July 4, 2022 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The European Union can provide more than 500 billion euros for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. At the donor conference in Lugano (Switzerland) this week, Ukraine will present a large-scale project to restore the country. It consists of about 2,000 pages and contains a wide list of projects in infrastructure and security, investments in the climate and digital economy, as well as in the diversification of energy resources. The European Union is expected to cover the bulk of the overall financial assistance. The European Commission is already studying financing options.

The United Kingdom intends to take the lead in supporting the recovery of Ukraine. This was announced by UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Liz Truss.

“We have led on support for Ukraine during the war and will continue to lead in supporting the Ukrainian government’s reconstruction and development plan”, Truss said. “Ukraine’s recovery from russia's war of aggression will be a symbol of the power of democracy over autocracy. It will show putin that his attempts to destroy Ukraine have only produced a stronger, more prosperous and more united nation”.

Neutrality and indifference are incompatible things. Switzerland's introduction of sanctions against russia caused discussions in the country about the interpretation of the concept of neutrality. “Neutrality is part of our DNA. This is the leading principle of our foreign policy. However, our neutrality does not mean indifference. Playing into the aggressor's hand by doing nothing is not neutral behavior. That is why Switzerland joined the EU sanctions against russia”, explained President of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis.

Australia is ready to provide support to the government and people of Ukraine as long as it takes to defend sovereignty and achieve victory over russia. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, during his historic visit to Ukraine, promised to provide $100 million in military-technical assistance. “Today we are announcing an additional 100 million dollars in the form of military-technical assistance. In total, we have already provided 390 million dollars”, he said in Kyiv after meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We also additionally provide 14 armoured peronnel carriers and 20 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles. Thus, the total number of Bushmaster vehicles handed over to Ukraine will reach 60. Australia will also provide additional military equipment and drones. “We will provide support for Ukraine’s border guard troops, namely provide them with better equipment, improve the level of cyber security and control over the border”, said Anthony Albanese. The Prime Minister of Australia also announced his intention to exempt Ukrainian goods from customs duties. Also, Australia will join the work of the International Court of Justice and intends to announce travel bans on 16 additional russian ministers and oligarchs. “We will ban the import of russian gold to reduce russia's ability to finance its war. We will join Canada, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom in these sanctions”, Albanese added.

Slovakia can send its MiG-29 fighters and Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine. This was announced by the Prime Minister of the country, Eduard Geger.

The United States has confirmed the transfer of two NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine. They will be part of a new package of military aid to Ukraine totaling $820 million, which the Pentagon announced this week. NASAMS are medium- and long-range mobile anti-aircraft missile systems designed to attack aircrafts and cruise missiles. In the USA, these systems are protecting, in particular, the White House and the Capitol. These complexes are also in service with Norway, Finland, Spain and Lithuania.

Decisions regarding negotiations between russia and Ukraine to end the war will be made only by President Zelenskyy. The USA intends to support him, the time for commencing the dialogue is apparently not yet ripe. This was stated by John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications.

“President Zelenskyy will be able to determine how the victory will be decided, when and under what conditions. What we're going to do is to continue to make sure he can succeed on the battlefield so he can succeed at the table. But even President Zelenskyy will tell you that now is not the time for such discussions”, Kirby said.

Former US Secretary of Defence James Mattis criticized russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, calling it “immoral” and “operationally stupid”. “We have a saying in America that nations with allies thrive, nations without allies wither, and we are watching russia wither before our eyes right now”, Mattis said at the 2022 Forum in Seoul. When asked what military lessons could be taken from the war so far, the former US Marine said: “One is don’t have incompetent generals in charge of your operations”. He also called russia's military performance “pathetic” and decried “the immoral, the tactically incompetent, operationally stupid and strategically foolish effort” of its campaign in Ukraine.

“Ukraine must decide for itself when to sit down at the negotiating table with russia, Western partners will not push Kyiv”, said Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “The war is now being waged on the battlefield, but there must be a perspective for negotiations. When Ukraine sits down at the negotiating table, only it will decide”, the President emphasized. But Germany is ready to support Ukraine so that our country approaches the start of negotiations with a strong position. “We need to ensure that Ukraine has something to agree on, to make it strong before the negotiations begin. We will not push Ukraine. It is her decision when to go this way”, he clarified.

President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman has said that he supports the training of the Ukrainian military, as well as the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

The Supreme Court of Israel obliged the country's government to cancel the restrictions on the entry of Ukrainians.

 Mayor of the Finnish city of Lappeenranta, Kimmo Järva, has said that the local authorities hope for the appearance of a NATO military base in the city after the country joins the Alliance. The city is located 20 km from the border with Leningrad region.

The Poles have already collected four million zlotys for the Bayraktar combat drone for Ukraine –almost a fifth of the required amount. They intend to collect all the necessary 22.5 million zlotys in 30 days.

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Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida has stated that the establishment of maximum prices for russian oil would cut its price in half. “We will introduce the maximum price for russian oil, which will be twice as low as the current one, and we will create a mechanism that will prevent the purchase of oil at higher prices”, Kishida emphasized.

A russian dry cargo ship with Ukrainian grain has been detained in Turkey.

russian and belarusian athletes are suspended from competitions under the auspices of the International Federation of University Sports until the end of 2022.

The International Swimming Federation did not admit russians to the technical committees. The corresponding decision was made at a meeting of the FINA bureau. The Federation has seven technical committees, including six from water disciplines: swimming, open water swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, synchronized swimming.