Ukraine war briefing: Washington downplays halt of some weapons shipments as Kyiv calls in US ambassador
US officials downplayed the White House announcement, saying President Donald Trump still had 'robust' options for military assistance to Kyiv. 'The department of defence continues to provide the president with robust options regarding military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end,' Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told journalists. 'The department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach towards achieving this objective while also preserving US military readiness and defence priorities,' he said. State department spokesperson Tammy Bruce meanwhile told reporters that 'this is not a cessation of us assisting Ukraine or of providing weapons. This is one event, and one situation, and we'll discuss what else comes up in the future.'
An arson attack on a restaurant and supermarket in Estonia last year were ordered by Russian intelligence, an Estonian court said Wednesday. The attack was one in a series across Europe tracked by The Associated Press and linked to Russia by western officials. The goal, they asserted, was to sow division in western societies and undermine support for Ukraine. The Harju county court in Estonia said the perpetrators were two Moldovan men who are cousins, both named Ivan Chihaial.
Russia has made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said on Wednesday, as Moscow seeks a breakthrough in its summer offensive. In recent weeks, Russia has amassed forces and despite heavy losses has advanced in rural areas either side of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, which both sit on crossroads running to the frontline from larger cities in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Four companies of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) will receive 2.4bn złotys ($665m) in financing from the state assets ministry for a project to build three ammunition factories, the ministry said on Wednesday. Poland is leading a European push to boost its defence readiness to deter any possible attack from Russia and to be less dependent for security on the United States.
Russia is using the online media outlet Red to sow discontent in German society as part of a disinformation campaign waged alongside its war in Ukraine, the foreign ministry in Berlin said on Wednesday. 'Red presents itself as a revolutionary platform for independent journalists. However, it has close links with the Russian state media outlet RT,' a spokesperson for the foreign ministry told reporters in Berlin. 'Today we can confirm that Red is being used by Russia specifically to manipulate information,' the spokesperson added. Red is run by Turkish media company AFA Medya, which together with its founder Huseyin Dogru is already the subject of EU sanctions targeting Russia and is accused of 'undermining the democratic political process' in Germany. After they were sanctioned, Red announced on 16 May that it was closing down. Dogro has denied any links with the Kremlin or that the site is funded by Russia, according to media reports.
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'They thought the millions of EU nationals were all leaving and they were not… They panicked when we couldn't find people to stack the shelves and drive the trucks after Covid but the crucial thing is that we took back full legal control and can rectify such mistakes immediately while Starmer would surrender control again to the EU.' A European Union research document last week claimed Brexit was the main driver of Britain's worsening migration crisis, stating that the post-Brexit 'liberalisation of migration laws' caused a record increase in net migration. But Mr Johnson defended Brexit, saying it saved lives during the Covid pandemic because it meant the nation was able to roll out vaccines quickly. 'Brexit was a wonderful thing and is a wonderful thing and I love Brexit more and more with a weird intensity because it's about freedom and autonomy is the most wonderful thing for people, for countries, for families,' he said. 'We saved lives because of Brexit and we were able to get our economy moving again faster because of Brexit.' Mr Johnson also addressed the conflict in the Middle East, downplaying the suggestion of imminent regime change in Iran. 'I've become a bit of a sceptic about the value of regime change in the Middle East,' he said. 'Countries need to make their own decisions about their governments. You can't impose a new government. We tried it in Iraq, we tried it in Libya, it wasn't a great success… 'I may be wrong but I don't think there will be regime change very soon in Tehran. That's not the information I'm getting.' A Reform source said: 'Boris Johnson did unprecedented damage to this country. He is the mastermind behind the mass immigration experiment. 'Whilst he tries to save and rewrite his legacy of mass immigration and net zero, Reform is offering the country real change.'
