July 7, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news?here?or read through the updates below.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attend a joint press conference at the Vahdettin Mansion on July 8, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the plight of his country’s prisoners of war in a meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip?Erdo?an, and the Turkish leader has vowed to discuss the same issue with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky said in a joint news conference early Saturday that POWs, along with political prisoners and deported children, had been a “key topic” of his talks with Erdo?an in Istanbul.

Erdo?an said he would look for common ground when he speaks with Russia’s leader, including when they meet again in August.

“Particularly on prisoner swaps, we’ve listened to Ukraine. We are also listening to Russia. I spoke to Mr. Putin,” Erdo?an said. “Next month we will be able to speak about it again when Mr. Putin has a Turkey visit. We will speak about it on the phone until then. The prisoner exchanges are high on our agenda as well. We hope there will be a solution on this issue as well.”

CNN’s Gul Tuysuz contributed reporting to this post from Istanbul.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “happy to hear” that Turkey supports Ukraine’s bid to join the NATO alliance.?

Zelensky, who spoke alongside?Turkish President Recep Tayyip?Erdo?an at a joint press conference in Istanbul, said the two leaders discussed “key issues of our work in the context of NATO, in particular preparing for a Vilnius summit.”

Ukraine is expected to be at the top of the agenda of that meeting next week.

Zelensky also said the two leaders talked about “the joint work in the military-industrial complex, development of technologies, drone manufacturing and other strategic directions.”

“We made certain agreements,” he said. “I asked Turkey to join into the efforts of rebuilding and transforming Ukraine, it is a colossal project, and we need Turkey’s experience and technology to help us.”

Some context: Both Sweden and its?neighbor?Finland?stated their intent to join?NATO?through?its?open-door policy in May?last year, just weeks after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.?Finland was accepted?in?April of this year,?doubling the alliance’s border with Russia,?but?Sweden’s accession is?currently?being blocked by Turkey.

Turkey claims that Sweden?allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups?to operate in Sweden, most notably the?militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).?

Ukraine and Turkey’s leaders say they are working to extend the Black Sea grain deal that expires later this month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Saturday he discussed the issue with?Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in Istanbul and emphasized the?Black Sea should be an area of safety not of “so-called frozen conflicts.”

Erdo?an said Turkey is working on extending the deal and that he will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the matter.

The Turkish president said instead of renewing a year-long deal every two months, he is hopeful it could be put in place for a two-year period, with renewal every three months. The current deal expires on July 17.

Erdo?an said after brokering the grain deal, about 33 million tons of grain were able to get to those who needed it in just one year.

“We have shown our solidarity with Ukraine through political, economic, humanitarian and technical help,” Erdo?an said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believes his country will regain control over Crimea and thanked Turkey for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.?

“I’m grateful to Turkey for supporting our territorial integrity and sovereignty,”?Zelensky said while speaking alongside?Turkish President Recep Tayyip?Erdo?an at a joint press conference in Istanbul early Saturday.

Some background: Crimea was forcibly seized by Russia in 2014 and is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which is based at Sevastopol. The peninsula has acted as a launching pad for the February invasion, with Russian troops pouring into Ukraine’s south from the annexed region.

When Russia completed its annexation of Crimea in a referendum, which was slammed by Ukraine and most of the world as illegitimate, it was at the time considered the biggest land grab on?Europe since World War II.

During the war, the Ukrainian military has been carrying out?attacks in Crimea?with two goals: harass the Russian Black Sea fleet and disrupt vital Russian supply lines.

There’s been a flurry of news away from the battlefield in Ukraine today, as Kyiv’s allies prepare for a consequential NATO summit in Lithuania next week, and the United States enters uncharted territory with its latest contribution to Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

If you’re just catching up, here are some of the key headlines this evening:

Ukraine gets a controversial addition to its arsenal: The US will?send cluster munitions?to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package, officials confirmed. The decision follows months of debate within the Biden administration about whether to, for the first time, provide Kyiv with the controversial weapons banned by over 100 countries — including key US allies.

Cluster munitions scatter “bomblets” across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines. The US Defense Department defended its decision, in part, by emphasizing that it was providing only newer versions of the weapons which have lower “dud rates,” meaning fewer bomblets go unexploded and pose a future threat.

Biden outlines his thought process: US President Joe Biden?told?CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that it was a “difficult decision” to provide Ukraine with the cluster munitions, but that he was ultimately convinced to send the weapons because Kyiv is running out of ammunition in its counteroffensive against Russia. Moscow’s success, he argued, poses an even greater threat than the controversial munitions.

World leaders gear up for the NATO summit: Key storylines to watch when the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, kicks off Monday include Sweden’s stalled accession to the alliance. It has been left behind even as Finland, which was also driven to abandon neutrality by Russia’s war, joins NATO’s ranks.

The US is trying to help Sweden clear its final hurdles to membership and address objections from Turkey. Ukraine’s president, meanwhile, said Friday that a lack of unity on Sweden’s accession threatens the alliance’s strength.

Ukraine’s own admission to NATO will not immediately result from the summit, a White House official said Friday, but the gathering will provide an opportunity to discuss its future accession and rally support for its war effort. There could also be consequential meetings on the Black Sea grain deal, a vital pact for addressing global hunger by ensuring safe shipments from Ukrainian ports.

