On the eve of the fifth month of war in Ukraine, while the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, celebrated with contained, resolute joy, on June 24, his country’s status as a candidate for membership of the European Union ; While rumors about the failing health of Russian President Vladimir Putin are becoming more and more persistent (despite the outraged denials of his Minister of Foreign Affairs on the set of TF1), it is worth repeating it loud and clear : a new page of Ukrainian history is being written.
In this perspective, to use the words of little De Gaulle from the Carpathians: Ukraine is not only a bridge between the West and Russia, between Europe and Asia; it is certainly not a sphere of influence for an occupying power, any more than a “grey” zone or a simple transit territory. Ukraine is a future equal partner for at least 27 countries of the European Union.
This is the political ideal posed. Now, what is the military reality? Because the ideal is only a beautiful dream without victory, necessary, essential, based on the force of arms. Synthesize.
According to the June 27 tactical summary of the Institute for the Study of War devoted to the analysis of the special military operation launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the situation on the ground remains difficult, to say the least, very difficult. A Russian missile hit a shopping center in a residential area of Kremenchuk, in the oblast (administrative region) of Poltava, probably killing many civilians. Ukrainian sources said that more than ****,000 civilians *** were inside of the mall at the time of the strike, and authorities are still working out the number of victims. The Kremenchuk strike follows an intensification of Russian missile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets in recent days.
In a similar vein, Russian forces carried out a massive missile strike against the Shevchenkivskyi district of kyiv on June 26, likely to coincide with the current G7 leaders’ summit.
This is the first major strike of its kind on Kyiv since the end of April and is likely a direct response to Western leaders discussing helping Ukraine during the G7 summit, just like the previous strikes on April 29, during the visit of UN Secretary General António Guterres to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, according to Vatican information services, at the G7 summit in Elmau, Bavaria, which was taking place there from June 26 to 28, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, assured new deliveries of weapons in kyiv, then recalled that the sanctions against Russia must have an impact on Moscow, but that we must also pay attention to the economic implications in the European Union. Michel’s hope is that an agreement will be found to allow Ukrainian grain to leave the Black Sea ports.
In addition, according to The Moscow Timesthe G7 should take stock of the effectiveness of the unprecedented sanctions against Moscow, discuss continued financial and military aid to Ukraine and consider the longer-term reconstruction of the country torn apart by the war.
Increase the pressure
Moreover, President Zelensky took part in the G7 summit and in the NATO summit which is taking place these days in Madrid. He repeated his mantra in favor of increased military aid from Ukraine’s allies, because, according to him, sanctions against Russia alone are not enough; his country needs more armed assistance and the air defense systems that his partners hold should be sent directly there where they are now badly needed.
He himself underscores this fact eloquently in his most recent war point on the Ukrainians: “To date, Russia has used nearly 2,800 different cruise missiles against Ukraine. The number of aerial bombs and rockets hitting our cities simply cannot be counted. There were hundreds of thousands during the four months of the war. This is nothing but terror… The world can, and therefore must, end Russian terror”
In the meantime, according to a statement issued by the office of the English Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, new Russian gold exports will no longer be allowed to enter the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Japan thanks to tough new measures to be announced at the G7 summit which started on Sunday and which aim to increase the pressure on Putin’s war machine.
Gold is one of Russia’s main export commodities. This represented £12.6 billion for the Russian economy in 2021 (or approximately C$19.9 billion). Its value to Russia’s elite has also risen in recent months, with oligarchs rushing, in this case, to buy gold bullion to avoid the financial impact of Western sanctions. Given that London is a major global gold trading hub, it is to be hoped that the British sanctions, which will be the first of their kind to be applied against Russia in the world, will have a huge impact on Putin’s ability to raise funds to finance its deplorable special military operation.
Given the central role of London in the international gold trade and the measures taken at the same time by the United States, Japan and Canada, this measure will therefore have an almost global scope, excluding this product from the outset. major export from Western official international markets.