By I. Hansana, Jadetimes News
Fighting
In the eastern Ukrainian city of Toretsk, Russian guided bombs struck apartment buildings, killing at least two people, according to Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin. Toretsk is located north of the Russian occupied regional center of Donetsk.
Filashkin reported that rescue teams were on site assessing the damage and casualties, sharing photos of the destruction. Additionally, Donetsk regional prosecutors stated that another guided bomb hit Oleksievo Druzhkivka, a town northwest of Toretsk, injuring six people.
In Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, the regional governor reported that one person was killed due to Russian shelling in a village north of the city of Kherson. Ukraine’s military reported 25 assaults by Russian forces along the 1,200km (750 mile) front line, with the most intense fighting occurring in the Pokrovsk sector, northwest of Donetsk.
Politics and Diplomacy
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning about “serious consequences” if Western supplied weapons to Ukraine were used to attack targets within Russia, emphasizing the country's nuclear capabilities. This came after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview with The Economist, suggested that NATO members should permit Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western weapons, a stance supported by some NATO members but not the United States. Since the full scale invasion by Moscow in February 2022, Russia currently occupies approximately 18 percent of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian President Putin would be pleased if US President Joe Biden did not attend the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland. Switzerland has extended invitations to over 160 delegations, and the US has confirmed it will send an official, though the identity has not been disclosed.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski suggested in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza that Warsaw should not rule out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine, advising that Putin should be kept uncertain about such a decision.
Weapons
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov announced to Reuters that Ukraine will soon receive its first batch of F 16 fighter jets. However, he noted that around half of the critical foreign military aid is arriving late, coinciding with an intensified Russian front line campaign involving more troops and equipment.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala disclosed that a Czech led initiative to expedite ammunition deliveries to Ukraine had secured 1.6 billion euros ($1.74bn). The first deliveries of 155 mm (calibre) ammunition are expected to arrive in Ukraine shortly.
Portugal has committed to providing military support to Ukraine valued at least 126 million euros ($137m) this year, as per a security pact signed in Lisbon by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.