian packed area. These claims could not be verified independently. 

A teenager from Ukraine's Prikarpattya is auctioning Ronaldo's autographed T-shirt for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 14-year-old Volodymyr Romanchuk is selling his Ronaldo's shirt at a charity auction to help buy medical supplies for his country's armed forces fighting the war with Russia. 

"The lot went under the hammer for UAH 70,000," Save Ukraine Now coordination center team said in a statement. The money will fulfill the needs of territorial defense and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Prykarpattia.

Cristiano Ronaldo commented on the auction, saying that he hopes that the sale of the shirt will also help Ukraine to fight for a happy future.

"I hope my T-shirt from the Ukraine 2019 match will help young people find a better future. I want to congratulate the Ukrainian Football Association for such an action. I pray for peace," Ronaldo said. 

Credit: Twitter/@UkrMole

Rescu teams continue their search operation as they clear the rubble of what used to be Amstore shopping center in Kremenchuk which was attacked by Russian missiles. Hundreds of tons of metal structures must be lifted to find potential survivers, Ukraine's presidential advisor said on Telegram. Local vlunteers, territorial defense, and rescue team from Kremenchuk oil refinery have been leading the response with the State Emergency Service. 

Credit: Pravda_Gerashchenko

Armed Forces of Ukraine have launched counter strikes on Russia's military equipment on Snake Island, including on the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft gun complex, the official advisor and former deputy minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said. The Pantsir S-1 (NATO designation SA-22 Greyhound) is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and missile (SPAAGM) system designed by Russia.

Mobile, multi-channel short-range air defense system has high firepower and is able to effectively engage a wide class of air attack weapons.

Images Credit: ROSOBORONEXPORT/Russia Defense export

Credit: Official advisor to President of Ukraine/Pravda_Gerashchenko

Kremenchuk mall hit by Russian X-22 missile fired from long-range Tu-22M3 bomber from Kursk, Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said. 

Russia's Tu-22M3 bomber. Credit: Associated Press

german chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the Group of Seven summit that his country will not return to pre war ties with Russia as it has broken “all the rules, all the agreements we have made with each other on countries’ cooperation.” He added that G7 leaders agree that the new international standing will  exist for a "very, very long time. So it is clear that, in relations with Russia, there can be no way back to the time before the Russian attack on Ukraine.”

Uk's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned against an "uneasy peace" that would involve Ukraine ceding its territory to Russia, including one annexed in 2014, Crimea.  In an interview with Die Welt, La Repubblica and El Pais, Truss urged the West to arm Ukraine heavily and  provide "all the support we can." 

"The consequences of Ukraine not prevailing are very severe for the rest of Europe," she said. "What we cannot have is some uneasy peace, where Russia is still present in Ukraine; that is not going to work."

In one of the combat zones against Russia, the supply chief for a Ukrainian fighting brigade places his online order for war supplies — a long list ranging from drones, trucks and thermal sights to batteries, generators and tape. They are needed, he writes, to equip two new battalions and “combat against armed aggression.”

In a makeshift supply depot in the capital, Kyiv, crowd-funders start busying themselves with his request. Their bustle will get the equipment to the 72nd Brigade within days, all paid for with public donations. In their ramshackle office, a poster with the Vietnam-era peace slogan exhorts: “Drop acid, Not bombs.”

With attritional combat devouring soldiers and resources, Ukraine is waging a people’s war, fought away from front lines by self-starting networks of donors and volunteers. Tech-savvy systems they’ve thrown together convert millions of dollars in donations into swift Amazon-like deliveries of war gear direct to the battlefields. They’re helping keep Ukraine in the fight at a critical juncture of the Russian invasion, as its better-supplied aggressor applies tremendous, grinding pressure on battlefields to the east and south.

On the opposing side, some Russians, including soldiers’ mothers, also are getting supplies to troops. But the Russian effort isn’t as organized, massive and spontaneous, in part because the Kremlin is downplaying the scale, reach and cost of its invasion, insisting that it’s a mere “military operation.”

The United People’s Front, a Kremlin-created effort to foster public support for the government, launched a crowd-funding campaign in early June, under the slogan “All for Victory!”

Source: Associated Press

Encroachment of  Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014 by NATO will spark world war three (WWIII), Russia’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, was quoted as saying by Argumenty i Fakty. "Crimea is a part of Russia. And that means forever. Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war against our country," he reportedly said. He added if this is done by NATO it will be "World War Three, a complete catastrophe." 

Russian troops  have been occupying the homes of evacuated Sievierodonetsk residents, Sievierodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Striuk said. Invading soldiers have captured the apartments and houses of people who were forced to leave the city due to Russian attacks, he said. 

