Defence minister says Ukraine ‘systematically transforming’ its military; Macron says allied security force does need Russia’s blessing. What we know on day 1,118The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has appointed Andriy Gnatov as chief of the general staff of the armed forces, replacing Anatoliy Bargylevych, who has been moved to chief inspector of the defence ministry. “He [Gnatov] is a combat guy,” Zelenskyy said. “His task is to bring more combat experience Everything that our brigades have learned from the war should be implemented 100% at the planning level.” Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov, posted: “We are systematically transforming the armed forces of Ukraine to enhance their combat effectiveness. This involves restructuring the command system and implementing clear standards.”Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv, its mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said early on Monday, adding that Ukrainian air defence units were responding. Reuters said its witnesses heard b...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced Anatoliy Bargylevych with Andriy Gnatov as chief of the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces. Ukraine's defense minister stated they are systematically transforming the armed forces. Macron said allied security forces do not need Russia's blessing to deploy troops in Ukraine. Trump and Putin are expected to discuss a ceasefire. Zelenskyy spoke with Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, about increasing pressure on Moscow via sanctions. Lithuania supports an EU proposal to pledge up to €40bn in military aid for Ukraine this year and in future years. Russia would demand Ukraine's neutrality and exclusion from NATO in any peace deal.
