It seems like tensions between Russia and Ukraine have only sharpened, after an American push for peace at this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. According to reports, over a dozen Russian ships were attacked near Crimea. While Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky made claims of a political alliance between his country and the US.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: What’s Happening in the Sea of Azov?
Since the past few days, Ukraine has been targeting Russian ships in the Sea of Azov, over which both countries have jurisdiction. And the Ukrainian military recently confirmed that a dozen more ships of Russian origin were recently attacked, in addition to the 35 ships targeted and set on fire last week.
By attacking in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, Kyiv wants to exert more pressure on Crimea, which has been under Russian administration since 2014. It also claimed that many of the targets were actually ‘shadow fleet tankers’ that Russia was operating.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Zelensky’s Claims About Patriot Missiles License
At the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, US President Donald Trump announced that his country is formally granting Ukraine a license to domestically manufacture Patriot missile interceptors. The move, came as a major twist, as the Patriot licenses had been only issued to Japan and Germany in the past.
Now, Zelensky has made a shocking claim regarding the recently granted license. According to him, Ukraine and the US reached a political agreement regarding the production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors. (short for Patriot Advanced Capability-3). The PAC-3 missiles are immensely powerful and capable of countering Russia’s ballistic missiles, which were used in last week’s Kyiv attack.
Belarussian Exports to Russia Peak
Russia and Belarus share a close alliance, with Putin and Lukashenko meeting regularly. Now, a bombshell report has claimed that shipments of petrol and diesel from Belarus to Russia peaked in June. According to Reuters, there were 181,000 metric tons of fuel exports between both countries last month, as the Kremlin continues to deal with an internal fuel crisis. Belarus is the second country to extend help to Russia, as India also sent fuel exports to the Eastern European giant.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Did Zelensky & Trump Discuss China’s Involvement?
Over the past week, there has been renewed spotlight over China’s alleged behind the scenes involvement in the war. China shares close ties with both Russia and Belarus, but its ties with Ukraine have deteriorated in recent years due to the war. And Alexander Lukashenko’s recent Beijing visit also amplified the suspicions.
Now, Zelensky has claimed that the Chinese involvement was something he and Trump discussed. “Of course, president Trump and I discussed China. Their role in this war, their involvement or potential involvement, and their capabilities,”, he told reporters but refused to disclose any other details.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Putin’s Next Move
Russian president Vladimir Putin has not made any recent remarks about the status of the war. But according to internal reports, Putin will most likely ‘press ahead’ with the aggression. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity said that there is a ‘high probability’ of Russian escalation. While another Kremlin source, who spoke to Reuters anonymously that Putin rejected 3 peace proposals from Kyiv recently.