G7 Leaders have condemned the "abominable" missile attack on a shopping mall in Ukraine's Kremenchuck. In a joint statement, they said:  "We, the Leaders of the G7, solemnly condemn the abominable attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk. We stand united with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims of this brutal attack. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime."

The statement further read, "Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account. Today, we underlined our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression, an unjustified war of choice that has been raging for 124 days. Will will continue to provide financial, humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes. We will not rest until Russia ends its cruel and senseless war on Ukraine."

UN security council is expected to meet tomorrow to discuss Russia’s attacks on civilians. They will discuss the missile attack on the crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk that claimed at least 14 civilian lives.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced Russia’s "deadly strike" on the crowded shopping centre in Kremenchuk. He labelled the attack as an “abomination."  "We share the pain of the victims’ families, and the anger in the face of such an atrocity. The Russian people have to see the truth," Macron tweeted, sharing the video footage of the attack. 

Condemning the recent missile attack on the crowded shopping mall by the Russian forces, US President Joe Biden currently in Germany attending the G7 summit said that he will hold Russia "accountable for such atrocities" and support Ukraine’s defense to counter the aggression.  “Russia's attack on civilians at a shopping mall is cruel. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. As demonstrated at the G7 Summit, the US along with our allies and partners will continue to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities and support Ukraine’s defense,” Biden said. 

US President Joe Biden reportedly plans to increase the US troop presence in Poland. There's also changes in the pipeline to the US deployments in several Baltic nations, NBC reported, adding that change could be witnessed in Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This comes as NATO doubled the number of battlegroups, from four to eight in Baltic nations. UK increased presence in Estonia, and Canada and other countries increased presence in Latvia. 

The father of a Moroccan man facing execution after being captured by Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine appealed Monday to Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene, “as a father,” to spare his son from the firing squad.

“I want my son back, just like any father would,” Taher Saadoun told reporters in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

Saadoun also called on Morocco’s government to pursue negotiations on behalf of his 21-year-old son, Brahim, who was sentenced June 9 to the death penalty alongside two Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner. They are the first foreign fighters sentenced by Ukraine’s Russian-backed rebels.

A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic convicted all three of terrorism and trying to overturn constitutional order. They were given a month to appeal, and could be executed as soon as early July if they don’t. The proceedings were denounced by the West as a sham and a violation of the rules of war, but the sentence was supported by Russian officials.

Two British citizens Aiden Aslin, left, and Shaun Pinner, right, and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim, center, sit behind bars in a courtroom in Donetsk. 

Source/Image: Associated Press

Russian president Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation from Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and will attend G20 summit. The key summit will be held in Bali in November and will also be attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia's invading troops that were advancing in the Kharkiv direction attempted to conduct an assault near the village of Dementiyivka, "but failed and withdrew,"  Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff said, according to Telegram update. "Ukrainian soldiers successfully repelled enemy assaults in the direction of Dovhalevka and Zaliman," it added. 

[Warning: Some viewers may find these war images distressing]

A neighbor walks on the debris of a burning house, destroyed after a Russian attack in Kharkiv. 

The body of a man killed during a Russian bombardment lies on a street at a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv. 

A man rides his bike past flames and smoke rising from a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv. 

Emergency workers help injured civilians during a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv.

Images Credit: Associated Press

US is providing HIMARS military training to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. About 50 Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in Europe. The training course will last about two weeks, a top Pentagon official told journalist Jack Detsch.

Credit: Pravda_Gerashchenko

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy derided Russia's missile attack that targetted the crowded shopping centre in Kremenchuk. He labelled it as "one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history" speaking during his nightly address. Zelenskyy stressed that several people had managed to vacate the shopping centre in time but there were "still people inside".

"Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object," he said. And this is not an off-target missile strike, this is a calculated Russian strike - exactly at this shopping mall. It is not yet possible to establish the number of victims for now. "

Less than two weeks remain for two Britons and a Moroccan to appeal the death sentences imposed by separatist forces that captured them during fighting in eastern Ukraine.

With no obvious progress, or even signs of official contacts, the likelihood is growing that the men will be shot by firing squad, a conspicuous move even in a corner of Europe that has resisted the wave of abolishing capital punishment.

The sentences handed down by the Donetsk People’s Republic brought wide condemnation from abroad but were supported by Russian officials; if they are carried out, possibly in early July, it likely would increase animosity between the sides in the Ukraine conflict.

Two British citizens Aiden Aslin, left, and Shaun Pinner, right, and Moroccan Saaudun Brahim, center, sit behind bars in a courtroom in Donetsk, in the territory which is under the Government of the Donetsk People's Republic control, eastern Ukraine. Credit: AP

Death toll from the Russian missile strike on the crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk has risen to 13. Dmytro Lunin, governor of the central Poltava region, notified on Telegram: "It is too early to talk about the final number of dead people." 

