Closing summary
It is approaching 9pm in Kyiv and Vilnius, this live blog is coming to a close. Below is a summary of today’s stories:
An ascension plan published Nato said “Ukraine’s future” is in the alliance and that the nation would join when “allies agree and conditions are met” but failed to provide a timeline for when this would happen. A communique published by members of the alliance said “allies will continue to support and review Ukraine’s progress on interoperability as well as additional democratic and security sector reforms that are required”.
Nato’s plans about Ukraine’s membership to the alliance prompted the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to say he has “faith” but not confidence in Nato decisions. Before the communique was published by the alliance, Zelenskiy said it would be “absurd” if Ukraine was not offered Nato membership.
A woman has been killed by Russian shelling in the village of Sofiyivka in the Kherson region, the governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram. Prokudin also claimed residential quarters in the region have been set on fire by “Russian terrorists” which has left two people injured, one of whom is in a serious condition
Rishi Sunak said he hoped that there would be “demonstrable progress” towards Ukraine’s eventual membership of Nato at the two days leaders summit, but did not give any timescale or set any conditions the country might have to meet before becoming a member. The prime minister said that “Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato” as he flew out to the summit. Nato would “stand by the language of Bucharest in 2008”, Sunak added, referring to the summit where Ukraine’s eventual membership was agreed in principle, but no timetable or roadmap was set out to the long running frustration of the country’s leaders.
France will start supplying long-range Scalp missiles to Ukraine, which will allow Kyiv’s forces to defend themselves, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. “I have decided to increase deliveries of weapons and equipment to enable the Ukrainians to have the capacity to strike deeply while keeping our doctrine to allow Ukraine to defend its territory,” he said.
The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said that if the US supplied cluster bombs to Ukraine, Moscow would be forced to use “similar weapons” against Ukrainian forces. “In the event that the US supplies cluster munitions to Ukraine, the Russian armed forces will be forced to use similar weapons against the armed forces of Ukraine as a response,” Shoigu said on Tuesday.
Nato says it has not seen a change in Russia’s nuclear posture despite its announcement that it is stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus. However, Stoltenberg cautioned that “the nuclear rhetoric of Russia is reckless and dangerous. Nato allies are monitoring closely what Russia is doing”. He went on to say “so far we haven’t seen any changes in the Russian nuclear deployment posture that requires a change from us, but we will remain vigilant”.
Turkey agreed on Monday to allow Sweden to join Nato, setting the stage for the allies to showcase their unity at a summit focused on supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s block on Sweden’s membership bid had cast a cloud over preparations for Tuesday’s meeting, but the countries ironed out their differences in eleventh-hour talks in Vilnius.
Nato’s policy towards Russia increases the risk of direct conflict between bloc members and Moscow, Russia’s RIA news agency cited the Russian ambassador to Belgium, Alexander Tokovinin, as saying.
In his daily press briefing, Dmitry Peskov at the Kremlin has been highly critical of the Nato summit in Vilnius, and singled out France’s offer of longer-range missiles for criticism. Addressing the issue of Sweden joining the alliance, Peskov said Sweden’s expected accession to Nato would have clear negative implications for Russia’s security and that Moscow would respond with similar measures to those it took after Finland joined the western military alliance.
Ukraine has said it shot down 26 Russian drones overnight, however two got through and caused damage in Odesa. Suspilne reported: “Two kamikaze drones hit the administration building of a port facility in Odesa: two port terminals, including a grain one, caught fire. The fire was extinguished, there were no critical damages or injuries.”
Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency is reporting a claim by a retired member of occupation forces in Luhansk that Russia has made significant progress in the direction of Kupiansk.
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Volodymyr Zelenskiy has failed in a last-ditch attempt to secure an invitation to join Nato, Dan Sabbagh reports from Vilnius.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy failed in a last-ditch effort to secure an invitation to join Nato after leaders of the 31 countries signed off on a declaration that did not give Ukraine a firm timetable or clear conditions for its eventual membership.
The frustrated Ukrainian president had accused Joe Biden and other leaders present at a summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, of showing disrespect and complained that there was “no readiness” to invite his country to join.
But the dramatic lunchtime intervention had no impact on the final summit communique, issued a few hours later. It said that while “Ukraine’s future is in Nato”, the alliance would only “extend an invitation to Ukraine” when Kyiv had completed certain “democratic and security sector reforms”.
