Vladimir Putin drives the Russian limousine that he gave to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang, June 19, 2024

Saturday’s Coverage: Zelensky — I’m Ready for Deal with Trump on Rare Earth Minerals

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 0741 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has hosted the head of NATO’s Military Committee, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, in Kyiv.

Zelensky posted:

UPDATE 0732 GMT:

The UK is allocating £25 million ($31 million) to launch a social recovery initiative in Ukraine.

The SPIRIT program, announced during Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s visit to Kyiv, is a collaboration between the UK, Ukraine, UNICEF, and the World Bank. It will “help Ukraine to meet the varied needs of the population, and accelerate Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic pathway”.

The initiative has three priorities: expanding access to quality social services, with at least 10,000 families in ten regions benefiting; establishing an Office of Social Recovery under Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy to coordinate reforms and international partnerships; and launching projects in health, economy, and social services to support vulnerable groups.

Lammy said after meeting Zelensky and senior Ukrainian officials:

I am not sure we are weeks away from peace talks. And I say that because our assessment, which I’m quite sure the US shares, is that [Vladimir] Putin shows absolutely no appetite for negotiation and to bring this war to an end.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has pledged ongoing support of Russia’s 35 1/2-month invasion of Ukraine.

Kim declared that the army and people of North Korea “will invariably support and encourage the just cause of the Russian army and people to defend their sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity”.

He emphasized Pyongyang’s “unshakable policy of more highly developing the nuclear forces”.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that North Korean troops have returned to the frontline in Russia’s Kursk region, after withdrawing because of heavy casualties.

Ukrainian and South Korean officials says the North Koreans have lost up to 4,000 of around 12,000 troops deployed alongside Russian units since last autumn.

In his nightly video address to the nation on Saturday, Zelensky spoke of the expansion of Russia’s military cooperation with North Korea.

This means one simple thing. [Vladimir] Putin is preparing not for negotiations, not for peace, but for the continuation of the war — and not only against Ukraine.