Ukraine has requested the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in The Hague, to investigate the alleged use of prohibited toxic ammunition by Russia, after intelligence services from the Netherlands and Germany claimed on Friday to have evidence of the widespread use of illegal weapons by Moscow forces along the battlefront.
Furthermore, in a new shift in its policy towards Ukraine, Donald Trump revealed early this morning that the United States will resume sending weapons to Kiev to defend themselves against Russia's attacks. "They need to be able to defend themselves. They are being hit very hard now. We will send more weapons, mainly defensive ones," said the U.S. president, reversing the Pentagon's decision to halt deliveries citing stock issues.
Russia has attacked Ukrainian territory with a total of 54 drones and 4 missiles, of which 34 were neutralized. Ukrainian defenses could not intercept the missiles or prevent the drones that were not intercepted from hitting five unspecified locations, resulting in a total of nine deaths.
Germany accuses Russia of trying to "exploit the weaknesses" of European democracies
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul accused Russia on Tuesday of trying to exploit the "weaknesses of European democracies" while waging an aggression war against Ukraine, advocating for initiatives such as the "new democratic pact" of the Council of Europe.
"Russia seeks to exploit the weaknesses of our democracies, the vulnerabilities of our societies through the promotion of conspiracy theories, casting doubts on our democratic systems, and accentuating divisions in our populations," Wadephul said at an event marking the 75th anniversary of Germany's entry into the Council of Europe, as reported by Efe.
The German Foreign Minister stated that the impetus of the Council of Europe's founding fathers, an intergovernmental organization to which 46 countries belong dedicated to promoting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, was currently necessary given Russia's hostile international behavior and its ongoing aggression war against Ukraine. Wadephul referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a "brutal attack on peace and security in Europe" that has lasted for over three years.
Sánchez to participate in the IV Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Rome on Thursday
The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will attend the fourth Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Rome on Thursday, July 10, as announced by the Government spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, during a press conference following the Council of Ministers.
This will be the fourth Reconstruction Conference for Ukraine since the Russian invasion, following those held in Lugano, London, and Berlin.
Ukraine expects Trump's promise of new arms shipments to materialize
Ukraine hopes that Donald Trump's announcement to unblock arms shipments for them to defend themselves will materialize as soon as possible. "Every day of delay, the costs increase; for all of us," said Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko in a message posted on X, the Ukrainian leader who has had the most contact with the Trump administration.
Sviridenko also requested in her message that NATO allies of Ukraine help Kiev build integrated air defense systems and armament production with them.
After the Trump administration first announced its willingness to send defensive weaponry to Ukraine, Russia has attacked enemy territory with a total of 54 drones and 4 missiles, of which 34 were neutralized.
Ukrainian defenses could not intercept the missiles or prevent the non-neutralized drones from directly impacting five unspecified locations, resulting in a total of nine deaths.
Kremlin describes the death of the Transport Minister as tragic and sad
The Kremlin described the death of Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit on Tuesday as "sad and tragic," who according to Russian police, committed suicide after being dismissed on Monday by President Vladimir Putin. "This type of information is always tragic and sad," said Dmitry Peskov, presidential spokesperson, during his daily phone press conference.
According to the spokesperson, the president was immediately informed of Starovoit's death and added that he was impressed by the news, which adds to other apparent suicides and violent deaths of officials, executives, and opponents since the start of the war in Ukraine.
"This cannot fail to impact normal people. Of course, it also impacted us," he added in response to a journalist's question about how much the news had shocked them.
Turkey states that Russia is ready for a new meeting with Ukraine
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Tuesday that the Kremlin has expressed its readiness to participate in new direct talks with Ukraine, awaiting a response from Kiev.
"Russia has declared its readiness for the third round of talks. We now await a response from Ukraine. Our contact with them continues," said the minister, as reported by the official Anadolu agency.
Other Turkish media outlets claim that Fidan made these statements after meeting the previous day with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, at the BRICS leaders' summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as reported by Efe.
Ukraine urges investigation into alleged use of chemical weapons by Russia
Ukraine has requested the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in The Hague, to investigate the alleged use of prohibited toxic ammunition by Russia against its forces, as reported by Reuters.
This request comes after intelligence services from the Netherlands and Germany claimed on Friday to have evidence of Russia's widespread use of illegal weapons along the battlefront.
"Ukraine hereby requests the Director-General of the OPCW to take action to establish an independent and impartial mechanism to investigate cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine," a copy of the request shared with Reuters stated.
The request asks that the mechanism have the authority to "collect additional evidence and identify the perpetrators, organizers, and sponsors of such use."
At least three Ukrainian deaths have been linked to the use of chemical weapons, according to the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency, while over 2,500 battlefield-injured individuals reported symptoms related to chemical weapons to Ukrainian health authorities.
US envoy to attend Ukraine aid conference in Rome
Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will attend an international aid conference for Ukraine in Rome on July 10 and 11, as reported by a source from the Italian government to Reuters. This confirmation comes a day after Trump announced that the U.S. would resume sending weapons to Kiev.
The Rome conference aims to mobilize international support for Ukraine and will be inaugurated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen calls on Beijing to end its "unwavering support" for Russia
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated on Tuesday that China must end its "unwavering support" for Russia in its war against Ukraine and respect the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"We know that China's unwavering support for Russia is creating high instability and insecurity for Europe. We can say that, in fact, China is enabling Russia's war economy, and we cannot accept that," Von der Leyen said during a debate in the European Parliament on EU-China relations, as reported by Efe.
"The way China continues to interact with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war will be a determining factor for the advancement of EU-China relations," Von der Leyen reiterated, announcing that at the end of July, she will travel to Beijing with the President of the European Council, António Costa, to hold a summit marking half a century of diplomatic relations between the two blocs.
Emmanuel Macron visits the United Kingdom
French President Emmanuel Macron begins a three-day visit to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, where he will be received by King Charles III before a summit with Prime Minister Keir Starmer focused on immigration and defense.
Following the cooling of bilateral relations after Brexit and under the previous conservative governments, this visit comes amid a rapprochement between the two countries since the arrival of Labour's Starmer to Downing Street a year ago.
The war in Ukraine, which has once again placed defense and security issues at the forefront of concerns in Europe, has brought the two allies closer together, the main military powers on the continent.