Zelenskiy said in a statement issued after the communique he would like his “faith in a strong Nato” to become confidence. “Today I embarked on a trip here with faith in decisions, with faith in partners, with faith in a strong Nato. In a Nato that does not hesitate, does not waste time and does not look back at any aggressor … And I would like this faith to become confidence.”
The communique’s language reflects opposition from Germany and the US that too firm a commitment could prompt an escalation from Russia and, if Ukraine was allowed to join the alliance while the conflict continued, it could ultimately bring Nato into a war against Moscow.
A Russian ex-submarine commander who was accused by Ukraine of deadly strikes on its territory, has been shot dead while running in park, Pjotr Sauer reports.
A senior Russian draft officer and former submarine commander accused by Ukraine of deadly strikes on its territory has been shot dead while jogging in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar.
Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was killed on Monday by an unidentified gunman during a morning run in a park near the Olimp sports centre, local police said.
Russian FSB security services said on Tuesday that a 64-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack.
At the time of his death, Rzhitsky was serving as the deputy head of the Krasnodar city administration’s mobilisation.
According to the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant, Rzhitsky was previously the commander of the Krasnodar submarine, named after the city, in the Russian navy.
The Ukrainian army said in a Telegram post on Tuesday that Rzhitsky was in command of a submarine that carried out a deadly missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia in July 2022, killing 23 civilians.
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The Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said on Tuesday that if the US supplied cluster bombs to Ukraine, Moscow would be forced to use “similar weapons” against Ukrainian forces, Reuters reports.
“In the event that the US supplies cluster munitions to Ukraine, the Russian armed forces will be forced to use similar weapons against the armed forces of Ukraine as a response,” Shoigu said on Tuesday.
“It should be noted that Russia has cluster munitions in service … for all occasions … They are much more effective than American ones,” he added.
The US announced last week that it would supply Ukraine with widely banned cluster munitions for its counteroffensive against Russian forces.
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Zelenskiy says he has faith in Nato decisions but not confidence
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said he would like his “faith in a strong Nato” to become confidence.
On Twitter, he said: “Today I embarked on a trip here [Vilnius] with faith in decisions, with faith in partners, with faith in a strong Nato. In a Nato that does not hesitate, does not waste time and does not look back at any aggressor … And I would like this faith to become confidence – confidence in the decisions that we deserve – all of us deserve, and every warrior, every citizen, every mother, every child expects. And is that too much to expect?
“Nato will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make the Alliance stronger.”
Today I embarked on a trip here with faith in decisions, with faith in partners, with faith in a strong @NATO. In a NATO that does not hesitate, does not waste time and does not look back at any aggressor... And I would like this faith to become confidence – confidence in the…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2023
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The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said membership to the alliance has always been “conditions-based” in response to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s criticism that it would be “absurd” if Nato leaders did not offer his country a timeframe to join the alliance.
Stoltenberg said: “There has never been a stronger message from Nato at any time, both when it comes to the political message of the path forward for membership and the concrete support from Nato allies.”
He said previous accessions to the alliance had not been accompanied by a timeline.
“If you look at all the membership processes, there have not been timelines for those processes. They are conditions-based, have always been.”
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Reuters reports that a coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets in August in Denmark, and a training centre will be set up in Romania, officials said on Tuesday on the sidelines of a Nato summit in Lithuania.
Nato members Denmark and the Netherlands have been leading international efforts to train pilots as well as support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately enable the supply of F-16s to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“Hopefully, we will be able to see results in the beginning of next year,” Denmark’s acting defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, told reporters after a signing ceremony.
So far, no countries have committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine, though Poland and Slovakia have supplied 27 MiG-29s to supplement Ukraine’s fleet of combat aircraft.
Kyiv, which has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces, has repeatedly called for western countries to supply aircraft and train its pilots to fly them, to successfully counter Moscow’s aerial dominance.
“We have to defend our civilian population, our infrastructure, critical objects, our schools, our universities. That’s why for us it is very important that this fighter jet coalition starts up,” the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, told reporters.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has told crowds at the #UkraineNATO33 rally, being held on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Vilnius, that “Nato will make Ukraine safer and Ukraine will make Nato stronger”.
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'Ukraine’s future is in Nato', says ascension plan published by alliance
A communique outlining how Ukraine could join Nato has been published by members of the alliance.