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02:11 - Source: CNN

US President Joe Biden told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Friday that it was a “difficult decision” to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time, but that he was ultimately convinced to send the controversial weapons because Kyiv needs ammunition in its counteroffensive against Russia.

The White House announced Friday that the president had approved the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, the latest instance of the US has providing Kyiv with weapons it initially resisted sending into the war.

The cluster munitions that the US will send to Ukraine will be compatible with US-provided 155mm howitzers, a key piece of artillery that has allowed Ukraine to win back territory over the last year.

Biden told Zakaria that the cluster munitions were being sent as a “transition period” until the US is able to produce more 155mm artillery.

There are more than 100 countries, including the UK, France and Germany, who have outlawed the munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions. But the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban.

Read more here.

The interview will air in full on “Fareed Zakaria GPS” at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday.?

The US Defense Department said that one of the primary reasons the US is providing cluster munitions to Ukraine is to help them punch through Russian defensive lines as the counteroffensive is “going a little slower than some had hoped.”

Kahl said the munitions would be delivered to Ukraine “in a timeframe that is relevant for the counteroffensive.”

Kahl also said the provisions of cluster munitions is also an important signal to Russia that “the Ukrainians are going to stay in the game.”

“(Russian President) Vladimir Putin has a theory of victory, OK? His theory of victory is that he will outlast everybody,” said Kahl. “That’s why President (Joe) Biden has been clear that we’re going to be with Ukraine as long as it takes, and why we are signaling that we will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities that will keep them in the fight.”

In response to the humanitarian concerns around cluster munitions, Kahl said that “the worst thing for civilians in Ukraine is for Russia to win the war, and so it’s important that they don’t.”

Status of the counteroffensive: The Ukrainian military has so far failed to yield major gains in the early phases of its counteroffensive, documenting incremental advances on the front lines.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky?has said he wanted to be strategic about where troops are being sent.

“Every meter, every kilometer costs lives,” he said earlier this month. “You can do something really fast, but the field is mined to the ground. People are?our treasure. That’s why we are very careful.”

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has also said that the pace is not surprising, given that Russia has had time to bolster its defenses and “Ukrainian soldiers are assaulting through minefields and into trenches.”

“So yes, sure, it goes a little slow, but that is part of the nature of war,” Milley said.

CNN’s Ivana Kottasová contributed reporting to this post.

Ukraine will not be joining NATO as a member country following next week’s summit, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed in a news conference Friday.

While that statement was widely expected, observers will be closely watching for any tangible steps Ukraine can take toward membership.?

Kyiv has long sought to join the alliance, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged his country’s membership would have to wait until the war with Russia is finished.

Sullivan reiterated the current “open door policy” that will allow Ukraine and NATO to make a decision together, saying that the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, “will be an important moment on that pathway toward membership,” as it will provide an opportunity for members “to discuss the reforms that are still necessary?for Ukraine to come up to NATO standards.”

Sullivan called the summit a “milestone,” but added that Ukraine “still has further steps it needs to take before membership.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that he expects leaders at the summit to “reaffirm” that Ukraine will — eventually — become a member.

Sweden’s stalled bid for membership: In addition to Ukraine, the military alliance gathering is expected to feature discussion of Sweden’s stalled accession, including concessions it has made in response to Turkey’s objections.

The White House national security adviser said the US continues to back Sweden’s bid and said he believes the process will get done relatively soon.

“We are confident that Sweden will come in (to NATO) in the not-too-distant future, and there will be unanimous support for that,” Sullivan said.

The US Defense Department defended the decision to send controversial Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICMs), also known as cluster munitions, to Ukraine, citing the lower failure rates of the weapons than the Russian versions, as well as Ukraine’s commitment to “responsible use” of them.

“The Ukrainian government has offered us assurances in writing on the responsible use of DPICM’s, including that they will not use the rounds in civilian populated urban environments, and that they will record where they use these rounds, which will simplify later de-mining efforts,” said Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl at a press briefing.

Kahl said he discussed the issue with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, and the US will increase its support to Ukraine’s “post-conflict de-mining efforts” on top of the $95 million already committed.

Providing cluster munitions to Ukraine will “ensure that the Ukrainian military has sufficient artillery ammunition for many months to come,” Kahl added.

Kahl reiterated the US is not providing older cluster munition variants with high “dud rates.”?

Cluster munitions are banned by more than 100 countries, not including the US and Ukraine, because they scatter “bomblets” across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines.

The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, on April 21.

US President Joe Biden’s administration officially announced it was sending cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of the 42nd?drawdown of equipment from the Defense Department.?

A release on Friday said the administration was providing “additional artillery systems and ammunition, including highly effective and reliable dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM), on which the Administration conducted extensive consultations with Congress and our Allies and partners.”

In separate statement, Biden said he had formally directed the drawdown of up to $800 million in defense articles and services to provide assistance to Ukraine.?

In total, the US has provided more than $41.3 billion in security aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began last year.

Kyiv issues thanks: Ukraine is grateful for the?“timely, broad and much-needed” defense package,?Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said?Friday.

In a message on Twitter, Zelensky praised the US for taking “decisive steps that bring Ukraine closer to victory over the enemy, and democracy to victory over dictatorship.”

