- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his troops had “no choice” but to “repel and destroy the offensive potential” of Russian forces, as the battle moved from Luhansk to nearby Donetsk.
- President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian military on “liberating” the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine.
- Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Lysychansk now hold the boundary between Bakhmut and Sloviansk, preparing to fend off a further Russian advance.
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine is holding talks with Turkey and the United Nations to secure grain exports from Ukrainian ports.
- Reconstruction of Ukraine is expected Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said it was worth $750 billion, adding that the seized Russian assets should be used to pay for the recovery.
Here are the latest updates:
Nearly 90 Ukrainian athletes and coaches died in the war: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy’s office detailed figures on Ukrainian sports during the Russian invasion, now in its fifth month.
A total of 89 athletes and coaches died “as a result of the war of hostile acts”, 13 more were arrested by the Russians, and “more than one hundred thousand Ukrainian athletes did not have the opportunity to train, ‘ said Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy praises IOC for supporting bans on Russian sports
Zelenskyy thanked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for supporting a ban on Russian teams and athletes competing in most Olympic sports, ahead of Tuesday’s trial to protest the ruling. in international football.
Zelenskyy met IOC President Thomas Bach in Kyiv on Sunday and praised his “firm stance” on sports sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus, according to a report on the visit issued by the general’s office. his system provides.
The IOC advised sports leaders on February 28 to act and football bodies FIFA and UEFA issued a joint ruling later that day. It was the subject of an appeal Tuesday by the Russian football federation at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the Olympic home city of Lausanne, Switzerland.
The IOC also said it has now tripled its Ukrainian sports fund to $7.5 million since the war began.
🇺🇦 IOC President visits Ukraine to meet athletes and hold talks with President @ZelenskyyUa.
With views @ Paris2024 and @ milanocortina26he announced that the IOC aid fund for Ukrainian athletes would triple to $7.5 million.
Learn more here 👉https://t.co/3DOD03Lvvo pic.twitter.com/IeCgCVZU84
– IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 4, 2022
Putin may have directed ‘pause of operations’: ISW
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Putin likely directed his troops to “pause” after they captured Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.
After congratulating his troops for capturing the Luhansk region, Putin said that the forces involved in the recent victories should “absolutely rest and recover their military preparedness”.
“Putin’s public comments may be intended to signal his concern for the welfare of the military in the face of recurring complaints in Russia about the treatment of Russian soldiers. His remarks are also likely to be accurate – Russian troops already engaged through Severodonetsk and Lysychansk most likely need a significant period of rest and refit before resuming large-scale offensive operations. ”, said ISW.
“However, it is unclear whether the Russian military will accept the risk of a pause in operations long enough to allow these potentially exhausted forces to regain strength,” it added.
#Putin celebrate #Russian confiscation #Lysychansk and #Luhansk The border was destroyed and appeared to direct the Russian military to proceed with the halt of operations.
Read the full report from @TheStudyofWar and @criticalthreats: https://t.co/YBDpvpJt9m pic.twitter.com/xTHrsdJ1Nc
– ISW (@TheStudyofWar) July 5, 2022
Putin did not congratulate Biden on July 4 due to ‘unfriendly’ relations: Kremlin
The Kremlin said Putin did not congratulate his US counterpart, Joe Biden, on US Independence Day for Washington’s “unfriendly” actions towards Moscow.
“This year’s congratulations can hardly be considered appropriate,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference meeting. “U.S. unfriendly policies are the reason.”
Zelenskyy issues a letter in 1711 recognizing Ukraine’s independence
The Prime Minister of Sweden gave Zelenskyy a letter written by King Charles in 1711 XII – formerly kept in the national archives of her country – in which the king iAsk the Swedish ambassador to Constantinople to recognize Zaporizhzhian Sich as an independent state.
The Zaporizhzhian Sich was a semi-autonomous state of the Cossacks, a predominantly eastern Slavic group originating from the Ukrainian steppe, which existed from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It is centered around an area stretching across downstream of the Dnieper River, where the present Zaporizhia region of Ukraine is located.
Zelenskyy gave the letter to journalists and read out a passage he deemed relevant, according to a statement from his office: “…make as soon as possible the article on the will of Ukraine and all Cossacks. that all Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhia Army under the current Commander Pylyp Orlyk regain their ancient freedoms, ownership of their land and old borders, so that henceforth this people will become an independent state and never again submit to the king’s submission or protection.”
Ukraine is in talks with Turkey, the UN on grain exports: Zelenskyy
Ukraine is holding talks with Turkey and the United Nations to secure grain exports from Ukrainian ports, Zelenskyy said.
“Actually, negotiations are going on with Turkey and the United Nations [and] Our representatives who are responsible for the security of the grain leave our ports,” Zelenskyy told a news conference alongside the Swedish prime minister.
“It is very important that someone guarantees the security of ships for this country or that country – other than Russia, which we do not trust. Therefore, we need security for the ships that will come here to load food. “
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is working “directly” with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on this issue and that the organization “plays a leadership role, not a moderator.”
Ukraine did not lose the war: Governor of Luhansk
Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine’s governor of the Luhansk region, admitted his entire province was now in Russian hands but told Reuters news agency: “We need to win the war, not the battle for Lysychansk.”
He added, “It’s very painful, but it’s not a loss in war.”
Haidai said Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Lysychansk are now holding the boundary between Bakhmut and Sloviansk, preparing to fend off a further Russian advance.
Russia captured the eastern Ukraine city of Lysychansk on Sunday, ending one of the biggest battles in Europe in generations and completing its conquest of Luhansk province, one of two areas it claims. Ukraine ceded to the separatists in the Donbas region.
Ukraine may have withdrawn from Luhansk weeks ago but chose to continue fighting to exhaust the invading force. It hoped the fierce battle would leave the Russians too exhausted to benefit elsewhere.
‘We need to break up the occupiers’: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s armed forces were undeterred in their efforts to “break” Russia’s will to pursue the ongoing war after Putin praised the army’s victory in the fierce battle for victory. take Luhansk.
“There have been no significant changes on the battlefield in the last 24 hours,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video message. “Ukrainian Armed Forces respond, repel and destroy the offensive potential of the occupiers day in and day out. We need to break them. It is a difficult task. It requires superhuman time and effort. But we have no alternative.”
Earlier, on Monday, Putin congratulated Russian forces on “victory in the Luhansk direction,” after his troops captured the town of Lysychansk, Ukraine’s last stronghold in the region.
Swedish Prime Minister meets Zelenskyy in Kyiv
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson met with the Ukrainian president in Kyiv and signed a joint statement on defense and energy cooperation.
“This is the first such document in the history of bilateral relations. The joint statement raises key issues for both of our states. In particular, this applies to defense cooperation, industry cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, energy efficiency and financial support for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
He also thanked Sweden for its humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
“One hundred thousand Ukrainian citizens are in Sweden, and Sweden supports them. he said.
Read all updates from July 4 here.