The communique says: “We fully support Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements. Ukraine’s future is in Nato. We reaffirm the commitment we made at the 2008 Summit in Bucharest that Ukraine will become a member of Nato, and today we recognise that Ukraine’s path to full Euro-Atlantic integration has moved beyond the need for the Membership Action Plan.
“Ukraine has become increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the Alliance, and has made substantial progress on its reform path. In line with the 1997 Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between Nato and Ukraine and the 2009 Complement, allies will continue to support and review Ukraine’s progress on interoperability as well as additional democratic and security sector reforms that are required.
“Nato Foreign Ministers will regularly assess progress through the adapted Annual National Programme. The Alliance will support Ukraine in making these reforms on its path towards future membership. We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when allies agree and conditions are met.”
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Stoltenberg: Nato invite to Ukraine when 'allies agree and conditions are met'
The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has confirmed the alliance will issue an invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance “when allies agree and conditions are met”, and that the process to the country’s membership would move from a two-step to a one-step pathway.
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Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has begun speaking at a news conference at the summit, which you can watch live here:
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Nato allies have reportedly agreed the declaration language on Ukraine’s pathway to Nato membership, sources have told Reuters.
The declaration will say: “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met,” a source told Reuters.
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The Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, has shared a picture of the shuttle bus to the Nato summit in Vilnius, which is plastered with a less than subtle message.
Shuttle bus to Nato summit with not at all subtle Ukrainian propaganda painted on pic.twitter.com/Beaj2eG6Zw
— Dan Sabbagh (@dansabbagh) July 11, 2023
Oleksandra Matviichuk, a human rights lawyer and 2022 Nobel peace prize winner, has issued a statement about Ukraine’s potential membership of Nato. She says:
The beginning of the actual accession of Ukraine to Nato is a way to end the war, not to expand it. Because ‘strategic uncertainty’ will always serve as a reason for Russia to continue attacking Ukraine.
Therefore, people in Ukraine expect concrete results from the summit in Vilnius. The time for assurances that the door to Nato is open has passed. They should be transformed into decisions that allow starting the process of accession of Ukraine to Nato.
Russia has always used wars and occupation of foreign territories as a fait accompli, thereby creating a new reality and forcing the international community to reckon with it. The democratic countries that participate in Nato should finally take the initiative to start managing this process. We have taken security for granted for too long. It is necessary to take responsibility for our common future.
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Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that an air alert has sounded in Sumy and residents have been warned of a missile danger.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in Vilnius, Suspilne reports.
Dan Sabbagh, our defence and security editor, has filed from Vilnius this wrap up of events so far at the Nato summit:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Nato leaders of showing disrespect to Ukraine by refusing to offer Kyiv a timetable for when it would be invited to join the military alliance, in a last-ditch effort to win a concession on membership at the start of a two-day summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The Ukrainian president complained there was “no readiness” to invite Ukraine to join, which gave Russia the opportunity “to continue its terror” by leaving open the possibility to bargain his country’s future membership of Nato in a peace deal.
Nato leaders had been due to agree the summit’s final declaration on Tuesday afternoon and release it in the evening, but Zelenskiy suggested he had seen a leak of the final text, complaining that “certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine”.
Ukraine “deserves respect” Zelenskiy said, and claimed that Nato leaders were going to place extra conditions on the country’s membership, most likely by insisting it undertook anti-corruption and pro democracy reforms.
“It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to Nato, nor to make it a member of the alliance,” the president said in a statement published on social media at lunchtime.
Nato sources said they believed the Ukrainian leader was engaged in last-minute hard-ball public diplomacy, aimed at prompting a rewrite of the final summit declaration or communique before the gathering closes on Wednesday.
Countries in central and eastern Europe have been pressing for firmer commitment to Ukraine’s postwar membership, amid a growing belief that the slow-moving counteroffensive could prompt Kyiv to consider negotiations with Moscow.
Ukraine believes Nato membership is the only viable solution to prevent it becoming a victim of future attacks by Russia, but the US and other alliance members fear that allowing Ukraine to join at some future point could be interpreted by Moscow as escalatory.
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Here are some pictures from the first day of the Nato summit in Lithuania.
Air raids heard in Kyiv after Russian war-planes detected taking off
Air raids sounded in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, shortly after the Nato summit got under way in Vilnius, after Russian warplanes equipped with hypersonic missiles were detected taking off.
The city authorities sent an all-phone alert at 3pm local time, urging residents to take cover. The alarm was triggered by a MIG-31K leaving Savasleyka airbase in Russia’s western Nizhny Novgorod region.
