NATO formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance. Turkey agreed on Tuesday to drop its objections to their membership bids, removing a major hurdle to them joining NATO.
Russian forces are making some progress in their efforts to encircle the city of Lysychansk, and could succeed in trapping some Ukrainian forces.
Russian-backed authorities in the occupied region of Kherson in southern Ukraine say they are preparing for a referendum to join the Russian Federation.
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Russia "not bothered" by Sweden and Finland joining NATO, Putin says
From CNN’s Masha Angelova
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says Russia is not bothered if Sweden and Finland join NATO but warns they will respond in kind to any “threats.”
Sweden and Finland are set formally to end decades of neutrality and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in a historic breakthrough for the alliance that deals a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The last major hurdle to the two nations’ entry to the bloc was removed when Turkey dropped its opposition on Tuesday.?
That breakthrough came during a NATO summit in Madrid that has already become one of the most?consequential meetings in the history of the military alliance.
See a map of NATO countries:
CNN’s Rob Picheta and Josh Berlinger contributed to this report.
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Putin denies Russia was behind deadly attack on shopping center in central Ukraine
From CNN's Arnaud Siad and Olena Mankovska
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, speaking to media on Wednesday, denied that Russia was behind a strike on a shopping center in Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine, that left at least 18 dead and dozens missing and wounded.??
“The Russian army does not attack any civilian site. We don’t have the need for this. We have every capability to detect specific locations; and thanks to our high-precious long-range weapons we are achieving our goals,”?Putin said, at a news conference following a meeting of the “Caspian five” leaders —Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan — in Ashgabat.?
More background: On its Telegram channel, the ministry said Russian “Aerospace Forces launched a strike with high-precision air-based weapons on hangars with weapons and ammunition received from the United States and European countries,” hitting a plant of “road machines.”
The ministry blamed “the detonation of stored ammunition for Western weapons” for causing a fire in what it described as a “non-functioning” neighboring shopping mall.
Video from Kremenchuk shows that a shopping mall in the heart of the city was obliterated by one of the two missiles that were fired. Despite an air raid siren, dozens of people were still inside the mall when the missile struck.
It’s unclear what “road machine” plant the Russian Defense Ministry is referring to.
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Around 15,000 people still remain in Lysychansk as Russian forces try to storm the city, local official says
From CNN's Julia Presnikova
Smoke rises over the remains of a building destroyed by a military strike in?Lysychansk on June 17.
(Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters/File Photo)
Russian forces have continued to try and storm Lysychansk, continuously shelling the eastern Ukrainian city where around 15,000 people still remain, Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk region military administration, said on Wednesday.?
Hayday also said “around 15,000 people” remain in Lysychansk, despite a recommendation from officials in the past few weeks that they evacuate away from the frontline. Now, with the city under constant shelling, it has become much harder for people to leave.?
“Now the density of fire is so strong. So much that we can only put 30 people on a bus,” he said. “Therefore, we are very careful about this.”
“The Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway has not been used for a long time. But we have other routes, we do not name them, and we have the opportunity to pick up something sometimes,” he added. “Now is the peak of hostilities.”
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NATO membership not an easy decision but it was the right one, Sweden’s prime minister tells CNN
From CNN’s Emmet Lyons and Ami Kaufman
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (right) during her interview with Christiane Amanpour today.
(CNN)
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told CNN that deciding to join the NATO military alliance was not easy but it was the right decision for the country’s security.
“This was not an easy decision to take for me as prime minister. But I’m sure it was the right decision, and it has an overwhelming support in the Swedish parliament,” the PM told CNN’s Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour Wednesday.
Alongside Finland, Sweden has been formally invited to the NATO alliance following Tuesday’s agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. By becoming a member of the alliance, Sweden will end 200 years of military non-alignment.?
In the agreement with Turkey, the Swedish prime minister said that the country will take steps to “counter terrorists” but that the country “will… follow Swedish and international conventions when it comes to extraditions.”?
The prime minister also said that NATO membership would be of strategic advantage to Baltic countries vulnerable to Russian aggression. “The geographic situation of both Finland and Sweden will make it easier to protect the Baltic states if something happens,” she said.
Speaking to Amanpour, Andersson warned against “Ukraine fatigue.”
“We have to continue with the sanctions. We have to continue to support Ukraine humanitarianly, financially, and not the least, with military support,” she said.
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Ukraine recovers 95 Mariupol steel plant soldiers captured by Russia in prisoner swap, defense ministry says
From CNN's Roman Tymotsko
The Ukrainian government has been able to secure the return of 144 soldiers, including 95 who were part of the defense of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the Ukraine Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence said in a statement on Wednesday.?
“Another exchange of prisoners took place, thanks to which 144 Ukrainian defenders returned home. This is the largest exchange since the beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion. Of the 144 released, 95 are Azovstal defenders. Among them are 43 servicemen of the Azov Regiment,” the statement read.?
The Ukrainian government released an equal number of soldiers of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Russian Federation in the latest prisoner swap, DPR head Denis Pushilin said on Wednesday.?
“Today, we are returning home 144 soldiers of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Russian Federation who were captured by the enemy,” Pushilin said. “We handed over to Kyiv the same number of prisoners from the armed formations of Ukraine.”
CNN’s Julia Presnikova contributed reporting to this post.
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NATO members have been "naive in our relations with Russia,” Spanish prime minister says
From CNN's Alex Hardie?
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez speaks at the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday, June 28.
(NATO Pool/Getty Images)
NATO has been “naive” in its relations with Russia over the years, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told CNN on Wednesday.
Speaking from the NATO summit in Madrid, Sánchez said that NATO is “sending a clear message to Putin, which is that we are going to support Ukraine, and we are ready to support Ukraine until the Russian troops leave the country and they respect the territorial integrity and the national sovereignty of Ukraine.”?
Reacting to Turkey’s agreement to support Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bid, Sánchez said that “the entrance of Finland and Sweden in NATO is not because they want to expand their territories but to defend their values, their democracies, and of course, an international order based on rules, clear rules, that provide certainty and security to our societies.”
Asked whether it was a mistake to consider Russia a “strategic partner” even in 2010, Sánchez said that at that time, NATO had “tried to give Russia and Putin an opportunity,” but that “perhaps, over the years, we’ve been a bit naive in our relations with Russia.”?
“Nowadays, we’re seeing expansionist and imperialism behavior by Putin and his regime, and this is something unacceptable,” he added.?
