First, links to reports from RT, the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. Then, a link to a New York Times report on U.S. commandos and others operating in Ukraine, and a link to commentary by Caitlin Johnstone about it. — MCM
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Ukraine won’t pursue NATO membership – Zelensky adviser From RT. Ukraine has accepted that NATO membership is off the table, and will not take any further steps toward joining the US-led military bloc, Igor Zhovkva, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the Financial Times on Saturday. Nevertheless, Kiev wants a say in NATO’s policy making. The bloc’s leaders are set to meet in the Spanish capital of Madrid next week. During two days of meetings and consultations, the organization will . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia strikes Kyiv as troops consolidate gains in the east, by Oleksandr Stashevskyi | The Associated Press KYIV — Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of this morning, striking at least two residential buildings, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, as elsewhere Russian troops consolidated their gains in the east. Associated Press journalists in Kyiv saw rescue services battling flames and rescuing civilians. Klitschko said four people were hospitalized with injuries and a 7-year-old girl was pulled alive from the rubble. . . . Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the missiles were Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles fired from planes over the Caspian Sea. Before today’s . . . READ MORE . . .
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G7 nations announce Russia gold ban as summit starts under shadow of war, by Sarah Marsh and Andrea Shalal | Reuters * Gold ban targets ‘Putin’s war machine’, says British PM * Oil import price cap also being discussed, says German source * G7 also aims to tackle soaring energy prices | SCHLOSS ELMAU, Germany — Members of the Group of Seven wealthy nations today announced a ban on imports of Russian gold as the G7 summit in the Bavarian Alps begins under the shadow of the war in Ukraine and consequences ranging from energy shortages to a food crisis. The move by Britain, the United States, Japan and Canada is part of efforts to tighten the sanctions squeeze on Moscow and cut off its means of financing . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russian missiles hit western Ukraine. Reported by Emily Feng | National Public Radio Russian missiles hit cities in western Ukraine throughout the weekend, an escalation that has punctured the relative lull in fighting in and around Kyiv. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Commando Network Coordinates Flow of Weapons in Ukraine, Officials Say, by Eric Schmitt, Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper | The New York Times WASHINGTON — As Russian troops press ahead with a grinding campaign to seize eastern Ukraine, the nation’s ability to resist the onslaught depends more than ever on help from the United States and its allies — including a stealthy network of commandos and spies rushing to provide weapons. READ MORE . . .
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Western Officials Admit Ukraine Is Crawling with CIA Personnel, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com The New York Times reports that Ukraine is crawling with special forces and spies from the US and its allies, which would seem to contradict earlier reports that the US intelligence cartel is having trouble getting intel about what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine. This would also, obviously, . . . READ MORE . . .