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 Summit made wide ranging claims saying, "Russia is in trouble" despite that Moscow's troops have intensified the missile attacks striking Kyiv for the first time since April. In a rapid territorial gain, Russian forces captured the eastern city of Severodonetsk as battle in Donbass region changed for Russia's favour. Russian troops have been "pouring fire" on the Ukrainian positions north of Kharkiv city, according to the local governor Serhiy Haidai. 

EU's Ursula von der Leyen, however, during her remarks said that she would not “bet on Russia." “Military experts tell us that the movements of Russia are much slower, less than expected. So Russia is running into more and more trouble,” she told American broadcaster CNN. She further said that G7 is more united than ever.

“We have unleashed six packages of heavy sanctions against Russia in record time. And indeed, it is not easy for our member states because they have to pay a certain price. There is unity in all the actions we have taken.”

“Putin never ever expected the determination, the resolve and the unity of the European Union,” von der Leyen told the news outlet. 

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been ordered to stand trial Friday by a court near Moscow on cannabis possession charges, about 4 1/2 months after her arrest at an airport while returning to play for a Russian team. The Phoenix Mercury center and two-time US Olympic gold medalist also was ordered to remain in custody for the duration of her criminal trial.

Griner could face 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of large-scale transportation of drugs. Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in the US, acquittals can be overturned, according to associated press report. 

Credit: AP

Ukraine has claimed that Russia has been using the long range artillery and blockaded Lysychansk from pivdnya. "The enemy was shelling civilian and military infrastructure in the areas of Lysychansk, Vovchoyarivka, Loskutivka and Verkhnyokamyanka," Serhiy Haidai, the Governor of Luhansk Oblast said. Russian forces conducted air strike on Lysychansk in the area of ​​Vovchoyarivka. Near Verkhnyokamyanka, five rooftops were burned, a dozen private houses were fired upon, including churches and a bus station. 

Russia has intensified all-out assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, “pouring fire” on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and air, the local governor said. 

“They’re pouring fire on the city both from the air and from the ground. After the takeover of Sievierodonetsk, the enemy army has concentrated all its forces on capturing (our) last stronghold in the Luhansk region: Lysychansk,” said Haidai. 

Credit: Serhiy Haidai

Russia has declared eight Greek diplomats “personae non gratae” and has given just eight days for them to leave the country, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. It also summoned the Greek ambassador to raise objection to the amrs supply and confrontational rhetoric against Moscow. The move by Russia was in retaliation to Greece's declaration of Russian diplomats as “personae non gratae”.

Russia's president Vladimir Putin held a telephonic dialogue with President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro after the BRICS Summit, wherein the two leaders discussed the issue of the global food insecurity emerging out of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The two also discussed the importance of restoring the architecture of free trade in foodstuffs and fertilizers, which Putin said was collapsed by Western sanctions. 

"Both parties confirmed their mutual intention to consistently strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.Some issues on the international agenda were also addressed," Kremlin said. 

Credit: Kremlin

EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson on Monday said that the gas situation in European Union states is "deteriorating," adding that Russian gas exports to the EU have bene halved than what it was a year ago.  "Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine we have known that a very serious disruption is possible, and now it seems likely. We have done much important work to be prepared for this. But now is the time to step it up," Simson said after a meeting of energy ministers of bloc's member states. 

De-occupation of Kherson "will not be quick" Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmitry Marchenko said, in a statement shared by official advisor of Ukraine's president Zelesnkyy. Kherson became the first major urban centre to fall to Russians during the ongoing invasion. "I understand Kherson residents, it is very hard for them, but the military is also tired and it is hard for them too." said Marchenko. Further, he said, "no one refuses to liberate Kherson. Kherson is Ukraine and will be Ukraine." 

Credit: Telegram/Anton Gerashchenko 

After holding talks during a meeting with the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent warnings to Transnistria as he threatened an attack on the breakaway state. "In case Transnistria strikes Ukraine, people in Transnistria should know it will not be a blow to us, but a slap in the face, and we will strike back," Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy's remarks came just days after European Union made historic decision of granting Ukraine and Moldova the status of EU candidate. 

Zelenskyy told Moldovan counterpart that both countries have threats based on Russian aggression. 

"We must do everything possible together so that Russian aggression cannot threaten anyone in Europe anymore," he told Sandu. 

Ukraine suspects that Russia will open a new front on Ukraine’s western border via Transnistria, the separatist region in neighbouring Moldova in the ongoing war. Mysterious explosions were reported from Transnistria in April in the Russian-speaking separatist region of Transnistria. The blasts damaged an empty building used by Russian security services and two radio masts. Moscow accused Ukrainian forces of starting a provovcation. 

