Speaking at a joint press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Scholz said he 'never expected that everything would change from one day to the next,' but added the Ukrainian defense forces had been planning operations 'in a very targeted way.' The Ukrainian forces have 'proceeded in a very precise and well-organized way so far' in the war, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday. Romanian Prime Minister Ion Marcel Ciolacu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a press conference on July 4, in Berlin, Germany. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the news while US President Joe Biden said it was an 'important signal of stability' heading into the summit. NATO chief gets extension: Ahead of a critical meeting of NATO leaders next week in Lithuania – expected to be dominated by Russia's war in Ukraine – the alliance resolved one outstanding issue by extending the term of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for one more year.

Other leaders taking part included China's Xi Jinping, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. He spoke at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference, hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Putin attends virtual summit: President Vladimir Putin thanked allies who expressed solidarity with Russia after last month's short-lived rebellion led by the Wagner private military company. 'It is obvious that there are no grounds for further continuation of the 'Black Sea Initiative.'' Russia says it opposes renewal of Black Sea grain deal: The UN-brokered deal, which is set to expire on July 17, was established to provide 'assistance to needy countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America,' but 'has turned into a purely commercial export of Ukrainian food to 'well-fed' countries,' the Russian foreign ministry claimed in a statement. Kyiv has not commented on the allegations. Russia's defense ministry said it downed five 'Ukrainian drones' near Moscow. Some flights were rerouted 'for security reasons' due to the ' attempted drone attack by Ukrainian drones,' Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said. Some flights diverted in Moscow after alleged drone attack: At least 16 domestic and international flights to Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport were diverted Tuesday, according to Russian state media. “Ukrainian soldiers continue to conduct offensive operations to the south and north of Bakhmut, strengthening on the achieved lines,” the Ukraine military said in an update. Ukraine claims gains near Bakhmut: Ukraine keeps making gains south of Bakhmut while Russia is “throwing all its forces” to try and stop Kyiv’s advance, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said. 'Russians fired a high-explosive projectile,' which caused several cars to catch on fire and caused damage to the high-rise buildings, according to Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office. Here's what else you need to know about the war:Īttack in Kharkiv region: Russian shelling of the town of Pervomaiskyi injured at least 43 people, including 12 children, according to the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration Oleg Sinegubov. Meantime, the Kremlin said Russia and the United States remain in contact on the issue of exchanging prisoners, but that communication must be carried out 'in complete silence.' The remarks followed a visit Monday by the US ambassador to detained US reporter Evan Gershkovich in a Moscow jail. Russia said it foiled a drone attack near Moscow on Tuesday while Ukraine said it was making gains around the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut.

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