Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 29.07 – 04.08
Turkey ratified the "trade visa-free" agreement with Ukraine
Turkey has ratified the free trade zone agreement with Ukraine, signed at the beginning of 2022.
The deal was signed on February 3, 2022, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved it and its annexes only on August 1 of this year, the publication writes.
The volume of bilateral trade between Turkey and Ukraine in 2023 amounted to 73 billion dollars, said Trade Minister Omer Bolat on August 1.
He emphasized that it is expected that the free trade zone will increase volumes to 10 billion dollars in a short period. Bolat noted that Turkey and Ukraine will continue to strengthen cooperation and increase mutual trade and investment based on common interests.
"Turkish companies will actively participate in the implementation of the Turkish-Ukrainian working group on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which we jointly signed in Istanbul in January of this year," he added.
Zelenskyy: China can force Russia to stop the war
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that if China takes a strong position, it will be able to force Russia to stop its aggression against Ukraine.
"I'll answer like this. If China wants to, it can force Russia to stop this war. It’s like we talk about the whole world. China is an integral part of this world, one of the most influential countries. I would like them not to take on a mediating mission. I would like them to pressure Russia to end the war. Just like the United States pressures. Just like the EU pressures."
According to Zelenskyy, the stronger the state, the more pressure needs to be applied to Russia for a quick result. In his opinion, the mediating position is not strong.
"Therefore, I would like China to have a strong position in this war to stop the Russians."
WSJ: USA will provide Ukrainian F-16s with American bombs and missiles
The Wall Street Journal, citing its own sources, writes that the United States has agreed to arm F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine will receive from European allies with American-made missiles.
The armament for the F-16s that the USA will provide includes AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles, extended-range JDAM ammunition that turns unguided bombs into "smart" weapons, and small-sized high-precision GLSDB munitions.
Additionally, the USA will supply medium-range air-to-air AMRAAM missiles and short-range air-to-air AIM-9X missiles.
The sources of The Wall Street Journal declined to name the exact dates of the transfer of the F-16s and their armaments to Ukraine for security reasons.
An American official, on condition of anonymity, told WSJ that the Pentagon has limited stocks of ammunition and production capabilities, but Ukraine will receive enough to meet the most urgent needs.
"We are confident that we can deliver at least the critically important volumes they need," he said.
The USA allocates $200 million in military aid to Ukraine
On July 29, during a briefing, the coordinator for strategic communications of the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, announced that the United States is transferring another package of military aid to Ukraine worth up to 200 million dollars.
According to Kirby, the aid package includes air defense systems, HIMARS artillery ammunition, mortar shells, and Javelin anti-tank missiles.
This package is allocated within the framework of the US President's authority to draw down, i.e., transfer weapons directly from US Army stockpiles.
Additionally, through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (ordering weapons from manufacturers in the USA), the Pentagon will provide Ukraine with air defense systems, long-range strike capabilities, and anti-tank weapons.
Zelenskyy: Since the world wants Russia to be at the second Peace Summit, we cannot be against it
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that most countries in the world want Russia to participate in the second Peace Summit, and therefore "Ukraine cannot be against this initiative."
"Most of the world today says that representatives of Russia should be at the second Summit; otherwise, we will not achieve powerful results. Because Russia is at war with Ukraine, and these are the parties to this war, and therefore the whole world needs Russia's representatives to be at the second Summit.
I said we agreed I did not want them to block the process of preparing a joint plan for us. We will prepare it with you, and it will be on the table. And please, since the whole world wants them to be at the table, we cannot be against it because we need to stop them.
And there will be these conditions. This does not mean that at this moment we will be at the 1991 borders... Yes, I believe that it is fair and a just peace for Ukraine to fully restore our territorial integrity. But this does not mean that only through weapons. I believe that today we are standing on the front line while Russia wants to fight; there will be a ready plan, we will have a strong position, the majority of countries will agree with this plan, and it will be on the table. And then please, we can resolve these issues diplomatically if Russia wants to."
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.