This is what Biden is offering Ukraine after the war
The US is ready to offer Ukraine similar protection to Israel after the war. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy names a condition for his participation in the forthcoming NATO summit. Follow all developments in the Ukraine war and other news on WELT on TV.
EA large majority of Germans are in favor of the federal government spending at least two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense every year. The NATO states have each committed themselves to this goal. In a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the German Press Agency, only 18 percent of those questioned said that two percent was too much for them. On the other hand, 45 percent think the brand the federal government is aiming for is just right. 21 percent want even more defense spending.
The federal government has set itself the goal of spending two percent of economic power on defense every year in the future. The value is to be reached for the first time in the coming year with the help of a special fund of 100 billion euros decided in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This year, NATO estimates German spending at 1.57 percent.
The NATO states had agreed in 2014 that all alliance states should approach the target value of two percent by 2024. Last Friday, shortly before their summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, they decided to make the two percent a minimum target. In the future, all member states should therefore spend at least two percent on defense. In addition to Germany, almost 20 other NATO countries are currently missing the two percent.
All developments in the live ticker:
04:30 a.m. – Bundestag report does not see any NATO countries participating in the war
The scientific services of the Bundestag currently see no legal indications that Germany or other NATO countries are involved in the Ukraine war through their arms deliveries – as Russia accuses them of. “There are still no explicit legal opinions in international law that would rate the support of the NATO states in favor of Ukraine as a form of conflict participation,” says a recent report commissioned by Left-wing MP Sevim Dagdelen the German Press Agency is available.
However, the scientists complain that the criteria for conflict participation in international law are not defined clearly enough. It’s not just about the “hardware”, i.e. the scope and quality of the weapons supplied. The “software” must also be taken into account, i.e. the extent to which states are involved in the coordination, targeting or control of combat operations, for example via information from their secret services or military advice and training. “The challenge for the theory of international law is to define the criteria for conflict participation more precisely and to link them back to the relevant state practice in order to increase their acceptance.”
03:17 Moscow: Ukrainian advances at Bakhmut pushed back
The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that Russian troops pushed back Ukrainian advances near Bakhmut. The fierce fighting there would be complicated by the hilly topography.
03:01 – Zelenskyj: “We are making progress, we are not stuck”
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian armed forces have taken the initiative in the fighting in the south-east of their country. “We’re making progress, we’re not stuck,” Zelenskyj told ABC. Heavy fighting was raging in two areas in the south-east, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar said on Telegram. “We are in the process of consolidating our gains in these areas,” she wrote. Russian troops defended Bakhmut, while Ukrainian forces recorded “a certain advance” on the southern flank of the city. There are no position changes north of Bachmut. Heavy fighting continued west of the city and near Lyman further north.
2:30 a.m. – Russian Embassy in US alleges war crimes over cluster munitions
According to the Russian embassy in Washington, the US has admitted to war crimes with the White House decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine. “We have listened closely to statements by White House national security spokesman John Kirby about the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine. He has effectively admitted that the United States committed war crimes in the Ukraine conflict,” the embassy said late Sunday evening (local time) via the news app Telegram. Both Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of having already used cluster munitions. Ukraine promised last week that the ammunition that the US wants to ship to Kiev will not be used in Russia.
2:07 a.m. – Head of the Munich Security Conference for the “earliest possible” NATO membership for Ukraine
According to a media report shortly before the NATO summit, the head of the Munich Security Conference spoke out in favor of NATO membership for Ukraine as soon as possible and also for the delivery of fighter jets. “Ukraine must and will also become a member of NATO – as soon as the conditions allow it,” said Christoph Heusgen of the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post” and the Bonn “General-Anzeiger”. Admitting Ukraine in the current phase of the conflict is out of the question, however. “That would drag the alliance directly into the war, because then, according to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, the obligation to provide assistance would be due.”
01:49 – Ukraine: NE Sumy area again under Russian fire
According to the regional military administration, the Ukrainian region of Sumy in the north-eastern part of the country near the border with Russia has again become the target of Russian shell fire. Eleven explosions were registered during the course of the day on Sunday, the military administration announced on Telegram. So far, however, neither casualties nor damage to civilian infrastructure have been reported. The information could not be independently verified.
Due to constant Russian fire, the Ukrainian army had ordered the population of the border districts in the north-eastern Sumy region to flee at the end of June.
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