Never cackle till your egg is laid...
“By the end of the summer, you can see real progress in the south of Ukraine. For Ukraine, it is very, very important to restore access to the Black Sea ports in order to resume the export of all its agricultural goods, to break the Russian blockade of Odessa,” professor at Stanford University, American philosopher Francis Fukuyama, stated in an interview with Deutsche Welle, when answering the question of what could be the further strategy of Ukraine.
According to Fukuyama, “the most realistic strategy at the moment is to concentrate in the south of the country, to reopen Ukraine access to the Black Sea, returning Kherson and ports on the Sea of Azov. This is more important than the Donbass. I think that the return of the Donbass will be quite difficult to implement in the next few months. “
“It is very, very important for Ukraine to restore access to the Black Sea ports in order to resume the export of all its agricultural products, to break the Russian blockade of Odessa,” the political scientist added. In his opinion, it is the liberation of Kherson and the lifting of the blockade of ports that will become a real prerequisite for a ceasefire.
“If, say, by September or October they actually liberate the area, then this will lay the groundwork for the start of serious ceasefire negotiations. But I don’t think that the Ukrainians will be able to achieve them before they open access to the outside world via the Black Sea,” Fukuyama said.
“Crimea means Ukraine!”
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense stated that Ukraine has the right to use the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher systems against military facilities in the annexed Crimea. This was reported by the representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitsky.
“Currently, the Crimean peninsula has become a hub for the transfer of all equipment and weapons coming from the Russian Federation to the southern regions of our country. So, first of all, [the targets are going to be] the accumulation of military equipment, ammunition and other materials, which are concentrated in Crimea, and then go to supply the Russian occupation forces,” he said.
He noted that Moscow’s fleet in the Black Sea is another important target “that must be struck for the sake of the security” of Ukraine, as the former continues to carry out missile attacks from that position.
Bulgarians say “yes” when Russians want to hear “no”
Bulgaria’s defense capabilities will not be seriously affected by Moscow’s decision to suspend Russian helicopter repair certificates to local companies, the defense minister said on Friday.
Dragomir Zakov said Bulgaria would also continue to repair Ukrainian military equipment, according to AP. “What happened with gas has now happened with helicopter licenses,” Zakov said, referring to an earlier suspension of Russian gas deliveries to Bulgaria after it refused to pay in rubles.
And you, Abdullah?..
In a Joint Statement issued following a meeting of President Joseph R. Biden and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in Jeddah, the leaders confirmed their intention to increase cooperation to counter the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on global food and energy security. Recalling United Nations General Assembly resolutions demanding the Russian Federation to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of Ukraine. They condemned violations of international humanitarian law and violations of human rights in areas of conflict, calling for abiding by international humanitarian law.
Earlier, King Abdullah II supported the idea of creating an analog of NATO in the Middle East.
China neutralizes European sanctions imposed on Russians
Chinese exports to Russia of microchips and other electronic components and raw materials, some with military applications, have increased since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, complicating efforts by the U.S. and Western allies to isolate the country’s economy and cripple its military, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Chip shipments from China to Russia more than doubled to about $50 million in the first five months of 2022 compared with a year earlier, Chinese customs data show, while exports of other components such as printed circuits had double-digit percentage growth. Export volumes of aluminum oxide, which is used to make the metal aluminum, an important material in weapons production and aerospace, are 400 times higher than last year.
Commerce gods have one homeland – money
The heads of international economic organizations demand to lift commercial restrictions. The coronavirus pandemic, supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine seriously affected food, fuel and fertilizer markets, according to a joint statement by the heads of international organizations, including the World Bank.
The experts asked for a series of measures to reduce the economic risks, especially by eliminating commercial restrictions that, according to the authors, lead to higher prices. Accordion to the World Food Program, the number of those facing acute food insecurity in June rose to 345 million in 82 countries, says the document.
#russiaIsATerrorisState in 53 cities of the world
On the anniversary of the crash of the MH17 flight that was shot down on July 17, 2014 over the occupied Donbas, #terroRussia and #russiaIsATerrorisState protests were mounted in 53 cities all over the world.
Anastasia Dmitruk, the organizer of the international event #terroRussia, said that thousands of people joined in. “The idea appeared logically in connection with the anniversary of the shooting down of the MH17 plane. We should remind the people once again that Russia is a terrorist state and we have Russian terrorist attacks in Ukraine each day,” she stated.
According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the works in Vinnytsia were completed. A total of 55 multi-apartment and private residential buildings, 40 cars and 2 trams were damaged or destroyed as a result of the Russian attack. A number of 24 people, including 3 children, have been confirmed dead. 202 people sought medical assistance. 68 of them were hospitalized.
