For today, links to 12 reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, Tass, and the Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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World leaders to meet at Swiss resort on possible Ukraine peace roadmap. Russia is notably absent, by Jamey Keaten | AP GENEVA — The presidents of Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Somalia will join many Western heads of state and government and other leaders at a conference this weekend aimed to plot out first steps toward peace in Ukraine. Russia will not be there. Swiss officials say more than 50 heads of state and government, including . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.
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Switzerland is hosting a summit organized by Ukraine in the hope of peace talks. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Danielle Kurtzleben | NPR Dozens of leaders, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, attend a Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland this weekend. Russia is not invited, but might this meeting still hold promise for the war’s end? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Harris announces over $1.5 bn more U.S. energy, humanitarian aid for Ukraine. From AFP. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris today announced more than $1.5 billion in new aid for Ukraine, mainly for its energy sector and in humanitarian assistance. At the two-day peace summit in Switzerland’s luxury Burgenstock mountain resort, she . . . READ MORE . . .
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Italy PM slams Putin ‘propaganda’ on Ukraine peace talks. From AFP. “It doesn’t seem particularly effective to me as a negotiation proposal,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said today, “to tell Ukraine that it must withdraw from Ukraine.” READ MORE . . .
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Germany’s Scholz says Putin trying to ‘dictate’ peace. From AFP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said today Russian leader Vladimir Putin was trying to dictate the conditions for peace in Ukraine by offering to halt Moscow’s offensive if Kyiv effectively surrenders. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 14 G7 leaders agree to lend Ukraine billions backed by Russia’s frozen assets. Here’s how it will work, by Fatima Hussein| AP WASHINGTON — Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies have agreed to engineer a $50 billion loan to help Ukraine in its fight for survival. Interest earned on profits from Russia’s frozen central bank assets would be used as collateral. Details . . . READ MORE . . .
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Death toll in collapse of stairwell in Belgorod region rises to 5. From Tass. MOSCOW — The death toll after the collapse of the stairwell in a residential building in Shebekino in the Belgorod Region of Russia has risen to five people, the regon’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said today. The collapse occurred following a Ukrainian shelling attack today. Seven others . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine fighting ‘intense’ battles in Donetsk Region. From AFP. Ukraine said today that Russian forces were concentrating their firepower on the Pokrovsk front in the eastern Donetsk region, where overnight strikes wounded at least six civilians. The Kremlin annexed the industrial territory in late 2022, months after. . . READ MORE . . .
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Kiev to get $1.5 billion from frozen Russian assets in July. From Tass. MOSCOW — In accordance with the European Union’s decision, Ukraine will receive 1.5 billion euro in income from immobilized Russian assets in July, of which 90% will be used to finance Kiev’s military spending, the Ukrainian finance ministry said. READ MORE . . .
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Full list of deals signed at Ukraine Recovery Conference, by Olena Hrazhdan | The Kyiv Post The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin this week proved fruitful, despite resignations among key reconstruction policymakers prior to the event. Key agreements relate to local governance, financial aid, reconstruction, energy, transport, human capital, aid for the private sector, insurance, housing, and . . . READ MORE . . .