“The expansion of Ukraine’s defense capabilities will provide new tools for the de-occupation of our land and bringing peace closer,” he said.?

CNN’s Allie Malloy, Victoria Butenko and Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.

Urainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “busy day” in Turkey as he met with?Turkish President?Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday.?

The two leaders discussed “coordination of positions” on Ukraine’s peace formula, the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania,?security guarantees, the Black Sea grain initiative, reconstruction, as well as defense contracts, Zelensky said on his social media accounts.?

“We will separately discuss the protection and development of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and further efforts for food security. The world must be protected from any kind of terror,” he added.

More background on the Black Sea grain deal: The agreement, which is considered vital for world food security, is expiring in just 10 days.?It was first brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 and again extended in May for two months.

After invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia blockaded vital grain exports from key Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which meant that millions of tons of Ukrainian grain were not being exported to the many countries that rely on it. The impact of the war on global food markets was immediate and extremely painful, as Ukraine accounts for 10% of the world wheat market, 15% of the corn market and 13% of the barley market.

Russia recently signaled it was not open to extending the deal again, with the country’s foreign ministry this week saying it “has turned into a purely commercial export of Ukrainian food to ‘well-fed’ countries.”

In the wake of the attempted?uprising by Wagner Group forces?in Russia, the US and Europe have turned their gaze to an increasingly unpredictable Belarus – a key Russian ally that Western officials fear could give the exiled mercenary troops a new home and serve as a staging ground for Russian nuclear weapons.

But so far, US and European officials have not seen clear signs that either scenario is unfolding. While officials are closely monitoring an?apparent military camp?that sprung up outside of Minsk following the rebellion in southern Russia, Wagner troops do not appear to have moved into the country en masse.

“It could happen that Wagner PMC decides not to relocate here,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko?said on Thursday. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is not even in Belarus, Lukashenko told CNN – he is in Russia, Lukashenko claimed.

And while Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that the facilities in Belarus necessary to store the tactical nuclear weapons would be ready by July 7, Western officials have seen no signs of that, either. Belarus still does not appear to have the proper infrastructure to house the weapons, officials said, and it will likely be months, if not longer, before doing so is even technically feasible.

Available satellite imagery has also not shown any signs of the kind of preparations and security that would be standard at a Russian nuclear facility. Russia has the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, with 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists. It is not clear how many of those Russia is potentially planning to deploy to Belarus.

Still, Lukashenko’s close relationship with Putin, and the unexpected role he played in?quelling the Wagner rebellion, has left intelligence analysts vigilant about what could come next and is a key topic of discussion among NATO allies ahead of next week’s leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. And some US officials are also concerned that Putin could make an announcement related to Russia’s presence in Belarus during the summit.

Read more here.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press conference on July 7.

National Security adviser Jake Sullivan explained the rationale behind the United States’ decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine, telling reporters Friday that President Joe Biden’s administration had deferred making the call “as long as we could.”

Sullivan said that while the US recognizes that there is risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordinates, there is also a massive risk if Russia takes “more Ukrainian territory and?subjugate more Ukrainian?civilians because Ukraine?doesn’t have enough artillery.”

In making the decision, Sullivan said that first, the US bases its security?assistance decisions on Ukraine’s?needs on the ground.?“Ukraine needs artillery to?sustain its offensive and?defensive operations.?Artillery is at the core of this?conflict,” he explained.

Second, he pointed to Russia’s use of cluster munitions since it began its invasion.?“Russia has been using cluster?munitions with high dud or?failure rates of between 30% and?40%.?In this environment,” Sullivan said, noting US cluster munitions “would provide have dud rates far?below what Russia is providing — not higher than 2.5%”

Finally, Sullivan said that the US is working closely with Ukraine on its request for cluster munitions since it will require post-conflict demining to protect civilians from harm. “This will be?necessary regardless of whether?the United States provides these?munitions or not because of?Russia’s widespread use of?cluster munitions,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the formal announcement on the new aid package would come from the Pentagon.?

More on the weapons: Cluster munitions scatter “bomblets” across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines. Over 100 countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, have outlawed the munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban.

CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Allie Malloy contributed reporting to this post.

The United States consulted several allies when weighing the decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

This included talking to allies that are signatories of the Convention of Cluster Munitions, an international treaty that does not allow for the production or distribution of the controversial weapons, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said other allies that are not signatories of the convention have embraced the US’s decision “with open arms.”

“So we feel that this will in no?way disrupt the very strong,?firm unity that we have heading?into the NATO summit in Vilnius?next week,” he said.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press conference on July 7.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the United States has been in contact “at high levels” with Russia regarding detained Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

“I do not want to give false?hope,” Sullivan added.?“What the Kremlin said earlier?this week is correct, there have?been discussions.?But those discussions have not?produced a clear pathway to a?resolution.”

Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in jail on espionage charges, which he and his employer vehemently contest.

Friday marks the 100th day of Gershkovich’s detention, and Sullivan said he met with members of his employers and family Friday morning.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also told reporters President Joe Biden has “no higher priority,” than securing the freedom of Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and others.

“The team continues to work on these cases every day from all angles,” Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday. “Our message to Evan and to Paul is this: Keep the faith. We won’t stop until you are home.”

