July 9, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

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US President Joe Biden spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by phone Sunday as he flew on Air Force One to the United Kingdom, a White House official told CNN. 

The leaders agreed to meet face-to-face during the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss Turkey-US relations and regional issues in detail, the Turkish presidency's communication office said in a statement.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed to reporters that the two leaders spoke in a “45-minute, hour-long conversation.”

“They talked about a number of issues relative to the upcoming summit, including the war in Ukraine and Turkey’s really robust and stalwart support, including quite concrete military support for Ukraine's defensive needs,” he said.

Turkey's objections on Sweden: The call comes as Turkey continues to block Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance. Finland and Sweden formally applied to be part of the security alliance in May 2022, propelled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Finland was admitted this April.

But Turkey's objections to Sweden's efforts continue, which could prove a major embarrassment and source of weakness for the alliance. All NATO member countries must agree on any additional country’s membership. 

Turkey's long-standing resistance centers on its claim that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate in its country. A recent Quran burning demonstration in Sweden has exacerbated the issue.

On the call, Erdoğan told Biden that Sweden has taken some steps in the right direction in order for Turkey to support its bid “by making changes in the anti-terrorism legislation,” his office said. But these steps were not effective because "supporters of the terrorist organization" continue to "freely hold demonstrations in praise of terrorism," he continued.

Biden's role: Erdoğan is set to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday in Vilnius. 

While Sweden's government is playing a key role in the negotiations, NATO leaders are looking to Biden for what the US can offer to Turkey.

Turkey wants the US Congress to approve its purchase of US-made F-16 fighter jets. While US officials are reluctant to tie the Sweden issue and F-16s overtly, officials say that behind the scenes there is an obvious deal to be done. 

In an interview with CNN, Biden said he was optimistic that Sweden would eventually be admitted to NATO, noting that Turkey is seeking to modernize its F-16 fleet, along with Greece, which has voted to admit Sweden.

"Turkey is looking for modernization of F-16 aircraft. And (Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos) Mitsotakis in Greece is also looking for some help," Biden said. "And so, what I'm trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here, where we're strengthening NATO in terms of military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey, and allow Sweden to come in. But it's in play. It's not done."

In his comments to reporters, Sullivan confirmed Biden and Erdoğan discussed the sale of F-16 jets to Turkey on Sunday, and that Biden "reiterated his long-standing and quite public commitment and support for the provision of F-16s to Turkey."

CNN's DJ Judd, Mariya Knight and Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a brief meeting with his Polish counterpart President Andrzej Duda during a surprise visit Sunday to Lutsk, a regional capital in northwestern Ukraine. 

“Andrzej Duda and I had a brief but very substantive discussion about the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius. We agreed to work together to get the best possible result for Ukraine,” Zelensky tweeted following the discussion. 

Some background: Poland is one of Kyiv's closest allies, often leading the way in urging members of the NATO military alliance to send Ukraine more supplies.

Ukrainian-Polish relations have flourished in the face of Moscow’s war. Poles – like their neighbors – have long been wary of the Russian threat, and keeping Moscow at bay has been considered a crucial joint objective of each nation.

You can read more about some of the key storylines heading into the NATO summit, which begins Tuesday, here.

CNN's Rob Picheta and Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post.

US President Joe Biden's attendance at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, starting Tuesday comes at a critical time for the military alliance.

The backdrop, of course, is Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which is posing the biggest threat to global stability for the alliance in recent history.

Biden will be a key player on a host of critical issues as leaders gather in Vilnius, a city on NATO’s eastern frontier that sits approximately 20 miles from the Belarusian border.

Ukraine's path to NATO membership: Ukraine’s eventual accession is taking on increasing urgency and is likely to be one of the biggest flash points for the group as the war drags on.

NATO first welcomed Ukraine’s membership aspirations during a 2008 meeting in Bucharest, Romania, but little progress has been made and the timeline remains uncertain. And while the US has said Ukraine will not be joining NATO as a member coming out of this meeting, the Vilnius summit presents a critical opportunity to take tangible steps toward that end in an important show of unity.

Biden will serve as a key player in determining what specific, measurable criteria or timelines, if any, are offered to Ukraine for NATO membership during this summit.

Sweden's stalled accession: Observers will also be closely watching how the leaders interact with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as he continues to block Sweden’s bid to join the alliance. Finland and Sweden formally applied to be part of the security alliance in May 2022, propelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Finland was admitted this April. But Turkey’s objections to Sweden’s efforts continue, which could prove a major embarrassment and source of weakness for the alliance.

Biden has already made a notable show of support in welcoming his Swedish counterpart, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, to the White House Wednesday and voicing full-throated support for its accession.