Chief executives of the French energy companies Electricite de France SA, Engie SA and TotalEnergies SE in a joint statement on Monday affirmed that EU energy system is  'under severe pressure' due to the ban on the Russian oil. The French companies' CEOs asked the European consumers to "immediately conserve electricity, gas and oil" to be prepared for winter. 

"For months now, the European energy system has been under severe pressure, and the French energy system is no exception. Russian gas deliveries by pipeline have fallen sharply for certain countries, including France," said Catherine MacGregor, CEO of Engie, Jean-Bernard Lévy, chairman and CEO of EDF, and Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.

A senior US defense official has told the Amaerican broadcaster CNN that Russia has increased the attacks on Ukraine in the past week than the US has seen in recent weeks. He speculated that the recent shellings could be due to the G7 cummit in Germany or Ukrainian movement of HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) which was supplied to Kyiv by the US. "Or it could be a larger portion of their long term battle strategy here. I’m just not sure,” the official was quoted as saying by the news outlet. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson labelled the attack at a mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk as "cruelty and barbarism” adding that he could not decipher the depths of the same that the Russian President Vladimir Putin would sink to.

According to PA news agency, Johnson said:  "This appalling attack has shown once again the depths of cruelty and barbarism to which the Russian leader will sink." 

Refuting the UK Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey's claims that Russia may use "tactical nuclear weapons" during its special operation in Ukraine, Russian foreing ministry on Monday claimed that UK has instead pledged to build Ukraine's nuclear missile programme. 

British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace had spoken to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal "to discuss the creation of Ukraine's nuclear missile programme," Russia's MFA said. It added that UK FM Liz Truss had also held discussions about the potential conflict between Russia and NATO. 

"London has started frightening everyone with the Russian threat" to be able to arm Ukraine with nuclear weapons, Russia's ministry of foreing affiars spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. 

Four civilians are dead as Russia heavily shelled the city of Kharkiv in north-east Ukraine. 19 others were wounded, the regional governor said on Telegram.  Oleh Synehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, further wrote: "Doctors are providing all the necessary assistance. Information on the number of victims is being updated." Russia has not responded to the recent civilian killing in Ukraine. 

Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba on Monday derided the Russian attack on the shopping mall as he tweeted: "Russia is a disgrace to humanity." Furthermore he said that Russia "must face consequences. The response should be more heavy arms for Ukraine, more sanctions on Russia, and more businesses leaving Russia."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the Russian missile strike on the crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk, in a statement from the G7 meeting in Bavaria. "This appalling attack has shown once again the depths of cruelty and barbarism to which the Russian leader will sink. Once again our thoughts are with the families of the innocent victims of Ukraine. Putin must realise that his behaviour will do nothing but strengthen the resolve of the UK and every other G7 country to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes," said Boris Johnson. 

German Financial Stability committee (FSC) is facing “no serious disruptions to the functioning of the German financial system” but the recent war has "worsened " the conditions, an annual report from the firm stated, citing financial data between April 1, 2021, until March 31, 2022. It also warend the risks of financial stability increasing and “adverse real economic developments“ coinciding with an “abrupt interest rate hike.”  

“Inflation has risen significantly, while the outlook for growth has deteriorated,” the report said. 

At least two have died and 20 others injured after a Russian missile hit a crowded mall in eastern Ukraine, according to local officials. The Ukraine president’s deputy chief of staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram: “Two people died. The rescue operation continues.” Nine among those wounded are in “serious condition.”

“The missile attack on the shopping centre with people in Kremenchuk is another war crime by the Russians,” Poltava oblast governor Dmytro Lunin said.

Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy stressed that the shopping mall that was targeted presented “no threat to the Russian army” and had “no strategic value.” He accused Russia of sabotaging “people’s attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry.”

A Ukrainian official claimed that at least two people were killed and around 20 others injured as a result of a missile strike at a shopping mall in Kremenchuk. “We know about 20 wounded. It has already been confirmed that two people died. The rescue operation continues," Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko stated, as per the Kyiv Independent. 

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed that the country's troops launched another strike on the Russian troops on Snake Island on Monday.  "The occupiers lost an anti-aircraft system Pantsir (SA-22 Greyhound). The cleaning of our land will continue as long as needed," it stated on Twitter. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has announced that Russia is exiting the Council of Europe and will not obey the verdicts newly announced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The verdict that will not be implemented by Russia will include a future decision on a case filed by Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov as Azovstal steel plant’s owner, TASS reported. Peskov said that they have already moved out of the "corresponding documents" and "the answer is obvious."  

Rinat Akhmetov, founder and shareholder of System Capital Management (SCM) Group, announced filing a case against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights for "grievous violations of his property rights during Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine." In the press release, Rinat Akhmetov said that, as the owner of Azovstal and many other industrial facilities that have been "targeted" by Russian forces, he wants to make sure that Russia is "held accountable" for the destruction in Ukraine.

