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For today, links to 10 reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, the Moscow Times, National Public Radio, the Kyiv Post, the Associated Press and Reuters, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and ASSANGE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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Russia considering downgrading relations with the West, the Kremlin says. From Reuters. MOSCOW — The Kremlin said today that Russia is considering a possible downgrading of diplomatic relations with the West due to the deeper involvement of the United States and its allies in the Ukraine war, though no decision has yet been made. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 26 Belousov discusses Ukraine war with U.S. defense secretary. From AFP. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin spoke by phone on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the conversation took place “at the initiative of the American side.”READ MORE . . .
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EU, Ukraine sign agreement on security guarantees for Kiev. From Tass. BRUSSELS — The European Union and Ukraine signed an agreement on security guarantees for Kiev, according to a Tass reporter. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed the pact for Ukraine. The presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, signed it for the EU. READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine signs long-term security deals with Estonia, Lithuania, by Kateryna Denisova | The Kyiv Independent Kyiv signed 10-year bilateral security agreements with Estonia and Lithuania at the Brussels summit on June 26, Ukraine’s Presidential Office reported. The two nations have joined 17 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and France, that have signed similar . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia strikes Ukrainian military airfields by precision weapons — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops delivered a combined strike by precision weapons, Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukrainian military airfields over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .
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Russia sent 10K naturalized citizens to war in Ukraine, top investigator says. From the Moscow Times. A senior federal law enforcement official said today that Russia has sent 10,000 recently naturalized citizens to fight in Ukraine amid Moscow’s manpower shortage. Male migrants who receive Russian citizenship. . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian soldiers, who are also musicians, are on a thank you tour in the U.S. Reported by Chuck Quirmbach | NPR The Ukrainian soldiers are on a U.S tour to thank Americans for the latest round of military aid to Ukraine — and to court new support. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Russia loses last Black Sea missile ship – Putin demands better protection. From Kyiv Post. Russia’s Navy needs to be protected from long-range missile attacks as soon as possible, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting Wednesday discussing shipbuilding. Last month, Ukraine’s Armed Forces destroyed a Russian Black Sea Fleet small missile ship . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 26 Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits front-line troops under pressure from Russia’s onslaught in eastern areas, by Illia Novikov | AP KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Wednesday visited troops in the eastern Donetsk region who have weathered fierce Russian ground and air assaults in recent months. The Kremlin’s army has escalated . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 25 Kyiv says any peace plan for Ukraine should be ‘fair’ and based on international law. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine has a clear understanding that any plan to end the war with Russia should be based on international law and the peace should be fair, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Tuesday. Commenting on a peace plan for Ukraine presented by . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 21 Russia and DPRK rustle up an alliance, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline The sensational thing about the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed on June 19 by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is that it reportedly provides for the two countries helping each other in the event of an attack by a third country. But . . . READ MORE . . .