Leaders will also be looking to Biden for what the US can offer to Turkey to grease the wheels. Turkey wants Congress to approve its purchase of US-made F-16 fighter jets. While US officials are reluctant to tie the Sweden issue and F-16s overtly, officials say that behind the scenes there is an obvious deal to be done.

Assistance to Ukraine: As leaders gather, experts are also watching for whether the alliance can offer any additional long-term security assistance to Ukraine, including the possibility of additional F-16 fighter jets. Such long-term investments can serve as a key signal to Russia of NATO’s long-term support for Ukraine.

Biden informed G7 leaders in May that the US will support a joint effort with allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth generation aircraft, including F-16s.

It remains to be seen what he may announce as he convenes with NATO allies.

Read more about Biden's trip, including his priorities during a stop in London and at a gathering of Nordic leaders, here.

Air defenses shot down missiles in the Russian border regions of Rostov and Bryansk, local officials said Sunday.

Rostov's regional Gov. Vasily Golubev claimed a Ukrainian missile was shot down in the area between the Russian towns of Kamensk and Donetsk, adding that shrapnel partially damaged the roofs of several buildings.

Russian defenses also shot down two Ukrainian missiles over the Bryansk region, located at the northern end of the border with Ukraine, according to the region's Gov. Alexander Bogomaz.

Neither official said anyone had been wounded or killed.

Ukraine has not yet publicly commented on the attacks, and CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports from either side of the conflict.

Attacks across the border: The governors' reports come one day after officials in the western Russian region of Belgorod reported heavy shelling that wounded two people. The region's governor said Ukraine had launched over 100 artillery shells at Belgorod over the course of 24 hours.

There have been more reports of drone attacks, shelling and incursions by anti-Kremlin Russians in the past few months as the effects of Moscow's war in Ukraine reverberate back onto its own territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging NATO to provide a united response to Ukraine's membership bid ahead of the alliance summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“Vilnius summit is very important. If there is no unity regarding the technical invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance, it’s all a matter of political will just to find the proper wording and invite Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a pre-recorded, translated interview with ABC News which aired on Sunday.

“It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. Only under these conditions, our meeting would be meaningful, otherwise it’s just another politics,” he added.

Asked if he would attend the meeting, Zelensky did not provide a definitive answer but said that he would not travel there “for fun, if the decision has been made beforehand.”

Zelensky also touched on the counteroffensive, admitting Ukraine would like it to be advancing at a faster pace.

“All of us, we want to do it faster because every day means new losses of Ukrainians,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine is "advancing" and is "not stuck in one place.”

The Ukrainian president told ABC that F-16s and any other equipment Ukraine needs “will give us an opportunity to move faster, to save more lives, to stand our ground for a longer time.”

“Some weapons we have been provided by our allies help us save lives and I appreciate that. Of course foot dragging will lead to more lives lost.”

Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership and the war needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks, US President Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN that aired Sunday.

The US decision to send Ukraine cluster bombs — controversial weapons that are banned by many nations for their potential risk to civilians — has drawn both criticism and praise from elected officials.

Here's what two US lawmakers had to say Sunday, and how President Joe Biden's administration is justifying its decision.

A "game-changer" for Kyiv: House Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, said he supports sending the cluster bombs to Ukraine, arguing Russia is already dropping cluster bombs of its own with “impunity.”

“All the Ukrainians and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) are asking for is to give them the same weapons the Russians have, to use in their own country against Russians who are in their own country,” McCaul said on CNN's State of the Union, noting neither the US or Ukraine have signed agreements not to use the weapons.

McCaul said the weapons would be a “game-changer” in the counteroffensive.

The US is "crossing a line": Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat and the lone member of Congress to vote against the war in Afghanistan, told CNN “cluster bombs should never be used. That’s crossing a line."

“I think the president’s been doing a good job managing this war, this Putin aggressive war against Ukraine, but I think that this should not happen,” Lee said.

“We risk losing our moral leadership,” she added.

Lee did not answer whether she believed the Biden administration will be committing war crimes by supplying Ukraine with cluster munitions. “I’m hoping that the administration would reconsider," she said.

What the White House is saying: The administration has argued that Russia is already using the weapon and “indiscriminately killing civilians.”

“We are very mindful of the concerns about civilian casualties and unexploded ordnance being picked up by civilians or children and being hurt,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told ABC on Sunday.

“We're going to focus with Ukraine on demining efforts. In fact, we're doing it right now and we will when war conditions permit, but these munitions do provide a useful battlefield capability," he said.

Kirby said Russia has launched "an aggressive war on another country," while Ukraine will use the weapons to "defend their own territory." Ultimately, he continued, an unchecked Russia will cause more harm to civilians than Kyiv's use of cluster bombs.