“I think it is important what we are now approving in this Madrid summit, which is to define Russia as a strategic threat for the allies, and define what are the means, the instruments that we are going to put in place in order to respond to this global threat,” Sánchez said.
Spain has sent 400 tons of “military capacities” as well as humanitarian aid to Ukraine, he added.
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Biden thanks Erdogan for supporting Finnish and Swedish NATO membership bids
From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Arnaud Siad
President Joe Biden, right, meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, June 29.
(Susan Walsh/AP)
US President Joe Biden thanked his Turkish counterpart?Recep Tayyip?Erdo?an at the start of a meeting Wednesday for agreeing to allow Finland?and?Sweden to join NATO.
“I want to particularly thank you for what you did, putting together the situation with regard to Finland and Sweden, and all the incredible work you’re going to try to get the grain out of … Ukraine,” Biden told Erdo?an during the NATO summit in Madrid.
“You’re doing a great job,” Biden added.
Turkey has been in discussionswith Russia about exporting grain from Ukraine. Erdo?an said he hopes diplomacy will help to get grain out of Ukraine.
“I pray that we’ll be able to re-establish the balance through diplomacy in order to cultivate positive results, especially with regards to the grain,” Erdo?an told Biden.
“There are countries that are deprived of the grain and we will open corridors and we will allow them access to the grain that they so need,” he said.
Erdo?an said it gave him “great pleasure” to meet with Biden “after a long interval.”
Erdogan said that the two leader’s joint efforts mean that “we will be able to go back to our countries with our hands full.”?
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Zelensky accepts personal invitation to attend G20 summit in Indonesia
From Anastasia Graham-Yooll?in London and Victoria?Butenko?in Kyiv
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, greets Indonesian President Joko Widodo at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 29.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in Kyiv Wednesday and accepted his personal invitation to attend the G20 summit in Bali in November.?
“Ukraine’s participation will depend on the security situation in Ukraine and who else might be attending,” Zelensky said at the joint press briefing to mark Widodo’s first visit to Ukraine.?
Zelensky went on to say Widodo’s visit was important to help stop the war.??
Widodo also said he will convey a message of peace from Zelensky to Russian President Vladimir Putin when he meets with him on Thursday.?Widodo also invited Putin to the G20.
The?Indonesian president also discussed the importance of Ukraine to the world food supply chain, saying, “all efforts must be made so that Ukraine can return to exporting food again.”
Remember: In April, Putin accepted an invitation to attend the G20 summit, Widodo had announced. However, there has been vehement opposition to the prospect of his attendance. The White House has conveyed privately to Indonesia that Russia should not be allowed to participate in this year’s G20 summit. Finance ministers from multiple nations walked out of a closed-door G20 session in Washington in April when the Russian delegate began his prepared remarks.
CNN’s Masrur “Jamal” Jamaluddin contributed reporting to this post.
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A pro-Russian group appears to be behind cyberattacks on several Norwegian companies, Norway says
From CNN’s James Frater and Arnaud Siad
A “criminal pro-Russian group” appears to be responsible for cyberattacks against several large Norwegian companies, Norway’s National Security Authority said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the authority said the cyberattacks had led to “important websites and online services being made inaccessible.”
“The attacks are aimed at a number of large Norwegian companies that offer important services to the population,” Director Sofie Nystr?m said. “We have seen similar attacks in other countries recently, but none of these have had lasting consequences. Still, the attacks will create uncertainty in the population, and give the impression that we are a pawn in the current political situation in Europe.”
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Syria formally recognizes independence of 2 pro-Russian separatist-held regions in Ukraine's Donbas
From CNN's Eyad Kourdi in Gaziantep
Syria has decided to?formally?recognize the “independence and sovereignty of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics,” according to Syrian state news agency SANA on Wednesday.
“Communication with both countries will be established to agree on a framework for strengthening the relationships between our countries including initiating diplomatic relationships based on the established (diplomatic) rules,” the foreign ministry source added, according to SANA.
This makes Syria the only other country aside from Russia, to?formally?recognize the independence of the breakaway regions.
UN report documents 10,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, with toll likely "considerably higher"
From CNN's Anastasia Graham-Yooll in London?
A hospital nurse pushes a wheelchair carrying a woman wounded by the Russian rocket attack at a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on June 28.
(Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has published an alarming report Wednesday about the human rights situation in Ukraine in the context of the ongoing Russian invasion.
The UN documented 10,000 civilian casualties since the conflict began on Feb. 24, “among them, 4,731 people were killed,” Matilda Bogner, head of Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, told journalists in Kyiv as she presented the report’s findings.
She warned the casualty numbers are “considerably higher” as the report only highlights the figures the mission was able to independently verify.?
“The armed attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the human rights across the country. We documented violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including war crimes. These violations highlight the heavy toll the conflict is having day in and day out,” Bogner said.
The report is based on information gathered during 11 field visits, three visits to places of detention and 517 interviews with victims and witnesses between Feb. 24?and May 15, 2022. The evidence also draws from court documents, official records and open sources.
The report documents violations of international human rights and humanitarian law “to varying degrees, by both parties,” according to Bogner.??
The report also raised “serious concerns” about the allegations of torture of prisoners of war by both sides on the conflict, including testimonies of 44 prisoners of war interviewed by the UN mission.
Bogner stressed the mission encountered evidence of widespread use of extrajudicial punishment against those alleged to be looters, thieves and curfew violators in Ukraine.?
The UN document also outlined “concern about the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance” of representatives of local authorities, journalists, civil society activists and other civilians by Russian troops and affiliated armed groups.
OHCHR documented 248 cases of arbitrary detention, with six of those resulting in deaths.?
The OHCHR report includes “reasonable grounds to believe” that both Russian and Ukrainian armed forces have been using weapons equipped with cluster munitions, including Tochka-U missiles that resulted in civilian casualties. The use of such weapons in populated areas contradicts international law.?
Concluding the report, OHCHR recommended all parties of the conflict “respect and ensure respect at all times and in all circumstances” for international human right and humanitarian laws. The report also urged Russia “to immediately cease the armed attack” and comply with its obligations under international law.?
The Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine maintains its presence in Donetsk, Dnipro, Odesa and Uzhhorod.?
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NATO's Stoltenberg says alliance inviting Finland and Sweden to become members is "historic"
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London?