While such flights happen regularly, the Kremlin has a habit of targeting Kyiv at symbolic moments to make a political and military point.
Air raid sirens were activated in February when Joe Biden made his first trip to Kyiv since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion. The US president and Volodymyr Zelenskiy were at the time leaving St Michael’s golden domed monastery together.
Overnight Ukraine claimed it shot down 26 Russian Shahed drones, launched from a south-east direction. Two got through. The kamikaze drones hit an administration building of a port facility in Odesa. Two port terminals, including a grain one, caught fire.
The fire was extinguished, there were no critical damages or injuries, the city authorities said.
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Woman killed by Russian shelling in Kherson
A woman has been killed by Russian shelling in the village of Sofiyivka in the Kherson region, the governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram.
Prokudin also claimed residential quarters in the region have been set on fire by “Russian terrorists” which has left two people injured, one of whom is in a serious condition.
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North Korea has condemned the US for its decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, calling it a “criminal act” and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the plan, Reuters reports.
North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Hui said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency: “I, on behalf of the DPRK government, vehemently denounce the US decision to offer WMD (weapons of mass destruction) to Ukraine as a dangerous criminal act to bring a new calamity to the world, and strongly demand the US withdraw the decision immediately.”
“The US has made a very dangerous choice … which brings to light once again its true colours as destroyer of peace regarding aggression and massacre as its national policy and mode of existence,” Choe added.
Reuters reports that France has begun delivering a significant number of SCALP cruise missiles to Ukraine, which will be integrated into non-western warplanes, a French military source said on Tuesday.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said France would start supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine at the Nato summit in Lithuania on Tuesday.
The missiles have a range of 155 miles (250km) – the longest of any western weapon supplied to Ukraine so far.
The Guardian’s defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh has landed in Lithuania where the Nato summit is being held. He travelled on UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s plane.
On the ground at Vilnius airport - Rishi Sunak's Voyager and Air Force One. German, French, Turkish leaders' planes all nearby pic.twitter.com/m9NFeY8nID
— Dan Sabbagh (@dansabbagh) July 11, 2023
The Nato Summit has formally begun. The general secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, welcomes the Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, to the summit where Finland is attending for the first time “as a full-fledged member”.
He also gives a “warm welcome” to the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, and says he we will be welcoming Sweden as a full-fledged member after Turkey dropped its veto and supported the country’s Nato application.
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France will be providing Ukraine with SCALP missiles, AFP reports.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said France would start supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine at the Nato summit in Lithuania on Tuesday.
The UK announced in May that it would supply Ukraine with the same missiles but under the name Storm Shadow.
SCALP/Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French weapon with a range of 155 miles (250km) – the longest of any western weapon supplied to Ukraine so far.
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Reuters reports that Russia sees no grounds for peace talks with Ukraine, the Interfax news agency cited the Russian upper house speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, as saying on Tuesday during a visit to China.
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Reuters reports that Germany has finalised a €700m military aid package for Ukraine, according to two government sources who told the news agency on Tuesday.
The package reportedly includes 2 patriot launcher missile systems, 40 Marder armoured vehicles and 25 leopard tanks.
Zelenskiy: 'Absurd' if Ukraine is not offered Nato membership
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said it would be “absurd” if Ukraine was not invited to become a Nato member and that uncertainty over its membership was motivation for Russia to “continue its terror”.
Zelenskiy tweeted: “We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation. Ukraine will be represented at the Nato summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect.
“But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine.
“And I would like to emphasise that this wording is about the invitation to become Nato member, not about Ukraine’s membership.
“It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about “conditions” is added even for inviting Ukraine.
“It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to Nato nor to make it a member of the Alliance.
“This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine’s membership in Nato in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror.
“Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.”
We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2023
Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect.
But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that…
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Reuters reports that Belarus is waiting for fighters from the Wagner mercenary group to deploy on its territory and plans to exchange combat experience with them when they do, the state news agency Belta cited the Belarusian defence ministry as saying on Tuesday.
Belarus is also waiting for a new batch of regular Russian troops to arrive to take part in joint training with the Belarusian armed forces, the ministry was cited as saying.
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Summary of the day so far …
As the Nato summit got underway in Vilnius, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine has come much closer to Nato, and that should be reflected in all Nato decision-making. He said the wording of the final communique from the summit was being worked upon, and he was confident it would send a positive message on Ukraine’s path to membership.