He also alluded to the US-supplied bombs' lower "dud" rate, meaning the bomblets dropped by the weapons are much less likely not to explode upon hitting the ground (and therefore pose a long-term threat) than some of the older versions of the weapon used by Russia.

Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership and the war needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks, US President Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN that aired Sunday.

While discussion of Ukraine’s imminent membership in NATO is premature, the US and its allies in NATO will continue to provide President Volodymyr Zelensky and his forces the security and weaponry they need to try to end the war with Russia, Biden told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.

Biden spoke to Zakaria ahead of his weeklong trip to Europe, which includes a NATO summit in Lithuania, where Russia’s war in Ukraine and Zelensky’s push for NATO membership will be among the key issues looming over the gathering.

“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden said. “For example, if you did that, then, you know — and I mean what I say — we’re determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. It’s a commitment that we’ve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we’re all in war. We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.”

Biden said that he’s spoken to Zelensky at length about the issue, saying he’s told the Ukrainian president the US would keep providing security and weaponry for Ukraine like it does for Israel while the process plays out.

“I think we have to lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to be able to get into NATO,” Biden said, noting that he refused Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands before the war for a commitment not to admit Ukraine because the alliance has “an open-door policy.”

“But I think it’s premature to say, to call for a vote, you know, in now, because there’s other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization and some of those issues,” Biden said.

The NATO meeting also comes as Sweden is seeking to join the Western alliance, a move that has faced resistance from Turkey and Hungary. Biden said he was optimistic that Sweden would eventually be admitted to NATO, noting the key holdout, Turkey, is seeking to modernize its F-16 fleet, along with Greece, which has voted to admit Sweden.

On cluster munitions: The White House announced Friday that the US was sending Ukraine cluster munitions for the first time, a step taken to help bolster Kyiv’s ammunition stores as it mounts a counteroffensive against Russia. Biden said it was a “difficult decision” to give Ukraine the controversial weapons, but that he was convinced it was necessary.

“This is a war relating to munitions. And they’re running out of that ammunition,” Biden said.

There are more than 100 countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, who have outlawed the munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions. But the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban.

Read more from CNN's exclusive interview with Biden here.

It has been 501 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On the first day of the war in February 2022, Russian troops began a siege on Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city on the shores of the Black Sea. It finally fell under complete Russian control in May after the surrender of Azovstal — a giant steelworks that had become the city’s last bastion of defense and a powerful symbol of resistance. The Russian military claimed that over 2,000 Ukrainian service members surrendered there.

On Saturday, many of the commanders were freed in a prisoner swap. Their next destination? Back to the front lines.

Here's more on that story and some of the other latest developments:

• Crimean bridge: Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar appeared to claim that Ukraine was responsible for the strike on the Kerch bridge last October. The explosion was a big propaganda win for Ukraine, but this would mark Kyiv's first direct admission (though at the time of the explosion, officials appeared to taunt Russian President Vladimir Putin). Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have shot down a cruise missile Sunday near the same bridge. Traffic was temporarily suspended, according to Russian-installed officials, who said no one was hurt.
• Azovstal defenders freed: Ukrainian commanders captured by Russia after defending Mariupol vowed they would return to the battlefield after being released. They were greeted by large crowds in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, after returning from Turkey with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Denys Prokopenko, a commander of the Azov regiment, said returning to the front line was the reason he and others had returned to Ukraine. “We will continue to do our job. We are military men. We took an oath,” Azov deputy commander Svyatoslav Palamar added.
• Zaporizhzhia plant fears: Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakhorova said that NATO leaders should discuss the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at its upcoming summit this week, since the “majority” of its members would find themselves in the “direct hit zone.” Her comments come after Zelensky claimed to have found Russian explosives at the plant. However, the six reactors at the plant have been put into “cold shutdown” mode, meaning any damage to the plant would not create the sort of destruction described by Zakharova.
• Cluster munitions controversy: Russia’s foreign ministry said the US decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine was an “act of desperation” taken due to the “failure” of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. The weapons have been banned by more than 100 nations, because the bomblets they disperse fall over a wide area, posing a risk to non-combatants. Ukraine has been requesting these weapons from the United States since last year, to replenish its depleted stocks of munitions.
• Shelling in eastern Ukraine: Nine people died after Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman, according to the head of the Donetsk region's military administration. In an update posted Sunday, Krylenko claimed that ten people had died in attacks across the Donetsk region: Nine in Lyman, and one in Avdiivka – as well as a further 13 wounded. The eastern city of Kramatorsk was also shelled overnight Saturday, causing damages to houses and a shop, but with no reported casualties.