For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Kyiv Post, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM
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How is Ukraine’s counteroffensive going so far? by Tom Balmforth | Reuters * Ukrainian gains most rapid since September * Kyiv yet to reach main Russian defences * Bulk of Ukrainian forces still waiting in wings | After a week of heavy fighting, the real tests of Kyiv’s counteroffensive lie ahead, with Ukrainian troops some distance from Russia’s main defensive line and the bulk of forces prepared for the push still . . . READ MORE . . .
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‘A Very Serious Confrontation,’ by Pete Shmigel | The Kyiv Post Ukrainian forces continued limited assaults in three theatres of the front with potentially small territorial gains in.western Zaporizhzhia and near Bakhmut, while Russian troops heavily counterattacked in the area of Makarivka near the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk boundary. Russian forces . . . READ MORE . . .
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Chinese Premier Li Qiang to visit Germany, France June 18-23: govt. From AFP. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Germany and France from June 18 to 23, Beijing’s foreign ministry said today. Li will “take part in the seventh round of China-Germany government consultations, and also pay an official visit to France,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “At the . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia says to hold votes in occupied Ukraine regons in September. From AFP. Russia said today that it would stage local elections in September in four Ukrainian regions that it claimed to have annexed last year. “Elections in the new . . . READ MORE . . .
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NATO debates ways to boost ties with Ukraine as war against Russian invasion drags on. | AP BRUSSELS — NATO defense ministers gathered today to discuss future relations with Ukraine as Russia’s war on the country thwarts its hopes of joining the world’s biggest security alliance soon. The ministers were also due to take part in a separate meeting at NATO headquarters of the . . . READ MORE . . .
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NATO eyeing future use of F-16s to beef up Ukrainian air defenses – Dutch defense minister. From Tass. BRUSSELS — NATO plans to deploy F-16 fighter jets in the future to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense system, although the issue of supplying the aircraft to Ukraine is thus far not on the alliance’s agenda, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said today. “The most urgent need is . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russians furious after Ukraine HIMARS strike ‘kills 100 troops waiting for commander’s speech,’ by Aleksandra Klitina and Chris York | The Kyiv Post Russian milbloggers have said their army is “at war with our own stupidity and sloppiness”, after reports emerged that as many as 100 of Moscow’s troops were killed when a Ukrainian strike struck a gathering of soldiers waiting for their commander to give a speech. According to unconfirmed Russian sources, the massacre . . . READ MORE . . .
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Medvedev sees option of Russia destroying Western communications cables on Atlantic seabed. From Tass. MOSCOW — Given the West’s involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Russia should have a free hand to destroy Western seabed communications cables, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned on Wednesday. “Now that . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia now has free hand to destroy undersea communications cables, Putin ally says, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters * Russia demands international investigation * U.S. newspapers: CIA knew of Nord Stream plot * NATO warned in May of threat to undersea cables | Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday there were no longer any “moral limits” to stop Moscow from destroying its enemies’ undersea communication cables given what he said was western complicity in the Nord Stream pipeline blasts. U.S. media reports . . . READ MORE . . .
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Putin threatens to seize more of Ukraine to block attacks on border regions, by Jamey Keaten | AP KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Tuesday that he could order his troops to try to seize more land in Ukraine to protect bordering Russian territory — a threat with questionable credibility because the Kremlin lacks full control over areas it already annexed. In some of his most detailed remarks about the war in months, he . . . READ MORE . . .
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Captured Ukrainian soldiers face trial in Russia. From AP. MOSCOW —More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers who were taken prisoner during fighting in Ukraine went on trial in southern Russia on Wednesday. The captured soldiers were members of the Azov battalion, an elite Ukrainian armed forces unit that fought Russian troops in the Sea of Azov port of Mariupol. Russia captured . . . READ MORE . . .
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Analysis: Ukraine counteroffensive takes shape but main test still to come, by Tom Balmforth | Reuters * Ukrainian gains most rapid since last November * Kyiv yet to reach main Russian defences * Bulk of Ukrainian forces still waiting in wings | KYIV — After a week of heavy fighting, the real tests of Kyiv’s counteroffensive lie ahead, with Ukrainian troops some distance from Russia’s main defensive line and the bulk of forces prepared for the push still on standby. Ukraine struck in two areas along the southeastern front last week as it . . . READ MORE . . .
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European lawmakers want Ukraine to have a pathway to NATO membership. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR Ahead of NATO’s upcoming summit in July, European lawmakers want the transatlantic alliance to give Ukraine, not only more support, but also a pathway to membership. Click HERE to listen and read.