From left to right background: Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde pose for a picture after signing a memorandum in which Turkey agrees to Finland and Sweden's membership of the defense alliance in Madrid, Spain, on June 28
(Bernat Armangue/AP)
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called the formal invitation from the alliance to Sweden and Finland to join the defense bloc “a historic decision.”??
“Today, NATO leaders took a historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO. The agreement concluded last night by Turkey, Finland and Sweden paved the way for this decision,” Secretary General Stoltenberg said during a press conference held as part of the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday.??
He pinned the success of this agreement on “hard work” carried out “at many different levels” over “many weeks.”??
He recounted how two rounds of talks were held by senior officials in Brussels under his auspices in the advance of Monday’s consequential meeting between Finnish President Sauli Niinist?, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. Turkey agreed on Tuesday to drop its objections to the Nordic nations’ membership bids, removing a major hurdle to them joining NATO.?
“I would like to thank Turkey, Finland and Sweden, for accepting my invitation to engage in negotiations to find a united way forward,” he said.?
Turkey will renew extradition requests to Finland and Sweden after signing memorandum at NATO summit
From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul
Turkey will follow up?on its extradition requests for its 33 terror suspects in Sweden and Finland?after it signed a trilateral memorandum with the two countries in Madrid on Tuesday, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozda? said.
Bozda? said Turkey believes it is important to establish a monitoring board with security, justice and intelligence units to monitor the implementation of the memorandum.?
“We do not find it sufficient to write; we will also supervise its implementation one by one in practice,” he said.?
The foreign affairs ministers of Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum on Tuesday in Madrid that addressed Turkey’s concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism, for Turkey to drop its objections for the two longtime neutral Nordic countries to seek to join NATO.
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NATO formally invites Finland and Sweden to become members of the alliance
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Sharon Braithwaite in London?
NATO has formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the US-led military alliance, according to a statement from NATO Heads of State and Government on Wednesday.?
“Today, we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO, and agreed to sign the Accession Protocols,” the statement said.?
Earlier today, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that following the invitation, “we need a ratification process in 30 parliaments; that always takes some time, but I expect also that to go rather quickly because allies are ready to try to make that ratification process happen as quickly as?possible.”?
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“Has Ukraine not paid enough?”: Zelensky urges NATO to admit his country to the alliance
From CNN's Seb Shukla and Niamh Kennedy in London
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky appears on a giant screen as he delivers a statement at the start of the first plenary session of the NATO summit at the Ifema congress centre in Madrid, on June 29.
(Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images)
“Has Ukraine not paid enough (to join NATO)?” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked leaders of the military alliance as they met Wednesday.
Addressing the NATO summit in Madrid via video link from Kyiv, Zelensky added: “Is our contribution to the defense of both Europe and the whole civilization still insufficient??What else is needed then?”
In a dig at the lack of a clear pathway to join the alliance, Zelensky used the analogy of the Kyiv metro system turnstiles, which are always open until you approach them and then they ask you to pay.
The president, dressed in his now famous military fatigues, also called for NATO to “revise” how it views its eastern flank.
“It is possible to get rid of the ‘gray’ zone, to guarantee security only together with Ukraine,” he said.
“Is it a coincidence that all Allies in the east, all our neighbors, are in favor of Ukraine’s membership in NATO??No, this is not a coincidence.?This is logic.?This is the knowledge of life in our region,” he said.
Later on Wednesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine can “count” on NATO allies for support “for as long as it needs.”
Addressing a press conference in Madrid, the secretary general said he was “pleased” that Zelensky could virtually address the NATO summit and commended the president’s “leadership and courage,” calling him “an inspiration to us all.”
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Norway says it will send long-range rocket artillery to Ukraine
The donation is made possible by a close cooperation between Norway and the United Kingdom, Norwegian Defense Minister Bj?rn Arild Gram said in a statement.
“We must continue our support so the Ukrainians can continue their fight for freedom and independence,” the minister added.
US President Joe Biden announced recently that the US would provide Ukraine with “more advanced rocket systems and munitions” as its war with Russia grinds on.
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Russian troops are scattering anti-personnel mines in Lysychansk, Ukrainian regional military head says
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
Russian soldiers in the Luhansk city of Lysychansk are planting anti-personnel mines, according to the head of the region’s military administration, Serhiy Hayday.
The bombardment of the city is now “constantly” happening night and day, Hayday added.?
On the humanitarian front, his team is trying to deliver “as much” aid as possible, he said, adding that one humanitarian aid kit per person is designed to last for two weeks, but in reality, the supplies only last for a week.?
About 15,000 people are currently left in the city, and the majority of them are those “who refused to leave, despite us constantly urging them to leave,” the regional military head said.?
Hayday said it was hard to give a damage report on the city due to the shelling on multiple fronts by Russian troops.
He reiterated that Lysychansk is the last outpost of the Luhansk region. He added that “in the military sense, the loss of one city is like losing a battle, it is not a lost war.”
But he remained upbeat about the possibility of Ukrainian forces inflicting as many losses on the Russian troops as possible.
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Ukrainian mayor of Kherson detained as Russian-run region prepares for referendum
From CNN's Tim Lister and Sanyo Fylyppov
The elected Ukrainian mayor of Kherson, Ihor Kolykhaiev, was arrested Tuesday, according to pro-Russian officials in the city, hours before the region’s Russian-backed administration announced plans for a referendum.?
Kolykhaiev’s arrest came amid growing efforts by the Russian-appointed authorities in the region to strip it of Ukrainian associations.?
An official in the interim administration of the Kherson region, Kateryna Gubareva, confirmed that Kolykhaiev had been detained. Kolykhaiev has remained in the city throughout the occupation, though the Russian-backed authorities removed him from office.??
Kirill Stremousov,?the Russian-backed deputy head of the military-civilian administration of the Kherson region, said?Kolykhaiev had “posed as a benefactor” but “made every effort to ensure that some people continued to believe in the return of neo-Nazism,” repeating claims echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s baseless justification for the war. Stremousov also claimed without offering evidence that Kolykhaiev “stole millions, and gave people a penny.”
First word of Kolykhaiev’s detention came from his adviser,?Halyna Liashevska, who posted on Facebook on Tuesday that he had arrived “at one of the municipal institutions where the remaining employees of the city executive committee worked. As soon as he got out of the car, he was immediately detained by armed Russian guards.”
