Russia-Ukraine struggle stay: ‘No plan B’ if Kyiv falls, says Nato state bordering Russia | EUROtoday

Ukrainian air defence shot down 35 of 53 Russian missiles and 46 of 47 Russian drones throughout the newest assaults throughout the nation, the air power commander has mentioned. As air raid alerts had been issued throughout Ukraine, Poland mentioned its personal and different allies’ warplanes had been scrambled attributable to “intense long-range aviation activity of the Russian Federation tonight, related to air and missile strikes on objects located in the territory of Ukraine. All necessary procedures to ensure the safety of Polish airspace have been launched.”

Russia has launched a barrage of missiles and drones on Saturday, damaging power amenities in 5 areas throughout Ukraine, officers mentioned.

Ukraine’s nationwide grid operator Ukrenergo mentioned the assault broken power amenities within the japanese Donetsk, southeastern Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk areas, central Kyrovohrad area, and Ivano-Frankivsk area within the west.

“The Russians launched another strike on Ukrainian energy facilities. Since March it is already the sixth massive, complex, missile and drone attack against the civilian energy infrastructure,” Ukrenergo mentioned.

Since March, Russia has stepped up its bombardments of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, knocking out the majority of the thermal and hydropower era, inflicting blackouts, and pushing electrical energy imports to file highs.

The European Union has slapped extra sanctions on North Korea over its continued efforts to develop ballistic and nuclear missiles and its assist for Russia.

The EU Council yesterday mentioned that 9 further people and entities might be hit by asset freezes and journey bans. No names had been supplied.

The transfer brings the variety of North Koreans hit by EU sanctions to 77 and the variety of entities, which are sometimes firms or organisations, to twenty.

China mentioned it could be “’hard to meet” requires discussions on the Russia-Ukraine struggle, citing issues with preparations that seem to level to Beijing’s strongly pro-Moscow stance.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning mentioned that “China’s hopes appear to be hard to meet at the meeting.

“There is still a clear gap between the arrangements for the meeting and the demands of the Chinese side, as well as the general expectations of the international community,” Mr Mao mentioned.

A faux information report that appeared on Poland’s nationwide information company saying that prime minister Donald Tusk was mobilising 200,000 males beginning on 1 July was in all probability the work of Russia-sponsored hackers and was designed to intervene with the upcoming European Parliament election, authorities mentioned.

“Everything indicates that we are dealing with a cyberattack directed from the Russian side,” mentioned Krzysztof Gawkowski, a deputy prime minister who additionally holds the digital affairs portfolio. “The goal is disinformation ahead of (European Parliament) elections and a paralysis of the society.”

Mr Tusk mentioned on X that it was “Another very dangerous hacker attack which well illustrates Russia’s destabilization strategy on the eve of the European elections. … It is increasingly clear how important these elections are for us.”

Shelling by the Ukrainian navy killed 5 civilians and wounded a number of others in several districts of the Russian-controlled metropolis of Donetsk in japanese Ukraine yesterday, the Russia-installed chief of the area mentioned.

Denis Pushilin, chief of the Donetsk People’s Republic, proclaimed lengthy earlier than Moscow’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, mentioned on the Telegram messaging app that three individuals died within the metropolis’s Kirov district.

Two extra had been killed within the village of Luhanske simply outdoors Donetsk. The assertions couldn’t be independently verified.

Estonia has known as upon fellow Nato members to pledge one per cent of their GDP to supporting Ukraine in its struggle effort, because it raised issues of an existential risk from Russia if Kyiv falls.

“If every Nato country did this,” Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas informed the BBC, “Ukraine would win.

“We have no Plan B for a Russian victory,” she mentioned, “because then we would stop focussing on Plan A.

“We should not give in to pessimism. Victory in Ukraine is not just about territory. If Ukraine joins Nato, even without some territory, then that’s a victory because it will be placed under the Nato umbrella.”

Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners of struggle on Friday, every sending again 75 POWs within the first such swap up to now three months, officers mentioned. A number of hours earlier and on the similar location, the 2 sides additionally handed over our bodies of their fallen troopers.

The Ukrainian POWs, together with 4 civilians, had been returned on a number of buses that drove into the northern Sumy area. As they disembarked, they shouted joyfully and known as their households to inform them they had been house. Some knelt and kissed the bottom whereas many wrapped themselves in yellow-blue flags and hugged each other, breaking into tears. Many appeared emaciated and poorly dressed.

The trade of the 150 POWs in all was the fourth swap this 12 months and the 52nd since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The United Arab Emirates mentioned it helped negotiate this newest trade.

The two sides have traded blame for what they are saying is a slowdown within the swaps.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin tried to refocus consideration on China’s risk within the Pacific, looking for to alleviate issues that conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have distracted from America’s safety commitments in Asia.

Mr Austin, who was talking on the annual Shangri-La Dialogue safety summit in Singapore, met his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, yesterday in a bid to chill friction over points from Taiwan to China’s navy exercise within the South China Sea.

There has been growing concern that Washington’s deal with serving to Ukraine counter Russia’s invasion and assist for Israel’s struggle in Gaza, whereas attempting to make sure that the battle doesn’t unfold, has taken away consideration from the Indo-Pacific.

“Despite these historic clashes in Europe and the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific has remained our priority theatre of operations,” Mr Austin mentioned in his speech, which appeared geared toward making the administration’s legacy within the area clear as president Joe Biden’s first time period in workplace nears its finish.

Mr Biden is working for re-election in November in opposition to former president Donald Trump.

“Let me be clear: The United States can be secure only if Asia is secure. That’s why the United States has long maintained our presence in this region.”

Mr Austin underscored the significance of alliances within the area.

“And … peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and not coercion or conflict. And certainly not through so-called punishment,” Mr Austin mentioned, taking a shot at China.

South Korean defence minister Shin Won-sik mentioned that extra proof suggests weapons utilized by Russia within the struggle in Ukraine had been illegally imported from North Korea.

“Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea” is escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and “also affecting the battlefield in Europe”, Mr Shin mentioned.

If North Korea continues to obtain navy know-how transfers from Russia in return, a major enchancment in North Korea’s typical navy functionality is an imminent threat, Mr Shin mentioned.

On questions on whether or not South Korea might search nuclear weapons of its personal, Mr Shin mentioned that South Korea trusts the worldwide nonproliferation treaty (NPT) regime, and {that a} stronger US-South Korean alliance is the reply to North Korea’s nuclear improvement.

Mr Shin was talking throughout the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s largest defence discussion board, below means in Singapore.