Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? Do not panic, 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
The fact of the day
France undertakes for the first time to deliver long-range SCALP missiles, capable of striking the Russian army in eastern Ukraine. “We have decided to deliver new missiles allowing deep strikes to Ukraine,” declared the French head of state on his arrival at the NATO summit in Vilnius. The first SCALPs were delivered at the same time as the president announced it, according to the staff, which does not specify a volume. Difficult to detect, this cruise missile, which can be fired from an aircraft, is also renowned for its high accuracy and can be used against “hard targets” such as bunkers and buried structures, in addition to military bases and ammunition depots.
sentence of the day
Indecision is a weakness”
Volodymyr Zelensky did not mince his words before arriving at the NATO summit, openly displaying his disappointment with the Alliance’s commitments. “It seems that there is no will either to give Ukraine an invitation to NATO, or to make it a member of the Alliance”, regretted the Ukrainian president, judging “absurd” that his country does not have a timetable for accession. “We have clearly indicated that we will invite Ukraine to join NATO when the Allies agree and when the conditions are met”, reacted a little later Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO.
Volodymyr Zelensky then gave a speech to the crowd in downtown Vilnius, accompanied by the President of Lithuania. “NATO will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make NATO stronger,” he said before attending, with his Lithuanian counterpart, a ceremony to raise a Ukrainian flag brought back from Bakhmout.
The number of the day
700 million euros. Berlin will deliver nearly 700 million euros in additional weapons to Ukraine, German government sources say on the first day of the summit of NATO leaders gathered in Vilnius. Germany will in particular deliver launchers for the Patriot anti-aircraft defense system, armored vehicles of the Marder type and Leopard 1 A5 tanks and artillery projectiles.
The trend of the day
Rain of drones over southern Ukraine. Russia launched no less than 28 explosive drones last night, targeting in particular a grain terminal in a port in the Odessa region, in the south of the country. The Odessa region has three ports that are part of the international agreement allowing the export of Ukrainian grain despite the Russian invasion of that country and which expires on July 17. “Two terminals, including a grain tanker, caught fire because of the fall of shrapnel from downed drones,” said regional governor Oleg Kipper, while the Ukrainian army claims to have shot down 26 of the 28 drones.
The initial 120-day grain deal brokered by the UN and Turkey has been extended but is due to expire again on July 17. Unhappy with the operation of a side deal on Russian food and fertilizer exports, Moscow has already said it sees no reason for another extension.