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This liveblog is no longer being updated.
Ukraine signs 'drone deals' with three European countries
Ukraine announced Tuesday it had signed "drone deals" with three more European countries - Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark - further capitalising on the expertise it has developed in drone warfare since Russia's invasion.
The deals are custom to each country, but typically involve Kyiv providing blueprints for drone technology in exchange for royalties, investments and other military hardware.
Zelensky announced plans to sign further deals with Germany, Norway, Finland and Canada.
Ukraine slams IOC lifting Russia ban as 'premature' and 'unfounded'
Ukraine on Tuesday slammed the International Olympic Committee's decision to lift a ban on Russian athletes as "premature" and "unfounded" while Moscow's invasion drags on through its fifth year.
"We consider this decision premature, unfounded, and adopted without regard to the objective circumstances that remain unchanged: the Russian Federation continues its full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, flagrantly violating international law and the fundamental principles of peace and security," Ukraine's Olympic Committee said in a statement.
At Nato summit, Trump berates European allies while pleasing Turkish host
The NATO summit has opened on July 7, with many topics to be discussed. Trump has opened the possibility of the US selling F35 fighter jets after Turkey was booted out of the programme in 2019 over Ankara's purchase of a Russian system. Trump has also expressed annoyance at European Nato allies for not "helping" the US in Iran. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more on the summit.
Trump says US to lift sanctions on Turkey that were meant to punish Ankara for purchasing Russian missile system
Trump says Greenland should be controlled by US, not Denmark
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark.
Trump says Putin and Zelensky both want war 'settled'
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he believed both Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky want to get the war "settled", after talking to the two leaders.
"I think they both want to make a deal," Trump told journalists after arriving in Ankara for the NATO summit.
Defence industry must think beyond 30 days of supplies, NATO top commander says
The defence industry must live up to the challenge that it may have to sustain fighting forces for a longer period of time, requiring bigger inventories than in the past, NATO's top commander said on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.
"The thing that you need now is the depth of munitions and the replacement capability for those in the event of attrition on the battlefield," US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich said on Tuesday.
In the past, he said, 30 days of supplies had been seen as sufficient when sending troops into battle.
"What we really need to develop is the back end of that industrial base that can sustain that fight over a longer period of time, so it becomes as much about building the capability as building the ecosystem that can sustain the fight."
Trump in Ankara says was 'very disappointed' with NATO over Iran
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was "very disappointed" by the response of NATO allies in Europe to his war with Iran after arriving in Turkey for the alliance's summit.
"I was very disappointed with NATO," Trump told journalists as he met Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We didn't need any help at all, and in a way, I was testing people, I was testing to see whether or not they'd be there, because I've long said that we helped them, but I'm not sure that they'd be there for us."
Trump says decision to come on selling F-35s to Turkey
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would make a decision on a potential sale of F-35s to Turkey, as he began a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit.
"It's a decision we're going to make," Trump said, adding that the leaders would also discuss trade and the military.
NATO's Rutte says financial institutions have mobilised $217 billion to support alliance security
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that financial institutions had mobilised $217 billion in support of the alliance's security and defence, adding "this is just the beginning".
Rutte, speaking at a "Call to Action" panel on the sidelines of a defence industry forum ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, was standing alongside representatives from BNP Paribas, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Citi, Danske Bank, the NATO Innovation Fund, Natwest, Pko Bank Polski and others.
NATO to launch strategic airlift fleet of A400M, Rutte says
NATO will launch a strategic airlift fleet of Airbus A400M transport planes and add one aircraft to its existing fleet of A330 MRTT tanker planes, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday.
He was speaking at a defence industry gathering where allies unveiled arms deals worth billions of dollars to show they are heeding US calls to spend more to defend Europe before joining President Donald Trump for the summit starting in the evening.
"It is about air power, which is essential to strengthen our deterrence and defence," Rutte said.
Zelensky wants to discuss air defences with Trump
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to discuss Ukraine's desperate need for systems to defend against Russia's deadly ballistic strikes when he meets US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Turkey.
"We see the weakness of Russia – we feel it. But it's not enough. We need more pressure, more anti-ballistic and more sanctions on Russia," Zelensky told reporters as he spoke alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Ankara.
Zelensky and Trump are expected to meet on Wednesday following months of Ukraine's stepped-up attacks on Russia's energy sector, and Moscow's massive strikes that killed 50 people in Ukraine's capital in July alone.
Zelensky urges NATO to step up help for Ukraine on air defences
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called on NATO to ramp up support for Ukraine's air defences at the alliance's summit in Ankara.
"We are capable of doing everything else ourselves, but when it comes to air defence, we need our partners' determination. Please let more determination and more decisions for air defence be one of the key outcomes of this NATO summit," Zelensky said in the Turkish capital.
Zelensky calls on Europeans to urgently develop air defence system
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called on European allies to speed up efforts to create a domestic anti-ballistic system.
"Europe needs an affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic system as soon as possible. In fact, today," he said, addressing a defence forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.
Ukraine would bring 'extraordinary defensive capability' to NATO, Zelensky says
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine's battle-hardened forces would bolster NATO's defences, as he renewed his argument for Kyiv to join at the alliance's summit in Ankara.
"Ukraine in NATO is a source of extraordinary defensive capability," Zelensky said in a speech on the sidelines of the summit.
Italy arrests two men accused of spying for Russia
Italian police said they had arrested two men including "a former member of the national intelligence community" on charges of spying for Russia.
The police said in a statement the men had disclosed information including from "serving military personnel" to a suspected Russian intelligence officer.
Trump arrives at NATO summit as the alliance works to appease him with billions in arms deals
US President Donald Trump meets fellow NATO leaders at a summit as the alliance tries to persuade him that their countries are actively increasing their military capabilities even as the American focus shifts away from its defence of Europe towards Asia.
Trump has been critical of NATO's abilities to function without American leadership and power, moved to withdraw US troops from Europe and cast doubt on whether the US would come to the aid of a NATO ally under attack. He also remains disappointed at some NATO allies’ refusal to join the Iran war, which he had launched alongside Israel without consulting them.
Woman wanted in connection with Monaco bombing found dead in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Security Service said it found the body of Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, who is wanted by authorities in Monaco in connection with the bombing targeting Ukrainian business tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev.
The security service, also known by its local abbreviation SBU, said an officer serving in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency confessed to killing Berezovska with the help of a former law enforcement officer. He claimed he acted on his own initiative and without informing his superiors, a statement from the SBU said.
The attack shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix. Its head of state, Prince Albert II, described the blast as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.
NATO's Rutte calls for defence industry 'revolution', urges companies to take more risks
NATO boss Mark Rutte called for a "transatlantic defence industrial revolution" and urged defence companies to take more risks with their investments.
"The hum of machinery must become a roar," Rutte told a NATO defence industry forum in Ankara ahead of a summit of the alliance's leaders in the Turkish capital. "Industry across all of the nations represented here must be ready to take more risk. The demand is there, and you know it".
Yesterday's key developments:
• NATO partners and allies must continue to “ensure Ukraine gets what it needs” to defend its sovereignty, the military alliance’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte said.
• Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least 24 people in and around Kyiv, with air force data showing that Ukraine’s air defences had failed to shoot down a single ballistic missile.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Ukraine to be granted US licences to manufacture Patriot missile systems that would allow Ukraine to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles and said it was "absurd" that production could not meet demand.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