Earlier this week, the US ambassador to Russia has met with Gershkovich, according to the Wall Street Journal. Last month, a Russian court upheld his extended detention in a Moscow prison until at least the end of August. The US State Department has officially designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained in Russia. Biden has also been blunt about Gershkovich’s arrest, urging Russia to “let him go.”

President Joe Biden speaks about his economic plan at the Flex LTD manufacturing plant on July 6 in West Columbia, South Carolina.

US President Joe Biden embarks on a weeklong trip to Europe Sunday, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of the NATO alliance.

Biden and the allies he meets at next week’s NATO summit will demonstrate their “unity and resolve” in support of Ukraine, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a news briefing Friday.

Sullivan touted the United States’ leadership within the military alliance, saying “NATO is stronger, more energized, and more united than ever,” and voiced US support for the addition of Finland, as well as for Sweden, if it clears its final hurdles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expected Western unity to fracture and that NATO would break in the face of his invasion of Ukraine, the security adviser said. Instead, Sullivan argued, the opposite has happened.

More on Biden’s big trip abroad: Biden will make a stop in London to meet with King Charles and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before heading to the summit in Vilnius, Sullivan said.

Once in Lithuania, Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with the country’s president, Gitanas Naus?da, and attend critical sessions at the NATO summit.

After his time at the summit, Biden will give a “significant address” in Vilnius next Wednesday evening about his vision for the US and its role in Ukraine and on other global issues, Sullivan said.

Then he will head to Helsinki, Finland, Sullivan said. Biden will meet with Nordic leaders and Finnish President Sauli Niinist?, who just saw his government’s NATO accession double the alliance’s border with Russia in a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed reporting to this post.

Russian forces are continuing their offensive on the front lines in areas of the eastern Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, according to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.

Moscow’s troops have been unsuccessful in attempts to break through Ukrainian positions in the Avdiivka, Marinka, Kupyansk, Lyman and Svatove directions,?Maliar said Friday.?

In the Bakhmut sector, there have been advances in several areas, “more than a kilometer,”?Maliar said, and the Russians are effectively stuck in the battered city.

“The enemy is actually trapped in Bakhmut town. Our troops have made it as difficult as possible for the enemy to move and make it impossible for them to leave. Shelling continues on both sides,” she said.?

In the south: The Ukrainian forces also continue offensive actions in the directions of Melitopol and Berdiansk. “Our troops are strengthening their positions at the achieved lines, carrying out counter-battery actions,” she said.?

Maliar added that Ukrainian forces have destroyed Moscow’s equipment and weapons, and she claimed that Russian forces are suffering “significant losses in manpower in the south.”

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press briefing at the UN Headquarters?on July 6.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is against the use of cluster munitions, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a news briefing on Friday.

Defense officials told CNN that the US is expected to announce a new military aid package to Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time.

“The Secretary General supports the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which, as you know, was adopted 15 years ago, and he wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention,” Haq said.?

The convention prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions.?

About the weapons: Cluster munitions are banned by over 100 countries because they scatter “bomblets” across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines. The US and Ukraine are not signatories to that ban, however.?

CNN’s Natasha Bertrand?contributed reporting to this post.

US Senator Lindsey Graham speaks at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 13.

US Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said Friday that he is working on a bipartisan resolution that would urge Ukraine’s admittance to the NATO defense alliance.?

This comes ahead of a critical NATO summit next week where Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda. Kyiv itself has long sought membership in the alliance, though Ukraine has acknowledged that its accession would have to wait until after the war with Russia concludes.

Graham has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, and earlier this week said he supported sending the controversial cluster munitions from the United States.

Sen. James Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters that he supports Ukraine joining NATO but not until the war is over.?

“I’m like everybody else, I want them in, I want them in as soon as possible. On the other hand, there are some practical problems with them coming in, and those need to be ironed out,” Risch told reporters.?

He said the major sticking point right now is the obvious: “The war being over. And having their territory back. Once that happens, I am all in.”

Risch didn’t express concern about the Biden administration’s approach to the NATO summit next week, where it is not expected that the US will back language officially inviting Ukraine into NATO despite that push from some members of the alliance.

The United States’ intention to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine is “a move of desperation” as?Kyiv’s counteroffensive did not go according to plan,?Russia’s Ambassador to Belarus?Boris Gryzlov said Friday.?

CNN?first reported last week?that US President Joe Biden’s administration was strongly considering approving the transfer of the controversial weapons to Ukraine. The Russian ambassador claimed the US has been talking about potentially sending the weapons since the spring.

If the US decides to proceed with the move, it would once again prove that “neither Washington nor its NATO allies want peace, and they will stop at literally nothing in their bid to achieve the elusive goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,” he added.?

What the weapons do: Also called cluster bombs, cluster munitions are canisters that carry tens to hundreds of smaller bomblets, also known as submunitions. The canisters break open at a prescribed height, depending upon the area of the intended target, and the bomblets inside spread out over that area.

They are fused by a timer to explode closer to or on the ground, spreading shrapnel that is designed to kill troops or take out armored vehicles such as tanks.

The use of cluster munitions in the war: Both the Ukrainians and the Russians have used cluster bombs since Moscow’s forces invaded in February 2022. More recently, Ukrainian forces have begun using Turkish-provided cluster munitions on the battlefield.

