In a rare moment of public vulnerability, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for his military to “show results” before the upcoming NATO summit that is being held July 11-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania. The plea comes as some in Washington are growing weary of providing U.S. arms to Kyiv if its military is incapable of making advances.
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 5-year term is set to end in 2024, he told BBC last week that there will not be a Ukrainian presidential election in 2024 if the country is still under martial law due to Russia’s war in the country. The Ukrainian leader said that both the 2024 presidential election and the parliamentary elections, which are supposed to be held this October, will be extended indefinitely.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he has signed a new law that bans Russian books and publications in Ukraine. It is yet another blow to free speech in the name of war.
In statements on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv’s counteroffensive has started. “Counteroffensive and defensive actions are being taken in Ukraine,” Zelensky announced in Kyiv alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Zelensky’s remarks came days after international press reports had indicated that Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive had finally begun.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Nova Kakhovka dam sabotage for the first time in public comments blaming the Ukrainian government and military for the “barbaric act.” Putin’s comments came after the Russian defense and foreign ministries had accused Ukraine of the “catastrophic” attack.
Despite the recent fall of the eastern city of Bakhmut to Russian and Wagner forces, Ukrainian officials still insist that they will “get back what’s ours,” according to top military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is reiterating the same message claiming that “we strongly believe that we will succeed.”
According to a press release from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), American columnist and YouTuber Gonzalo Lira was arrested at the beginning of May in Ukraine because he allegedly “publicly justified” the Russian invasion of the country. While the press release notes that Lira “has the citizenship of one of the countries of Latin America,” it completely neglects to mention that Lira is also a U.S. citizen, having been born in California.
This week Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Chinese special envoy Li Hui to discuss both countries’ respective peace plans to potentially end Russia’s war in Ukraine. During the talks, Kuleba made it clear that any plan that required Ukraine to cede territory to Russia was a non-starter for Kyiv.