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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has wrapped up a flurry of negotiations in Sweden and signed long-term security deals with Norway and Iceland.
In the past we reported that the Ukrainian president had reached an agreement in Stockholm (see article 13. 26).
Today, Zelensky signed a 10-year agreement with Norway, through which Oslo will support Ukraine’s maritime and air defense needs.
Norway is said to be “open” to the Norwegian defense industry locating its production in Ukraine from the deal. Iceland has also pledged to sign a 10-year pact.
The new agreements mean Zelensky now has 15 written pacts with Western countries, all of which are Nordic countries, all of which are NATO countries.
It had already signed security agreements with Denmark and Finland in February and April respectively.
Sweden’s deal means Stockholm will move two ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, as well as its entire inventory of tracked armoured worker carriers.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said earlier: “You are literally fighting only for your own freedom, but also for our freedom and security. “
A Russian-American journalist will remain in detention until at least August 5 pending an investigation and trial.
Alsu Kurmasheva, editor-in-chief of the US government-funded Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service, was arrested on 18 October.
He accused her of failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting data on the Russian military.
Subsequently, he also accused spreading “false information” about the Russian military.
She is the American journalist arrested in Russia last year, after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
He was arrested on espionage charges in March. A year later, President Joe Biden said the U. S. was “working every day” to secure his release.
Read about their allegations here. . .
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia seeks to disrupt the peace summit in Ukraine in June by blackmailing world leaders.
Speaking in Stockholm after the signing of the security agreement with Sweden, the Ukrainian president said: “The most important thing now is the peace summit. It will have to be a real global summit.
“At the moment we already have about 100 foreign states and organizations that will participate in the summit, but Russia is blackmailing some leaders and seeking to block the participation of some countries. “
Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson had defended Beijing’s refusal to participate in the summit, to be held on June 15 and 16 in Switzerland, to which Russia is not invited.
Mao Ning insisted that his demands for a peace convention identified through Russia and Ukraine were “fair” and “impartial” (see Article 10. 53).
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said China’s resolution showed that Beijing understood that holding a peace summit with Russia would be futile.
Zelensky also said it is “a matter of time” before Ukraine uses Western weapons to strike targets in Russia (see post 13. 26).
The Kremlin has rejected France’s refusal to invite Russia to events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the World War II landings.
Yesterday, the French presidency said Russia would be invited next week because of what Paris has called “Moscow’s war of aggression” against Ukraine.
While Vladimir Putin and his officials accuse the West of trying to “erase” Russia’s contributions to the war effort, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is making plans for Victory Day next year.
He said that “next year, as you know, will be an incredible year for us,” as it marks 80 years since the defeat of the Soviet Union through Nazi Germany.
“This is our priority in terms of commemorative actions. “
Kremlin officials issued statements today – adding serious threats of war with NATO – in reaction to decisions by Western powers to allow Ukraine to use the weapons they have provided to attack inside Russia.
But Jens Stoltenberg, the military alliance’s secretary general, rejected the threats, insisting that NATO was merely helping Kyiv protect itself.
“This is nothing new. For a long time, every time NATO allies give their support to Ukraine, President Putin tries to threaten us not to do so,” he said in Prague.
“And an escalation. . . well, Russia has stepped up its efforts across the invading country. “
Citing the Russian offensive in the north against Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Stoltenberg added: “Ukraine has the right to protect itself, we have the right for Ukraine to assert its right to self-defense, and that does not make NATO allies parties to the operation. “. the conflict.
“This was the case in February 2022, this was the case last year, and it continues to be the case. “
Ten foreign ministers, Lord Cameron added, do not see it as easy for North Korea to prevent the supply of weapons to Russia.
Earlier this month, Russia rejected accusations that it was collaborating with Pyongyang over military issues and said relations between the two countries did not pose a risk to each other.
But the ministers say Russia is transferring weapons to North Korea “to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, thereby prolonging the suffering of the Ukrainian people. “
They also called on North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program.
Yesterday, North Korea fired a barrage of ballistic missiles to demonstrate that it is in a position to preemptively strike South Korea’s “gangster regime. “
Meanwhile, some officials are in Prague for a two-day NATO summit, where they discussed Ukraine’s option of obtaining the weapons it has provided to strike inside Russia.
Germany has announced that it will allow Kiev to do so, much to the anger of Russian officials (see 10:30 a. m. post). m. ).
In the past we had announced that Ukraine and Russia had carried out their first prisoner exchange since February (see post of 13. 05).
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has shared a video of freed prisoners singing a Ukraine song, via Taras Petrynenko, as they are led home.
Kostyantyn Myrhorodskyi, who has been in Russian captivity for more than two years, leads the group.
You can see some of the men who were with him at the trainer crying because they were triumphant with emotion at the time.
U. S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken proved that Joe Biden had the use of U. S. weapons in Russia.
Speaking to reporters in the Czech Republic after an assembly of NATO foreign ministers, Blinken said Ukraine had asked for permission to allow its forces to protect themselves against Russian attacks on the city of Kharkiv.
The NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting precedes the summit to be held in Washington from 9 to 11 July.
Blinken said at the summit that “concrete steps” would be taken to bring Ukraine into NATO and that the U. S. would “ensure that there is a bridge between Ukraine and NATO membership. “
He said the summit comes at a “crucial moment” as Russia intensifies its attacks on frontline regions in Ukraine.
After last night’s missile strike on an apartment building, the Russian Defense Ministry claims to have carried out 25 strikes in Kharkiv.
According to the Interfax news agency, the movements were carried out between May 25 and 31 with precision-guided weapons and Ukrainian army facilities.
The ministry added that Russian troops are advancing in several directions and have captured two villages, Berestove and Ivanivka, in the Kharkiv region.