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War in Ukraine

Pro-Russian Separatists Kill Two Ukrainian Soldiers

  • The government of Mali announced that five soldiers were killed in an ambush by an unidentified terrorist group. Three attackers also died in the ambush (Agence France-Presse)

Shelling Wounds Eight People in Ukraine

  • The Ukrainian government reported that Russian shelling wounded six troops near Donetsk, while separatists backed by the Russian government said that Ukrainian shelling wounded two civilians in Donetsk (U.S. News & World Report)

U.S. Security Support for Ukraine in Focus as Zelensky Meets With Biden

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden today at the White House, where Zelensky is expected to seek assurances on U.S. security support for his country (Agence France-Presse)
  • Washington’s weakening opposition to Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and its withdrawal from Afghanistan have raised doubts in Kyiv about U.S. dependability, an advisor to Zelensky said (Financial Times)

Ukraine Calls for Recovery of Crimea at Summit

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a summit with envoys from more than forty countries to call for the reclamation of Russia-annexed Crimea. European Council President Charles Michel spoke at the event. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not attend (Politico)

Germany’s Merkel Assures Ukraine on Gas Access

  • In a visit to Kyiv, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Germany could impose sanctions on Moscow if Russia uses gas access as a weapon against Ukraine. Ukraine opposes the nearly complete Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany (Reuters)

Ukraine’s President Dismisses Head of Armed Forces

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the head of the country’s armed forces, Ruslan Khomchak, citing tensions between the armed forces and the defense ministry. Khomchak will be replaced by Valery Zaluzhny, who heads the military’s northern command (Reuters)

Ukraine to Host Military Drill With U.S., Lithuania, Poland

  • The United States, Lithuania, and Poland will join Ukraine for a military exercise involving more than 1,200 service members in Ukraine’s western Lviv region beginning July 17, the Ukrainian military said. It will be Ukraine’s second military drill with foreign partners in a month (Reuters)

Ukraine Says It Will Reject Any Deals From Biden-Putin Summit

  • Ahead of today’s summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told journalists that his country would not accept arrangements made by foreign officials to end the war in eastern Ukraine (New York Times)

Blinken: U.S. Considering Additional Military Aid for Ukraine

  • Secretary Blinken said the United States is considering a request by the Ukrainian government for military assistance, including air defense systems and anti-sniper technology, due to a Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border. The United States has given Ukraine about $5 billion in aid since Russian annexed Crimea in 2014 (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Russia to Withdraw Some Troops From Crimea

  • Russia’s defense ministry ordered the withdrawal of some Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, a move that could help ease tensions between the countries. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the buildup in the Crimea region, which Russia annexed in 2014, was a successful test of military readiness and that troops will return to their regular positions by May 1. Although troops are being pulled back from Crimea, Moscow has also deployed forces near the so-called Donbas region in eastern Ukraine (New York Times)
  • European Union officials estimate that Russia has deployed up to one hundred thousand troops near the border, raising fears of a full-scale conflict (Reuters)
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that the troop reduction would help reduce tensions. Both he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed a willingness to meet for talks (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Ukraine Adopts Military Reservist Law

  • President Zelenskyy signed a law allowing the country to call reservists up for military service without announcing mobilization. The law’s adoption comes as a Russian military buildup along the border with Ukraine is expected to reach over 120,000 troops within a week, according to Ukraine’s foreign ministry (Associated Press)

EU Warns Russian Buildup Near Ukraine Could Trigger Conflict

  • The European Union’s top diplomat warned that Russia’s military buildup on the Ukranian border could “spark” a larger conflict but said no new EU sanctions are being considered. Advisors to the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine have held talks under the so-called Normandy Format. A Ukrainian statement on the talks said all sides reaffirmed commitments to reach a cease-fire in Eastern Ukraine (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

NATO, U.S. Voice Support for Ukraine

  • The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United States both indicated their support for Ukraine amid a Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States will deploy additional troops in Germany, scrapping plans by President Donald Trump to withdraw troops from Europe. Biden urged Moscow to de-escalate tensions during a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday (New York Times)

Ukraine Says No Contact Between Zelensky, Putin

  • A spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the president has not yet spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Russia’s troop buildup in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Russia has sent more than forty thousand troops to its border with eastern Ukraine and forty thousand to Crimea, the spokesperson said (Reuters)

Ukraine Seeks NATO Membership to Ward Off Russia

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for his country to be placed on a pathway to membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during a conversation with the alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg. Zelensky said NATO is the only way to end the conflict with Russia in Ukraine’s Donbas region (Guardian)

Tensions Rise Between Ukraine, Russia as Fighting Escalates

  • At least four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in clashes with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine yesterday (New York Times)
  • Tensions have risen in recent days as Russia builds up military forces near the border, and the governments in Kyiv and Moscow exchange accusations of violating a cease-fire (Reuters)

Ukrainian Forces, Pro-Russia Separatists Begin Cease-Fire

  • A cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels in conflict-ravaged Eastern Ukraine entered into effect today. The agreement, which came after two dozen failed attempts, has earned support from European Union officials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Deutsche Welle)

Russia, Ukraine Reach Deal for Cease-Fire

  • Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reached an agreement for a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine to begin on July 27 (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).

EU Extends Sanctions on Russia Over Ukraine Conflict

  • The European Union extended sanctions on Russia for six months because it failed to abide by a peace agreement with Ukraine. The sanctions target Russia’s energy, defense, and finance sectors, as well as goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes (Associated Press)

Ukraine Captures Alleged Russian Spy

  • The Ukrainian Security Service detained an individual from the breakaway eastern region of Luhansk accused of attempting to transfer classified data on a Ukrainian missile system to Russian authorities (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

OSCE Reports New Russian Military Assets in Ukraine

  • Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe stated yesterday that they had spotted new Russian electronic warfare equipment in the separatist-controlled regions of Eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces spotted similar equipment in other areas within the separatist zone, corroborating these reports (Anadolu)

Ukrainian Government, Eastern Separatists Exchange Prisoners

  • The Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists swapped prisoners in the first such exchange of 2020 as part of agreements reached between Kyiv and Moscow, according to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The separatists released nineteen prisoners, while the government freed an unknown number of prisoners (Reuters)

Ukrainian Separatists Surge Against Government Forces

  • Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine attempted to seize territory in an offensive that killed one Ukrainian soldier and wounded four others, the first such assault in the last two years of the region’s gridlocked war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack an attempt to disrupt an ongoing peace process (New York Times)

Ukrainian Troops and Rebel Forces Clash in Luhansk

  • Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels fought a brief skirmish near the village of Zolote, with several troops on both sides either killed or wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that the incident would not affect the progress of ongoing peace talks (BBC)

Pompeo Reiterates U.S. Support for Ukraine

  • U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Kyiv for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the United States supports Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Zelensky said he hoped to visit the White House soon (New York Times)