Latest developments:
- Saudi Arabia and Russia are cutting oil production to boost prices. The Saudi Energy Ministry announced Monday it would extend its previously stated cut of 1 million barrels per day in July through August to support “the stability and balance of oil markets.” Russia will cut an additional 500,000 barrels a day in August for a total of 1 million.
- Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu reaffirmed China’s military relations with Russia during his meeting in Beijing with Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, head of the Russian navy. The Chinese envoy expressed hope for increased exchanges and other forms of cooperation with Russia that would take the countries' defense ties to “reach a new level.”
- Commenting for the first time on last month’s Wagner mercenary group mutiny, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday said the revolt did not affect Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. Shoigu said that plans to destabilize Russia had failed because of Russian troops' loyalty.
In his nightly video address Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touted Ukraine as a significant asset for NATO, stating that his country is an important safeguard in Europe’s security against Russian aggression.
“It is obvious that Europe can be protected from any aggression only together with Ukraine and only together with Ukraine in NATO. That is why we must achieve security certainty about our future in the Alliance,” he said.
Zelenskyy made these comments as NATO leaders are preparing for their two-day summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12.
The summit arrives at a critical juncture for NATO and European security with the Kyiv counteroffensive and political upheaval in Moscow.
Ukraine formally applied to join NATO last year, but all member states have now agreed that Ukraine will not join the alliance before the war there ends.
During a Monday news conference in Brussels, NATO's top military official, Admiral Rob Bauer, acknowledged that Ukraine’s road to victory will be difficult and lengthy.
"The counteroffensive, it is difficult," he said, adding that Ukrainian forces are right to proceed cautiously. "People should never think that this is an easy walkover. It will never be," he said, noting that the Russian defense lines are sometimes up to 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) deep, and Ukrainian forces face landmines and other obstacles.
Bauer drew a comparison between breaking through these obstacles and fighting in Normandy during World War II.
"We saw in Normandy in the Second World War that it took seven, eight, nine weeks for the allies to actually break through the defensive lines of the Germans. And so, it is not a surprise that it is not going fast," he said.
Satellite images reviewed by Reuters in April showed Russia had built extensive fortifications, trenches, anti-vehicle barriers and other obstacles to slow any Ukrainian advance.
Bauer also cautioned that Russia’s armed forces are bruised but by no means beaten in the Ukraine fighting.
“They might not be 11 feet tall, but they are certainly not two feet tall,” he told reporters. “So, we should never underestimate the Russians and their ability to bounce back.”
Heavy fighting
At least two people were killed and 19 others were injured by a Russian drone attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Monday.
According to Sumy's regional administration, four drones struck an official building and two residential ones.
Ukraine’s state emergency service posted images from the attack showing mangled buildings. Debris was strewn on courtyards while rescue workers tried to put out a fire.
Several hours after the morning strike, another air raid alert sounded in the Sumy region that more drones could be on the way.
Earlier Monday, Kyiv's military reported shooting down 13 of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Moscow overnight on several parts of the Ukraine.
Ukraine said Monday its forces had retaken 37-square kilometers (23 square miles) of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine during the past week.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that Ukrainian troops were advancing in the Bakhmut area in the east, while Russia was attacking in Lyman, Avdiivka and Mariinka.
Maliar said there was “heavy fighting going on” in those areas.
Zelenskyy noted that the situation on the front line has been difficult, but that “we are making progress,” he tweeted. “We are moving forward, step by step!”
Ukrainian children deportations
Russia has brought some 700,000 Ukrainian children fleeing the bombing and shelling from the conflict zones in Ukraine to Russian territory, Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee in the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, said on his Telegram messaging channel late Sunday.
Moscow claims its program of bringing children from Ukrainian to Russian territory aims to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.
Ukraine says many children have been illegally deported. In July 2022, the United States estimated that Russia “forcibly deported” 260,000 children. Ukraine’s Ministry of Integration of Occupied Territories says 19,492 Ukrainian children are currently considered illegally deported.
EU-Ukraine
During a Monday speech before the European Union Commissioners meeting in Madrid, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union should address the issue of its enlargement as soon as possible to include countries such as Ukraine and Moldova to guarantee they do not fall under Russian or Chinese spheres of influence.
Continued support for Ukraine in its war with Russia was high on the agenda at the meeting and a priority for the Spanish presidency.
Von der Leyen remarked that the commission is proposing 50 billion euros ($55 billion) in budget and rebuilding support until 2027.
EU officials estimate that the bloc’s institutions and 27 member states have provided around 75 billion euros ($81.6 billion) in aid, arms and ammunition since the war began in February 2022. The EU provides 1.8 billion euros each month to help Ukraine’s economy.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
