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Ukraine-Russia war latest: North Korea to ‘unconditionally support' Moscow as Trump vows to send weapons to Kyiv
Ukraine-Russia war latest: North Korea to ‘unconditionally support' Moscow as Trump vows to send weapons to Kyiv

The Independent

time6 days ago

  • Politics
  • The Independent

Ukraine-Russia war latest: North Korea to ‘unconditionally support' Moscow as Trump vows to send weapons to Kyiv

Kim Jong Un has told Russia's top diplomat that North Korea is ready to 'unconditionally support' all of Moscow's actions to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. The promise came during a high-level meeting between Kim and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, after Russia launched a fresh barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine, which killed at least six people. Vladimir Putin 's forces launched 597 drones and 26 missiles targeting the west of the country on Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said. The death toll from the barrage rose to six later in the day, while more than 20 other people were injured in the strikes, which hit cities including Lviv, Chernivtsi and Kharkiv. The attack comes as Donald Trump is expected to send weapons to Kyiv, after promising to make a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday as he grows frustrated with Putin amid intensified attacks on Ukraine. The US president has also issued an ominous warning to the Russian president after a maternity ward in Kharkiv was damaged in a drone strike. 'You'll be seeing things happen,' he said. In pictures: Kim Jong Un holds high-level talks with Russia North Korea's leader met with Russian foreign minister Segei Lavrov on Saturday in the coastal city of Wonsan, with the pair pledging further cooperation between the two countries. Rachel Clun13 July 2025 09:54 Kim Jong Un ready to 'unconditionally support' Russia Kim Jong Un has told Russia's top diplomat that North Korea is ready to 'unconditionally support' all of Moscow's actions to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, and held high-level talks with the country's leader on Saturday. North Korea has provided troops and arms for Russia's war with Ukraine, and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict. Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further cooperation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defense pact. Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said. Rachel Clun13 July 2025 09:32 Watch: Applause as Macron says Europe won't abandon Ukraine Tara Cobham13 July 2025 09:00 Full story: Ukrainian intelligence officer gunned down in Kyiv A senior Ukrainian intelligence officer was gunned down in broad daylight in Kyiv, officials said on Friday as a maternity hospital was hit by a Russian drone barrage on the city of Kharkiv. Surveillance footage published on social media showed the agent was executed in a car park by a gunman clad in dark clothing who fled the scene. Police said they were trying to identify the shooter and that 'measures are being taken to detain him'. The victim's name has not been publicly disclosed and the identity of the suspect remains unclear. A Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) official said that the intelligence officer had been a colonel, according to Reuters. My colleague Bryony Gooch has the full story: Ukrainian intelligence officer gunned down in Kyiv Execution comes as Russian drones hit maternity hospital in Kharkiv Tara Cobham13 July 2025 08:32 Watch: Trump 'flat-footed' by Pentagon's weapons halt to Kyiv and pledges more arms Tara Cobham13 July 2025 08:00 Senate seeks to hit Russia with sanctions over Ukraine – but Trump wants to control the Putin smackdown Legislation in the Senate rarely earns more than 80 sponsors. But Ukraine's defense against Russia's two-year-long invasion seems to be the spark drawing that support to a bill drafted by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Senators from both parties say that the legislation would pass smoothly. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he is open to a sanctions bill, which would open the door widespread bipartisan support. Majority Leader John Thune said in a Senate speech earlier this week, 'I fully expect that that could be ready for floor consideration as early as this work period. Senate Republicans are committed to working with the House and the White House to get this legislation through Congress and onto the president's desk.' My colleague Eric Garcia reports: Senate seeks to hit Russia with sanctions over Ukraine, but Trump wants to control it 'Ask the Senate majority leader why he is not bringing it to the floor,' said Sen. Elizabeth Warren. 'Is he afraid of Donald Trump?' Tara Cobham13 July 2025 07:30 Watch: Trump's warning to Putin after Russia drones hit maternity ward Rachel Clun13 July 2025 07:00 One killed in strike on Russian home, officials say A man was killed in Russia's Belgorod region after a shell struck a private house on Saturday, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a post on Telegram on Saturday. Belgorod region, a border province which adjoins Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, has come under regular attack from Kyiv's forces since Russia ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Strikes on the region have diminished in recent months, as Russia has intensified its attacks on neighbouring Ukrainian regions. Reuters13 July 2025 05:00 Ukrainian intelligence officer gunned down in Kyiv Ukrainian intelligence officer gunned down in Kyiv Rachel Clun13 July 2025 04:00 As Trump pledges more weapons for Ukraine - how reliant is Kyiv on US military assistance? To the relief of officials in Kyiv, Donald Trump announced this week that the US would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine - just days after those exports were halted by the Pentagon. Below The Independent looks at how much support the US has provided to Ukraine's war effort, why the Pentagon decided to pause shipments and what could happen from here. As Trump pledges more weapons for Ukraine - how reliant is Kyiv on US assistance? Rachel Clun13 July 2025 03:00

Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers set to join Brussels meeting
Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers set to join Brussels meeting

The National

time11-07-2025

  • Politics
  • The National

Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers set to join Brussels meeting

Foreign ministers from Israel and Palestine are expected to attend a dinner in Brussels on Monday in a rare diplomatic setting as the Gaza war continues. They have both confirmed their attendance at an EU-Southern Neighbourhood ministerial meeting, The National understands. While it appears that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his Palestinian counterpart Varsen Aghabekian will be in the same room, it remains unclear whether they will speak. The meeting comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped for a truce soon in Gaza as talks continued in Qatar. 'We would like for us as Palestinians to speak for ourselves at this meeting and send a message to Europeans about the humanitarian crisis for Palestinians and ask that they take measures against Israel,' a Palestinian official told Euronews. The aim of the Brussels meeting is to strengthen relations between the EU and the 10 partner countries in the Mediterranean region. They include Algeria, Egypt and Jordan. Syria has been reintegrated since the fall of the Assad regime in December and its Foreign Minister Assad Al Shibani is expected to attend. The last such meeting took place in November 2022 in Barcelona, just under a year before the October 7 Hamas-led attacks against Israel. Relations between Israel and the EU appear to have warmed since Kaja Kallas was appointed the bloc's foreign affairs chief in December. Ms Kallas on Thursday announced that she had struck a deal with Israel to increase the amount of aid entering Gaza. A meeting of the EU's 27 foreign ministers on Tuesday is set to discuss options to respond to Israel's human rights violations in Gaza. There is little expectation that Tuesday's meeting will lead to concrete decisions targeting Israel. Ms Kallas has said that measures would be discussed only if the situation did not improve in Gaza, though some European ministers said they would closely watch the implementation of the aid deal. Most European countries have said they do not approve of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's new aid distribution operation, during which hundreds of Palestinians have been killed. Ms Kallas this week put forward 10 options to member states, including a full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which appeared unlikely because it needed consensus from the 27 members. Suspending trade relations or Israel's participation in the Erasmus+ student exchange or Horizon academic research programmes would require a qualified majority vote. Mr Saar was in Brussels in February for the first EU-Israel high level talks in years, followed by a similar meeting with Palestine's Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

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