But Ukrainian officials have been pushing the US to provide its cluster munitions since last year, arguing that they would provide more ammunition for Western-provided artillery and rocket systems, and help narrow Russia’s numerical superiority in artillery.

CNN’s Brad Lendon contributed reporting to this post.?

A communal worker sweeps outside an apartment building in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, on July 7, a day after it was partially destroyed by a missile strike.

The NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, is fast approaching while the future of the Black Sea grain deal remains uncertain and the whereabouts of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prighozhin are still unknown.

Here’s what you need to know:

US expected to announce cluster munitions for Ukraine: The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials have told CNN. US President Joe Biden’s administration has reportedly been strongly considering approving the transfer of the controversial weapons to Kyiv as its forces struggle to make major gains in the counteroffensive. Meanwhile, Germany will not send cluster munitions to Ukraine as it is a signatory to a convention banning the production and use of that type of weapon, the country’s defense minister Boris Pistorius said earlier Friday.

Deadly Lviv strikes: The death toll from Thursday’s Russian strike in the western city of Lviv rose to?at least 10. More than?9,000 Ukrainian civilians?have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to the UN. The UN warned that the true number of fatalities could be much higher than what they have been able to confirm.

Ukraine repels more attacks and claims advances in east: Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 12 of 18?Iran-made Shahed attack drones launched by Russia overnight into Thursday, the Ukrainian Air Force said, adding that the drones came from the southeast. The statement did not mention what happened to the six drones that were not destroyed nor any damage they may have caused.?Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military claimed troops have moved forward by more than a kilometer (0.6 miles) around the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut in the past 24 hours as it continues to apply pressure on Russian forces in the area.?

NATO discussions: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday he expects leaders at the US-led alliance’s summit next week to “reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.” Meanwhile, some hurdles still remain to be overcome for?Sweden to accede to NATO?as Turkey remains opposed, he said. As NATO prepares for its summit, Zelensky is expected to likely discuss the Black Sea grain deal with his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul on Friday. The deal, which is vital for global food security, is set to expire July 17.

Prigozhin’s whereabouts unclear:?Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was?noncommittal?in an answer to CNN during a news conference in Minsk on Thursday, saying the Wagner boss “is in St Petersburg,” or perhaps “would travel to Moscow.” When asked if the?Kremlin is aware?of Prigozhin’s whereabouts, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was “not commenting on that right now.” Prigozhin has not been seen in public since his short-lived uprising ended on June 24.

Here’s a look at where things stand in Ukraine:

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi (C), talks with residents of a four-story residential building hit by a missile on July 6 in Lviv, Ukraine.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s reaction to Thursday’s deadly Russian attack on the western Ukrainian city didn’t go far enough.

On Thursday, UNESCO issued an official statement about hitting a historic building in Lviv,?which is located in the buffer zone of the city’s Historic Centre Ensemble, a World?Heritage Site.?It said that the missile strike was a violation of the World Heritage Convention and the 1954 Hague Convention?for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.?The attack was the first to take place in an area protected by the convention since the start of the full-scale invasion, the agency said.

However, the statement did not specify who was behind the attack.?

Sadovyi said a UNESCO representatives should have visited the site of the attack, which has killed at least 10 people and injured 42 others.

Ukraine's President?Volodymyr?Zelensky?makes a statement to the press after his meeting with Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Slovakia, on July 7.

The lack of unity among NATO members on Sweden and Ukraine’s accession is threatening the strength of the US-led alliance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

Ahead of the NATO summit next week in Vilnius, Lithuania, Zelensky said he is looking for “steps towards these positive results. This is very important for the safety of the whole world.”

Presidents of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia wrote a letter to the NATO Secretary General and the heads of the NATO alliance, warning them about the threat “posed by Russia’s aggressive actions and the evolving situation in Belarus.”

They pointed to Russia’s use of Belarusian territory in its war against Ukraine, and Moscow stationing tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, calling it “an escalatory move” and “a direct threat to the security of our community.”

The remains of a rocket that carried cluster munitions found in a field in the countryside of Kherson region on April 28.

The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials have told CNN.

CNN first reported last week?that US President Joe Biden’s administration was strongly considering approving the transfer of the controversial weapons to Ukraine, whose forces have been struggling to make major gains in a weeks-long counteroffensive.

Here’s what you need to know:

Read more about the controversial weapons here.

Maj. Gen. Leonid Kosinsky, left, speaks with CNN journalist Matthew Chance in the Belarusian army camp near Tsel village, Belarus, on July 7.

The Belarusian government on Friday showed CNN and other foreign media outlets a disused military camp about an hour outside Minsk that they say could be used to house Wagner fighters, should they come to the country.

The plan to host Wagner in Belarus is on hold, President Alexander Lukashenko told CNN during a news conference on Friday.

Neither Wagner mercenary fighters nor their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin are in Belarus, Lukashenko said, adding “it doesn’t depend on me, but on Russian authorities and Wagner PMC (private military company) itself whether they come to Belarus or not.”

The foreign media outlets were given a brief tour on Friday of a tent city erected on a military base near Osipovichi.

“There is absolutely no connection between this camp and Wagner,” Maj. Gen. Leonid Kasinsky told CNN. “Yesterday the President said that if Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a decision together with his commanders to come to Belarus to set up, then this camp among other places could be offered to them.”