Rishi Sunak said he hoped that there would be “demonstrable progress” towards Ukraine’s eventual membership of Nato at the two days leaders summit, but did not give any timescale or set any conditions the country might have to meet before becoming a member. The prime minister said that “Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato” as he flew out to the summit, saying Nato would “stand by the language of Bucharest in 2008,” Sunak added, referring to the summit where Ukraine’s eventual membership was agreed in principle, but no timetable or road map was set out to the long running frustration of the country’s leaders.
France will start supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, which will allow Kyiv’s forces to defend themselves, president Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. “I have decided to increase deliveries of weapons and equipment to enable the Ukrainians to have the capacity to strike deeply while keeping our doctrine to allow Ukraine to defend its territory,” he said, while declining to give further details on how many or the types of missiles.
Nato says it has not seen a change in Russia’s nuclear posture despite its announcement that it is stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus. However, Stoltenberg cautioned that “the nuclear rhetoric of Russia is reckless and dangerous. Nato allies are monitoring closely what Russia is doing”. He went on to say “so far we haven’t seen any changes in the Russian nuclear deployment posture that requires a change from us, but we will remain vigilant.”
Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday that there was no concrete timetable set out for Ukraine’s Nato accession in the proposed closing statement of the summit in Vilnius.
Szijjártó also said Hungary’s ratification of Sweden’s Nato membership is “only a technical issue” now and the government backs Sweden’s bid.
Turkey agreed on Monday to allow Sweden to join Nato, setting the stage for the allies to showcase their unity at a summit focused on supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s block on Sweden’s membership bid had cast a cloud over preparations for Tuesday’s meeting, but the countries ironed out their differences in eleventh-hour talks in Vilnius.
Nato’s policy towards Russia increases the risk of direct conflict between bloc members and Moscow, Russia’s RIA news agency cited the Russian ambassador to Belgium Alexander Tokovinin as saying.
In his daily press briefing, Dmitry Peskov at the Kremlin has been highly critical of the Nato summit in Vilnius, and singled out France’s offer of longer-range missiles for criticism. Addressing the issue of Sweden joining the alliance, Peskov said Sweden’s expected accession to Nato would have clear negative implications for Russia’s security and that Moscow would respond with similar measures to those it took after Finland joined the western military alliance.
Ukraine has said it shot down 26 Russian drones overnight, however two got through and caused damage in Odesa. Suspilne reported “Two kamikaze drones hit the administration building of a port facility in Odesa: two port terminals, including a grain one, caught fire. The fire was extinguished, there were no critical damages or injuries.”
Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency is reporting a claim by a retired member of occupation forces in Luhansk that Russia has made significant progress in the direction of Kupiansk.
Kremlin criticises French offer of longer-range missiles to Kyiv
In his daily press briefing, Dmitry Peskov at the Kremlin has been highly critical of the Nato summit in Vilnius, and singled out France’s offer of longer-range missiles, which Emmanuel Macron announced earlier this morning.
Peskov said it was a mistake by France, and Ukraine will face consequences as Russia will take countermeasures. The unnoficial Kremlin press pool feed quoted Peskov as saying: “These decisions cannot affect the course of events within the special military operation, they can only worsen the fate of the Ukrainian regime.”
“Special military operation” is the Russian authorities preferred term for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.
Peskov went on to say that European leaders do not seem to understand that moving Nato infrastructure towards Russia’s borders is a mistake, and that the western military alliance’s advance into central and eastern Europe had led to the current crisis around Ukraine in the first place.
Addressing the issue of Sweden joining the alliance, Reuters reports Peskov said Sweden’s expected accession to Nato would have clear negative implications for Russia’s security and that Moscow would respond with similar measures to those it took after Finland joined the western military alliance.
Peskov played down Turkey’s decision to end its opposition to Sweden’s accession to Nato, saying that Ankara has obligations as a member of the alliance and that Moscow had had no illusions on this score.
Peskov said Russia and Turkey had their differences but also shared some common interests, adding that Moscow intended to develop further its relations with Ankara.
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Macron announces France will begin supplying long-range missiles to Kyiv
France will start supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, which will allow Kyiv’s forces to defend themselves, president Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.
“I have decided to increase deliveries of weapons and equipment to enable the Ukrainians to have the capacity to strike deeply while keeping our doctrine to allow Ukraine to defend its territory,” Reuters reports he told the media on arrival at a Nato summit in Lithuania.
