Ukraine Governor Volodymyr Zelenskiy with US governors, including Utah Governor Spencer Cox to his left, Salt Lake City, July 12, 2024

Friday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy to NATO — “Lift Ban on Striking Targets Inside Russia”

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 0646 GMT:

Russia has imposed a 14-year prison sentence on an official of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Vadym Golda, along with colleagues Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov, was seized in eastern Ukraine in April 2022, weeks after the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

In September 2022, Petrov and Shabanov were also condemned to 13 years in prison.

OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid and its chair Ian Borg condemend the punishments and called for the immediate release of the three OSCE officials.

Borg said in a statement:

The unjust and inhumane treatment faced by our detained colleagues is unacceptable and undermines the spirit of co-operation within our Organization. It represents a grave violation of participating States’ commitments under international law and the Helsinki Final Act….

This injustice must come to an end.

,p>Schmid added, “Individuals working under an international mandate, such as OSCE officials, should never face arrest, harassment or detention for fulfilling their responsibilities.

UPDATE 0621 GMT:

NATO officials say Ukraine expects to receive the first six F-16 fighter jets this summer and up to 20 by the end of 2024.

At this week’s NATO Summit in Washington, the Netherlands and Denmark announced that the initial F-16s are “on their way”.

Ukrainian pilots are being trained in Denmark, Romania, and the US. However, NATO personnel are concerned about logistical difficulties in maintenance of the jets and the lack of suitable runways.

At the summit, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy challenged the slow pace of delivery, saying Kyiv needs up to 128 fighter jets to counter Russia’s airpower and assaults.

Another NATO official asserted that Ukraine is trying to achieve “in a matter of months” what usually takes “three to four years.”

“The result is that Ukraine may be able to field a squadron of F-16s, anything from 15 to 24 jets, well short of the 300 its leaders have called for,” another source told Bloomberg.

UPDATE 0610 GMT:

Six civilians were killed and at least 19 wounded by Russian attacks on the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on Friday.

Four people were slain and nine injured, including a child, by shelling on the Pokrovsk area. In the city of Kostyantynivka, two bodies were retrieved from rubble, and at least two other civilians are trapped. At least three people were wounded.

The Russian also attacks the city of Lyman, injuring seven people. Private homes and at least one private vehicle were destroyed.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has visited Utah to rally support for Kyiv’s resistance of Russia’s 28 1/2-month invasion.

Zelenskiy travelled from the three-day NATO summit in Washington to the western US on Friday, meeting with political, business, and religious leaders.

He told a conference of US Governors:

What else would our world rely on if evil did not lose and if good people did not unite in battles against what threatens any life and any values? I have said many times that we don’t ask the US and other partners to fight for us.

We don’t ask for their boots on the ground. The only thing we ask for is sufficient support – air defense systems for our cities, weapons for our men and women on the front line, support in protecting normal life and rebuilding.

This is all we need to withstand and drive Russia from our land to send strong signal to other potential aggressors. And we truly receive such support. I am grateful for this. We receive it from dozens of countries – and America’s leadership is indeed felt.

Zelenskiy referred to Russia’s latest mass killings, including Monday’s missile strikes on children’s and maternity hospitals in Kyiv. “Russia has destroyed countless civilian structures: 160,000 homes, 3,000 schools and universities, 750 medical facilities, and nearly 200 churches,” he summarized.

Zelenskiy and his wife Olena also had discussions with the Governor and First Lady of Utah, Spencer and Abby Cox, and with leaders of the Mormon Church, whose global headquarters are in Salt Lake City.

The President concluded in his speech to the US governors:

To ensure the victory of good, the voice of each governor and community leader is crucial. I invite everyone to visit Ukraine, see our struggle. I am proud of Ukrainians and what they are achieving. Together we can achieve much more for all of us – for our countries and communities. I invite you to build people-to-people connections that will last forever.