Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has welcomed a “good result” from the Nato summit. His remark came after Britain’s defence secretary and the US national security adviser suggested Ukraine ought to show more gratitude for the help it has received from the west, in response to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s complaints that his country has not been issued a firm timetable or set of conditions for joining Nato. In regular remarks made on Thursday night, Zelenskiy struck a positive note, saying, “for the first time since independence, we have formed a security foundation for Ukraine on its way to Nato.”
US president Joe Biden concluded a Nato summit on Wednesday denouncing Russian president Vladimir Putin as “craven” and promising Zelenskiy full support even without membership in the military alliance. Biden, who has made unifying Nato countries a foreign policy priority, said Putin had badly underestimated their resolve.
Ukraine claims its air defences during the night shot down all 20 “Shahed” drones and two Kalibr missiles launched by Russia. At least four people in Kyiv were injured by falling debris, and Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk reported eight civilian injuries in the last 24 hours.
A Russian general said he had been fired as a commander after telling the military leadership “the truth” about the dire situation at the front in Ukraine, as tensions in the Russian army grow in the aftermath of Wagner’s short-lived mutiny. Maj Gen Ivan Popov, who commanded the 58th Combined Arms Army which is fighting on the front in Ukraine near Zaporizhzhia, said in a voice message that he had been fired after he brought up problems on the battlefield.
A senior Russian official has described Sergei Surovikin, the general who previously led the invasion force in Ukraine and hasn’t been seen in public since the Wagner mutiny, as “resting” and “not available”.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said he had not heard any new proposals on the Black Sea grain export deal, which is due to expire on Monday.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region in Russia, reported sustained instances of cross-border shelling from Ukraine, but stated that no injuries were incurred, and there was only minor damage.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has suggested that Russian forces have been using improvised car bombs in Donetsk region, possibly instigated due to the experience of the Chechen forces deployed there.
The G7 on Wednesday signed a declaration outlining support for Ukraine and help towards governance reforms needed for ‘Euro-Atlantic aspirations’. The member nations said they would provide security and economic support, including modern military equipment, across land, air, and sea, intelligence sharing and the training of Ukrainian forces in exchange for Ukraine committing to reforms “to underscore its commitments to democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and media freedoms”, “put its economy on a sustainable path” and strengthen “democratic civilian control of the military”.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that Sweden’s Nato accession will not be put to Turkish parliament until autumn when it reopens. Speaking at a news conference after the Nato summit in Vilnius, Erdogan said that Sweden would provide a roadmap for Turkey regarding the steps to take against purported terrorism before the ratification.
