European leaders have opened a summit in Britain calling for unity in their support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, while Ukraine’s president took a thinly veiled shot at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer opened the European Political Community Summit at Blenheim Palace near Oxford with a call Thursday for Europe to confirm its support for Ukraine and to unite against Russia’s aggression.
“Because the threat from Russia reaches right across Europe,” Starmer said, “Many of us have seen attacks on our own democracy. People targeted on our streets. Military planes entering our air space. Ships patrolling our coastlines,” he said, adding “this is the moment for us all to do more.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a key guest at the summit, spoke soon after, praising European support for Ukraine, saying, “Putin cannot sustain relationships with truly strong leaders. And this is our advantage.”
But Zelenskyy warned, “It remains an advantage only as long as we are united.”
Zelenskyy, without mentioning Orban by name, called out the Hungarian leader’s recent visit to Moscow.
“If someone in Europe tries to resolve issues behind others’ backs, or even at the expense of someone else,” Zelenskyy said, “if someone wants to make some trips to the capital of war to talk and perhaps promise something against our common interests, or to the expense of Ukraine or other countries, then why should we consider such a person?”
Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1, and on July 5, Orban traveled to Moscow, where he met with Putin on what he called a “peace mission.” Orban also visited Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy, and took trips to Beijing, and the United States, where he met with former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Orban is also attending the summit in Britain. As he arrived, he told reporters he supported Ukraine, but added that he does not believe Ukraine can defeat Russia and the conflict cannot be resolved on the battlefield. He said he supports a cease-fire and negotiations to end the war.
Ahead of the meeting, on his official account on the X social media platform, Zelenskyy said while in Britain, he would hold a separate meeting with Starmer, and they would “sign an intergovernmental agreement on support for the Ukrainian defense and industrial complex,” as well as discuss future defense cooperation.
Zelenskyy said he also would meet with King Charles.
New NATO command for Ukraine
Ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday the alliance’s new command for coordinating military aid and training for Ukraine’s military — to be located in Germany — will be operational in September. The command will be led by a three-star general with a team of 700 personnel.
NATO leaders agreed at a summit earlier this month to launch the effort, with the aim of better coordinating Ukraine aid efforts and making that assistance more predictable.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops retreated from Urozhaine, a village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, a military spokesperson said Thursday, though he did not clarify when the withdrawal happened.
"As the enemy destroyed almost everything in Urozhaine, the defense forces withdrew to other positions,” said Nazar Voloshyn. “A decision was made to preserve the lives and health of our servicemen who were maintaining defense there.”
Russia took control of Urozhaine shortly after the invasion started in 2022. Almost a year ago, Ukrainian troops recaptured it, but Russia’s defense ministry claimed that its army regained control several days ago.
Ukraine’s military on Thursday also said it intercepted 16 Russian aerial drones and two guided missiles that targeted Ukraine in overnight attacks.
The Ukrainian air force said the intercepts took place over the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Poltava and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor of Dnipropetrovsk, said on Telegram that the Russian attacks injured two people and damaged 14 residential buildings.
Threats of aerial attacks prompted alarms in Kyiv, but Ukrainian air defenses shot down Russian drones before they reached the area, according to Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration.
Russia’s defense ministry said Thursday it destroyed 33 Ukrainian aerial drones and 10 naval drones.
The Ukrainian naval drones were heading toward the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, while the aerial drones were shot down over Crimea and the Russian city of Bryansk, the Russian ministry said.
Bryansk Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz reported on Telegram there were no casualties or damage in his area.
VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this story.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
