NATO chief: Putin ‘preparing for more war’

Below is the latest information on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “preparing for more war” and wants a Europe where the Kremlin “can dictate what the neighbors do.”

Stoltenberg made the remarks Friday in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, where he took part with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the Baltic nation’s Independence Day events.

Von der Leyen stressed that the Russian president has failed to achieve any of his strategic goals and that Moscow is increasingly isolated, citing the approval on the eve of a non-binding UN General Assembly resolution calling on to the cessation of hostilities. in Ukraine and the withdrawal of their troops from the country.

Stoltenberg noted that he had invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a NATO summit in Lithuania in July.

WARSAW, Poland – Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has announced the installation of “preventive barriers” along the country’s borders with Russia and Belarus.

In a tweet on Friday, Blaszczak called the barriers a “strategic defense and deterrent.”

kyiv – Russian strikes have killed at least three civilians and injured 19 civilians in the past 23 hours, the Ukrainian presidency announced on Friday.

Heavy fighting continued near the towns of Bakhmut, Vuhledar and Avdiivka in the eastern province of Donetsk, killing two civilians and wounding seven others, he added.

Kremlin forces launched air and artillery strikes against 18 towns in Donetsk in the past 24 hours, including the city of Kramatorsk, the headquarters of Ukrainian troops in the region.

Governor of neighboring Luhansk province Serhii Haidai said fighting continued around the Kreminna, where the Russians briefly broke through Ukrainian defenses before being pushed back. According to Haidai, the Russian forces were regrouping and mobilizing more troops and weapons after suffering heavy losses in unsuccessful attacks.

The Russian offensive also reached the city of Kupiansk and nearby villages in the northeastern province of Kharkiv, where seven people were injured; and at least one civilian was killed and three others injured in the Kherson region.

MOSCOW – A senior Russian official has said Moscow needs to capture as much Ukrainian territory as possible to ensure a stable peace.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said on Friday that if the Kremlin failed to fully defeat Ukraine, the eventual peace deal would not be stable and would pave the way for further hostilities in Israel. coming.

According to Medvedev, who is President Vladimir Putin’s deputy on the Council, the United States would weigh in on future peace talks with the aim of “weakening Russia as much as possible”.

In a message on a messaging app, he said Russia should “remove threats…as much as possible, even if it’s on the Polish border.”

Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president between 2008 and 2012 when Putin had to act as prime minister due to term limits, has become one of the most hawkish members of the current president’s entourage.

LONDON — Britain has imposed more sanctions on companies supplying combat equipment to troops in Moscow on the first anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine.

The British government announced on Friday that it would ban the export to Russia of all items used in the conflict, including aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components for weapons.

The list includes executives from several Russian banks, defense companies and Russia’s own nuclear energy company, Rosatom.

Among those sanctioned are five executives of the Iranian aeronautical firm Quds, which manufactures the armed drones that the Kremlin used to attack Ukrainian infrastructure.

In a conference call with G7 leaders, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will urge Western allies to deliver more weapons to Kiev to give it a “decisive advantage on the battlefield”.

kyiv – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded the highest state honors to Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who have helped save lives, including health and energy workers.

At an event outside St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kyiv on Friday, marking the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy praised the troops and ordinary Ukrainians who fought the forces Russians, declaring “we are proud of you (…) let this pride pass through the trenches and the squares”.

Some soldiers were awarded the country’s highest decoration, Hero of Ukraine, posthumously “for their personal heroism and great professional achievements”. Relatives of fallen soldiers accepted recognition on their behalf.

Authorities have also recognized the work of the men and women who keep regional energy companies and health centers running, including in the disputed east and south of the country.

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed in his goals a year after the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

In a video message to mark the anniversary, Scholz said Friday that Germany would continue to stand firmly behind Kiev, noting that it is not the supply of arms that prolongs the conflict, but Putin’s insistence on reaching his goal. “imperialist objective”.

According to Scholz, the sooner the Russian leader realizes he won’t make it, the more likely the war will end soon. “It’s in Putin’s hands. He can end this war,” he said.

The Foreign Minister claimed that the Kremlin failed because it relied on division, but Ukraine is more united than ever, like the European Union.