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North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg dismissed the possibility of an extensive dialogue between the military alliance and Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine war. "NATO will increase the number of rapid reaction forces from 40,000 to 300,000 people," he stated. The intergovernmental military alliance also vowed to provide more support to Georgia and hold additional training exercises there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday underscored the urgency of helping his country’s military improve its position against Russia in a video meeting with leading economic powers, who in turn pledged to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”

Zelenskyy addressed the delicacy of the moment for Ukraine in its war with Russia to the Group of Seven summit, as the leaders of the major economies prepared to unveil plans to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, and raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions.

In addition, the U.S. was preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv to help Ukraine fight back against Vladimir Putin’s aggression, a day after Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv for the first time in weeks and as its military was continued a full-on assault on the last remaining Ukrainian redoubt in the Luhansk region.

(AP)

Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, has said that more than 100 bodies of those killed in the Russian bombing have been found under the rubble of a building in the temporarily occupied region of Mariupol, Ukrinform reported. The dead bodies were found under the rubble in a house hit by an airstrike in the Lioberezhny district during the inspection. The statement of Petro Andriushchenko comes as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues on day 124. 

"During the inspection of buildings in the Lioberezhny district in the house hit by an air bomb at the intersection of Victory Avenue and Blvd, more than 100 bodies were found. Bodies are still under the rubble. The occupiers do not plan to bury them," Petro Andriushchenko said in a post on Telegram. 

In the statement released on Telegram, Petro Andriushchenko stated that the exhumation continues and added that priority is given to schoolyards and kindergartens. Mariupol's mayor, Vadym Boichenko, has said that around 22,000 civilians have been killed since the invasion began on February 24. As per the Ukrinform report, over 95% of all the buildings, including 1,356 high-rise buildings, have been destroyed due to Russian shelling in Mariupol.

In a recent development, the European Union provided Ukraine with equipment to protect against chemical and nuclear threats amid the ongoing war. According to reports, the 27-member bloc has donated $12 million worth of equipment, including 300,000 protective suits, 5,600 litres of decontaminants, and 850 pieces of equipment for decontamination operations.

The Russian Foreign Ministry alleged that western nations are unwilling to respond to Moscow's questions over their mercenaries in Kyiv. "Western countries are writing some provocative, boorish things. They don’t want to answer the question we ask about their activities," Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Rossiya-1 television channel, the TASS news agency reported. She stated this upon being asked whether the United Kingdom and the United States have contacted Russia concerning their nationals who are participating in the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

Zakharova also accused the West of making every effort to prolong the situation in Ukraine. "We remember what US 43rd President George Bush Jr said: Ukraine’s mission is to kill as many Russians as possible... They have endowed Ukraine and the Kyiv regime with this duty. They are using Ukraine as an instrument and the entire logistics are centred around that - weapons supplies, sending people, anything to keep the conflict burning," she added. 

Russian forces to rely more on its reserve forces over the coming weeks, the UK Defence Ministry said in the latest intelligence update. The British Defence Ministry stated that the focus of Russian forces remains on the Severodonetsk-Lysychansk pocket. It further said that Russian forces have been trying to regain momentum on the northern Izium axis. 

"While Russia’s main operational focus remains the Sieverodonetsk-Lysychansk pocket, a week of consistently heavy shelling suggests Russia is now trying to regain momentum on the northern Izium axis," the UK Defence Ministry said in the statement. 

Addressing the G7 summit virtually, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the world leaders to help end the war this year itself. He urged world leaders "to do their maximum" to end the war by year's end, including by intensifying sanctions against Russia, Kyiv Independent reported citing French newspaper Le Monde. 

Turkey reiterated its "staunch stance" over not joining the Western countries in penalising Russia for its "unlawful" action against Ukraine. The rhetoric was conveyed by several Turkish ministers including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on several occasions. However, this time, Ankara has clarified the reasons behind its inaction against Moscow. In an interview with the Haberturk television channel, the Turkish President's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said that Ankara has decided not to impose sanctions on Moscow as it has chosen a path of "neutrality" or "a policy of balance." 

The G7 summit of Western leaders has decided to cap the price of Russian oil amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. According to a senior US administration official, it represents the most recent effort to punish Moscow while aiming to lessen the negative economic impact of the conflict in Ukraine. "The goal here is to starve Russia, starve (Russian President Vladimir) Putin of his main source of cash and force down the price of Russian oil to help blunt the impact of Putin's war at the pump," the official added, as per the CNN. 

US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Sunday stated that imposing an embargo on the import of Russian gold will cost them nearly $19 billion in revenue per year. Speaking at a regular presser, Blinken asserted that the ban on gold purchases will hit Russia's "significant" source of war chest funding.