“They seized hard drives from computers, opened all safes, searched for documents,” Liashevska said. “All this time, Kolykhaiev was kept in a separate room in handcuffs under armed guard. After the search, Kolykhaiev was put into bus Z and taken away.” Z is the letter on many Russian vehicles in occupied parts of Ukraine.
On June 13, Kolykhaiev said that he and the heads of different city departments were still in the city and continued to work for it, after the man appointed by the Russians as regional governor, Hennadii Lahuta, said that Kolykhaiev had made the wrong choice by remaining in Kherson.
Serhii Khlan, an adviser to the head of the Kherson civil military administration, told CNN that Kolykhaiev had an ambivalent relationship with the Russian occupation.
Khlan said the occupying authorities had then insisted that officials enter into contracts with the Russians and be paid in rubles. “Kolykhaiev had a choice: either sign the betrayal of Ukraine and finally openly work with the occupiers, or refuse to cooperate,” he said.
Kolykhaiev had continued in office for more than two months after the Russian invasion. In April, he told Ukrainian television: “I have no information about the so-called Kherson People’s Republic. Representatives of local authorities in Kherson are at their workplaces in the city administration.”
Kolykhaiev’s arrest followed a visit on Monday to Kherson by a member of the Russian parliament, Alexandr Boroday, a former prime minister of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.
Boroday said he had left “with an ambivalent impression, because we understand that somewhere, of course, the city is ours, and somewhere not quite ours.”
Boroday said the city was peaceful, “but it is not entirely clear whether our power is there or not. And this needs to be done as quickly as possible,” he said.
Within 36 hours of Boroday’s visit, the pro-Russian authorities announced plans for a referendum for the Kherson region to join the Russian Federation.
Some officials in Kherson previously detained have been released. On Wednesday, a nongovernmental organization, the?Association of Cities of Ukraine, said the heads of two communities of Kherson?— Oleksandr Babych of Hola Prystan?and Ivan Samoilenko of Stanislav — were released from captivity.
Ukrainian authorities said earlier this month that “more and more people [in Kherson] refuse to cooperate with the occupiers and local collaborators.”
Opinion: The last time Moscow used food as a weapon in Ukraine, 4 million died
Opinion by Daria Mattingly
Growing up in Ukraine, one learns not to leave breadcrumbs on the table, Daria Mattingly writes for CNN.
Mattingly is a Ukrainian historian who teaches Soviet and Russian history at Cambridge University in the UK.
Her generation of Millennials was taught this pious reverence to bread by their grandparents who survived the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine known as the?Holodomor, Mattingly writes.
Many a time she heard the story of how a soup with wild sorrel, a plant, saved her grandmother and her siblings while the grain collected from her village was left to rot at the train station. That wheat could have saved so many lives, but “the state” did not allow it. Her grandmother, Mattingly explains, could not stand the sight of sorrel for the rest of her life, and always kept her cupboard well stocked with salt and flour.
As a scholar of the Holodomor, Mattingly sees many parallels between the artificial famine of almost a century ago and today’s war, with the aim of the 1932-1933 famine and the current war being to bring Ukraine under Russia’s control.
By controlling the export of Ukrainian wheat, Mattingly says Russia can influence the prices on grain just as it does with oil and gas, which will give them leverage over the countries relying on the grain, including China, India and Turkey. Moreover, if grain supply is limited, poor countries in Asia and Africa will be left with limited supplies and millions will?face starvation.
Germany moving to “swiftly” ratify plans for Finland and Sweden to join NATO, officials say
From CNN’s Chris Stern in Berlin??
Germany is doing everything it can to “swiftly” ratify plans for Finland and Sweden to join NATO, said German foreign ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger.
“There is no concrete timeline but it will be fast,” Burger added at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday.?
NATO?leaders?will decide at a summit in Madrid?whether to invite Finland and Sweden to join the security alliance, after Turkey agreed to support their membership bid on Tuesday.
Following that, a ratification process will need to take place in all NATO capitals, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.?
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Pope calls the airstrike at a Kremenchuk shopping mall the latest “barbarous” attack
From CNN's Hada Messia in Rome
Pope?Francis leads Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, Italy, on June 29.
(Remo Casilli/Reuters)
Pope Francis called the Russian airstrike that struck a bustling shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk the latest “barbarous” attack in the country.
“Every day, I carry dear and tormented Ukraine in my heart, which continues to be drawn out by continuous barbaric attacks like the one that hit the Kremenchuk shopping center,” the Pontiff said Wednesday in his Angelus prayer, celebrating the Catholic feast of St. Peter and St. Paul.
“I pray that this mad war will soon see an end. And I renew the invitation to persevere without tiring in the prayer for peace,” he added.?
At least 18 people were killed in the mall attack on Monday, Ukrainian officials said, with another 58 people injured.
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Death toll rises to 4 in Mykolaiv apartment strike, with 5 people injured?
From CNN's Julia Kesavia
A damaged residential building is seen at the site of the missile strike in?Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on June 29.
(Julie Akimova/news.pn/Reuters)
The number of dead in an attack on a Mykolaiv apartment block has risen to four, according to Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych.
Five people had been injured, he said, adding that emergency services are on site.
In total, 114 people have died in Mykolaiv since the war began, the mayor added. The city is situated near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine.
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US didn't tell Russia about plans to bolster security posture in Europe
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
US President Joe Biden speaks ahead of the NATO summit at the Ifema congress centre in Madrid, Spain, on June 29.
(Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
The United States has not conveyed to Russia its plans to bolster its force posture in Europe, according to US officials.
“There has been no communication with Moscow about these changes nor is there a requirement to do that,” said John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, after Biden announced a series of measures meant to strengthen US and NATO forces in the region.
A second official told reporters the announcements did not violate any agreements between Russia and NATO, which stipulate parameters for positioning troops in Europe.
“The decision to permanently forward station the Five Corps headquarters forward command post does not, you know, is consistent with that commitment and our understanding of the NATO Russia founding act,” said?Celeste Wallander,?United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Affairs.
Earlier, Biden said the US would establish a permanent headquarters for the Fifth Army Corps in Poland, maintain an extra rotational brigade of 3,000 troops in Romania, enhance rotational deployments to the Baltic states, send two more F-35 fighter jet squadrons to the United Kingdom and station additional air defense and other capabilities in Germany and Italy.
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UK sets out further Russia sanctions and targets Putin's "inner circle"
From CNN's Benjamin Brown in London?
The United Kingdom announced further sanctions against Russian citizens and companies on Wednesday, including some described as being in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle.”?
