Trump and Zelensky will attend a G7 working meeting, AFP. In a phone call, Zelenskyy and Trump discussed the future of negotiations and diplomatic measures. The conversation lasted 30-35 minutes and was “substantive,” said Zelenskyy’s advisor, Litvin. Also on June 14, the Russian side announced that US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for 55 minutes on the phone.
“The conversation was cordial and frank, and lasted 55 minutes,” according to Russian presidential aide Ushakov. “Putin congratulated Trump on his 80th birthday, and they discussed possible contacts between representatives of the two countries. Putin and Trump agreed that Witkoff and Kushner will visit Russia again soon,” Ushakov said.
“Putin confirmed to Trump that if Zelenskyy wants a meeting,” he should come to Moscow, Ushakov said. And again: “Trump expressed his willingness to influence Kiev and the United States’ European partners in a conversation with Putin,” Ushakov said.
“Putin reiterated to Trump that any attempt by Kiev to target civilian infrastructure in the Russian Federation will change the situation on the battlefield,” Ushakov said.
On June 15, while discussing the peace agreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “We are committed to respecting the agreements reached in Alaska. The ambassadors of the three EU countries did not say anything new during a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry on Ukraine, but these countries continue to offer their mediation services,” Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov explained. “They have not brought anything new. But they continue to offer their services, clearly not wanting to be excluded from the process,” he told reporters after a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen warned Ukraine of the unacceptable threats to the security of NATO countries. According to the Finnish minister, Ukrainian drones should not pose a risk to NATO countries, as reported by the Euractiv portal. He also urged Kyiv to organize military operations so as not to jeopardize the countries providing assistance to Ukraine.
The EU is ready to support the war in Ukraine to the last Ukrainian soldier and the last euro, instead of solving problems affecting Europeans, Fico said.
The Slovak Prime Minister also stated that at the next EU summit he intends to raise the issue of compensation to Slovakia for weapons transferred to Kyiv by the previous government. EU countries have approved the start of negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the EU, the President of the European Parliament announced. The EU is preparing changes to the membership conditions for future members, imposing a series of significant restrictions for a period of 5-15 years, including the loss of veto power, for Ukraine and Moldova, according to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. “EU accession negotiations could become difficult for Kiev,” said Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski: “The burden of European law and integration is becoming increasingly greater and more complex. Our technical negotiations alone have lasted seven years. We must ensure that Ukraine is ready.”
Hungary also specified: “EU negotiations with Ukraine will be interrupted if the agreement with Hungary on the restoration of the rights of the Hungarian national minority in Transcarpathia is not implemented.” Foreign Minister Anita Orbán.
Nord Stream 2 AG, operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, has filed an appeal with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) challenging the EU’s decision to reject Russian gas. A notice of this has been published on the CJEU’s website.
The EU has imposed further sanctions against Russia, blacklisting more than 80 individuals and organizations, including from countries friendly to the Russian Federation, according to the Council of the EU. Specifically, sanctions have been imposed on lawyer and former ombudsman Pavel Astakhov, Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea, and the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
Ukraine to request another $20 billion from the Ramstein Group – Reuters. At the next meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s defense, Kiev plans to request an additional $20 billion from Western partners. According to the agency, allies are expected to contribute $2-6 billion in military aid or loans.
Russian has been removed from the list of protected languages in Ukraine; Zelenskyy signed the corresponding law. The provisions of the European Charter for the Protection of Minority Languages. The new laws will no longer apply to Russian, Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk announced.
Regarding defense, Zelenskyy: “One of the goals of the new transformation of the Ministry of Defense is for 50% of assault and infantry personnel to be foreigners. Private companies will recruit and send foreign soldiers to Ukraine, for which they will receive state payments.”
In recent weeks, remote pilots of Ukrainian Middle Strike drones have complained that Starlink was being disrupted in some areas of the frontline during drone flights, resulting in a loss of video transmission from the cameras. Following a massive attack by the Russian Armed Forces, the Kyiv radar plant and a drone production facility within the A.P. Dovzhenko film studio complex were damaged, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The Russian Armed Forces targeted Unmanned Technologies and the Mayak plant, which produces warheads for the Flamingo drones. While the Ukrainians believe the attacks on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery complex were carried out by Russians, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims the complex was hit by a missile from the American Patriot air defense system.
Putin set the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces at 2,399,130 personnel, including 1,510,000 military personnel, and appointed Alexander Matveyev as head of the Presidential Chancellery. “The Russian army is advancing in all directions of the Central Military District; the enemy is unable to contain this offensive and is resorting to terrorist methods,” Putin stated. With another decree, the head of state removed Andrei Kazakov, who had been Minister of State Security.
