Austin, of the Pentagon, reaffirms U.S. support for his Ukrainian counterpart
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends a meeting of Ukraine’s defense contact group ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium , June 15, 2022.
Yves Herman | Reuters
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, according to a Pentagon reading of the call.
Austin condemned the recent Russian missile attack on a mall and offered its condolences to the families of the killed civilians.
“Secretary Austin offered an update on U.S. security assistance efforts and exchanged perspectives with Minister Reznikov on his impact on the battlefield. Leaders also discussed plans for the next Contact Group. of Defense of Ukraine to be held virtually in July, “according to a reading from the Pentagon. the call.
Austin and Reznikov agreed to maintain close contact.
– Amanda Macias
Russian forces still beset by logistical problems on the battlefield, the US says
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the U.S. National Security Council, speaks to reporters during a press conference at the White House in Washington, USA, on June 23, 2022.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
John Kirby of the National Security Council told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that the Russian army is still besieged by a lot of logistical problems on the battlefield, as at least 50 countries are increasing support for Ukraine.
“The Russians, for all the advantages they have in numbers, have not yet been able to overcome the challenges of logistics, command and control, supply and cohesion of the units,” said Kirby, a former spokesman for the Pentagon.
“They’re moving a little bit but it’s not much. We’re talking from mile to mile or street to street,” he added.
Kirby’s comments come when the NATO military alliance reached an agreement to admit Finland and Sweden. Moscow, distrustful since NATO expansion, has opposed the two nations’ plans to join the alliance.
– Amanda Macias
NATO welcomes Sweden and Finland to join and strikes Russia … and China
U.S. President Joe Biden expects the start of a roundtable at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on June 29, 2022.
Susan Walsh | Swimming pool | Reuters
The Western military organization NATO has officially invited Sweden and Finland on Wednesday to join the alliance in a historic move.
NATO leaders, meeting in Madrid, have issued an official statement saying that “the accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger and the Euro-Atlantic area safer,” adding that the Finland’s and Sweden’s security during the accession process is of “direct importance”.
NATO reiterated that it condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law.”
He added that “Russia’s terrible cruelty has caused immense human suffering and mass displacement, disproportionately affecting women and children” and blamed Moscow for intentionally exacerbating “a food and energy crisis, affecting billions of people. all over the world, even through their military actions. ” “
The alliance also described China as one of the countries that, he said, “challenges our interests, security and values and seeks to undermine the rules-based international order.”
NATO has announced that it will strengthen its deterrent and defense assets, especially in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. In his statement, he said “we will build on our recently improved stance and significantly strengthen our long-term deterrence and defense to ensure the security and defense of all allies. We will do so in accordance with our 360 approach. Through the terrestrial, air, sea, cybernetic and space domains, and against all threats and challenges “.
Read the full NATO statement here.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
The first lady of Ukraine is compared to a closet in a bombed-out building: “Let’s hold on”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska attend the funeral of First Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 17, 2022.
Maxym Marusenko | Nurfoto | Getty Images
Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, has said that she, like many Ukrainians, has resisted all her life to return to a kind of normalcy in the future and that she has barely seen her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, since he was thrown into the unenviable position of wartime leader after the brutal invasion of Russia.
“Fortunately, these two months when I didn’t see my husband at all, that’s in the past, I can see him sometimes for a while and not very often, but I can physically feel him by my side,” Zelenska told Christiane from CNN. Amanpour in an interview for the “New Day” program that aired Wednesday.
“This is not normal, it is not a normal relationship when children can not see their father and have to talk to him on the phone. So our relationship is paused as it is for many, well, all Ukrainians.” .
He said his family, like millions of others, “expect to be reunited, to be together again, to spend evenings, to have dinner together, to talk to the children about their things … but we are waiting” .
This image of kitchen cabinets still attached to a wall of a destroyed residential building in Borodyanka, Kyiv province, went viral, symbolizing Ukraine’s resilience to the Russian invasion.
Images of Soup | light rocket | Getty Images
Zelenska was compared to a closet that was still standing in a bombed-out building in Borodyanka, a settlement in northwestern Kyiv. The image went viral, seen by many as a symbol of the resistance of the Ukrainians to the invasion of Russia.
“I like this image, we are holding on just like that Borodyanka closet where the occupants bombarded all the buildings there and we saw this photo of one of the buildings and there was a closet or a closet there that was not made spoiled. So we’re holding on … I’m like that Borodyanka closet, “he said.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
Next year the situation could worsen for Ukraine and some NATO countries, says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Zelensky issued a strong warning to the country’s NATO allies, saying the situation in his country could deteriorate and that hostilities could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders.
“Next year the situation may worsen not only for Ukraine, but also for several other countries, possibly NATO members, that may be under fire from Russia. Then it will be our common failure, both for Ukraine. as for NATO, “Zelenskyy told a video address at the NATO summit in Madrid.
“Please look at our state; this is what anything can bring to your countries,” he said, arguing that Russia’s tactics are very simple: “They destroy everything: houses, shopping malls, schools, hospitals. More of 2,800 missiles since February 24, and the vast majority in civilian targets, “he said.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, is standing next to US President Joe Biden and other world leaders posing for the family photo during the NATO summit on June 29, 2022 in Madrid, Spain.
Wpa Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Zelenskiy asked NATO leaders the question of who will be next for Russia: “Moldova? Or the Baltic countries? Or Poland? Answer: everyone,” the president warned.
The Ukrainian leader reiterated his call for more weapons and modern missile and air defense systems, as well as financial aid and more sanctions in Moscow, and said there was an urgent need to break the artillery advantage of Russia in the war that has allowed it to gain ground in the war. eastern Ukraine.
“This is not a war of Russia only against Ukraine, it is a war for the right to dictate the conditions in Europe. What will the future world order be like,” Zelenskyy said.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
Pope Francis deplores the “crazy war” and the “barbaric” strike in shopping malls
Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window in the Vatican on June 12, 2022.
Vatican Media | Reuters
Pope Francis has again called for an end to what he called the “crazy war” in Ukraine.
“Every day I carry in my heart the people of Ukraine who are still tormented by barbaric attacks like the one that hit the Kremenchuk shopping center,” the Pope told the faithful in Rome on Wednesday.
At least 20 people died Monday in the strike at the Amstor shopping center in central Ukraine. Russia was accused of committing another war crime after the strike. Moscow denied targeting civilian infrastructure and falsely accused Ukraine of “provocation.”
Pope Francis has said today that he prays “this crazy war will end soon” and that the “paths of dialogue” will open soon.
The G-7 called the strike a Russian war crime, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of having directly attacked civilians.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
Russia reacts to NATO expansion agreement, calling it “destabilizing”
The Kremlin towers and the Cathedral of Ivan the Great in Moscow.
Kirill Kudryavtsev | Afp | Getty Images
Russia gave a first reaction to the news that NATO had reached an agreement to admit Sweden and Finland to the alliance, after Turkey abandoned its opposition to the expansion.
“We consider NATO expansion to be a purely destabilizing factor in international affairs,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to a report by Ria Novosti, a Russian state news agency.
Reiterating Moscow’s “negative” view of the expansion, Ryabkov said it “does not add security” to either future members or the alliance as a whole, “or other countries that perceive the alliance as a threat.” , Ryabkov added.
The deputy minister said the enlargement continued what Moscow considers NATO’s “aggressive containment” strategy when it comes to Russia.
“We understand the rhetoric of NATO. A new strategic concept will be adopted, where Russia will be called a threat to the alliance. This has nothing to do with real life. It is the alliance that represents a threat, “Ryabkov said. .
“But we …