Iran to send Russia armed drones: White House
The White House says it believes Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, to aid in its war with Ukraine.
- The death toll from a Russian rocket attack that hit an apartment block in the Donetsk town of Chasiv Yar over the weekend has risen to 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.
- He says five people were killed after Russian forces shelled Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv and its broader region.
- The White House says it believes Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for use in Ukraine.
- The Netherlands Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv and reaffirmed his country’s support for Ukraine “politically, militarily and economically.”
Here are the latest updates:
Dutch PM meets with Zelenskyy in Kyiv
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, has met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv and reaffirmed his country’s support for Ukraine “politically, militarily and economically.”
Rutte said he visited “various place where the Russian army has left behind a horrific trail of death and destruction. I am deeply shocked by what I witnessed today”.
“These appalling crimes must not go unpunished. This is also the subject of the Ukraine Accountability Conference which will be held later this week in The Hague,” Rutte said, adding that the conference is organised by the Dutch government, the International Criminal Court and the European Commission.
Zelenskyy told journalists after the meeting that he and Rutte discussed weapons supplies, but he could not disclose the details: “I am not sure that I can tell absolutely everything we are negotiating with the Dutch government. I would not like to prepare the Russian Federation for unpleasant surprises for them,” he said.
Today I had the honour of meeting President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv. I also visited various places where the Russian army has left behind a horrific trail of death and destruction. I am deeply shocked by what I witnessed today. pic.twitter.com/QOGhbiNnkw
— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) July 11, 2022
Latvia considers defence spending boost due to Russia risk
Latvia may have to increase its defence spending and introduce compulsory military service for citizens regardless of their gender to contain any possible security risks arising from Russia, the president has said.
NATO and European Union member Latvia plans to gradually raise its defence budget to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2025 from around 2 percent now. But Egils Levits, 67, told Reuters the existing spending plans covered the building of more military bases to accommodate more troops from NATO allies – an increase agreed at the NATO summit in Madrid last month – but that Latvia, a former Soviet nation like Ukraine, may need to spend more.
“Security is a priority of our politics today,” Levits said. “2.5 per cent (of GDP) is already committed now but maybe it would not be enough and we should be prepared for that.”
Asked whether Latvia is worried about any direct conflict between the Baltic states and Russia, Levits said: “Of course, we are worried about the aggressive behaviour of Russia and our strategic answer is to be strong because weakness means in this situation (an) invitation to Russia to go forward to aggress another country. So, we have to be strong.”
Death toll from Chasiv Yar attack rises to 31: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy has said that 31 people had been killed and nine saved from the rubble in Chasiv Yar, after strikes hit a residential block on Saturday.
Speaking during his nightly video address, the president said Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, had also come under attack by Russian artillery.
“Kharkiv faced new brutal attacks by the Russian army. Another missile hit a residential building – one block was completely destroyed. In the morning, the occupiers shelled the Saltiv and Kyiv districts with rocket artillery. Five people were killed,” he said.
“The Odesa region was hit by missiles, extremely violent fighting continued in the Donetsk region and in the territory of the Luhansk region,” he added.
Iran set to deliver armed drones to Russia: White House
The White House has said it believes Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for use in its ongoing war in Ukraine.
United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was unclear whether Iran had already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the US has “information” that indicates Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month.
“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” he told reporters Monday.
Sullivan said it was proof that Russia’s overwhelming bombardments in Ukraine, which have led it to consolidate gains in the country’s east in recent weeks, were “coming at a cost to the sustainment of its own weapons.”
Read all updates from July 11 here.
