Chinese military personnel will begin joint “anti-terrorism training” with their counterparts in Belarus, near the Polish border, on Monday. The Chinese Defense Ministry said the “Eagle Strike” exercise between Russia’s two allies in the Ukraine war will be held in the Belarusian border city of Brest for 11 days and will involve tasks such as hostage rescue and counter-terrorism operations. A few days ago, Belarus officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by China and Russia, deepening coordination between the two sides on military, economic and political affairs. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has been a key ally of Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, held tactical nuclear drills with Russia last year and agreed to store tactical nuclear warheads for Moscow on its territory.
The Netherlands will “immediately” begin sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after obtaining the export license. Foreign Minister Kaspar Wildkamp said during a weekend visit to Kiev. “Now that we have received the license for the first F-16s, they will be delivered immediately,” Veldkamp told a news conference in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday. Details of the trip were being kept secret until Sunday for security reasons. Wildkamp is part of the new governing coalition, in which Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) is the largest party. Ukraine hopes advanced U.S.-made warplanes will help it gain air superiority over Russia and better protect its troops and cities from daily bombings by Moscow’s forces. Kiev has been seeking F-16 fighter jets since shortly after the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Britain’s new defense secretary pledged on Sunday to send more artillery, ammunition and missiles to Ukraine, stressed continued support for Kyiv during a visit to the southern city of Odessa. John Healey, who was appointed defense secretary on Friday, is visiting the port city, a frequent target of Russian missile and drone strikes, on his first international trip. “There may have been a change of government, but the UK is united in supporting Ukraine,” Healey said, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. The Ministry of Defense said Healy promised a new package of aid, including artillery, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, demining vehicles, small warships, missiles and other equipment.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday during a NATO summit in Washington, according to Johnson’s schedule. Support for Ukraine is expected to be a focus of this week’s summit in Washington amid concerns over how the United States will support Kyiv if Donald Trump wins the November presidential election. Johnson in April spearheaded a $95 billion bipartisan aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but faced opposition from Trump’s allies in Congress.
Campaigners are urging Britain’s new Labor government to prevent Ukraine from being sued in British courts for defaulting on debts owed to private creditors. Debt Justice said Ukraine’s two-year moratorium on debt payments was set to expire on August 1 and action was needed to protect Kyiv from legal action. Ukraine is in talks with bondholders and is seeking a 60% write-down on the $24bn (£18.7bn) of debt it owes private creditors. Bondholders, including big investment groups such as BlackRock, PIMCO, Fidelity and AllianceBernstein, said they were willing to take a 20% loss.
