Selenski speaks of successes in the Ukrainian offensive

Kyiv/Paris After several villages in eastern Ukraine were recaptured, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of the success of the previous offensive strikes against the Russian armed forces. “Thanks to our men for every Ukrainian flag that returns to its rightful place in the villages of the newly liberated areas,” said Zelensky in his video message distributed in Kiev on Monday evening. “The fights are tough, but we’re making progress and that’s important.”

In the morning, however, there were new attacks on Ukraine – according to the authorities in the south-eastern city of Kryvyi Rih, several people died when a rocket hit a residential building.

For days, the Ukrainian armed forces have been reporting the liberation of a growing number of villages, especially in the Donetsk region, which Russia had annexed. So far, seven towns have been liberated and 90 square kilometers are back under Ukrainian control, said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar in Kiev.

“Enemy casualties are exactly what we need,” said Zelenskiy after a meeting with generals on the situation in the front area. Especially around the city of Bakhmut, which was declared occupied by Russia at the end of May, Ukrainian control is being expanded.

The meeting with the troop command was about military successes, but also about the question of where reinforcements were needed at the front in order to break through Russian defenses.

Selenski: “We will maintain and strengthen our operational dominance”

President Zelensky also noted that the conditions for combat operations are unfavorable these days because of the weather. Rain softens the ground and makes the terrain less suitable for heavy military equipment. “The strength of our fighters still brings results,” emphasized the President.

Selensky also particularly praised the fact that Russian prisoners of war were being taken. This helps to build up more bargaining chips for an exchange for your own soldiers from Russian captivity.

Measures to stabilize the situation in the liberated areas were also discussed with the military leadership. Work is underway to provide the necessary weapons and ammunition supplies there. “We are maintaining and strengthening our operational dominance,” Zelenskyj said. “We believe in victory, it will come.”

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russian war of aggression for more than 15 months. Weapons and ammunition from Western countries help her in this. Russia recently downplayed the successes of the Ukrainian counter-offensive and described them as insignificant. Nevertheless, Moscow had named the conquest of the entire Donetsk region as a war goal. This project was further afield.

Governor: Dead in rocket hit apartment building in south-eastern Ukraine

The military governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lyssak, announced on Telegram early Tuesday morning that there were several dead and injured in the “massive rocket attack on Kryvyi Rih”. The head of the local military administration, Olexander Wilkul, had previously reported an impact on a five-story building and wrote that there were probably still people under the rubble.

Air alert was also declared in other regions of Ukraine. The Russians had fired cruise missiles again, including at the capital Kiev, the authorities there said. There, however, the air defense shot down all enemy flying objects. There were reports of drone strikes from the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Paris, Warsaw and Berlin are discussing security guarantees for Kiev

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to hope for concrete prospects so that its security is guaranteed after the long-awaited end to the Russian war of aggression. Germany, France and Poland discussed such long-term security guarantees on Monday evening in Paris. Chancellor Olaf Scholz met French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda there.

Before the joint deliberations, Duda appealed: “Ukraine is waiting for a clear signal regarding a clear prospect of membership in NATO.” This is the expectation of the Ukrainian leadership and the soldiers who are defending their country. He hopes that the forthcoming NATO summit on July 11 and 12 in Lithuania will bring the “light at the end of the tunnel” that Ukraine has been waiting for.

Scholz said the main efforts are currently aimed at supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia. “We will continue to do this for as long as it is necessary, we are prepared for that.” Nevertheless, the intensive debate about security guarantees makes sense, said the SPD politician.

Macron was also more reserved than Duda. They want to talk about “NATO support for Ukraine, to give it all the perspectives it is entitled to,” said the French President. He hopes that the upcoming NATO summit will make it possible to show a way and develop a clear vision for the future of collective security.

>> Read here: Macron received Scholz and Duda in Paris – “will create an even stronger Europe”

At the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Ukraine wants to get concrete prospects of being admitted to the defense alliance. However, important allies are slowing down. For the presumably long transition period, there are discussions about upgrading the existing NATO-Ukraine Commission to a new NATO-Ukraine Council. Such a joint advisory forum would be an important step towards being able to discuss key security issues with Ukraine on an equal footing.

Macron also said that the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which started a few days ago, should last for several months. France has recently expanded the supply of arms and ammunition and is still delivering. “There is this counter-offensive. We wish that it will be as successful as possible, in order to then trigger a negotiation phase under good conditions,” said Macron. The Russian war of aggression is already a strategic and geopolitical failure for Russia.

This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:

What will be important on Tuesday

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is expected in Kiev. He wants to clarify open questions about the cooling water supply for the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia, which the Russian occupiers are keeping under control. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam on Tuesday a week ago caused the water level in the Dnipro River reservoir, which is used to cool the nuclear power plant, to drop.

It is feared that at a certain point in time it will no longer be possible to pump in fresh water to cool the decommissioned reactors and the nuclear waste. The nuclear power plant would then be dependent on cooling ponds, which according to the IAEA would be sufficient for several months. However, given the course of the war, experts from the IAEA and other organizations are concerned about the security and sustainability of this interim solution.

More: You can find the latest developments in our news blog on the Ukraine war