Grateful to Zelenskyy for attending the G7 summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj considers the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, a success for his country. “The focus was on Ukraine, the respect for all Ukrainians was special,” Zelenskyj said in his video address on Sunday. He cited meetings with other leaders at the Hiroshima summit as evidence of international support.
Washington wants to release the deliveries of Western fighter jets that Kiev has long been asking for. US President Joe Biden also announced the release of another aid package for Ukraine. However, Moscow criticized the G7 resolutions as anti-Russian.
EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday. This also concerns aid for Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. Meanwhile, about 15 months after the Russian offensive war began, the situation in the hard-fought city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine remains unclear.
The current developments in the live ticker:
Dispute over the capture of Bakhmut
Moscow and Kiev take opposing positions on whether Bakhmut was captured by the Russians or not. On Saturday, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigoshin, announced the arrest. Later, the regular army also announced the conquest. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the awarding of medals.
However, Ukrainian leaders dispute Moscow’s military success. Selenskyj, who had initially fueled speculation about the capture of the city with misleading statements, later rejected the complete capture of Bakhmut by Russian forces. “Bachmut was not occupied by Russia today,” he said in Hiroshima.
Kiev: Ukraine will retain parts of southwest Bakhmut
The Ukrainian military is also holding on to Bakhmut, at least rhetorically. “Our soldiers keep fortifications and some buildings in the southwest of the city,” army group East spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyy told Ukrainian television on Sunday. However, he admitted that the situation was critical and that fighting was fierce. The information provided by the warring parties cannot be independently verified.
Ukraine reports land gains near Bakhmut
Later, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar announced that Ukrainian troops had made further advance on the flanks. The army has taken several mountain ranges, making it difficult for the Russians to stay in Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces have already formed a semicircle around the city, she wrote on Telegram on Sunday.
Cherevatyj also made himself heard again on Sunday evening. According to him, the army has advanced further near Bakhmut. “Especially in the last 24 hours, we have advanced about 200 meters on some stretches,” Cherevatyj said on Ukrainian television. The Ukrainian army has been advancing near the city all week.
Attacks on Sumy and explosion in Kharkiv
According to the military administration, several residential buildings were damaged on Sunday in Russian attacks in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine. A 61-year-old man was injured in an explosion in the eastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian emergency services report on Telegram.
More arms aid from the US
The meeting with US President Biden at the G7 summit led “as always” to a strengthening of Ukraine, said Zelenskyj, who recorded his daily video on the plane shortly before departure to Kiev on Sunday. During the summit, Biden even announced the release of another $375 million in aid package for Ukraine. In addition, Washington wants to release the deliveries of Western fighter jets that Kiev has long been asking for.
Zelenskyj also referred to meetings with the summit participants from Vietnam and Indonesia. Neither country has been a supporter of Ukraine so far. Both Russia and Ukraine are seeking international support for their position. Selenskyj again spoke of a “Ukrainian peace formula” that provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from all occupied territories of Ukraine as a condition of negotiations.
Ukraine expects dozens of Western fighter jets
After the US government gave in to the debate over fighter jets, Ukraine is now counting on dozens of machines from the West to defend itself against the Russian offensive war. “The planes are not handed over one by one, but in units. An air unit is at least one squadron, in our case there are currently more than 12 aircraft, with our Western partners up to 18 aircraft,” said Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat on Ukrainian television on Sunday. In this way, Ukraine could become transferred “initially several dozen fighter jets to solve future tasks”.
US President Biden had previously given in to months of pressure and basically cleared the way for the delivery of US fighter jets to Ukraine. At first, the United States refused. The country is now supporting the training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 machines, as announced at the G7 summit. In addition, it must be decided together with other partners who will deliver how many aircraft and when. However, there are no concrete figures yet.
Moscow criticizes G7 resolutions as anti-Russia and anti-China
While Ukraine is happy, Russia has criticized the decisions of the G7 summit of the leading democratic industrialized countries in Hiroshima last weekend. The main result was a “collection of statements replete with passages of an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese character,” the foreign ministry said in Moscow on Sunday. The decisions of the group of seven (US, UK, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and Germany) focused on deepening the dividing lines in international politics.
Moscow has repeatedly accused the G7 of seeking a “full confrontation” with Russia. Western sanctions are as much part of a “hybrid war” as arms supplies to Ukraine. The Russian government also blamed the G7 for the recent rise in food and energy prices.
Monday will be important
The situation around Bachmut remains unclear. Heavy fighting continued, especially on the flanks. In addition, attacks on the Russian-occupied hinterland are increasing, which is an indication of the impending Ukrainian counter-offensive.
However, Kiev is also turning its attention to the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will be involved in the event via video. (con/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