Among those sanctioned is Vladimir Potanin, described by the UK government as Russia’s second-richest man, with an estimated net worth of nearly $16 billion, and a “key supporter of the Kremlin” accused of continuing “to amass wealth as he supports Putin’s regime.”?
Putin’s cousin Anna Tsivileva has also been sanctioned. As president of the Russian coal mining company JSC Kolmar Group – also sanctioned Tuesday – the UK believes Tsivileva and her husband Sergey Tsivilev, the governor of the coal-rich Kemerovo region, have “significantly benefitted” from their relationship with Putin.?
The UK’s latest sanctions also target Russian citizens and companies for their alleged involvement in supporting the Assad regime in Syria, a key Russian ally in the Middle East.?
“As long as Putin continues his abhorrent assault on Ukraine, we will use sanctions to weaken the Russian war machine. Today’s sanctions show that nothing and no one is off the table, including Putin’s inner circle,” a UK government spokesperson said.?
Working together with international allies, the government said it would introduce measures to prevent Russia from using UK trusts services used to manage assets of others.?
The British government says it has sanctioned more than 1,000 people and more than 120 businesses since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.??
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More than 50 people remain in hospital after Kremenchuk mall bombing, official says, as rescuers sift wreckage
From Pierre Bairin in Kremenchuk, Ukraine
Rescuers clear rubble at the Amstor mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on June 28.
(Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)
Eleven body fragments have been found at the site of the Kremenchuk mall bombing, a local official has told CNN, as more than 50 people continue to be treated for their injuries.?
Anton Stoletniy, chief prosecutor of the Poltava region, said the body fragments would have be analysed to determine “how many different people they come from.”
Stoletniy said 54 people remain in hospital, 35 of whom are seriously injured. The number killed in the bombing stands at 18.
His update followed an address by the Poltava region military administration, Dmytro Lunin, to Ukrainian television earlier Wednesday in which Lunin said “eight body fragments” had so far been found, with “relatives doing DNA tests.”
Stoletniy said that three-quarters of the shopping mall’s structures had been “dismantled” so far, with 300 rescue workers employed in the task.
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Inside Biden's successful six-month bid to expand NATO
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
US President Joe Biden gestures at the start of the first plenary session of the NATO summit at the Ifema congress centre in Madrid, Spain, on June 29.
(Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden was meeting royalty in Spain on Tuesday when word arrived that an audacious plan he had hatched six months earlier was in the final stages of completion.
Leaving his meeting with King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace, Biden took the call from Finland’s President Sauli Niinist? and Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. They walked him through what they’d agreed to with President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an of Turkey. And he gave the sign-off.
In the six-and-a-half months since Biden placed his first phone call to Niinist? suggesting he join NATO, the security situation in Europe has been altered drastically.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown out long-standing assumptions about the security of nations along its borders.
And countries that had for decades upheld a strict neutrality policy are suddenly reconsidering their stance.
NATO leaders have reiterated their support for Ukraine and announced increased security deployments on the eastern edge of the military alliance, as Russian forces make progress in their campaign to encircle the city of Lysychansk.
Here are the latest?headlines:
NATO bids:?NATO?leaders?will decide at a summit in Madrid?whether to invite Finland and Sweden to join the security alliance after Turkey agreed to support their membership bid. It comes after Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed a joint memorandum on Tuesday. Ankara had previously objected over concerns about terrorism and arms exports. Following Wednesday’s decision, a ratification process will need to take place in all NATO capitals, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
NATO ramps up deployments: Leaders of the military alliance are expected to announce significant strengthening of forces along its eastern edge, with US President Joe Biden listing?new troop movements, equipment shipments and military installations meant to demonstrate the importance of security as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on.?
Scholz underlines support for Ukraine: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that NATO allies would continue to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia for “as long and as intensively as it is necessary.”?
Battle for?Lysychansk: Russian forces already control the southern and eastern approaches to Lysychansk, and fighting continues close to the main highway southwest of the city, where a large oil refinery is situated,?the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said early Thursday.
Referendum in Kherson: Russian-backed authorities in Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson say they are preparing for a referendum to join the Russian Federation. Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the military-civilian administration of the Kherson region, said in an interview on his Telegram channel: “Yes, we are preparing for the referendum, and we will hold it.”
Search continues at bombed shopping mall: Clearing the wreckage at the shopping mall in the center of Kremenchuk which was hit by a Russian missile on Monday will take two to three days, according to a regional official. At least 18 civilians?were killed in the strike, with another 58 people injured. A video of the missile strike has emerged online.
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Biden unveils enhanced US force posture in Europe during NATO summit
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
US President Joe?Biden?at the start of the NATO summit at the IFEMA arena in Madrid, Spain, on June 29.
(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
US President?Joe?Biden announced a significant strengthening of US force posture in Europe as he began a two-day NATO summit in Madrid.?
Speaking alongside the NATO secretary general, Biden listed new troop movements, equipment shipments and military installations meant to demonstrate the importance of security as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on.?
He said the US would establish a permanent headquarters for the Fifth Army Corps in Poland, maintain an additional rotational brigade of 3,000 troops in Romania, enhance rotational deployments to the Baltic states, send two additional F-35 fighter jet squadrons to the United Kingdom and station additional air defense and other capabilities in Germany and Italy.
“Together with our allies, we are?going to make sure that NATO is?ready to meet threats from all?directions across every domain,?land, air, and sea,” Biden said.?
US President Joe Biden, left, pictured with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a meeting at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain on June 29.
(Susan Walsh/AP)
He praised the breakthrough diplomacy with Turkey that has set the stage for Finland and Sweden – two longtime neutral countries – to join NATO, saying it sent a clear signal to Russia that the alliance was united and growing.
“Their decision to move away?from neutrality and the tradition of neutrality to join the NATO?alliance is going to make us stronger and more?secure and NATO stronger,” he said. “We are sending an unmistakable?message in my view… that NATO is strong, united, and?the steps we are taking during?this summit are going to?further augment our collective?strength.”
Biden said the two Scandinavian countries’ expected accession was a sign Putin’s aims had backfired.
“I said Putin was looking?for the Finlandization of Europe.?He’s going to get the NATOization of Europe, and that is?exactly what he did not want,?that’s exactly what needs to be?done to guarantee security for?Europe. And I think it’s?necessary,” he said.
