Kaliningrad asks to go further in unblocking the transit of goods
The governor of the Russian region of Kaliningrad, Anton Alijanov, today considered the partial blockade of the transit of goods between Lithuania and the Baltic enclave resolved by 80%, but asked to put more pressure on Brussels and Vilnius to also achieve the lifting of the restrictions by highway.
“Having solved the problem by 80% this month, I think we should not stop, we have to go ahead and solve this problem completely,” he told public television channel Rossia-1.
The European Commission (EC) clarified the day before that the community sanctions against Russia for the war campaign in Ukraine do not prohibit the rail transit of goods between Lithuania and the Russian enclave, with some conditions, such as safeguarding the average of the last three years.
The United States reiterates the importance of imposing a cap on the price of Russian crude
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, Janet Yellen, insisted today on the need to agree on a mechanism to impose a cap on the price of Russian crude that “helps consumers around the world” without having to incur direct prohibitions.
“Without the cap on prices (of Russian crude), with a ban we would surely see much higher prices globally,” Yellen said Thursday at a press conference in Bali (Indonesia), before participating in a meeting of ministers. of Finance and governors of central banks of the G20 on Friday and Saturday in said island.
Yellen maintained that “we have not decided on an adequate number” for the maximum price for the sale of Russian oil, a possibility already contemplated in the final declaration of the G7 after its meeting at the end of June in Elmau (Germany) to avoid prohibitions on the transport of crude from Russia.
It would be, he said, “a number that gives Russia an incentive to keep producing,” otherwise “the alternative to a price cap is simply that the European Union and the United States probably impose bans,” Yellen added.
Macron presides over the traditional military parade in Paris marked by Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron presided on Thursday the traditional military parade of the French National Holiday, marked this time by the war in Ukraine, which was reflected in the presence of the NATO flag and soldiers from nine member countries of central and eastern Ukraine. Europe.
Of the 4,925 soldiers who paraded down the Champs-Élysées, 106 were from the nine European countries that were former members of the Warsaw Pact to which France wanted to show its support in this particular context of the Russian threat after the invasion of Ukraine.
Parallel to those soldiers from Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia, the military parade also served to recall France’s direct involvement in their security.
That translated into the 125 representatives of the French troops who carry out missions on the eastern flank of Europe, and which have been reinforced since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February.
The pro-Russian claim to have the city of Siversk almost under operational control
The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, said today that Russian and pro-Russian troops have taken the city of Siversk, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, almost under operational control.
“The situation is as follows: there are visible improvements in the positions on the front lines in the north-east of the republic. This, of course, means that Siversk has practically come under an operational encirclement. It is not a physical encirclement, but all the roads, all the accesses are under fire from our positions,” he said on the First Channel of Russian television.
Siversk is located about 44 kilometers east of Sloviansk and about 58 kilometers northeast of Kramatorsk, the two main Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk region.
Export of Ukrainian grain will involve the creation of a security zone
The export of Ukrainian grain trapped in ports due to the Russian war campaign in Ukraine will involve the creation of a security zone to inspect ships near Ukrainian waters, a control that will be carried out jointly by Turkey and the UN, the official Russian agency RIA Nóvosti said today. .
“It is understood that a security zone will be created in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine’s territorial waters, where control of ships going to ports will be carried out,” a source familiar with the negotiations told the agency on Wednesday. in Istanbul between military experts from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, mediated by UN representatives.
According to the Russian media, the controls of ships docking in Ukrainian ports, an insistence by Moscow to prevent arms smuggling and “provocations” by kyiv, will be carried out by Turkey and the UN.
“The control will be carried out by the Turkish side and the UN. This formed the basis of the proposed mechanism for the work of the coordination center in Istanbul. The technical details will still be discussed,” the source said.
The Russians continue their offensive in Donetsk, but without success, according to kyiv
Russian troops continue for another day with their offensive in the Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine, especially around the strategic town of Sloviansk, but without success, according to the latest report from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine posted on Facebook.
The Klemlin Army has been trying to gain control of the Donetsk region for days, after occupying neighboring Lugansk, with an offensive focused on the two most important towns in the area: Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
In the direction of Sloviansk, “the enemy opened fire (on towns) such as Barvinkove, Dibrivne, Kurulka, Podolivka, Chepil, Krasnopillia and Bohorodychne and tried to assault Kurulka, but failed and withdrew,” the military report said.
And in the Kramatorsk area, bordering Russia, “the invader bombarded the areas of Hryhorivka, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Verkhniokamyanske, Zakitne, Serebrianka and Spirne with tube artillery and rockets, and launched air strikes near Verkhniokamyanske and Mayaky. The Russians go on the offensive towards Verkhniokamyanske, the fight continues.”