Families are probably afraid of American veterinarians captured in Ukraine
The families of two Alabama men are hoping that Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Alex Drueke will be safe after disappearing in Ukraine.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
Russia’s war in Ukraine could last for years and the effort requires Western support, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview published Sunday by the German publication Bild.
“We have to prepare for the fact that years could pass,” he said.
International leaders have repeatedly shown their support for Ukraine in recent days, including a recommendation to join the European Union. The Group of Seven pledged to support Ukraine “for as long as necessary,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with German news agency DPA.
He added that he wants to discuss the issue with his fellow G-7 leaders at a meeting scheduled for this week, saying that they intend to disrupt the plans of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin obviously hopes that everything will be back in place once it has conquered enough land and that the international community will return to business as usual,” Scholz said. “This is an illusion.”
Also on a surprise second visit since the war began, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Kyiv on Friday to offer continued aid and military training.
Summary of June 18: 900 Ukrainian children killed or wounded since the start of the war; Zelenskyy visits the troops
Latest news:
►The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited troops and front-line health workers in southern Ukraine on Saturday during a trip to the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions.
►A famous Ukrainian doctor whose images were smuggled out of the besieged city of Mariupol by an Associated Press team was released on Friday by Russian forces, three months after she was taken captive on the streets of the city.
CAPTURED: Two U.S. military veterans feel compelled to fight Russia. They have been captured in Ukraine.
Germany’s economy minister said on Sunday that the country would limit the use of natural gas for electricity production amid concerns over a possible shortage caused by a cut in Russia’s supply. Robert Habeck said Germany would try to offset the measure by increasing the combustion of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel.
“This is bitter, but in this situation it is simply necessary to reduce gas consumption,” said Habeck, a member of the Green Party.
Russian gas company Gazprom announced last week that it was drastically reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for technical reasons. Habeck said the decision appeared to be politically motivated.
Germany, which has long relied heavily on energy imports from Russia, began to reduce them significantly due to the war in Ukraine.
– Associated press
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Bild that Western support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia must remain strong.
“We must not stop supporting Ukraine,” he said. “Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, but also for rising energy and food prices. But this is not comparable to the price that Ukrainians have to pay every day with many lives.” .
Stoltenberg stressed that while NATO supports Ukraine with stronger weapons and defenses on its eastern flank, troops would not set foot in Ukraine.
He also said a nuclear attack seems unlikely. “We do not see a higher level of preparedness for Russian nuclear forces,” Stoltenberg said.
The British Ministry of Defense’s Sunday update on the war in Ukraine indicated that morale was declining on both sides.
“It is likely that Ukrainian forces have suffered desertions in recent weeks, but it is very likely that Russian morale will remain particularly worrying,” the ministry tweeted. “There are still cases of entire Russian units rejecting orders and armed clashes between officers and their troops.”
On the Russian side, morale is depressed due to poor leadership and few opportunities for soldiers to leave combat units, the ministry said.
“It is likely that many Russian personnel of all ranks will be confused about the aims of the war,” he added. “Moral problems in the Russian force are probably so serious that they are limiting Russia’s ability to achieve operational goals.”
The executive arm of the European Union on Friday recommended putting Ukraine on the path to accession, a symbolic boost for a country defending a Russian attack that is killing civilians, crushing cities and threatening its own survival.
The possibility of EU membership, created to safeguard peace on the continent and serve as a model for the rule of law and prosperity, fulfills a wish of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Western-looking citizens.
The European Commission’s recommendation that Ukraine become a candidate for accession will be discussed by the leaders of the 27-nation bloc next week in Brussels. The war has increased pressure on EU governments to speed up Ukraine’s candidacy, but the process is expected to last for years and EU members remain divided on how quickly and fully they welcome the EU. new members.
Contributor: The Associated Press