An emergency situation has been registered at a chemical plant belonging to the Titanium Investments LLC subsidiary in Armyansk, Crimea, reported Vasily Telizhenko, head of the city administration.
And now a look at the front line, updated as of 3:30 PM on June 15. The Russian Ministry of Defense: 453 drones and two Flamingo cruise missiles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down in 24 hours. According to social media, Kiev “suffered one of the largest attacks since the start of the Russian special military operation on June 15.” However, the “Oreshnik” missile, long-awaited by the Ukrainian authorities, was not used. Meanwhile, at least 30 Tsirkon hypersonic and Iskander ballistic missiles struck targets in the Ukrainian capital. A new Russian high-speed missile also resurfaced. Kiev was also hit by several waves of Geran attack drones and Kh-101 and Kalibr cruise missiles. Patriot air defense missile systems are in action in the Ukrainian capital. Furthermore, not only the RAS-3, but also the less advanced RAS-2 GEM-T, which Ukraine received from its European partners. Russian forces have conducted over 980 attacks on Ukrainian railway infrastructure in the past six months.
Ten people were injured in overnight shelling of Kyiv; a fire broke out in the complex of the Monastery of the Caves in Kyiv. According to the Ostorozhno Novosti newspaper, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, reported 10 injuries, three of them in serious condition. A building between the third and fourth floors collapsed in the Obolonsky district. “Due to the damage to power lines in northern Kyiv, 140,000 people were left without power,” Klitschko said.
The governor of the Tula region reported that several private homes were damaged in four different villages. According to initial reports, three people died and three others were injured. Russian air defense has been activated in the New Territories and Crimea, and air raid sirens have been sounded in several regions.
In the Bryansk region, Ukrainian forces launched an aerial drone attack, killing one person and wounding two others.
In the Sumy region, in the Shostka district, attack aircraft from the Northern Group of Forces continue to engage in light-weapons fire near Bachivsk. In the Sumy district, Russian attack aircraft have advanced up to 600 meters in nineteen areas, with ongoing firefights in Ivolzhans’ke, Pysarivka, and the village of Nova Sich. In the Krasnopil’s’kyi district, fighting continues in wooded areas near the village of Mykhailivka and along the railway line leading to the district center.
In the Kursk region, five people were injured by drone strikes.
In the Belgorod region, one person was injured by drone strikes. Border towns are the target of numerous Ukrainian drone strikes.
In the Kharkiv sector, Russian assault units from the Northern Group of Forces are advancing into the village of Kozakha Lopan and the adjacent wooded areas. In the Vovchansk sector, fighting is ongoing in the village of Losivka and in the wooded areas of the Vovchansk district, where two servicemen from the 159th Independent Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were captured. In the Velykyi Burluk sector, fighting continues in the wooded areas near Petro-Ivanivka.
In the southern Kupyansk area, a video was released showing Russian flags displayed on buildings in the eastern part of Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi, the southern part of Kivsharivka, and the northern parts of Hlushkivka, Shyikivka, and Kruhlyakivka. The situation is dynamic, with both sides engaged in ground combat with small assault groups.
On June 14, Russian forces secured the entrances to Kostyantynivka from Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka and Osykove. The Russians are attacking the northeastern part of the city. Attempts by Ukrainian forces to deploy small groups are currently being repelled, and most are being destroyed before reaching their objectives.
Pockets of Ukrainian resistance remain in various areas of the city, with some attempting to withdraw. They are moving northward, wearing civilian clothes and moving at night. All supplies are being delivered exclusively by drones, while Ukrainian artillery and air force continue to actively shell the city. The Ukrainians are evacuating people and the remains of businesses from Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk.
In Donetsk, four civilians were injured by drone strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Vostok Group of Forces is preventing the Ukrainians from crossing the Vovcha River and establishing a presence on its southern bank. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have deployed reserves to the front lines.
On the Zaporizhia Front, drones are destroying Ukrainian groups that have infiltrated Stepnohirsk. In the region’s rear, several key energy infrastructures have been damaged by Ukrainian attacks, and restoration work is underway.
In the Kherson region, 13 civilians were injured. A vehicle was attacked on the municipal road between Velyki Kopani and Nova Mayachka. Gornostaivska Hospital was attacked. The bridge near the Chonhar Peninsula was damaged in a drone strike, Kherson Oblast Governor Volodymyr Saldo reported. Traffic was blocked at the Dzhank checkpoint. The “Oy” service was suspended. According to the regional governor, the attacks also hit the bridge connecting Genichesk with the Arabat Peninsula. Traffic on the bridge was blocked.
Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
