Chinese military personnel are due to begin joint “anti-terrorism training” on Monday with their Belarusian counterparts, near the border with Poland.The “Eagle Assault” drills by Russia and its allies amid the Ukraine war will take place over 11 days in the Belarusian border city of Brest and will include missions such as hostage rescue and counter-terrorism operations, according to China’s Defense Ministry. It comes just days after Belarus formally joined the China-Russia led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, deepening cooperation on military, economic and political issues. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been a key ally of President Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, and last year conducted tactical nuclear exercises with Russia and agreed to store Moscow’s tactical nuclear warheads on Ukrainian soil.
The Netherlands will begin shipping F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine without delay as soon as export authorization is granted. Foreign Minister Kaspar Feldkamp made the remarks during a weekend visit to Kiev. “We have received approval for the first F-16s, and they will be delivered without delay,” Feldkamp said at a press conference in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday. Details of the visit were kept secret until Sunday for security reasons. Feldkamp is part of the new ruling coalition, in which Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) is the largest party. Ukraine hopes the state-of-the-art U.S.-made jets will give it air superiority over Russia and allow it to better protect its troops and cities from daily bombardment by Moscow’s military. Kiev has been asking for the F-16s since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Britain’s new defence minister pledged Sunday to provide Ukraine with more artillery, ammunition and missiles.“The government may have changed, but the UK stands united for Ukraine,” Healey said, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Defence. Healey pledged a new aid package that includes artillery pieces, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, mine-clearing vehicles, small military boats, missiles and other equipment, according to the Ministry of Defence.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. Johnson is scheduled to deliver the speech during a NATO summit in Washington this week, where aid to Ukraine is expected to be a focus amid concerns about the future of U.S. support for Kiev if Donald Trump wins the November presidential election. In April, Johnson spearheaded a bipartisan $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that was opposed by Trump’s allies in Congress.
Activists are calling on Britain’s new Labour government to prevent Ukraine from being sued in British courts if it defaults on its debts to private creditors. A two-year moratorium on Ukraine’s debt payments is due to expire on August 1 and Debt Justice said the action was needed to protect Kiev from legal action. Ukraine is in negotiations with bondholders, seeking a 60% write-down of the $24bn (£18.7bn) it owes to private creditors. Bondholders, who include large investment groups such as Blackrock, Pimco, Fidelity and AllianceBernstein, have said they are prepared to accept a 20% loss.
