AFP
Washington guarantees Zelensky, on a stopover in Istanbul, cluster munitions
The United States guaranteed the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine on Friday, marking an important step and hailed as such by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting Istanbul to meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. vast and much-needed defense assistance program from the United States,” Zelensky tweeted, expressing his “appreciation to the American people and to President Joseph Biden.” “It was a difficult decision,” said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, however, maintaining that it was “the right thing to do” and that the Ukrainians had guaranteed “in writing” that they would minimize “the risks posed to civilians”. On the other hand, Washington dampened the hopes of Mr. Zelensky who hoped, a few days before the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12, to obtain the support of Westerners for his country’s entry into the Alliance. Kiev ” still has many steps to go before it can become a member,” Sullivan warned. – Ukrainian Cereals – For the first time since last summer, and for his first visit to Turkey since the start of the war with Russia in February 2022, Mr. Zelensky, still dressed in his khaki polo shirt, had a long meeting with the Turkish president, who maintains close ties with both Kyiv and Moscow. The two leaders, whose press conference was scheduled in the evening, were to focus on the agreement to export Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea despite the war. The grain deal, reached in July 2022 with the sponsorship of the United Nations and Turkey, expires on July 17 and Russia has said it sees no reason to extend it. The Kremlin said it was following discussions between MM. Zelensky and Erdogan, promising to maintain a “constructive partnership with Ankara” and welcoming the “mediator role” of the Turkish president. According to experts, Volodymyr Zelensky should also encourage his Turkish counterpart to give the green light to Sweden’s membership to the Atlantic Alliance, NATO officials still hoping to convince Ankara to lift its veto on this idea. On Friday, Mr Erdogan indicated that Turkey would take “the best decision, whatever it is”, concerning the accession of Sweden.- “Open door” – The Turkish president, who criticizes Sweden for its alleged leniency towards Kurdish militants who have taken refuge on its soil, said he was in favor of “the open door policy”. But, he continued, “how can a state that does not distance itself from terrorist organizations contribute to NATO?” Before Istanbul, the Ukrainian leader went through Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. In Bratislava, he castigated the lack of unity within NATO on the question of the accessions of Sweden and Ukraine. “I think there is not enough unity in this area. And it is a threat to the strength of the Alliance (…) It is very important for the security of the whole world”, Mr. Zelensky said at a press conference. Russia is counting on “the weakness and disunity of the Alliance”, he stressed, calling for new military aid programs for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg organized a meeting between the Turkish and Swedish leaders on Monday in the Lithuanian capital.Mr. Stoltenberg had also hoped that Kiev’s entry into the Alliance would be confirmed at the summit by the 31 member countries. long-range weapons, the absence of which, according to him, is slowing down the Ukrainian counter-offensive that has been underway for a month. explosives in a wide radius that can cause victims years later. The American announcement revolted the humanitarian organizations, which recall the monstrous impact of these weapons on civilians. On the ground, the Ukrainian army announced Friday morning downing 12 out of 18 explosive drones launched by Russia. The attack left two dead. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi has reported “progress” in his agency’s access to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Moscow and kyiv have been accusing each other for several days of an imminent “provocation” in this power plant.bur-ach/rba/mba
2023-07-08 00:09:14
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