Notably, gold is Russia's "second-most" lucrative business after energy and is responsible for approximately $17 billion to $18 billion per year. In 2020, Russian gold exports made up 5% of the global gold sale market, the US State Department reported. 90% of the precious yellow metal was exported to the UK, while the US imported only $1 million worth of gold in the 2020-2021 span, the White House said. Most of it is sold to G7 countries, thus, "cutting that off, denying access to $19 billion of revenues a year, that is significant," Blinken stressed when asked about the impact of the just-announced ban on Russian gold exports.

Leading economic powers conferred by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday as they underscored their commitment to Ukraine for the long haul with plans to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, and raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions.

In addition, the U.S. was preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv to help Ukraine fight back against Vladimir Putin’s aggression.

The new aid and efforts to exact punishment on Moscow from the Group of Seven leaders come as a Zelenskyy has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the globe.

Leaders were finalizing the deal to seek a price cap during their three-day G-7 summit in the German Alps. The details of how a price cap would work, as well as its impact on the Russian economy, were to be resolved by the G-7 finance ministers in the coming weeks and months, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcements from the summit.

(AP)

Amid speculations about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the NATO Summit and its future plans of joining the US-backed military alliance, the Spanish Foreign Minister, on Sunday, clarified that the presence of Zelenskyy should not be confused with any intention of joining the bloc. While speaking to the newspaper El Pais on Sunday, FM Jose Manuel Albares said that the question of inviting Ukraine does not mean it is joining the military alliance. According to Albares, "The proposal has never been on the table, nor is it now."

Earlier, Russia, on several occasions, cited Ukraine's intention to join NATO as the main reason behind its action against Kyiv. It had demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a "neutral country" that will never join the US-led organisation. Notably, Zelenskyy is scheduled to address the NATO summit virtually in Madrid, in which it is expected that the embattled leader would press the West to impose additional sanctions on Moscow. However, the Spanish Foreign minister said if Zelenskyy had informed about joining the Summit in person, the NATO members would have welcomed him with open arms.

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Moldovan President Maia Sandu has arrived in Kyiv, Nexta reported. During her visit, Maia Sandu will travel to Borodianka, Bucha, Irpin and hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

United Kingdom's Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the world leaders to act swiftly to get essential food supplies out of Ukraine at the G7 Summit on Monday, June 27. He further stated that G7 nations must continue to assist the war-ravaged country in rebuilding and protecting itself. According to a press release by the UK government, Ukrainian food has not been able to reach the international market due to the Russian blockade of important Ukrainian ports like Odesa, attacks on farms and warehouses, and other significant structural problems caused by the ongoing war. 

Oleh Sinehubov, the head of Kharkiv Regional Administration, has said that two people have been killed while five others have been injured in Kharkiv Oblast, The Kyiv Independent reported. According to Oleh Sinehubov, a 21-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman have been killed due to Russian shelling. 

The British Defence Ministry in the latest update stated that Russia's main focus remains on Severodonetsk-Lysychansk pocket. It further said that the Russian forces have been making efforts to regain momentum on the northern Izium axis. The UK intelligence said that Ukrainian forces make use of forested terrain to assist their defence in the region. It further said, "Over the coming weeks, Russia’s campaign will highly likely increasingly rely on echelons of reserve forces. These consist of several distinct components which Russia has almost certainly already started to field."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and "coordinated positions" over key events. With an eye on the key convention being held in Bavaria, Germany, the leaders discussed financial assistance deemed necessary by Ukraine in order to deter Russia's aggravated assault in the eastern part of the country. Zelenskyy thanked the Canadian PM for the comprehensive support offered to Kyiv for counteracting Russia's onslaught.

During the call, Zelenskyy outlined the potential military and financial assistance required as the war intensified in eastern pockets of Europe. In response, Trudeau reaffirmed his unwavering commitment towards Ukraine. He highlighted the significance to uphold Kyiv's territorial integrity and democracy. "You can count on Canada's support...we will continue to be there," Trudeau said, as mentioned in his Twitter post.

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The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office in a Facebook post announced that more than 953 children have been impacted since the onset of the military conflict on February 24. It further said that 339 children have lost their lives and more than 614 have been wounded in the war-torn nation since the war began. 

The UK government will allocate up to £10 million (Rs 96,44,54,663.60) to repair Ukraine's rail infrastructure to help in the export of grains amid the Russian military offensive. The British government in the press release stated that they are having a discussion with the Ukrainian government about how to increase the rail capacity. 

"The UK government is contributing up to £10 million in materials and equipment to Ukraine Railways to repair rail infrastructure and help get grain out of the country by rail. The UK is in close discussion with the Government of Ukraine about how to maximise their rail capacity and keep both trains and grain moving," the British government announced in a press release. 

The indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of June 27, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that around 35,000 Moscow troops have been killed along with other military defeats.

In what could be a major escalation in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, NATO might decide to send its entire divisions to the eastern flank to deter Moscow’s military aggression, as per El Pais report. During the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, which will include an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy, the military bloc will be deciding on whether to send thousands of troops to Russia’s doorstep, according to the sources of the Spanish newspaper.

Only last week, the bloc had pledged to “re-invent” itself and as per the report, NATO might kill all ties with Russia, as the Moscow-Kyiv war approached its 18th week of clashes. The report further stated that the NATO member nations are ready to turn Eastern Europe into a “fort” hosting thousands of soldiers and a large quantity of military equipment amid fear of a future assault by Russian forces. According to the sources familiar with the negotiations, the Spanish paper stated that deliberations are still ongoing at NATO headquarters in Brussels ahead of the scheduled summit for June 28 to June 30. 

The report said that NATO “wants to send a message that it is on war footing” and ready “to respond to any aggression” and would use the Madrid summit to boost national defence spending along with the joint financing of the bloc. 
 

Superyacht "Axioma" of Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyansky will be sold at auction on the decision of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, stated Nexta TV. It is to note that the yacht of the Russian billionaire was detained in Gibraltar as part of the sanctions, and now the court decided to sell it in an auction as war in Ukraine continues unabated. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy said that his war-torn country needs a modern air defence system to deter Russian missiles. After the weekend which witnessed heightened attacks from Russia across Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in his nighttime address, that he called for “powerful” air defence while decrying Moscow’s attacks in Kyiv, Mykolaiv region, the Chernihiv region, Odesa, Cherkasy. He noted that the mortar shelling “did not stop in the Kharkiv region.

After Russian attacks on Kyiv which killed a 37-year-old man and wounded at least six people, Zelenlsy said that “the second army of the world triumphantly ‘defeated’ a kindergarten and an apartment building”.

“Missiles also hit the Mykolaiv region, the Chernihiv region, Odesa, Cherkasy. Artillery and mortar shelling did not stop in the Kharkiv region, in the Sumy region, in Donbas, in the south of our state,” he said in his nightly address while adding that Russia had fired 62 missiles at Ukraine within 24 hours. 

Zelenskyy said, “Part of the missiles were shot down. But only part. We need a powerful air defence – modern, fully effective. Which can ensure complete protection against these missiles … And partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers.”

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Seven prominent world leaders at the Group of Seven G7 summit on Sunday light-heartedly mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin's "tough man" image amid the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war. Seated at a roundtable for the G7 opening session in Germany, the leaders were heard poking fun at Putin's "bare-chested horseback ride," a picture that the Kremlin had posted a while ago. 

UK PM Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen were gathered for the inaugural session on Sunday against the picturesque backdrop of dazzling mountains in Bavaria's historic Elmau Castle. With no air-conditioning facilities in the castle built in the 1900s, the mercury topped 28°C.

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Ukrainian General Armed Forces said Russian troops are pushing to block off Lysychansk from the south. The latest operational update said that Russian troops supported by artillery are trying to block off Lysychansk, the last major city still held by Ukrainian troops in Luhansk Oblast, from the south. Meanwhile, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said there is "a lot of damage" in the city as Russian artillery keeps hitting Lysychansk, damaging civilian infrastructure.

In an unusual exhibition in Poland, Russian tanks reached Warsaw which will feature samples of Russian military equipment destroyed during the hostilities in Ukraine, stated reports.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on June 26 announced additional sanctions against Russia, including a ban on imports of Russian gold. Additionally, Tokyo will also expand its asset freeze measures to cover an additional 70 Russian individuals and organizations and will implement a ban on exports to 90 military-related entities.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agree to increase support for Ukraine amid the Moscow-Kyiv war while noting that such support is essential at the present stage of conflict. On the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) meeting, Downing Street said in an official statement that French and British leaders agreed that it was now a critical moment in the Russia-Ukraine war which has entered day 124. According to both Johnson and Macron, ‘there is an opportunity to turn the tide’ in the war. 

“The leaders discussed the crisis in Ukraine. They agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war. Both the Prime Minister and President Macron stressed the need to support Ukraine to strengthen their hand in both the war and any future negotiations,” read the statement. 
 

As Russia's offensive against Ukraine continues even after horrendous four months, leaders accumulated in Germany for most-awaited G7 Summit, have vowed to furnish budgets for the agricultural solutions in the war-torn nation. Among the Group of Seven leaders, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced to help Ukrainian farmers in restoring production despite Russian troops targetting their agricultural lands. Taking to the microblogging site, he elaborated that injecting funds into Ukraine's agricultural sector is crucial to feed people and export crops. 

