1 July 2023
Spanish PM's visit to Kyiv
Ukraine is against starting negotiations with Russia in the event of a return to the borders that existed as of 24 February 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez.
There is currently no schedule for training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16s. "I believe that some partners are delaying this. I do not know why they are doing this," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy and Sanchez adopted a joint declaration during a meeting in Kyiv on 1 July 2023, which coincided with the first day of Spain's presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The declaration consists of 10 points. In particular, Spain supports the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council and Ukraine's accession to the EU, Zelenskyy's Peace Formula and the prosecution of Russian war criminals.
Sanchez stressed that Ukraine can count on long-term support from Spain. He announced a new aid package worth €55 million.
Spain will soon supply Ukraine with an additional four Leopard tanks, armoured personnel carriers and a mobile field hospital, as reported by Ukrinform.
Grain deal
Russia has blocked 29 ships carrying grain for five Asian and African countries in Turkish territorial waters, the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine said.
Staff meeting
Zelenskyy held the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff meeting at the Rivne nuclear power plant to discuss security and cyber threats to the plant, the situation at the Belarusian border and possible Russian scenarios.
War
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a mobile crematorium operates around the clock on the territory of the Berdyansk port, burning Russian troops' bodies around the clock. Approximately 50 bodies of deceased Russian military personnel, recently transported from combat areas to the local morgue, are currently undergoing cremation.
During the day, Russia carried out 22 air strikes and fired about 60 times from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas, the Ukrainian General Staff said. The likelihood of missile and air strikes throughout Ukraine remains high.
Russia is focusing its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut and Maryinka sectors, where over 30 combat engagements took place over the last day.
Missile attacks on Ukraine have slightly decreased, which may indicate that Russia is saving resources for a new attack, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, told the telethon.
Wagner
Belarus can deploy up to 8,000 Russian mercenaries from the Wagner PMC on its territory, the situation on the border remains under control, according to the spokesperson for the State Border Service, Col Andriy Demchenko, Ukrayinska Pravda reports.
The Wagner private military company's troops, who will "move" to Belarus, certainly pose a threat, but after the failed coup in Russia, their group does not pose any serious risk, Zelenskyy said in an interview with El Mundo.
Shortly before Prigozhin's so-called "mutiny", CIA Director William Burns visited Kyiv, the Washington Post reports. He met Zelenskyy and the leadership of Ukrainian intelligence.
Children hurt
On the afternoon of 1 July, Russian troops shelled residential areas of Kherson, injuring two children, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, said.
As of the morning of 1 July, more than 1,529 children have been affected in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the Office of the Prosecutor-General has said.
According to official data from juvenile prosecutors, 494 children have been killed and more than 1,035 injured since the start of the full-scale war.
Defence Ministry
Ruslan Ryhovanov, the acting director of the resource support department of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, was suspended from his post after information about his participation in anti-Ukrainian shows on Russian television and accusations of involvement in the carve-up of the Holosiyivskyy National Park was made public.
Sanctions
Zelenskyy has signed a decree enacting the National Security and Defence Council's decision on new sanctions against individuals associated with Russia and the war against Ukraine.
The list of sanctioned entities includes oil refineries associated with Lukoil and Gazprom Neft, as well as aircraft construction companies.
Nuclear concerns
The water level in the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant's cooling pond is stable, the press service of the atomic energy company Energoatom said. As of 10:00 on 1 July, the water level is 16.57 metres.
Laws
Zelenskyy has signed the laws allowing the restructuring of consumer debts for internally displaced persons. They will be allowed to deber loan payments.
Utility rates
On 29 June, the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC) raised tariffs for centralised water supply and sewerage without agreeing this issue with the government, which is "unacceptable", Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.