Kyiv [Ukraine], July 5: Ukrainian officials accused Russia of attacking the capital Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, killing one person, injuring at least 23 and destroying many buildings in the city, according to Reuters.
Ukraine's Air Force accused Russia of launching a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles into Ukraine on the night of July 3 and early morning of July 4, mainly targeting Kyiv, according to Reuters. The attack took place just hours after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that UAV factories, a military airport and an oil refinery were among the targets attacked by Russian forces in Kyiv with high-precision weapons, according to Reuters.
On the other hand, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on July 4 that Russian air defense forces shot down 12 Ukrainian UAVs in the sky over the two Russian provinces of Bryansk and Oryol from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. the same day (Moscow time), according to TASS News Agency.
As of the evening of July 4, there was no information about Ukraine's reaction to the above statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Ukrainian President calls President Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed air defenses in a phone call with US President Donald Trump on July 4 and agreed to boost Kyiv's ability to "protect the skies" as Russian attacks escalate, according to Reuters.
Mr Zelensky also wrote on the Telegram messaging app that he had discussed joint defence production, as well as joint procurement and investment with the US leader.
During the phone call, President Trump told President Zelensky that he wanted to help Ukraine with air defense, according to Axios news site , citing an unnamed Ukrainian official and a source familiar with the call.
Mr Trump also told Mr Zelensky that he would check to see if any US weapons that were about to be sent to Ukraine had been halted, according to a source quoted by Axios . The call lasted about 40 minutes, the source said.
The conversation with President Zelensky came a day after President Trump said he had a disappointing phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia sends new message to US and Ukraine?
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the July 3 phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on July 4.
Mr. Peskov stated that Russia will continue its military campaign in Ukraine, because achieving all goals through political and diplomatic means remains impossible at the current stage, according to TASS news agency.
"During the conversation, President Putin reaffirmed our commitment to achieving the goals of the special military operation and stressed that we want to achieve them through political and diplomatic means. However, if this still cannot be achieved, the special military operation will continue," Peskov stressed.
As of the evening of July 4, there was no information about the reaction of the US or Ukraine to Mr. Peskov's statement.
Earlier, President Trump said that his phone call with President Putin on July 3 did not make any progress in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. "I made no progress with him," President Trump told reporters briefly at an air base near Washington DC, before leaving for an event in Iowa, according to Reuters.
See more: Mr. Putin called Mr. Trump, warned of a response to Ukraine's bold attack
Germany is negotiating to buy Patriot for Ukraine
Germany is negotiating the purchase of Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine to help the country counter some of the fiercest Russian attacks since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022, a German government spokesman said on July 4, Reuters reported.
Earlier, Reuters quoted a source familiar with the matter as saying that the US had suspended the supply of some important weapons to Ukraine, including 30 Patriot air defense missiles, prompting Kyiv to warn that this would weaken its self-defense capabilities.
"There are many ways to fill this Patriot gap," the spokesman told a news conference in Berlin, adding that one option being considered was to purchase Patriot missile batteries in the United States and ship them to Kyiv.
"I can confirm that in-depth discussions are indeed underway on this issue," the spokesman stressed.
Germany has sent three US-made Patriot systems from its military arsenal to Ukraine, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius last month launched an initiative to seek more Patriots for Ukraine from a group of 50 countries supporting Ukraine.Mr Pistorius will travel to Washington DC this month to hold talks with his US counterpart about the initiative and production capacity, according to a spokesman for the German Defense Ministry.Germany, Ukraine's second-largest donor after the United States, has sought to take on more of a leadership role in securing support for Kyiv as US support has come into question under President Donald Trump.
Germany has provided a total of 38 billion euros ($43 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, including funds earmarked for future years, according to Reuters.
See more : What did Russia say after the US announced plans to deploy long-range missiles to Germany?
China does not want Russia to lose the conflict with Ukraine?
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) on July 4 quoted several sources revealing that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the European Union's (EU) top diplomat, Ms. Kaja Kallas, on July 2 that Beijing did not want to see Russia lose in Ukraine because it was worried that the US would then shift all its focus to Beijing.
Wang's remarks appear to confirm what many EU officials believe to be Beijing's position, but they contradict public statements by the Chinese government, according to the SCMP. China's foreign ministry has frequently said that China is "not a party" to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Some EU officials involved were surprised by the frankness of Wang's remarks.
However, Mr. Wang is said to have rejected allegations that China is providing material support to Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, stressing that if Beijing did so, the Russia-Ukraine conflict would have ended long ago.
As of the evening of July 4, there was no information about the reactions of the parties involved. One explanation for Mr. Wang's statement is that although China does not want war, prolonging the Russia-Ukraine conflict may suit Beijing's strategic needs if the US remains involved in that conflict, according to SCMP .
The more than three-year-old Russia-Ukraine conflict remains one of the biggest sources of tension between China and the EU, which has accused Beijing of supplying dual-use goods to Russia. Beijing has denied the accusation and positioned itself as a peacekeeper, viewing both Moscow and Kyiv as partners, according to the SCMP .
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