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According to a 24 Kanal report, the missiles that the Russians used to hit Kyiv cost $5 million and more per missile. The report added, that instead of improving their country, the #Kremlin spends millions of dollars to kill its neighbours.

Lithuania has reportedly planned plans to veto the European Commission's decision to allow unrestricted transit of Russian goods through the EU. It is to note that currently, the European Commission is preparing a document allowing the transportation of sub-sanctioned Russian goods to Kaliningrad.

The United States is set to announce the purchase of a medium-to-long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. According to information acquired by CNN from sources close to Washington, US President Joe Biden, who is currently participating in the G7 Summit in Germany, is ready to procure "more advanced rocket system and munitions" to help Kyiv deter "unprovoked" Russian aggression. This comes as the grinding Russian war in Ukraine intensified to unprecedented levels in the past days.

In adherence to requests made by Kyiv, Washington is also expected to announce additional military assistance, including artillery ammo and counter-battery radars, CNN reported. Noting high-profile missile losses, Ukraine officials also demanded modified missile defence systems, known as the NASAMS system. These weapons precisely hit targets even at 100 miles from the source. Apart from delivering such top-class military equipment, the US will also train the Ukrainian defenders to use them.

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According to the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, 23,641 customers are without electricity and 80,985 customers are without gas due to damaged supply lines. Kyiv Independent stated that the war has left 84 communities without electricity, 108 without gas in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

In his first foreign trip since the Russia Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in central Asia this week. Rossiya 1 state television station, said Putin would visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks in Moscow. 

The US Department of State has again accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of blocking food grains from being shipped from the Ukrainian ports. According to the department, the Russian head has been deliberately blocking the way by using his propaganda machine to deflect or distort responsibility. As per the department, Mr Putin hopes it’ll get the world to give in to him and end the sanctions. "In other words, quite simply put, it’s blackmail," it noted. Notably, major seaports have been blocked in Ukraine since the initial days of the war. Since then, Ukraine has been exporting grains to the whole world by alternate routes. 

Nearly a week after the Biden administration announced an additional $450 million in military assistance for Ukraine, it will purchase an advanced, medium-to-long range surface-to-air missile defence system for the war-torn nation. According to the sources of CNN, the announcement will be made by this week. Earlier last month, President Joe Biden had also announced an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. It included shipments of additional howitzers, ammunition and coastal defence systems.

President Joe Biden says that the United States and other Group of Seven leading economies intend to announce a ban on imports of gold from Russia.

They hope that measure will further isolate Russia economically over its invasion of Ukraine.

Biden announced the step Sunday at the start of the G-7 annual summit, which this year is being held in Germany.

Senior Biden administration officials said gold is Moscow’s second largest export after energy, and that banning imports would make it more difficult for Russia to participate in global markets.

Biden’s Twitter feed said Russia “rakes in tens of billions of dollars” from the sale of its gold, its second largest export after energy.

Britain says gold exports were worth about $15.5 billion to the Russian economy in 2021 and that gold’s value for the Russian elite has increased since the war began, as wealthy Russians seek to skirt Western sanctions.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says a ban by G-7 countries on Russian gold will “directly hit Russian oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putin’s war machine.”

(AP)

 Institute for the Study of War has stated that the missile strike on Kyiv was likely a ‘direct response’ to G7 summit. It said Russia's attack on Kyiv is “likely to coincide” with ongoing talks by G7 leaders about aid to Ukraine, like during UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to Kyiv on April 29. ISW also said that Russian forces are continuing to consolidate control of Sievierodonetsk and attack the outskirts of Lysychansk, as well as to intensify shelling of Ukrainian positions along the southern Axis.

Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” reported on June 26 that it killed 39 Russian troops and destroyed a Russian T-72 tank, four armored vehicles, and three military vehicles, as per Kyiv Independent. Ukraine's military also reportedly destroyed two Russian ammunition depots in Mykolaiv Oblast and one in Kherson Oblast.

In four-way talks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend a round of talks with the leaders of Sweden and Finland along with NATO on Tuesday ahead of the alliance's summit in Madrid, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin has said. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Russian soldiers who are shelling residential buildings and said, "All pilots, dispatchers must understand:we will find you. Each of you will be responsible for these strikes.<...>When your missiles hit residential buildings this is war crime. Judgment awaits you all."

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday urged Belarusians to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. “Russian leadership wants to drag you into the Ukraine-Russian war because it doesn’t care about your lives. But you aren’t slaves and can decide your destiny yourself,” Zelensky said in a video address. 

It came amid potential threats of attack on Ukraine from the Belarusian side amid the ongoing Russian invasion. In a major escalatory step, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to send Iskander-M and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Belarus.