New video shows moment of attack on Ukrainian shopping mall
A Russian missile approaches a shopping?mall at a location given as Kremenchuk, Ukraine in this still image taken from handout CCTV footage released on June 28.
(zelenskiy_official/Instagram/Reuters)
A video has emerged showing what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says is the moment the missile strike hit the busy shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine on Monday.
CNN cannot independently verify the specific target of the strike shown in the video.
The explosion and fire that swept through the building, has sparked fears of mass casualties. At least 18 civilians have been killed, and over 50 injured.
Searching Kremenchuk mall wreckage will take two to three days, officials say
From CNN's Tim Lister
Ukrainian servicemen work clearing up the debris of a shopping mall targeted by a missile strike in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on June 28.
(Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Clearing the wreckage at the shopping mall in the center of the city hit by a Russian missile on Monday is undergoing, said Vitalii Maletskyi, the mayor of Kremenchuk.
Maletskyi told Ukrainian television Wednesday: “Rescuers from three regions of Ukraine are working at the scene. They have not yet reached the epicenter of the explosion. There is still a large area to work on where the ceiling collapsed, the supporting structures collapsed.”
Dmytro Lunin, head of Poltava region military administration, said clearing the wreckage would continue for two to three days.?
Twenty-five people had been admitted to a hospital, he said. One person had died in hospital.
“Eighteen bodies and eight body fragments were found at the scene. Relatives are doing DNA tests now,” Lunin told Ukrainian television, adding that three rescue officers had also been injured while dismantling the debris.
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NATO will support Ukraine for as long as it is necessary, says German Chancellor
From CNN’s Chris Stern in Berlin??
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz talks to the press as he arrives for the NATO summit at the Ifema congress centre in Madrid, Spain, on June 29.
(Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday that NATO allies would continue to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia for “as long and as intensively as it is necessary.”
On Tuesday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Berlin would provide a division of 15,000 troops, with 65 planes and 20 ships, to NATO’s high-readiness force.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg announced on Monday that the alliance would scale up the number of troops at high alert to more than 300,000 from 2023.
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At least three civilians killed in missile attacks on Mykolaiv, say rescue services
From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych
At least three people were killed after eight missiles hit the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv early Wednesday, according to regional officials.
A five-story apartment building was hit, according to the State Emergency Service (SES) in Mykolaiv region.
“It is currently known about three dead and one civilian injured. Also, one SES employee was injured,” it said.
Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, said that five people had been injured in total.
Oleksandr Sienkevych, the mayor of Mykolaiv, said there had been a total of eight strikes and that the number of victims was not final.?
He said the Russians had used a modified KH-55 missile in the attacks and he was not sure whether the apartment building that was hit was the intended target.
?“We know that their weapons fire anywhere,” said Sienkevych.
“In all the days after invasion, there were only 18 days when we were not fired upon,” he added. “We used to be fired at several times a day with cluster shells… Now they have switched to missiles.”
He said 114 local residents had died due to Russian attacks since the invasion began.
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Biden arrives to NATO summit in Madrid
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on June 29.
(Susan Walsh/AP)
President Joe Biden arrived to a NATO summit in Madrid, where he plans to announce a significant strengthening of forces along the alliance’s eastern flank as Russia’s war in Ukraine shows no signs of slowing.
NATO leaders enter the talks propelled by a diplomatic victory after Turkey dropped its objections to Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance, setting the stage for the two longtime neutral countries to enter the defensive bloc.
In Madrid, leaders plan to agree on major new security commitments the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Cold War.
On Tuesday, Biden said he was sending two additional destroyers to the Rota Naval Station in Spain, intended to bolster the American maritime presence in the region.
He’ll make additional announcements Wednesday on force increases on “land, sea and air,” according to his top national security aide, who said US forces along NATO’s eastern edge would move “in a steady state” to the region.
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More fighting around Lysychansk and Russian forces advance south of Bakhmut, says Ukrainian military
From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych
Russian forces are focusing their efforts on encircling the city of Lysychansk, the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said early Thursday.
Russian forces already control the southern and eastern approaches to Lysychansk, and fighting continues close to the main highway southwest of the city, where a large oil refinery is situated.
The Russians are also trying to close in on the town of Bakhmut, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Lysychansk, and have made some gains south of the town, the General Staff said Thursday.
If successful, they would potentially trap Ukrainian forces still defending lines in a pocket of territory in Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
“The enemy is partially successful, it is entrenching in the northern part of Klynove ??and near the E-40 highway,” said the General Staff. “In order to maintain the pace of the offensive in this direction, the occupiers strengthened the group with one battalion tactical group.”
Some Ukrainian officials have called the E-40 “the highway of life” because of its importance in resupplying troops and evacuating civilians, which would be greatly complicated if the Russians interdict the highway.?
Elsewhere in Donetsk – near Sloviansk – the General Staff said that the Russians were still focused on assault operations north of the city and had moved more weapons and military equipment into the area.
Local Ukrainian officials have previously said that the Russians are reinforcing north of Sloviansk, one of several major cities in Donetsk that remain in Ukrainian hands.
The General Staff said that the Russians continued to shell Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region from across the border and had also brought a multiple launch rocket system into action.
Dmytro Zhyvytskyy, head of the Sumy region military administration, said three people had been killed.
The Russians had also carried out airstrikes, he said, using helicopters that shot missiles from the other side of the border. The town of Krasnopillya was “covered” with fire, he said.
In southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military says that the Russians have added one battalion tactical group to forces south of Kryvyi Rih.
Yevhen Sytnychenko, head of Kryvyi Rih district military administration, said that the city’s thermal power plant had been shelled but continued to operate.
“The goal of the Russians is to intimidate the civilian population,” he said, adding that one man had been injured in the shelling of a village south of the city.
In the city of Dnipro, the bodies of two people had been recovered from the rubble of a transport depot hit on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
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NATO chief expects "quick" ratification of Sweden and Finland's bids to join the alliance?
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London?
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato Secretary General, makes remarks upon his arrival at the Nato summit in Madrid, Spain, on June 29.
(Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance/Getty Images)
NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said he expects Sweden and Finland to become members of the military alliance quickly.?
“We will make a decision today or at least at the summit to invite Sweden and Finland to become members, that’s unprecedented quick,” he said on arrival at the NATO summit in Madrid on Wednesday,?after both countries filed the application in mid-May.??
