Make her sit Russia at a table peace summit set for November: la proposal comes from the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, but the Kremlin rejected the idea of a second meeting, deeming the conditions proposed by Ukraine unacceptable. This move by the Ukrainian leader comes at a crucial moment, ahead of the elections in the United States, where polls show Donald Trump on the lead after the failed attack, but Zelensky doesn't seem worried: "Most of the Republicans support us," he assured during a press conference in Kiev. The summit will be preceded by crucial international meetings, with the first expected in late July or early August in Doha, Qatar, focused on energy security.
La situation remains tense on the field, with reports of attacks from both sides: Ukrainian forces shot down Russian drones in the region of Kiev, causing damage to non-residential buildings but causing no casualties. The fighting continues with skirmishes around Kharkiv and more intense clashes in the region of Donetsk, where the Ukrainian defense repelled about twenty attacks aimed at Pokrovsky. The Kremlin for its part reported that it had 13 Ukrainian drones, of which nine are in the region of Rostov, one to Belgorod, one to Kursk, one to Voronezh, and one on Black Sea near Crimea.
The international community continues to be concerned about the humanitarian situation and the safety of civilians Gaza. Negotiations for a new ceasefire, scheduled in Cairo and Qatar, continue as confirmed by the official Israeli media. However, conflicting statements from Hamas, which threatens to freeze the negotiations after the attempted assassination of the head of the Qassam Brigades Mohammed Deif by the IDF, complicate the process.
Zelensky opens peace negotiations to Russia, but Moscow refuses
Zelensky's openness to the possibility of Russia participating in the next peace summit represents a change of pace significant compared to its previous position. Until now, the Ukrainian leader had always declared himself against dealing with Putin, so much so that in 2022 it had ratified the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of September 30, which stated the impossibility of negotiating with the President of the Russian Federation.
“The first peace summit was not a peace summit at all; therefore, we need to understand what "the Ukrainian president" has in mind when he talks about a second peace summit. Vladimir Putin's spokesman said this: Dmitri Peskov. The first peace summit wanted by Kiev was held in mid-June in Switzerland, without the Russians.
As for a possible victory of the Tycoon, the Kremlin said it was premature to discuss its own involvement in peace negotiations. “Right now, he's a presidential candidate in the United States as of yesterday. We await the results of the elections, American voters will determine their future themselves, this is their concern, not ours,” Peskov said. “For now we proceed starting from the existing reality. We see that the current “American” administration is against any dialogue and still insists on continuing the war to the last Ukrainian.”
So i Peace negotiations remain stalled. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), while Kiev is willing to negotiate according to the norms of international law, an aspect considered reasonable by the international community. while Russia appears to be insisting on conditions that include Kiev's complete surrender, positions that international analysts say would violate international law.
Meanwhile, conflict has inflicted heavy losses to both sides: according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russia he suffered further 561.400 losses since February 24, 2022, with more than 1.110 casualties on the last day of fighting alone. Military operations have seen massive use of heavy assets, including tanks, armored vehicles and drones, with significant damage to infrastructure and a devastating impact on the civilian population.
Orban's Hungarian presidency threatens the stability of the EU
La Hungarian presidency of the EU is now in a turbulent institutional crisis, fueled by the controversial actions of Viktor Orban. Orban took a leading role without a clear European mandate, meeting leaders such as Putin, Xi Jinping and a Donald Trump once again running for the White House. This raised doubts significant on the future of European Semester, already compromised by the summer season. The discussion also intensified at Ecofin this morning. The Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti reiterated the importance of the EU continuing to work with G7 partners to ensure adequate financial support for Ukraine. However, under the Hungarian presidency, support for Kiev appears not to be an obvious priority. There European Commission reacted by deciding not to allow the commissioners to participate in the informal ministerial meetings convened by Hungary, an unprecedented move that underlines the growing tensions within the EU. Furthermore, Spanish Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz Perez has announced that she will not participate in the informal meeting of EU ministers scheduled for October.
Gaza, new Israeli raids: Blinken protests over the high number of victims
Israel is once again at the center of international criticism for civilian death toll in bombings su Gaza, with the US secretary of state Antony blinken who defined the number of civilian deaths as "unacceptably high", which rose to 38.664. While Irene Montero, MEP from The Left, condemned Netanyahu for what he called a genocide in Gaza, calling for the termination of the association agreement with Israel.
Israeli attacks, which have intensified recently, have included a raid on a refugee camp and several UN-run schools, resulting in more than 90 casualties in al-Mawasi camp near Khan Younis.
Last night, Israeli planes targeted Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in the areas of Houla, Kfarkela and Bani Haiyyan in south of Lebanon“. The action was confirmed by the army, which also reported that Israeli artillery targeted "Blida, Deir Mimas and Rmeish to eliminate a threat."
In another incident, minor injuries were reported among Israelis in a gun attack on a passing vehicle near the Ramin interchange in the northern part of the West Bank, near the Jewish settlement of Shavei Shomron. The military spokesman said the army was currently searching for the perpetrators of the attack.
USA, two commercial ships attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea
The tension reignites in Red Sea. The Houthi rebels They have attacked two commercial ships in the Red Sea, as reported by the US Armed Forces Central Command (Centcom). The Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated oil tanker MT Chios Lion was damaged by a marine drone during the attack, although it did not require assistance and there were no reported injuries or casualties. The second vessel, the MT Bentley I, an Israeli-owned and Monaco-operated tanker, was targeted with a ballistic missile after an initial attack using two small boats and a marine drone. Fortunately, no damage, injuries or fatalities were reported in this second accident.
Additionally, Centcom confirmed the destruction of five Houthi drones in the last 24 hours, three in the Red Sea and two in rebel-controlled areas in Yemen.
