Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 22.07 – 28.07

ISW: Iran and North Korea provide lethal assistance to Russia for the war in Ukraine

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicate  that Russia is deepening relations with Iran and North Korea, which are providing lethal assistance to Russia for the war in Ukraine.

Analysts note that Russia continues to deepen bilateral relations with Iran and North Korea in exchange for providing lethal aid to Russian military forces for use in Ukraine.

Iran's state news agency, Mehr News Agency, reported that Iran will launch its "Hod-Hod" and "Kosar" satellites into low Earth orbit from an unspecified Russian station in October 2024.

Bloomberg reported  that North Korea's GDP increased by 31% in 2023 compared to 2022 after annual declines since 2019.

According to estimates by the Bank of South Korea, North Korea's heavy and chemical industries, particularly the production of iron, steel, copper, nickel, and aluminum, saw the largest growth in 2023—by 81%.

 

Ursula von der Leyen: The EU has transferred the first tranche of 15 billion euros from the profits of Russian assets to Ukraine

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced  the transfer of 15 billion euros to Ukraine from the profits of frozen Russian assets.

"There is no better symbol and better use for Kremlin money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live."

In a separate statement, the European Commission's press service clarified that the funds would be channeled through the European Peace Facility and the Ukraine military capability support fund, as well as for the country's recovery.

The European Peace Facility funds are used to compensate EU countries for providing military assistance to Ukraine.

 

The Pentagon found an additional $2 billion for weapons for Ukraine due to an accounting error

The Pentagon discovered errors in accounting calculations that allowed for an additional $2 billion to be found for weapons for Ukraine. The Pentagon encountered difficulties in accurately estimating the value of military equipment sent to Ukraine due to unclear definitions in accounting.

In 2023, the US Department of Defense stated that it used "replacement cost" instead of "depreciated cost" to account for billions in materials sent to Ukraine, which resulted in a calculation error of $62 billion, later used to send new aid.

Since then, another $2 billion in overstated costs have been identified, Pentagon officials informed.

Consequently, an additional $2 billion worth of weapons can be sent to Ukraine.

 

Kuleba: We received a clear signal that China is working towards resolving the war

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reported that following negotiations with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Guangzhou, he received a clear signal that China is not seeking "temporary solutions" but is working towards a sustainable and strategic resolution of the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine.

In particular, Kuleba noted that the first and most important point regarding the negotiations is that China supports Ukraine's territorial integrity. According to him, Wang Yi "very clearly and repeatedly" stated that the position on supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering for China.

The second important diplomatic moment, according to him, is the position on establishing a stable and just peace in Ukraine.

 

Czech Republic prepares a new initiative for shells for Ukraine in 2025

The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic is preparing to launch a second initiative to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine in 2025, involving Czech manufacturers.

The project, tentatively named "Initiative-2025," will preliminarily cover five Czech arms companies that will produce shells for Ukraine with funds from European donors.

"This is a natural continuation of the mechanism already in place. Moreover, the sooner donors allocate funds, the sooner our companies will sign long-term contracts," said Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová.

 

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell to tell about current news and events in Ukraine.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти про актуальні новини та події в Україні.