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Lithuania has signed a memorandum with American defense firm Northrop Grumman and Norwegian Nammo to secure the production of ammunition amid Russia's war against Ukraine, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced.
Ukraine has reduced its mined territory by over 20% since late 2022, but around 137,000 square kilometers (52,900 square miles) — much of it farmland — remain hazardous, according to the State Emergency Service.
Speaking on June 24, Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that Russia would never have been able to carry out such drone attacks without support from Iran, and Ukraine, in turn, could not have intercepted most of the drones without the help of its international partners.
The U.S. intelligence assessment, based on a battle damage report from Central Command, contradicts public statements by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who claimed the operation had "obliterated" Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Although Article 5 is central to NATO’s security framework, U.S. President Donald Trump has previously expressed skepticism about honoring it, often criticizing member states for not contributing enough to shared defense efforts.
Russia launched a deadly missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on June 24, striking civilian infrastructure and a passenger train, local officials reported.
The move marks a milestone in international efforts to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials accountable for launching the full-scale war against Ukraine.
Upon arrival in The Hague on June 24, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said he held a "substantive" discussion with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the upcoming Zelensky-Trump meeting.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to scale up investments in joint weapons production, including drone technologies, artillery, and interceptors. He argued that Ukraine's defense capabilities are not only key to defending its own territory, but essential to strengthening NATO's long-term security.
The attack comes less than an hour after Trump told reporters that "Israel needs to calm down" as he criticized both countries for undermining the ceasefire he says he brokered.
U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities demonstrated how precision military action can achieve rapid peace, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said.
"A short while ago, sirens sounded in northern Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Welcoming Zelensky at the Catshuis official residence, Schoof presented a new military aid package for Ukraine, including 100 drone radar systems, front-line vehicles for evacuating the wounded, and 80 million euros (over $90 million) for the drone initiative. The Netherlands will also start producing drones for Ukraine, according to Ukrainian specifications.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO's role is to ensure Ukraine has the military means to stay in the fight until "serious" peace negotiations begin.