Russian military objectives have changed and no longer focus "only" on eastern Ukraine and the Donbass but concern " a series of other territories ", Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov announced in an interview with Russia Today.
As long as the West continues to send "ever-longer-range weapons, such as Himars missiles," to Ukraine, Russia will move "strategic objectives even further" to Ukraine than it is at present, Lavrov added. "This is because we cannot allow in that part of Ukraine that will be controlled by Zelensky or whoever will replace him, there are weapons that represent a direct threat to our territory and the territory of those republics that have declared their independence".
Meanwhile, a tough diplomatic clash between Rome and Moscow.
" Luigi Di Maio continues to look for external causes of his country's internal political problems , there is nothing new", said the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, commenting on Di Maio's recent statements on the fact that the Russian leadership would aim to the destabilization of Italy and other European states. " We ourselves are stunned by the power of Russian diplomacy as shown by the Italian media reports . It turns out that our ambassadors can change governments with a couple of calls," adds Zakharova quoted by Tass.
The Farnesina's response comes through the mouth of Di Maio's spokesperson Giuseppe Marici: "Even before the beginning of this government crisis, immediately after the Russian aggression against Ukraine, someone in Moscow did nothing but intervene in our internal debate with continuous and serious interference with the Italian government . First with endorsements to a political force in our country and subsequently with repeated declarations against the Italian government. Italy, so as to discredit the action of the Italian executive, which is strongly condemning the atrocious war waged by the Russian army in Ukraine, with the death of hundreds of innocent people ".
The case of the links between the founder of the microchip giant and the Chinese manager Alice Huang, accused of spying for Beijing, shakes the markets and opens a front on national security
"We advise Iran not to support Russia, it would be a really bad idea." US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this at a press conference at the Pentagon about the possibility that Tehran would send drones to the Moscow forces.
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Zelenska: "We need air defense systems"
"We need air defense systems. Not to attack another country in its territory but to defend ourselves against attacks so that Ukrainian children are not killed in their stroller." Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska asked the US Congress. "Russia kills us, the United States saves us," said the wife of President Zelensky, thanking the United States for their help. "Unfortunately the war is not over yet," he added.
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The US sends another 4 missile systems
The United States will send four more High Mobility Missile Systems (HIMARS) and ammunition to Ukraine in the next security assistance package, which will be officially announced later this week. This was stated by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the meeting of the contact group on Ukraine. The new dispatch "will be the sixteenth" by the United States from August 2021, the Pentagon chief stressed.
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Russians: "Kiev tries to hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant"
Ukrainian forces have tried to carry out a drone strike on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to the head of the Russian-controlled region's civil-military council, Vladimir Rogov, on his Telegram channel. Tass reports it. Other sources cited by the same agency say that the plant was not damaged and there are no altered radioactivity values in the area. In recent days, Ukrainian sources had accused Russian forces of having installed missile launching stations in the central.
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Lavrov: "Negotiations with Kiev don't make sense now"
"Negotiations with Kiev make no sense at the moment." This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov in his interview with Russia Today.
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Putin: "A new era opens in world history"
"A new era begins in the history of the world", an era in which "only truly sovereign states will be able to show high growth rates". This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. As for Russia, Putin said that "the mechanisms of power must be made more open" and the country "must move forward, because it is unacceptable to rest only on one's laurels and enjoy the successes of the ancestors". Putin, quoted by TASS, spoke in a forum of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.
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Putin: "The West has plundered other nations"
The West has taken a leading position largely by "plundering other nations and cannot propose its own as a model of development". This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by TASS. The unipolar world, added the president, is holding back development and "the theory of a billion gold" (that is, all the populations of developed countries) is "racist and neocolonial".
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Lavrov: "Goals changed, we won't stop at the Donbass"
Russian military objectives have changed and no longer focus "only" on eastern Ukraine and the Donbass but concern "a series of other territories", Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov announced to RT.
As long as the West continues to send "ever-longer-range weapons, such as Himars missiles," to Ukraine, Russia will move "strategic objectives even further" to Ukraine than it is at present, Lavrov added. "This is because we cannot allow in that part of Ukraine that will be controlled by Zelensky or whoever will replace him, there are weapons that represent a direct threat to our territory and the territory of those republics (of the Donbass, ed) that have declared the their independence ".
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Rome in Moscow: "Serious interference"
"Even before the beginning of this government crisis, immediately after the Russian aggression against Ukraine, someone in Moscow did nothing but intervene in our internal debate with continuous and serious interference with the Italian government. First with endorsement to a political force in our country and subsequently with repeated statements against the Italian government. strongly condemning the atrocious war waged by the Russian army in Ukraine, with the death of hundreds of innocent people ". This was stated by Giuseppe Marici, spokesman for Minister Di Maio, replying to the words of Maria Zakharova.
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Michel to Zelensky: "New sanctions and military aid on the way"
"I spoke with President Zelensky about the continuing need to support and support Ukraine. As Ukraine boldly opposes Russian aggression, the EU will provide additional military aid from the European Peace Facility" and there are "new sanctions in arrival. This shows that our determination will not fail. " The president of the EU Council, Charles Michel, writes in a tweet.
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Moscow: "Di Maio blames us on Italy's internal crisis"
"Luigi Di Maio continues to look for external causes of his country's internal political problems, there is nothing new". This was stated by the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, commenting on Di Maio's recent statements on the fact that the Russian leadership would aim at the destabilization of Italy and other European states. "We ourselves are stunned by the power of Russian diplomacy as shown by the Italian media reports. It turns out that our ambassadors can change governments with a couple of calls," adds Zakharova quoted by Tass.
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Civilians killed in Donetsk
Yesterday "the Russians killed five civilians in the Donesk region: two in Krasnopillia, one in Kramatorsk, one in Soledar, and one in Avdiivka. Another 16 people were injured," said Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the region's military administration. Ukrinform reports it.
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Syria cuts off relations with Kiev
Syria today announced the severance of its diplomatic relations with Kiev, in accordance with the principle of "reciprocity", after Ukraine had taken the same step in late June following the Syrian government's recognition of pro-Russian separatist republics . A Syrian Foreign Ministry source quoted by the official Sana news agency said that "the Syrian Arab Republic has decided to break off diplomatic relations with Ukraine, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity and in response to the decision of the Ukrainian government".