Major General Leonid Kasinsky shows a tent camp near the village of Tsel in the Asipovichy District,?Belarus, on?July 7.

The camp can house around 5,000 personnel, he said, but is currently occupied by only around a dozen troops. The large canvas tents, baking in the hot summer sun, are currently outfitted with little more than rough and ready lumber bunks and no mattresses.

When asked whether he had been told to prepare the camp for Wagner, Kasinsky demurred. “We prepared this camp within for the training of (Belarusian) territorial defense and militia,” he said.

Some hurdles still remain to be overcome for Sweden to accede to NATO as Turkey remains opposed, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday.

A meeting on Thursday with senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland was “constructive,” Stoltenberg told reporters at a news conference in Brussels, adding, “we made progress.”

Turkey – a strategically important NATO member due to its geographical location in both the Middle East and Europe,?and the alliance’s second-largest military power –?is blocking Sweden’s accession for a number of?reasons.?

“I’m confident that we will continue to make progress but there are still gaps to be bridged,” Stoltenberg said ahead of the NATO summit next week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The alliance chief said those “gaps” are the reason he has invited Turkish President?Recep Tayyip?Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf?Kristersson to meet on Monday in Vilnius.

“That’s the way to overcome differences when they exist, as they now do, in the issue related to the final ratification of Swedish accession into NATO,” Stoltenberg added.??

The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attends a press conference held following a meeting attended by delegations from Turkiye, Finland, and Sweden, in Brussels, Belgium on July 6.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday he expects leaders at the US-led alliance’s summit next week to “reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.”

Stoltenberg said he expects allied leaders will agree on a “package with three elements to bring Ukraine closer to NATO.”

The first of those would be a “multi-year program of assistance to ensure full interoperability between the Ukrainian armed forces and NATO,” he said at a news conference in Brussels.

Secondly, Stoltenberg said, “we will upgrade our political ties by establishing the NATO Ukraine Council.”

Thirdly, “I expect our leaders will reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO and unite on how to bring Ukraine closer to its goal,” the alliance head continued.

The summit will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

A Ukrainian serviceman of the 57th Kost Hordiienko Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade fires a 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops at a position near the city of?Bakhmut?in Donetsk region, Ukraine on July 5.

Ukraine says its troops have moved forward by more than a kilometer (0.6 miles) around the embattled city of Bakhmut in the past 24 hours as it continues to apply pressure on Russian forces in the area.?

“The defense forces continue to hold the initiative there (in the Bakhmut direction and are) putting pressure on the enemy, conducting assault operations, and advancing on the northern and southern flanks,” the spokesman for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhii Cherevatyi told Ukrainian national broadcasters.

“In particular, over the past day, they have advanced more than a kilometer,” he said.

Cherevatyi went on to say the fighting is fierce with Russian forces putting up some resistance.?

“They (the Russians) sometimes have small counterattacks, but in general, we have the initiative,” he added. “Most importantly, we are moving forward despite the fact that we have parity in forces and means – we have no advantage over them.”

German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, right, Swiss Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, center, and Austrian Federal Minister of Defence, Klaudia Tanner attend D-A-CH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) Defence Ministers meeting in Bern, Switzerland, on July 7.

Germany will not send cluster munitions to Ukraine as it is a signatory to a convention banning the production and use of that type of weapon, the country’s defence minister Boris Pistorius said Friday, following a meeting with his Austrian and Swiss counterparts in Bern.

“Germany has signed the convention, so it is no option for us,” Pistorius told reporters, adding “those countries that have not signed the convention – China, Russia, Ukraine and the US – it is not up to me to comment on their actions.”

The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package to Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials told CNN.

CNN first reported last week that the Biden administration was strongly considering approving the transfer of the controversial weapons to Ukraine, as the Ukrainians have struggled to make major gains in their weeks’ old counteroffensive and amid concerns about ammunition shortages.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Czech Prime Minister?Petr?Fiala?visit the Velvet Revolution Memorial in Prague, Czech Republic, on July 7.

The Czech Republic will provide Ukraine with combat helicopters and assist Kyiv with the training of F-16 fighter jet pilots, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Friday.

“The Czech Republic will help with the training of pilots including pilots for F-16 and we will supply Ukraine with F-16 flight simulators so that the training can happen not just in the West but in Ukraine as well,” Fiala said speaking at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky in Prague.

Fiala also said the Czech Republic have already sent 676 pieces of heavy equipment and over 4 million pieces of medium and large calibre ammunition to Ukraine.

“This means that every day, since the first day of the war, about 10,000 pieces of ammunition and at least one tank, rocket launcher, howitzer and so on have been leaving the Czech Republic for Ukraine,” he said.

When asked about Russia’s frozen assets in the West, Fiala said the Czech Republic and European allies were discussing ways in which the frozen assets could be used to help fund Ukraine’s post war reconstruction.

“This is not a simple topic, either from a legal or other points of view, but intensive negotiations are taking place precisely so that we can also use these frozen assets to help Ukraine,” Fiala said.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky address a joint press conference in Prague, Czech Republic, on July 7.

Kyiv is in discussions with the United States to acquire long-range weapons to fight off Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday.?

“We talk about it, about appropriate weapons, with our partners. First and foremost, we are talking about long-range systems with the United States.”

“It depends only on them as of today,” he added.

