03:59 USA wants to supply Kiev with HAWK missiles
The US government will provide Ukraine with weapons and ammunition worth 150 million dollars, including HAWK air defense rockets and 155-millimeter artillery ammunition. Two unnamed US officials announced that the weapons aid package is expected to be presented on Monday. The Biden administration is responding to Ukraine's desperate pleas for air defense support after Russia bombed Ukrainian energy facilities with air raids in recent weeks.
02:58 Report: Russian agents in Vienna implicated in assassination of helicopter pilot Kusminow
Russian agents based in Vienna are suspected of helping with the recruitment and financing of Russian operations, such as the assassination of the Russian military helicopter pilot Maxim Kusminow. He had defected to Ukraine and was living in Spain when he was found by the hit squad. The "Wall Street Journal" reports this with references to western security circles. The killers, who shot him five times and then ran him over with a SUV, were criminals who were paid in cash provided by Russian officials in Vienna, according to the paper. "We are now becoming a burden for our neighbors because Russia is using us as an operations base," a high-ranking Austrian intelligence officer told the newspaper. According to Austrian intelligence sources, the number of active Russian diplomats in Austria in the last two years has increased from around 400 to over 500. About half of them are diplomats and managers, while the other half function as spies.
01:58 Russia: Town north of Bachmut taken - Ukraine denies
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian military has taken control of the town of Rosdoliwka in eastern Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian military claims that heavy fighting is taking place in the areas around the settlement. Rosdoliwka is located in the Donetsk region, the epicenter of Russia's advance in eastern Ukraine. It is located north of Bachmut and Soledar, two towns that were taken under Russian control last year.
00:58 US Army awards Lockheed Martin contract worth 4.5 billion dollars
In the US, the US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a multi-year contract worth 4.5 billion dollars for the Patriot air defense system. The Pentagon announced this. The contract includes 870 PAC-3 MSE missiles and the associated hardware. Lockheed manufactures the latest version of the missile defense system, known as PAC-3 MSE, which equips the Patriot system. The Patriot system is part of a series of advanced air defense systems that the West is providing to Ukraine.
23:58 More Olympic Starting Places for Russians - Judokas rejected
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to invite more athletes from Russia and Belarus to the Summer Games in Paris. According to the IOC's announcement in the evening, 50 athletes from the two countries have been invited to compete at the Olympics under a neutral flag. However, not all these invitations have been accepted, some have already withdrawn. Some Judokas were rejected due to their affiliation with Army sports clubs. Out of the twelve quotas for Judokas from Russia, only two will be allocated to men and women each - whether the four accept the invitation remains open.
22:59 Ten Ukrainians Return from Russian Captivity
Ten Ukrainian civilians have returned home from Russian captivity, according to reports from Kiev. Among the released prisoners is Nariman Djeljal, a leader of the Crimean Tatars. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on social media on Friday. He thanks the Vatican for its involvement in the release of the civilians. Djeljal was arrested in 2021, before the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the annexed Crimean peninsula and later sentenced to 17 years in prison.
22:30 Lithuanian Foreign Minister: Kallas Nomination Honors Stance on Russia
Lithuania has welcomed the nomination of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the new EU Foreign Policy Chief. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis speaks of acknowledgment of the views of the Baltic States and other countries at the NATO Eastern Flank, which have taken a firm stance against Russia and supported Ukraine until its victory. "She has never hidden her position, she has clearly and openly expressed her views on issues that are important to us," Landsbergis told the BNS agency in Vilnius about Kallas. Kallas was appointed as the EU representative for external and security policy at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. The 47-year-old liberal has been Estonia's first female prime minister since 2021 and is known as a supporter of a resolute Western stance towards Moscow.
22:00 Baerbock: Support for Ukraine is the Best Protection for Peaceful Sleeping
According to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's belief, ongoing support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion forces is also crucial for peace and security in Germany. "If Ukraine can no longer defend our peace, our freedom because we no longer support it, then the question is how far Putin's troops will advance," Baerbock said during a talk by RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), NDR and "Hannoverscher Allgemeine Zeitung". "That's why the support efforts for Ukraine are the best protection for our own peace and our own security." Baerbock referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Naturally, one can discuss whether the billions in aid for Ukraine should be used differently, Baerbock says. But in this case, she has to admit: "I don't know how long we can continue sleeping peacefully here in Brandenburg, right at the border with Poland." There are "light tests" everywhere along the EU border and the NATO external border by Russia. "Every reasonable person in the world, in Europe and in Ukraine" wishes nothing more earnestly than peace in Ukraine. But that lies with Putin. "For that reason, Putin must withdraw his troops and finally put an end to this killing." Instead, his answer is "always more violence and terror."
You can read about previous developments here.
- The Biden administration's decision to provide Ukraine with weapons and ammunition is a response to the ongoing 'Ukraine conflict', with Russia accused of conducting cyberwar and executing military attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities.
- Amidst these military operations, Volodymyr Selensky, the Ukrainian President, has pleaded for air defense support from NATO, citing Russia's actions as a threat to Ukraine's security.
- The unnamed US officials announced a 150 million dollar aid package, which includes HAWK air defense rockets and 155-millimeter artillery ammunition, aiming to bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities against cyberwar attacks and Russian military aggression.
- The proposed aid package comes at a time when Russia is accused of using Vienna as a base for operations, with Russian agents allegedly involved in the assassination of a Russian military helicopter pilot who had defected to Ukraine.
- This escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia has widespread implications in the political sphere, with NATO countries like Germany and Lithuania standing firmly in support of Ukraine, viewing it as crucial for their peace and security.