He declined to give further details on how many or the types of missiles.
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Sunak: 'Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato' but no timescale on horizon
Dan Sabbagh has flown to Vilnius for the Guardian on the place carrying the UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. He reports:
Rishi Sunak said he hoped there would be “demonstrable progress” towards Ukraine’s eventual membership of Nato at the two days leaders summit, but did not give any timescale or set any conditions the country might have to meet before becoming a member.
The prime minister said “Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato” as he flew out to the summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on Tuesday, but that further discussions about how Kyiv could achieve membership would take place among leaders at the annual summit.
Nato would “stand by the language of Bucharest in 2008”, Sunak added, referring to the summit where Ukraine’s eventual membership was agreed in principle, but no timetable or roadmap was set out to the long-running frustration of the country’s leaders.
“I think that what’s important at this summit is that commitment is reaffirmed, and also there is demonstrable progress towards that goal,” the prime minister told reporters. But he added Ukraine’s membership was “not a question for right now, while they are in the midst of a conflict”.
At the heart of Nato lies a commitment for each member state to defend the other if they are attacked, meaning that if Ukraine were to join while the war was ongoing it could immediately draw member states into a fight against Russia.
Sunak also said a group of leaders – including those from the US, France and Germany – would continue to have discussions about providing long term “security assurances” to Ukraine in the form of continuing military aid and economic support.
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Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency is reporting a claim by a retired member of occupation forces in Luhansk that Russia has made significant progress in the direction of Kupiansk.
It quotes Lt Col Andrey Marochko saying:
For several days, the Russian Federation armed forces have made significant progress in the direction of the settlement of Kupiansk. A number of eastern territories of the Kharkiv region have also been liberated.
Tass reports that Marochko went on to say that the Russian advance is forcing the Kyiv government to evacuate state institutions, and businesses to close and relocate to western Ukraine.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Reuters has a quick snap that Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday that there was no concrete timetable set out for Ukraine’s Nato accession in the proposed closing statement of the summit in Vilnius.
Nato has not seen any movement of Wagner group fighters to Belarus, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.
“We are monitoring the situation very closely,” Reuters report Stoltenberg told the media.
Over the weekend, Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country amid rising concern in the Nato member that the presence of Wagner group fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border.
Stoltenberg warns nuclear rhetoric of Russia is 'reckless and dangerous'
Nato says it has not seen a change in Russia’s nuclear posture despite its announcement that it is stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus.
However, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg cautioned that “the nuclear rhetoric of Russia is reckless and dangerous. Nato allies are monitoring closely what Russia is doing.”
Reuters report he went on to say “so far we haven’t seen any changes in the Russian nuclear deployment posture that requires a change from us, but we will remain vigilant.”
Timothy Garton Ash addresses the issue of Ukraine’s future in Nato for the Guardian this morning:
In a survey in May, 87% of Ukrainians said they were optimistic about their country’s future. But there’s an increasingly sober mood in private. We were told that up to one in five Ukrainian children is now outside the country. Tymofiy Mylovanov, the president of Kyiv School of Economics, shared with us its projection that on current trends the workforce would be reduced by as much as a third over the next few years. It’s a daunting challenge to produce the jobs, housing and schools without which millions of Ukrainians will not return from abroad.
So when I say, “Who lost Ukraine?”, I don’t mean losing the war. I mean losing the peace: a country exhausted, ravaged, traumatised, still robbed of some of its territory, a land in limbo. For this is now Putin’s brutal, vengeful objective: if he can’t force Ukraine back into the Russian empire, he will try to ruin it.
Here’s where the buck comes back to the US. Its military support is essential for Ukraine to win the war. Long-term security is essential for Ukraine to win the peace. Without security, there will be little investment, fewer returnees, no successful reconstruction. And that ultimately means Nato membership for Ukraine is critical.
Read more here: Timothy Garton Ash – In Ukraine I saw a brave but ravaged land in limbo. It needs a future, it needs Nato
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All eyes appear to be on the Nato summit in Vilnius, with alliance leaders and partners gathering in Lithuania.
Hungarian ratification of Sweden's Nato bid only a 'technical issue' now – minister
Hungary’s ratification of Sweden’s Nato membership is “only a technical issue” now and the government backs Sweden’s bid, Reuters reports the foreign minister Péter Szijjártó as saying as he was heading to the Nato summit in Vilnius.