Zelensky explained that without those weapons, Russia maintained the upper hand in certain situations.?

“It is very difficult. It means that you are defending your land and you cannot reach the appropriate distance to destroy your enemy. That is, the enemy has a distance advantage,” he said.?

Civilian graves in Chasiv Yar Cemetery in Ukraine on January 21.

More than 9,000 civilians, including over 500 children, have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, some 500 days ago, the United Nations has said.

The UN also warned that the true number of fatalities could be much higher than what they have been able to confirm.

May and June have seen an increase in the number of civilians killed, the UN added, after a relative decline in civilian fatalities in the first four months of the year.?This weekend marks exactly 500 days since the war began.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is “making progress” inspecting several areas of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Friday, following claims by Kyiv that the facility had been mined.

Grossi said IAEA officials had visited sites including cooling pools and hadn’t seen “any indication of explosives or mines in these places.”

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky?warned?that Russia may be using the nuclear plant as a weapon. He accused Russian troops of placing “objects resembling explosives” on roofs at the plant.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog had not yet been given access to the rooftop, Grossi said. He also reminded reporters the plant is in an “active war zone” and that access takes time.

Nuclear plant on front lines:?The Zaporizhzhia facility is the largest nuclear plant in Europe and has been under Russian control since March last year. Its position on the front lines of the war means shelling nearby is common and it has frequently been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid, repeatedly raising fears of a nuclear accident.?

Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 12 of 18?Iran-made Shahed attack drones launched by Russia overnight into Thursday, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

The statement did not mention what happened to the six drones that were not destroyed nor any damage they may have caused.?

Deliveries of arms to Ukraine from key suppliers including the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom are falling well short of pledges, even as Ukrainian forces need them during their current offensive, according to a German think tank.

“In general, only slightly more than half of the heavy weapons committed have been delivered,” the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said Thursday on its Ukraine Support Tracker.

The report also said pledges of new aid for the Kyiv government decreased during the period covered by the report — February 25 to May 31 — from the previous reporting period.

In a positive note for Ukraine, however, the report said smaller countries including the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland and Slovakia had come through with about 80% of the weapons they’ve promised.

An emergency worker is seen in the residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Lviv on Thursday.

The death toll has risen to 10 following a Russian missile strike in Lviv as officials in the western Ukrainian city said search and rescue efforts have concluded Friday.

“This will complete the rescue and search operation,” Lviv Mayor?Andrii Sadovyi said on Telegram.

Ukrainian authorities said earlier that at least 42 people were wounded in the strike.

All bomb shelters in Lviv will be open “all the time” following the attack, Sadovyi told CNN Thursday.

When asked why 10 of the shelters in the city were closed during the attack, Sadovyi?said “we must completely change the situation about shelters.”

He added that Lviv used to be a safe city but now “it’s a very tough situation.”

The time for Russian missiles to reach Lviv if they are launched from Crimea is about 30 minutes,?Sadovyi?said.?If they are launched from Belarus, the time to reach Lviv is 17 minutes.?

“But if Russia uses Kinzhal [missiles], the time is only 3 minutes,” he said.?

Russia claimed to have targeted only military targets, but?Sadovyi?said the Russian missiles hit civilian infrastructure, including buildings, schools and office spaces.?

Rescuers work at the site of a Russian missile strike in Lviv on Thursday.

Nine people are now confirmed dead and at least 42 others injured following a Russian missile attack on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said in an update Friday.

In a Telegram post, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Ukrainian officials said earlier that the missile attack destroyed more than 30 houses, more than 250 apartments, at least 10 dormitories, two university buildings, an orphanage and a school. It also damaged a power substation.

The attack violated the?World Heritage Convention?by hitting a historic building in a protected area, UNESCO said.

The bizarre tale of?Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former pal-turned-mutineer, just got a whole lot weirder.

The foul-mouthed former head of the Wagner private military company — who ran a business empire that included a?troll farm, a multi-million dollar catering company, and a media group — had the temerity to launch a mutiny on June 23 against Putin’s top military brass.

The rebellion was quelled by a “deal” supposedly brokered by another Putin friend (some call him “vassal”), Belarusian strongman?Alexander Lukashenko. It required Prigozhin to leave Russia and move to Belarus. His men had three choices: follow Prigozhin to Belarus, join the regular Russian military, or stop fighting and go home.

After the mutiny ended, Lukashenko claimed Prigozhin had, indeed, arrived in Belarus. But for weeks, no one could confirm that. Then Thursday, Lukashenko reversed himself,?telling CNN?that Prigozhin was in St. Petersburg and might be traveling “to Moscow or elsewhere.”

In any case, he said, Prigozhin wasn’t where he was supposed to be. Neither were the Wagner fighters at the camps Lukashenko’s government apparently had set aside for them in Belarus, raising questions about the fate of the Wagner boss.

As if on cue, Russian state-controlled TV began broadcasting video of security forces raiding Prigozhin’s St. Petersburg office and residence. His “mansion” or “palace” had a pool, a private operating room, even a “dedicated prayer room,” as the Russian propaganda website RT described it, along with a few sledgehammers — a tool Wagner is accused of using to murder defectors. The security agents reportedly found 10 million rubles (about $110,000) in cash, along with gold, guns, and wigs — presumably for Prigozhin to disguise himself.

