Nighttime drone strikes on Kyiv left at least one dead and four injured, authorities reported before dawn on Thursday (July 13th), during the third night of attacks on the Ukrainian capital where explosions were heard in several neighborhoods. “Tonight a massive attack by Iranian drones took place,” the Kiev military administration said on the Telegram messaging app, referring to a dozen of them scattered in different directions. A 19-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were hospitalized with injuries caused by shrapnel, while others were injured from falling debris. 20 Russian drones and two cruise missiles were shot down during attacks directed, among other things, against the capital.
Emergency services responded to calls in Solomyansky, Shevchenkivsky, Podilsky and Darnytsky neighborhoods following “explosions in the capital”, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. “In the Podilsky district, while fighting a fire in an apartment building, the body of a deceased person was discovered,” he continued, also mentioning two people who were “hospitalized” in similar circumstances. in this same neighborhood. Fires broke out in an apartment building in the Shevchenkivsky district and in a non-residential building in Podilsky, he added. A photo published on the official Telegram channel shows part of a completely blown wall in a room of a high building in Darnytsky. The threat of a Russian drone attack on kyiv remains real, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement.
G7 pledges lasting military support to Kyiv
The G7 powers pledged on Wednesday to provide long-term military support to Ukraine, a decision described by President Volodymyr Zelensky as an “important victory for the security” of the country, for which this cannot however replace future membership. of his country to the Atlantic Alliance. On the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius, the members of the G7 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan) presented a plan for the security of Ukraine, thus provoking the anger of Moscow. This is to help it deal with the current Russian offensive and to deter Russia from any “future armed attack” against its neighbour.
The G7 declaration constitutes a framework for the subsequent conclusion of bilateral agreements between its member states and Kyiv detailing the weapons they will supply. Eight other countries have joined this initiative, according to Madrid: Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic.
After sharply reproaching the leaders of the Alliance on Tuesday for not having set a timetable for the integration of his country into this organization, the Ukrainian leader took care to smooth things over on the last day of the summit. Throughout the day, he multiplied the messages of thanks for the “enormous help” received by Ukraine. The Ukrainian head of state was also asked about the remarks of the British Minister of Defense Ben Wallace, who stressed that his country was “not Amazon” when it comes to supplying weapons to Ukraine, suggesting that Kiev could show more “gratitude”. “We have always been grateful to the United Kingdom,” he replied, before wondering with a smile what the minister had meant.
Accelerated NATO membership process, subject to conditions
“We will not bend!” Joe Biden said in a speech at Vilnius University, stressing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had failed in his attempt to “break” the Atlantic Alliance. “The future of Ukraine is in NATO,” he assured a little earlier. But, in the meantime, “we will help the Ukrainians to build strong defensive capabilities on land, at sea and in the air”, he said, before praising the courage of this country, an example “for the world entire”.
“We must ensure that when the war ends there are credible mechanisms in place for Ukraine’s security so that history does not repeat itself,” said the NATO secretary general. Jens Stoltenberg, before the first meeting of the “Ukraine-NATO Council” with Volodymyr Zelensky. “Today we meet as equals and I look forward to the day when we meet as allies,” continued the Norwegian, who has just been reappointed for a year at the head of this organization.
On Tuesday, the first day of the summit, the leaders pledged to shorten the process kyiv would have to follow to join NATO. “We will be able to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when the Allies decide to do so and the conditions are met,” according to the final communiqué. For Volodymyr Zelensky, these conditions are “linked to security”: “we understand that Ukraine cannot become a member as long as the war continues”. He said he was “confident” about joining “after the war”.
Joe Biden meets Belarusian opponent Tikhanovskaya
The US president met on Wednesday with the leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, in Vilnius, announced the White House. During his meeting with the political opponent, Joe Biden underlined “the United States’ continued commitment to defending and advancing human rights, including freedom of expression and the holding of free and transparent elections in Belarus. “, said the American executive in a press release.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, whose husband is imprisoned in Belarus, became during the contested presidential election of 2020 the leader of the opposition in this country, allied with Moscow and led with an iron fist by Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. Like thousands of her compatriots, she was forced into exile after the election to escape government repression. The meeting comes after President Alexander Lukashenko last month mediated a deal between Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigojine, head of the Wagner Group, to end his rebellion in Russia, and days after the opponent mentioned a possible death of her imprisoned husband.
Joe Biden also met the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Simonyte, and thus continues his European tour, which began Monday with a visit to London, and arrived Wednesday evening in Finland for a 24-hour visit to this neighboring country of the Russia, and which joined NATO in April.