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Reuters has a quick snap that Norway’s government has announced it will increase its military support to Ukraine by 2.5bn krone this year, taking it to 10bn (£740m/$960m).
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Ukraine claims to have shot down 26 Russian drones overnight
Ukraine has said it shot down 26 Russian drones overnight, however two got through and caused damage in Odesa.
Citing the Ukrainian air force, Suspilne reported Russia attacked Ukraine with 28 Shahed drones from the south-eastern direction, of which 26 were shot down.
The report on Telegram continued:
Two kamikaze drones hit the administration building of a port facility in Odesa: two port terminals, including a grain one, caught fire. The fire was extinguished, there were no critical damages or injuries.
Odesa is one of the ports included in the Black Sea grain initiative, which expires next week.
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Stoltenberg: confident final Nato summit communique will send positive message on Ukraine’s path to membership
Jen Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, has had some words for the media this morning. Reuters quotes him saying that Ukraine has come much closer to Nato, and that should be reflected in all Nato decision-making.
He said the wording of the final communique from the summit was being worked upon, and he was confident it would send a positive message on Ukraine’s path to membership.
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Nato’s policy towards Russia increases the risk of direct conflict between bloc members and Moscow, Russia’s RIA news agency cited the Russian ambassador to Belgium as saying.
Reuters reports Alexander Tokovinin said the regional defence plans that Nato intends to adopt at the summit starting today would make the bloc’s confrontation with Russia more tense and prolonged.
Tokovinin was the latest Russian voice to echo this line, as rhetoric intensifies heading into the Nato summit in Vilnius.
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Hungary’s farm minister will go to Turkey for talks with his Turkish counterpart about extending the deal that allows Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, the minister has said on Facebook.
“Turkey is a key player in the long-term handling of market difficulties caused by Ukrainian grain imports,” the Hungarian minister for agriculture said.
Reuters reports István Nagy said he was holding talks on behalf of countries in central and eastern Europe that had been affected by increased Ukrainian grain flows.
Ukraine has increased its reliance on grain export routes through eastern Europe since being invaded by Russia. Five countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – sought import restrictions on the shipments, which the EU allowed. They complained cheaper Ukrainian grain was making domestic production unprofitable.
The deal is due to expire next week. Moscow has repeatedly said it sees no grounds to extend it, complaining that western sanctions are impacting on its agricultural exports.
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US will 'send positive signal' on Ukraine's Nato membership at summit
The US national security adviser, Jake, Sullivan said in comments a few minutes ago that the US and allies would “send a positive message” on Ukraine’s future membership of Nato at the summit, which kicks off today in Lithuania.
He also said a new Nato aid package for Ukraine would be agreed on.
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Russian construction firms may be fined for failing to provide “volunteers” to serve in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence said in its intelligence report this morning.
“Moscow’s municipal authorities are highly likely threatening to withdraw contracts from construction firms if they fail to hit quotas for providing ‘volunteers’ to serve in Ukraine. One company has reportedly been set a target of 30 volunteers by the end of August 2023,” the Ministry wrote.
It said the measure was likely to mainly impact ethnic minorities, “who make up the majority of Moscow’s construction workers” and that the move, “is highly likely at least tacitly endorsed by Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin. It continues his track record of trying to minimise the impact of the conflict on better-off Muscovites, while still being seen to support the war effort.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 11 July 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 11, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/MaOrJhMOIZ
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/suSA0EAgSv
Ukraine said on Monday its troops had caught occupying Russian troops “in a trap” in the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut, where its forces have been gaining ground as part of their counter offensive.
Russian accounts of the fighting said Moscow’s forces have repelled or contained Ukrainian advances in the east and south.
“Bakhmut. The enemy is caught in a trap,” General Oleksander Syrskyi, in charge of Ukraine’s ground forces, said on the Telegram messaging app. “The city is under the fire control of (our) defence forces...the enemy is being pushed out of their positions.”
In the south, General Oleksander Tarnavskyi said on Telegram Ukrainian forces were “on the move” and Russian forces had lost the equivalent of hundreds of men over 24 hours.
The Guardian was unable to verify these claims.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal affairs has posted its report of the overnight attack on Kyiv on Telegram, saying:
The remains of the Shahed were discovered in one of the settlements of the region. Windows and outbuildings of private households were damaged, and grass flooring caught fire. There were no victims reported.