And yet, a few hours later, there were reports that some of his money and possessions were returned to him. It adds another layer to the mystery as to why Putin has, so far, let Prigozhin remain free even as he fails to abide by the Lukashenko deal.

Read the full analysis here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul on Friday, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.

Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan?will discuss a number of issues, including the war and the Black Sea grain deal, Anadolu said.

Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said it sees no basis for renewing the?UN-brokered agreement, which is set to expire on July 17, threatening vital food supplies for millions of vulnerable people across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Here’s what else you need to know:

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in September, 2022.

Ukraine hopes for a “positive outcome” in the “very dangerous” situation involving the?Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.

On Tuesday, Zelensky?warned?that Russia may be using the nuclear plant as a weapon. He accused Russian troops of placing “objects resembling explosives” on roofs at the plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog — said Wednesday there were no visible indications of mines or explosives at the plant, but requested additional access to the site for confirmation.

Remember: The facility is the largest nuclear plant in Europe and has been under Russian control since March last year. Its position on the front lines of the war means shelling nearby is common and it has frequently been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid — repeatedly raising fears of a nuclear accident.?

Ukraine’s offensive is not moving quickly, but “we are moving forward,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference in Prague with Czech President Petr Pavel, Zelensky said things are going in the right direction.

Allies must do “everything we can” to help Ukraine succeed in its counteroffensive,?Pavel said.

The Czech leader said it is not realistic to expect that Ukraine would be able to launch another counteroffensive in several weeks or months, “so we must do everything we can for Ukraine to be successful in this counteroffensive.”?

Ukraine hopes for “a clear signal” in regard to an invitation to join the NATO alliance during the upcoming summit in Lithuania,?Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.

Zelensky also expressed gratitude to the Czech Republic for its military assistance and its support for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union.

Some context:?Zelensky also met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov on Thursday, which comes about a week before the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ukraine has long pushed to join the military alliance, of which Bulgaria is a member, and that effort has taken on new urgency in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

While Ukraine is?expected to be at the top of the agenda?for world leaders in Vilnius, the process for accession to NATO is long, and Zelensky?has acknowledged?that membership would have to wait until after the war with Russia has ended.

Rescuers work at the site of a residential building hit by a Russian missile strike in?Lviv on Thursday.

The death toll has risen to six in the?Russian attack?on a neighborhood in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, a local official said.

Rescuers found an additional body as they searched the rubble of a residential building hit during Thursday’s bombardment, the head of the region’s military administration, Maksym Kozytskyi,?said in an update on Telegram.

About the attack:?Officials said the missile attack destroyed more than 30 houses, more than 250 apartments, at least 10 dormitories, two university buildings, an orphanage and a school. It also damaged a power substation.

In addition to those killed in the attack, it left dozens of people wounded, according to Ukrainian authorities.

CNN’s Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.

The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials told CNN.?

CNN first?reported last week?that US President Joe Biden’s administration was strongly considering approving the transfer of the controversial weapons to Ukraine, as the Ukrainians have?struggled to make major gains?in its weeks-old counteroffensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also expressed concerns about ammunition shortages.?

Changing battlefield conditions inside Ukraine over the past two weeks prompted US officials to give the cluster munitions renewed and serious consideration, officials told CNN.?

More about the weapons:?Cluster munitions are banned by more than 100 countries because they scatter “bomblets” across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines. The US and Ukraine are not signatories to that ban, however.?

The US has a stockpile of cluster munitions known as DPICMs, or dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, that it no longer uses after phasing them out in 2016.?

Both the Ukrainians and the Russians have used cluster bombs since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and more recently, Ukrainian forces have begun using Turkish-provided cluster munitions on the battlefield.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, declined to comment Thursday on reports that the US Defense Department was preparing to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, but said considerations from the department do not include older variants.?

Yevgeny?Prigozhin?leaves Rostov-on-Don on June 24.

If we learned one thing from Thursday’s press conference by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, it’s that Wagner chief?Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has not been seen in public since June 24, appears to be in a decidedly perilous limbo.

Lukashenko put a gulf of distance between himself and Prigozhin the?Wagner?boss when he said that neither Prigozhin nor his mercenaries were in Belarus, and it was unclear if they would ever move here.

When Lukashenko was said to have brokered a deal to end Prigozhin’s would-be insurrection in Russia last month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the agreement came about because Prigozhin and Lukashenko had known each other “personally for a long time, for about 20 years.”

But on Thursday, Lukashenko said that it was Putin who was Prigozhin’s longtime friend, who knew him “much better than I do and knows him longer than I do, about 30 years.”

Neither leader seems too keen on being Prigozhin’s best friend now.

One of the final straws for Prigozhin’s longstanding tensions with the Russian Defense Ministry was the insistence that Wagner mercenaries sign contracts with the Russian government; Prigozhin refused.

But on Thursday, Lukashenko insisted that were Wagner to come to Belarus, its mercenaries would have to sign documents with Belarus’ government.

Just as we were learning that Prigozhin was in Russia, not Belarus, Russian state media released images from a reported police raid on Prigozhin’s office and residence in St. Petersburg. The footage — described by presenters as “scandalous” — shows what is described as a stash of gold, money and wigs, along with weapons and several passports apparently belonging to Prigozhin under different aliases.

Read the full analysis here.