For today, links to 11 reports from Agence France-Presse, Le Monde, Reuters, the Associated Press, Tass, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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FROM JULY 19 Trump says spoke with Zelensky, pledges to ‘end the war,’ by Robin LeGrand | AFP U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Friday he had spoken by telephone with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and pledged to end the European country’s war with Russia. “I appreciate President Zelensky for . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Le Monde, Reuters and the Kyiv Independent.
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Two killed in overnight strikes on Ukraine. From AFP. At least two people were killed and four wounded in a Russian airstrike overnight on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, the regional prosecutor said today. The prosecuter said two men aged 48 and 69 had been killed and around 50 buildings were damaged in the bombardment, apparently by three Russian Iskander . . . READ MORE . . .
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Russia shot down 26 Ukrainian drones in Rostov region – governor. From AFP. Russia shot down 26 Ukrainian drones overnight in the southern Rostov region, several hundred kilometers from the front line, the regional governor said today. Last Saturday an oil depot in the Rostov region caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack. READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian ultranationalist Iryna Farion assassinated. From Kyiv Post. Iryna Farion, an ultranationalist figure in Ukraine who was known for her controversial statements on the issue of the Ukrainian language, was murdered on a street in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Friday evening. Authorities said the case had been classified as “intentional homicide,” and investigations . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.
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Russian forces destroy two Patriot launchers in past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces destroyed two launchers of the U.S.-made Patriot missile system and its radar in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JULY 19 Blinken points to wider pledges to support Ukraine in case U.S. backs away under Trump, by Ellen Khickmeyer | AP ASPEN, Colorado — Ukraine is on its way to being able to “stand on its own feet” militarily, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, noting that more than 20 other countries have pledged to maintain their own military and financial aid to the country even if . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM JULY 19 Secretary of State Blinken on Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reported by Erika Ryan, Sarah Handel and Mary Louise Kelly | NPR. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Aspen Security Forum about a wide range of the most pressing diplomatic questions. Click HERE to listen and read.