Appropriate services are available on site.
‘Ukraine will be in alliance’ says Zelenskiy amid caution from members
Ukraine will be part of Nato, Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Monday, and he expects to see an “algorithm” for Kyiv’s pathway to officially joining to emerge from the summit.
“We are still working on the wording, that is, on the specific words of such confirmation, but we already understand the fact that Ukraine will be in the alliance,” Zelenskiy said late on Monday in his nightly video address.
“And we are working to make the algorithm for gaining membership as clear and fast as possible.”
Zelenskiy said the Vilnius summit must confirm Ukraine is already “de facto” a member of Nato as it has its weapons and shares values with the alliance.
“Even if different positions are voiced, it is still clear that Ukraine deserves to be in the alliance,” Zelenskiy said. “Not now - there is a war, but we need a clear signal. And we need this signal right now.”
Russia launches strikes on Kyiv
Russia launched an overnight air strike on Kyiv in early hours on Tuesday, Ukraine’s military said, just hours before the start of the Nato summit in Lithuania that is to tackle security threats from Moscow.
“The enemy attacked Kyiv from the air for the second time this month, Serhiy Popko, a head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a post on the Telegram channel.
Ukraine’s air defence systems shot down all the Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia launched before they reached their targets, Popko said. There was no immediate information about damage or casualties.
Air raid alerts blasted over Kyiv for an hour and longer in other parts of Ukraine‘s east, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
The summit in Vilnius, which starts on Tuesday, will be dominated by the repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with leaders set to approve Nato’s first comprehensive plans since the end of the Cold War to defend against any attack from Moscow.
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Opening summary
Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest.
Russia launched an overnight airstrike on Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, Ukraine’s military said, just hours before the start of the Nato summit in Lithuania that is set to tackle security threats from Moscow.
“The enemy attacked Kyiv from the air for the second time this month”, Serhiy Popko, a head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a post on the Telegram channel.
According to preliminary information, Ukraine’s air defence systems shot down all the Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia launched before they reached their targets, Popko said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the eve of the Nato summit that Ukraine will be part of the alliance and expects from the meeting an “algorithm” for Kyiv to officially join it.
“We are still working on the wording, that is, on the specific words of such confirmation, but we already understand the fact that Ukraine will be in the alliance,” Zelenskiy said late on Monday in his nightly video address.
Other key recent developments:
A Russian attack on a humanitarian aid distribution point in south-eastern Ukraine killed seven people, emergency services said on Monday, while two people were killed by Russian shelling in the east. Yuriy Malashko, governor of Zaporizhzhia region, said a guided aviation bomb was used in Sunday’s attack on a school building being used to distribute aid in the small town of Orikhiv.
Turkey agreed on Monday to allow Sweden to join Nato, setting the stage for the allies to showcase their unity at a summit focused on supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s block on Sweden’s membership bid had cast a cloud over preparations for Tuesday’s meeting, but the countries ironed out their differences in eleventh-hour talks in Vilnius.
Nato members are not expected to set clear preconditions for Ukraine’s eventual membership to the military alliance in the face of caution from the US and Germany while the war with Russia continues. Ukraine wants clarity on when and how it can join the alliance after the war with Russia ends, believing that western military protection is the only way it can remain unthreatened by its neighbour. However, it looks instead likely to be offered closer integration with Nato and a stronger political declaration in favour of its membership in principle.
The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has said he wants to work with allies to discuss a pathway for Ukraine to join Nato, but the exact mechanism was up for discussion, his spokesperson said on Monday, after talks with the US president, Joe Biden.
Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner leader, just days after a short-lived rebellion by the mercenary chief and his private army, according to the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. A three-hour meeting took place on 29 June, which also involved commanders from the military company Prigozhin founded, Peskov said. Prigozhin has had a longstanding conflict with Russia’s top military brass which on 24 June culminated in an armed mutiny in which he led his fighters into Russia.
Ukrainian troops pressed on with their campaign to recapture Russian-held areas in the south-east on Sunday as president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that his country’s forces had “taken the initiative” after an earlier slowdown. Russian accounts said heavy fighting gripped areas outside the eastern city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian mercenary Wagner forces in May after months of battles. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said one of his units was deployed in the area.
Russia will continue to cooperate with Beijing and can count on China’s “friendly shoulder”, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said on Monday after meeting Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing. “We can count on a firm and reliable friendly shoulder in China,” Valentina Matvienko said.
