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For Ukrainian President Zelensky, his visit to Brussels was a success. He gained new confidence from the EU and NATO for the continued fight against Moscow. The news at a glance.
Brussels – During his recent trip to Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received further support for his country’s defensive war against Russia. At the EU summit on Thursday, he signed an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel. During a visit to NATO headquarters, he was promised further help.
In addition to the EU, Estonia and Lithuania have also concluded agreements with Ukraine on security cooperation and long-term support for the country attacked by Russia. On the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda signed the bilateral agreements with Zelensky on Thursday.
In it, the two EU and NATO countries committed themselves to supporting Ukraine politically, militarily and economically for ten years. This means that all Baltic states have now made long-term security commitments to Ukraine. Latvia had already made a similar agreement in April.
NATO wants to make long-term commitments for military aid
Zelensky also met with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob in Brussels. “We discussed the completion of the bilateral security agreement and ensuring a just peace for Ukraine,” Zelensky later wrote on the X platform.
Selenskyj also visited NATO headquarters in Brussels. During a discussion with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO summit in Washington in the second week of July was discussed, among other things. The Ukrainian president has been invited to the meeting of the heads of state and government of the 32 allies as a guest.
“We expect that the Alliance’s role in coordinating security assistance and training of Ukrainian troops will be strengthened and that long-term financial commitments will be made to ensure stable support for Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote after the meeting at X. He also thanked Stoltenberg for his efforts to consolidate Allied support for Ukraine, especially in strengthening air defense.
NATO plans to give Ukraine long-term commitments for military aid at the summit and to set up a headquarters in Wiesbaden for the planned NATO mission to coordinate arms deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Air defence for Ukraine
One of the main concerns of the Ukrainian head of state, namely obtaining additional air defense systems to fend off constant Russian attacks, was discussed elsewhere. As the Financial Times reported, the USA was currently negotiating with Israel on this matter. According to the agreement, Israel was to hand over up to eight Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. Before being transferred to Ukraine, however, the approximately 30-year-old systems were to be brought to the USA for overhaul, the FT reported, citing people involved in the negotiations.
There are currently four Patriot air defense systems in use in Ukraine, two of which were provided by Germany. Zelensky recently estimated that his country would need at least six more Patriot systems.
Heavy fighting in Ukraine continues
Russian and Ukrainian units continued to engage in heavy fighting on various front lines in eastern Ukraine on Thursday. “The enemy is looking for ways to break through our defense lines,” the Ukrainian General Staff in Kyiv said in its daily situation report in the evening.
According to these figures, of the more than 100 armed clashes reported during the day, more than half occurred in the area around Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. The front line remained unchanged everywhere.
Ukrainian military officials also reported heavy fighting around the settlement of Mirnoje west of the city of Zaporizhia. A Russian brigade lost around 95 percent of its soldiers in massed assaults there, according to the statement released by the Ukrainian agency Unian. This information could not be independently verified. dpa
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