The cities of Zaporizhia and Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine were hit by Russian attacks in the early hours of Friday June 14, without causing any casualties. The Khmelnytskyi region, in the west of the country, was also affected.
On the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, while the leaders of the main powers sealed an agreement on the use of Russian assets frozen by the West to help kyiv, Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky announced the signing of a defense agreement for ten years.
During a press conference, the Ukrainian president also said that Xi Jinping had assured him that China would not sell arms to Russia.
We take stock of the events that have marked recent hours.
Read also: agreement at the G7, “tense” situation on the front… Update of the day
Multiple Russian attacks in Ukraine
Ukrainian territory was the target of several Russian attacks during the night from Thursday to Friday. In the east, explosions were heard in Zaporizhia and Kharkiv around midnight, reports the Ukrainian media The Kyiv Independent. The western region of Khmelnytskyi was also hit a few hours later. No casualties have been reported at this stage.
Poland announced it had taken off military jets to protect its airspace amid Russia’s attack in western Ukraine. “This is another very busy night for the entire air defense system,” said the operational command of the Polish Armed Forces on X.
Washington and kyiv sign a ten-year defense agreement
American President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a ten-year bilateral security agreement between their two countries on Thursday, intended to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses against Russia.
This agreement, signed on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, sets a framework for a long-term effort to modernize the Ukrainian army and must constitute an additional step towards Ukraine’s membership in NATO, according to its terms. . He must also commit the United States to Ukraine, whoever its future leaders are and especially even if Donald Trump wins the presidential election next November, officials told Reuters.
“Our goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s credible defense and deterrence capabilities over the long term,” Joe Biden said during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky.
The bilateral agreement signed Thursday provides that in the event of an attack against Ukraine, American and Ukrainian officials will meet within 24 hours to consult on the reaction to be had and determine Ukraine’s additional needs in terms of defense.
It also provides for projects to develop the Ukrainian defense industry and army in order to raise them to NATO standards, intelligence sharing, training programs and joint maneuvers.
China will not sell weapons to Russia: Zelensky
Chinese President Xi Jinping “gave me his word” that Beijing would not sell weapons to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday during his joint press conference with Joe Biden.
“I had a telephone conversation with the leader of China. He said he would not sell weapons to Russia. We will see “, he said on the sidelines of the G7 in Italy. “He gave me his word,” he added.
American journalist tried for espionage in Russia
The Russian Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday that American Evan Gershkovich would soon be tried in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, for ” spying “. This Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist, aged 32, was arrested in March 2023 by the Russian security services (FSB) during a report in Yekaterinburg. He, his relatives, his employer and his country denounce a fabricated affair, while Russia has never substantiated its accusations.
“These accusations have zero credibility,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, adding that “The accusations against him are false and the Russian government knows they are false.” He again called for his release “immediate”. “I join the United States in calling on Russia to release journalist Evan Gershkovich. He is a journalist, he carries out his work as a journalist on behalf of a free media and, therefore, he must be released,” reacted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
