The White House on Monday said it believes Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for use in its ongoing war in Ukraine.
U. S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was unclear whether Iran had already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the U. S. has “information” that indicates Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month.
“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” he told reporters Monday.
Shashi Tharoor: Why the world needs peace in Ukraine
Sullivan said it was proof the Russia’s overwhelming bombardments in Ukraine, which have led it to consolidate gains in the country’s east in recent weeks, was “coming at a cost to the sustainment of its own weapons.”
The biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two has killed thousands, left cities and towns in ruins and seen more than 5.5 million Ukrainians flee their country.
Here are the latest updates
Putin set to visit Iran next week
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Iran next week, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, a day after the United States warned that Tehran could provide Moscow with drones for its action in Ukraine.
During a trip to Tehran next Tuesday, Mr. Putin will attend a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, the so-called Astana format of meetings for Syria-related talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Mr. Putin’s visit to Iran will follow U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia this week, where Iran’s nuclear programme and “malign activities” in the region will be a key subject of discussion.
Mr. Peskov told reporters that on the visit to Tehran, Mr. Putin will also have a separate meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ukraine receives $1.7 billion in new financial assistance
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal thanked the United States on Tuesday for its “incredible support” after Ukraine received a further $1.7-billion in international financial assistance.
Shmyhal confirmed receipt of a grant which he said on Saturday would come from a Single-Donor Trust Fund created by the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction, the International Development Association and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).-Reuters
Death toll from collapsed Donbas apartment block rises to 35 -emergency services
The death toll under a collapsed apartment block in the Donetsk region town of Chasiv Yar climbed to 35 on Tuesday, with rescue work still not over four days after the building was hit by Russian rocket fire, emergency services said.
Over 320 tonnes of rubble had been cleared and 9 people rescued from under the ruins, the regional emergency services directorate wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Sunday the strike was “another terrorist attack,” and that Russia should be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism as a result.-Reuters
EU approves one billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine
EU finance ministers on Monday approved one billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine, a first instalment of a promised nine-billion-euro (dollar) budget for Kyiv agreed by European leaders in May.
“This will give Ukraine the necessary funds to cover urgent needs and ensure the operation of critical infrastructure,” said Zbynek Stanjura, Minister of Finance from the Czech Republic, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency.-AFP
Russian forces encircling Ukraine’s Sieversk - separatist official cited by TASS
Russian and Russian-backed separatist forces are encircling the town of Sieversk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the Russian state news agency TASS cited Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador to Moscow of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, as saying on Tuesday.
Sieversk, which is claimed by the Donetsk People’s Republic, another breakaway territory that Moscow is trying to prise out of Kyiv’s control, lies on the frontline of the battle for Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region after Ukrainian troops abandoned the city of Sievierodonetsk last month.-Reuters
Seven dead in Ukrainian strike on Russian-held town: TASS
At least seven people were killed in an attack by Ukrainian armed forces on Monday in the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, Russian state news agency TASS said on Tuesday.
“There are already seven dead for sure and about 60 wounded,” TASS quoted Vladimir Leontyev, head of Russia-installed Kakhovka District military-civilian administration in the Kherson region.
“There are still many people under the rubble. The injured are being taken to the hospital, but many people are blocked in their apartments and houses,” Leontyev added.
According to TASS, in addition to damaged buildings, the attack also led to an explosion at fertiliser warehouses in the region. - Reuters
Russia says Ukraine strike in Nova Kakhovka led to casualties
Russian officials said an attack by Ukrainian armed forces on Monday evening led to casualties in the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in Kherson region, while Ukrainian officials said their forces had destroyed an ammunition depot there.
Dozens of people were injured in the strike by Ukrainian troops, Russian state news agency TASS reported this morning, citing Vladimir Leontyev, head of the Kakhovka District military-civilian administration in the Kherson region.
“Unfortunately, there are casualties, a large number of injured, dozens of people were left homeless,” the report quoted mR. Leontyev as saying. - Reuters
Putin expands fast-track Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians
Russian President Vladimir Putin expanded a fast-track procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians on Monday, another effort to strengthen Moscow’s influence over war-torn Ukraine.
Until recently, only residents of Ukraine’s separatist eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as residents of the southern Zaporizhzhia and the Kherson regions, large parts of which are now under Russian control, were eligible to apply for the simplified passport procedure.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Klueba said Mr. Putin’s signing of a passport decree, which also applies to stateless residents in Ukraine, was an example of his “predatory appetites.” - AP
White House: Iran preparing to supply Russia with drones
The United States believes Iran is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones, including some that are weapons capable, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday.
Sullivan also said the United States has information that shows Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use these drones. - Reuters
U. N. to monitor Ukraine war for violations against children
The United Nations announced on Monday it will start monitoring the war in Ukraine and conflicts in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Africa’s central Sahel region for violations against children, including killings, injuries, recruitment, rape and other forms of sexual violence.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his annual report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict that those four new conflicts have been added to 21 conflicts that the U.N. already is monitoring for violations of the rights of children. He said the latter conflicts saw “a high number of grave violations” in 2021. - AP
Ukraine to begin football season in August in spite of war
Ukraine will launch its new football season despite Russia’s ongoing invasion, the country’s sports minister said on Monday.
“The Ukrainian football championship will start on August 23,” Vadym Gutsait said on Facebook. “We agreed to work out...the procedure for organising and holding competitions under martial law,” he added.
Ukrainian football clubs decided in April to end the previous season early after it was suspended following Russia’s invasion. Shakhtar Donetsk led Dynamo Kyiv by two points in the Ukraine championship when the season was interrupted, but the league decided not to award the title.
The minister said that the matches of the new season will be held in the territory of Ukraine, but without spectators and with mandatory observance of all safety rules. - AFP