After the invitation, “we need a ratification process in 30 parliaments, that always takes some time but I expect also that to go rather quickly because allies are ready to try to make that ratification process happen as quickly as?possible,” he said.?
NATO leaders meeting Wednesday in Madrid will “state clearly that Russia poses a direct threat to our security,” Stoltenberg also said.
On Monday, Stoltenberg announced that NATO would increase the number of high readiness forces to well over 300,000 in the eastern part of the alliance.??
Stoltenberg said Wednesday said he expects these forces to be ready by next year.?
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"We need your help": All-Ukrainian clash at Wimbledon puts focus beyond tennis
From CNN's Issy Ronald
Ukrainian tennis players Anhelina Kalinina and Lesia Tsurenko have been drawn to play one another at Wimbledon on June 29.
(AP/Getty Images)
With its strawberries and cream, grassy slopes, and peaceful setting in a leafy part of London,?Wimbledon?is a world away from Ukraine, where the bombs still fall?four months after Russia invaded.
For the Ukrainians competing at SW19, however, the war never truly leaves them.
On Wednesday, Anhelina Kalinina will face Lesia Tsurenko in an all-Ukrainian second-round match they hope can draw attention to the continued plight of their country.
Since Russia began its war in Ukraine in February, millions of refugees have?fled Ukraine?to neighboring countries, and for Kalinina, her family is among the uprooted.
She confirmed to reporters on Monday that her parents’ home in the?Kyiv suburb of Irpinhad been bombed, saying “they are alive, they are safe” but “living on the bags and praying every day.”
Spain's Pedro Sanchez says Russia has gone from NATO strategic partner to "main threat"
From CNN’s Al Goodman in Madrid??
From left, NATO Secretary of the Council Jorgen Christian Jorgensen, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Spain's Minister for Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares arrive for the NATO summit at the Ifema congress centre in Madrid, Spain, on June 29.
(Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Wednesday that in just a decade, NATO’s relationship with Russia has changed from a partnership to considering it a key threat.??
Arriving at the summit, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recalled that in 2010, at the NATO Summit in Lisbon, Russia participated in meetings there.?
“This will not be the case now,” he told reporters.??
Stoltenberg said he thinks the NATO leaders in Madrid will agree “that Russia poses a direct threat to our security and that will be reflected” in NATO’s new strategic concept.?
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Moscow-backed administration in Kherson says it plans to join Russia in a referendum
From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych?
A senior Russian-backed official installed to run the southern region of Kherson in Ukraine said the authorities there are preparing for a referendum to join the Russian Federation.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the military-civilian administration of the Kherson region, said in an interview on his Telegram channel: “Yes, we are preparing for the referendum, and we will hold it.”
Stremousov has been collaborating with Russian officials for several months.
Addressing those anticipating Kherson’s liberation by Ukrainian forces, Stremousov said on June 14: “We do not pay attention to it. All your attempts are useless and meaningless. […] We say once again that this is a waste of time.”
He also warned those refusing to cooperate.
On Tuesday, the elected mayor of Kherson city, Ihor Kolykhaiev, was arrested. He has remained in the city throughout the occupation. The deputy head of the interim administration of the Kherson region, Kateryna Gubareva, confirmed his arrest.
The Russian-backed administration is planning to offer Russian passports to residents of Kherson and begin introducing the ruble as its currency.
About 45% of the pre-invasion population has left the region, according to Ukrainian officials, but moving directly to Ukrainian-held parts of the country has become extremely difficult.?
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Analysis: Europe sees China through a Russian lens, and Beijing is not happy
Analysis from CNN's Simone McCarthy in Hong Kong
As leaders of major Western democracies and their allies meet in two back-to-back summits this week in Europe, their focus is clear: keeping pressure on Russia as its?brutal assault on Ukraine?enters its fifth month.
But another country has also been pulled into the spotlight in those meetings: China. And Beijing is not happy about it.
For the first time, the China “challenge” is expected to feature in NATO’s “Strategic Concept,” slated for release at the bloc’s?summit in Madrid?this week. The document, last updated in 2010, lays out the security challenges facing the alliance while outlining a course of action.
European leaders have grown increasingly wary of China in recent years and those views have hardened in recent months as Beijing has?repeatedly refused to condemn?the Russian invasion of Ukraine and?bolstered its ties?with the Kremlin.
Ukraine's first lady says her country "cannot see the end of our suffering"
From CNN's?Emmet Lyons?and?Nicholas Pearce
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska speaks to CNN on June 28.
(CNN)
Five months of war have forced Ukrainians to adjust their expectations. After readying for a conflict they thought would be a sprint, many are now grappling with the likelihood of a “marathon,” said Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady.
“It’s very difficult to hold on for five months. We need to accumulate our strength, we need to save our energy,” Zelenska told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Zelenska spoke to CNN at a crucial moment in the fight. Though Kyiv racked up a series of early victories in the initial aftermath of Russia’s invasion,?the tide appears to be turning in the Kremlin’s favor, especially in the east.
Indonesia's Joko Widodo heads to Ukraine following G7 meetings?
From CNN's Masrur Jamaluddin and Alex Stambaugh
Indonesian President Joko Widodo boards a train that will take him to Kyiv, Ukraine, at a railway station in Przemysl, Poland on June 28.
(Indonesian Presidential Palace/AP)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo departed Poland late Tuesday evening en route to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where he is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before traveling onto Moscow this week.?
The Indonesian President and his entourage are traveling on a train prepared by the Ukrainian government and used by state leaders who have previously visited the country, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Presidential Secretariat.?
Their train departed Przemy?l, Poland around 9:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday and is expected to arrive in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Accompanying the President are his wife, First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, the statement said.?
Jokowi, as the President is popularly known, is expected to then hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, according to Russian state news agency TASS.?
Ahead of the start of his overseas tour, Jokowi said in a news conference on Sunday that his mission to Ukraine and Russia aims to “build dialogue, stop war and build peace,” Indonesian national news agency Antara reported.?
The Indonesian leader has invited both Zelensky and Putin to the G20 Summit, which is scheduled to be held in Bali in November.
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It's 9:45 a.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
Turkey has dropped its objections to the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland, Ankara confirmed, removing a major hurdle to the two countries joining the alliance.
