Russia Zelenskyi wants to push ahead with his own missile program

Ukraine wants to respond to Russian missile fire with its own missile construction program.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to develop and build his own long-range missiles. "Our missile program has good momentum and even if the task is difficult, but gradually we are approaching the possibility of using our missiles and not just relying on the missiles supplied by our partners," Zelenskyi said in his daily video address. He called for the greatest possible independence in weapons and especially missile production.

Ukraine's missile program is not starting from scratch. The republic was already the main site for Soviet missile production during the Soviet era. New types of missiles were introduced after the start of fighting in eastern Ukraine between government troops and pro-Russian separatists in 2014. After the Russian invasion in 2022, Kiev reportedly sank the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet "Moskva" with missiles of its own production. These are said to already have a range of almost 300 kilometers.

Zelenskyi now wants to significantly increase this range so that Kiev can use missiles as well as drones to fire at military objects deep in the Russian hinterland. So far, however, Moscow still has a clear advantage in this respect. Ukraine is not allowed to use Western weapons to fire on objects further away in Russia, partly because Europeans and Americans fear that the conflict could escalate further beyond Ukraine.

Kiev contacts potential new US security advisor

At the same time, Ukraine is keeping the USA warm as its most important partner. Shortly after President Joe Biden withdrew from the US election campaign, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Yermak, contacted the potential new security advisor Philip Gordon. Gordon is already advising the US Vice President, Democrat Kamala Harris, on security issues. He is seen as a possible new security advisor if Harris is nominated as a candidate and wins the US election.

Jermak wrote on Telegram that he had told Gordon about the situation on the front and the increased Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and communities, including on the energy infrastructure. Further US support for Ukraine was also mentioned. Jermak is usually in close contact with the current security advisor, Jacob Sullivan. However, the Ukrainian had already held talks with Gordon during a visit to Washington at the beginning of July. Prior to this, Zelensky had already spoken to the Republican Party's presidential candidate, Donald Trump, on the phone in case he won the election.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba arrives in China

In China, on the other hand, the aim is to generate diplomatic support. During several days of talks in Beijing, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wants to achieve a rapprochement of positions with China for a future peace conference. "One question will be at the center of attention: Peace in Ukraine," the chief diplomat emphasized in a video on Facebook. The talks are about finding points of contact. Above all, competition between different peace plans should be avoided. "We must achieve a just and lasting peace, and China could play an important role in this," the minister emphasized.

Kiev would like Beijing to play a stronger diplomatic role in ending the war. China has presented a peace plan. It does not require a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and thus differs significantly from a variant presented by Ukrainian President Zelenskyi.

Moscow: law enables further bans on foreign organizations

Russia, on the other hand, is focusing on sealing off and deterring the West. The Russian parliament, the State Duma, has laid the foundations for a ban on all foreign organizations in the country. The law, which was passed in its final third reading on Tuesday, provides for organizations founded directly by foreign states to be classified as "undesirable" and thus banned. The parliamentarians argued that this closes a loophole in the law against Western influence in Russia. Previously, only non-governmental organizations could be banned.