The United States definitively clears the use of American and Western weapons present in Ukrainian territory: the Pentagon has declared that it considers the use of American weapons to attack Crimea acceptable. The peninsula, a former Ukrainian territory, has always hosted Russian military bases.
A Western European diplomat told Reuters that NATO allies had agreed to provide 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine next year. Despite this, the NATO secretary general has failed to convince allies to make multi-year financial commitments to support Ukraine. Still on the subject of weapons, the Lithuanian government has approved the withdrawal from the convention banning cluster munitions.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the media that Germany could never support the establishment of a ceasefire in Ukraine, which would lead to Kiev’s capitulation.
Roman Kostenko, member of the defense committee of the Rada reported that if the current pace of mobilization is maintained, Ukraine will be able to mobilize 200 thousand people by the end of the year. He also added that if the pace of mobilization continues, by the end of the year it will be possible to equip all units to the combat readiness stage.
The head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said during a visit to Washington that Kiev is not ready to compromise with Russia and give up Russian-occupied territories after February 2022. Yermak’s words fit in the context of Trump’s plan to end the war and the visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Kiev, who called for a ceasefire and the start of negotiations to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also intervened with a statement to Bloomberg on Trump’s words: “If Trump has a plan to end the war, he should reveal it today and not damage Ukraine’s sovereignty.” The new Prime Minister of the Netherlands , Dick Schof, spoke on the phone with Zelensky and promised to continue supporting Ukraine.
China increasingly present in the Ukraine issue: “Russia and China act as independent great powers and maintain contacts with each other to resolve the Ukrainian crisis,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning, refuting the claim that “the Federation Russia is completely dependent on the Chinese side.” “First, both China and Russia are independent and independent great powers (…) We will continue to consistently stand on the side of peace and dialogue, maintaining contacts with all parties, including Russia,” he stressed in a briefing , in response to journalists. He asked to comment on the words of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who in an interview with Bloomberg had stated that the Russian Federation “is so dependent on China that a call from Chinese President Xi Jinping can resolve the Ukrainian crisis”.
Turkish President Recep Tayipp Erdogan told Vladimir Putin during their meeting in the SCO session that a “just peace” in Ukraine that satisfies both sides is possible; source office of the Turkish president.
The State Duma adopted a statement on the suspension of the participation of the Russian delegation in the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Subsequently, the Federation Council adopted a resolution announcing the suspension of the participation of the Russian delegation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation states that “the Russian Federation can adopt military-technical measures to counter the Helsinki policy, the development of NATO’s potential on the borders and will receive a response”.
And now a look at the front line updated at 4.30pm on July 3rd.
Starting July 1, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria launched a joint operation to search for Ukrainian mines in the Black Sea to improve navigation safety.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian Aerospace Forces redeployed three Tu-95MS strategic bombers from Engels-2 airport to Olenya. It should be noted that these aircraft are probably equipped with Kh-101/555 missiles. The number is estimated at 15 units: “Olenya” – 12 Tu-95MS “Engels-2” – 3 Tu-95MS The “Old Man”, a patrol ship of the Project 1135 of the Black Sea Fleet, proved itself in the night of July 2 in destroying Ukrainian unmanned boats in Novorossiysk. The mayor of Novorossiysk announced restriction of visits to city beaches for the carrying out of urgent activities.
The Russian armed forces carried out a repeated attack on the Mirgorod airfield in the Poltava region, destroying an enemy helicopter.
Russian paratroopers announced the capture of the eastern part of Chasiv Jar, the Kanal microdistrict. Heavy fighting has continued for several months and now the Ukrainians will meet Russian troops along the line of the water canal.
In the direction of Kharkov, fighting continues in the Vovčans’k settlement. The Russian assault groups have occupied a building in the skyscraper area and are making their way in a south-west direction. The Ukrainians continue to transfer reinforcements across the Vovcha River. The Russian military gained a foothold, increased the number of personnel and expanded the bridgehead to a depth of 50 meters on the left bank of the river. Seversky Donetsk in the area of the Buhruvatka settlement. North of the Lyptsi village, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing reserves for an attack on the Hlyboke village.
In the Liman direction east of Makiivka (LPR), Russian troops advanced along two forests towards the village to a depth of 1.5 km. In the direction of Svativs’kyi. East of Stel’makhivka, the Russian armed forces managed to gain a foothold along the southern forest belt of the ravine to a depth of 1.6 km. The intensity of hostilities remains high in the Stel’makhivka area.
The assault by Russian units in Spirne continues in the direction of Seversky Donetsk.
The Russian Armed Forces are succeeding in Pivnichne in the Toretsk (Dzerzhinsky) direction.
West of Avdiivka, Russian armed forces continue to break through Ukrainian defenses on a broad front. Successes are reported near the settlement of Sokil and west of Novopokrovs’ke.
On the Zaporozhzhie front they report the progressive advance of Russian troops near Novopokrovka. Ukrainians operate hundreds of FPV drones every day, a number many times greater than Russia’s capabilities to shoot them down. It is learned from other sources that the Zaporozhzhie nuclear power plant informed the IAEA about the July 3 UAV attacks near the facility. The IAEA chief called for an end to drone strikes near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, stressing that they pose a threat to nuclear safety and human lives, the agency said.
Russian sources say: “Another Ukrainian attack on the Raduga substation in the city of Energodar. Eight employees of the Zaporozhzhie nuclear power plant were injured. Most of the city is without electricity and water. This really threatens the life support of the city.”
According to these sources: “The attacks on Energodar’s life support facilities have been ongoing for two weeks. On June 19, as a result of a Ukrainian attack, the Luch substation was completely destroyed, and on June 21 the city’s second substation, Raduga, which is currently the only one supplying electricity to Energodar, was partially damaged. Under the threat of further attacks, experts are doing everything they can to restore the city’s energy supply.”
No changes in the Kherson direction. Exchange of drone and artillery attacks. As a result of attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on residential areas, one person died in Gornostaevka, and two others in Dnepryan and Aleshki received multiple shrapnel wounds.
4 Ukrainian UAVs were destroyed at night in the Bryansk region.
In the Belgorod region, Bezymeno and Mokraya Orlovka, Grayvoronsky urban district, were hit by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Kursk region, Gordeevka, Viktorovka and Uspenovka of the Korenevsky district, the Sudzha checkpoint, the villages of Nizhny Klin and Gornal of the Sudzhansky district, the villages of Novy Put and Tyotkino, the village of Sergeevka, the village of Elizavetovka of Glushkovsky district.
Graziella Giangiulio
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