International Press Review dated July 1 - 12, 2024
- Anton Kuchuhidze
- Jul 11, 2024
- 4 min read
This week, the NATO summit in Washington started, and NATO countries began handing over American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, two events that received the most attention in the international media.
The NATO summit takes place in Washington, D.C. on July 9-11. Deterring russia's aggression and supporting Ukraine are among the main issues on the agenda. While the final outcome of the summit is not yet known, NATO members have officially announced that Ukraine is on an "irreversible" path to membership in the Western military alliance. NATO member states also announced a number of steps aimed at strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, both separately and in a joint statement at the summit in Washington on Wednesday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the decision to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, as well as to increase their number and sign two more security agreements. "It's time to come out of the shadows, make strong decisions work, act and not wait for November or any other month," Zelenskyy said in Washington. "To do this, we must be strong and uncompromising. All together and above all America," Bloomberg quoted him.
In addition, according to The Wall Street Journal, NATO will send a senior civilian official to Kyiv. This step will be one of a number of new measures aimed at strengthening long-term support for Ukraine. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is also establishing a new command in Wiesbaden, Germany, to coordinate the provision of military equipment to Kyiv and training for the Ukrainian military.
The operation, called NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, will involve nearly 700 U.S. and other troops from 32 Allies.
Reuters reports that the first batch of American-made F-16 fighter jets is being delivered to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands and will take to the skies over Ukraine this summer.
This week's opening of Ukroboronprom's representative office in Washington, D.C., was an important step toward strengthening our country's defense capabilities. Its main task is to maximize the implementation of joint Ukrainian-American defense projects. This was reported by Reuters.
The Wall Street Journal writes that the United States and Israel are negotiating to supply Kyiv with up to eight Patriot air defense systems, which will significantly improve its ability to withstand russian strikes.
The time has come for the Alliance to give Ukraine a clear path to NATO membership, because NATO membership and the security guarantees that come with it are the only way to demonstrate to the rashist aggressor that Ukraine is not abandoned and is not in a gray zone. Ukraine's accession is part of an effective strategy to win this war. Without this step, russia will continue to commit war crimes against civilians without any punishment. The missile attack on Ukraine on July 8 is a clear signal of this.
NATO will station a senior civilian official in Kyiv, among a raft of new measures designed to shore up long-term support for Ukraine that are expected to be announced at a summit in Washington next week, U.S. and alliance officials say.
The operation, to be called NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, will be staffed by nearly 700 U.S. and other allied personnel from across the 32-country alliance. It will take over much of a mission that has been run by the American military since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
NATO countries have begun transferring American-made F-16s to Ukraine, with hopes that the fighter jets will quickly be in the skies to help Kyiv defend itself against Russian air onslaughts.
The U.S., Denmark and the Netherlands announced during the NATO Summit in Washington on Wednesday that the two latter countries had sent over the aircraft, though they did not say how many. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also mentioned the news during a public forum.
The U.S. and Israeli governments are in talks to send as many as eight Patriot batteries to Ukraine, people familiar with the discussions said Thursday, a decision that could dramatically increase Kyiv’s air-defense capabilities.
The U.S.-provided Patriot batteries have been on loan to Israel for years and were recently retired.
“It’s been discussed between the U.S. and Israeli governments but nothing has been determined,” one of the people familiar with the discussions said
The first batch of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets are already being transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands and will be flying over Ukrainian skies this summer, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
Blinken, speaking at an event on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, said a robust package for Ukraine will be unveiled over the next couple of days that will build a clear and strong bridge for Ukraine's NATO membership.
Ukraine's state-owned arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom has opened its first foreign office in Washington as Kyiv seeks to work more closely with allies to step up weapons production and counter Russia's invasion.
"Its main task is to promote joint US-Ukrainian defense projects and enhance our integration into NATO's defense industrial base," strategic industries minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said on X, referring to the office which opened on Tuesday.
Keir Starmer signaled Ukraine can use Britain’s Storm Shadow missiles to strike military targets inside Russia, confirming he would continue the previous UK government’s policy on the use of its long-range weapons in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Starmer agreed it was up to Ukraine how it used the Storm Shadow missiles donated by the UK, when asked by a Bloomberg reporter. He was speaking to journalists while traveling to the NATO summit in Washington late Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw to sign a long-term security agreement as part of Poland’s support for the war-torn nation.
The two sides will discuss defense cooperation, Warsaw’s support for Ukraine’s European integration and the NATO summit in Washington, Zelenskiy’s office said in a statement on Telegram.
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