Here are the latest headlines:
NATO bids: NATOleaders will decide on Wednesday whether to invite Finland and Sweden to join the security alliance after Turkey agreed to support their membership bid. It comes after Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed a joint memorandum on Tuesday. Ankara had previously objected over concerns about terrorism and arms exports. Following Wednesday’s decision, a ratification process will need to take place in all NATO capitals, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
UN Security Council: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the UN Security Council, a day after?a deadly attack on a shopping mall, to call for Russia to be expunged as a permanent member of the group.?Zelensky said Russia’s war demonstrates the meaning of the word “terrorist state” and the “urgent necessity to enshrine it legally” at the UN.
Ukraine uses HIMARS for first time: Ukrainian forces were able to strike an arms depot well within Moscow-controlled territory in the Luhansk region, with Russian-backed separatist forces in Luhansk saying Kyiv used the US-donated HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) to do it. Pictures of the aftermath of the strike, posted by Russian affiliated accounts, showed the remains of what looked like a Western-made missile.
Storming Lysychansk: The situation in Lysychansk remains “very difficult” as it suffers increased bombardments from Russian forces trying to storm the eastern Ukrainian city. “There is no central water supply, no gas, no electricity,” the head of the Luhansk regional military administration?said.
Captive Americans: The pro-Russian captors of two Americans seized during a battle near Kharkiv earlier this month are reportedly “willing to negotiate,”?one captive’s mother said. Bunny Drueke said her son,?Alexander John-Robert?Drueke, spoke in recent days — under duress —?with an official from the US State Department, and it was unclear what his captors were asking for in any negotiations.
US sanctions: The United States government took a slew of actions against Russia on Tuesday, sanctioning those whom it says support Russia’s defense industrial base, designating Russian military units for human rights abuses in Ukraine and implementing?a ban on new imports of Russian gold.
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Zelensky asks UN Security Council?to expel Russia as permanent member
From CNN's Jen Deaton
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday urged the UN Security Council to expunge Russia as a permanent member of the group, the day after?a deadly Russian attack on a shopping mall?in central Ukraine.
He then listed attacks on Ukraine since last Saturday, including the strike on a residential building in Kyiv, a rocket in the yard of a kindergarten on Sunday, and a missile strike on a shopping center in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine.?“Those who carried out the strike could not have been unaware it was on a shopping mall,” Zelensky said.??
Zelensky continued with a list of additional strikes in Ukraine this week, and named the victims, including children, elderly and women.?“I want you to hear the names,” he said.??
He then asked the body, “who of you does not agree that this is terrorism??If in any other part of the world, any organization acted just like Russia who is killing Ukrainians, if a country killed any peaceful people, that would definitely be recognized as terrorism.?Such an organization would become an enemy for all of humankind,” he said.??
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Turkey drops objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO
From CNN's Kevin Liptak, Niamh Kennedy,?Sugam Pokharel,?Kate Sullivan?and?Donald Judd,
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center left, meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid on June 28.
Finnish President Sauli Niinist? said on Tuesday that Turkey has agreed to support Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bids, removing a major hurdle to the two countries joining the alliance.
Niinist? said in a statement that a joint memorandum on the matter was signed by Turkey, Finland and Sweden on Tuesday in Madrid ahead of what is shaping up to be a critical summit.
The joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Turkey “to extend their full support against threats to each other’s security,” Niinist? said.
US announces steps to ramp up NATO security against Russian threat
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
US President Joe Biden speaks during a joint press conference with Spain's Prime Minister after a meeting at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, on the sidelines of a summit of The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on June 28.
(Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
President?Joe?Biden announced Tuesday the United States will send two new destroyers to the Rota Naval Station in Spain. This brings the total number of US destroyers based there to six.
The move comes as the US is expected to make announcements during this week’s NATO summit in Madrid to ramp up the American force posture as it looks to counter a “more acute and aggravated Russian threat,” according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Sullivan said the whole of NATO was also planning to agree on specific targets for increased funding for the alliance from their national budgets.
300,000 troops: This follows NATO secretary-general Jens?Stoltenberg’s?announcement Monday that the US-led military alliance will enhance its battle groups in the eastern part of the alliance up to brigade levels, saying it would be the “biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defense since the Cold War.”
“We will increase the number of high readiness forces to well over 300,000,” he said, adding it will include “more pre-positioned equipment, and stockpiles of military supplies; more forward-deployed capabilities, like air defense; strengthened command and control; and upgraded defense plans, with forces pre-assigned to defend specific allies.”
According to the NATO website, the NATO Response Force comprises about 40,000 troops.
“These troops will exercise together with home defense forces. And they will become familiar with local terrain, facilities, and our new pre-positioned stocks so that they can respond smoothly and swiftly to any emergency,”?Stoltenberg added.
CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite contributed reporting.
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Situation in Lysychansk "very difficult" as Russian forces try to storm city, official says
From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko and Vasco Cotovio
The situation in Lysychansk is “very difficult” as it suffers increased bombardments from Russian forces, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration said on Tuesday
Hayday said Russian forces in the area are putting all their efforts into storming the eastern Ukrainian city.
Hayday added Russian forces have suffered significant losses and have had to rely on older equipment to continue their assault.
“Today we already see that they use old weapons. That is, not only modern equipment like the T-80, but already the T-64 and even the T-62. These are already completely outdated models of tanks,” he said. “They use everything that’s possible and impossible.”
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Biden officials privately doubt that Ukraine can win back all of its territory
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand
White House officials are losing confidence that?Ukraine will ever be able to take back?all of the land it has lost to Russia over the past four months of war, US officials told CNN, even with the heavier and more sophisticated weaponry the US and its allies plan to send.
Advisers to?President Joe Biden have begun debating internally how and whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should shift his definition of a Ukrainian “victory” — adjusting for the possibility that his country has shrunk irreversibly.
US officials emphasized to CNN that this more pessimistic assessment?does not mean the US plans to pressure?Ukraine into making any formal territorial concessions to Russia in order to end the war. There is also hope that Ukrainian forces will be able to take back significant chunks of territory in a likely counteroffensive later this year.
A congressional aide familiar with the deliberations told CNN that a smaller Ukrainian state is not inevitable.
He noted that Ukraine has formally asked the US for a minimum of 48 multiple launch rocket systems, but to date has only been promised eight from the Pentagon.
Bulgaria said Tuesday it had asked Russia to withdraw 70 staff members from its embassy in Sofia by July 3, saying Russia should decrease the size of its embassy to match the Bulgarian diplomatic footprint in Moscow.
The ministry said its request was based on “reciprocity” and activities that are “a threat to national security,” and incompatible with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
