Kyiv claims to have recaptured 169 sq km since counteroffensive began
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Ukraine claims to have recaptured 169 sq km on the southern front and 24 sq km around Bakhmut since the counteroffensive began last month.
President Zelensky admitted last month Ukraine’s counteroffensive had been going “slower than desired” while hitting out at those who expected it to move with cinematic speed and drama.
On Tuesday, Oleksiy Danilov, head of the National Security and Defence Council, said “the last few days have been particularly fruitful”.
Speaking to ABC news ahead of a Nato Summit in Lithuania, Mr Zelensky said: “All of us, we want to do it faster because every day means new losses of Ukrainians. We are advancing. We are not stuck.”
“We would all love to see the counteroffensive accomplished in a shorter period of time. But there is reality. Today, the initiative is on our side.”
Moscow says fighting has been heavy since the counteroffensive began but still holds swathes of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.
03:03 PM BST
Today's liveblog is now closed
That’s all for today, thanks for following along.
We will be back tomorrow with all of the latest updates from Ukraine and the fortified NATO summit as they try to find a pathway for Kyiv’s membership.
02:56 PM BST
Nato Chief "absolutely certain" there will be unity over Ukraine membership
Jens Stoltenberg, the head of Nato, has said on the eve of the summit that he is “absolutely certain” that by the end of the week there will be “unity and a strong message” from the military alliance on the future of Ukraine’s membership.
Divided Nato countries have been posturing on the correct pathway to allow Ukraine to join the military alliance.
At a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Mr Stoltenberg said that membership is extremely important to Kyiv. He warned against the concept of Ukraine getting membership becoming a “horizon”, adding that “the more you walk towards it, the farther it is.”
02:49 PM BST
Australia sends surveillance aircraft to assist Ukraine
The Australian government has announced it will send Royal Australian Air Force surveillance aircraft to Germany to help monitor and protect the flow of military and humanitarian aid into the country.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said that they will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Germany for six months, alongside up to 100 Australian crew and support personnel.
“This contribution is very significant, both for what it will do but also for what it symbolizes, which is Australia’s commitment to doing what we can to provide the appropriate resources,” the prime minister said in a press conference with the German chancellor.
Mr Albanese’s office confirmed that the aircraft will not enter Ukrainian, Russian or Belarusian airspace.
02:22 PM BST
Canada doubles its Nato-troop presence in Latvia
Canada on Monday pledged to “more than double” its Nato deployment in Latvia with up to 1,200 more troops being sent to the country to resist Russian aggression.
“We are going to more than double our presence... to serve and defend democracy and the rule of law,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart Krisjanis Karins at the Adazi military base in Latvia.
“Our presence in Latvia will be strengthened and it will become a brigade,” added Trudeau on the eve of the Nato summit.
Canada commands the Nato battlegroup in Latvia, which is made up of 1,700 troops from 10 Nato countries. Baltic nations have been calling on the military alliance to beef up their presence to be battle-ready against Russia. Nato also has battlegroups in Estonia and Lithuania.
02:13 PM BST
A round-up of the best Ukraine photos of the day
01:36 PM BST
UK wants pathway to Ukrainian Nato membership after war; discourages Biden's cluster bomb decision
Following his meeting with Joe Biden, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that he wants to work with allies to find a pathway for Ukraine to join Nato.
“I think on Nato our longstanding position hasn’t changed. Ukraine’s defence minister himself has said they can’t become a member of Nato during the war. And we want to work with Nato and our allies to ensure their path,” the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said.
According to Dominic Penna on our politics live blog, Mr Sunak “discouraged” the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine during the meeting. “When it comes to those munitions I think obviously the first thing to say is this was a difficult choice for the US that’s been forced on them by Russia’s war of aggression,” the spokesperson said.
Dominic has more, including a denial that there has been a rift between the UK and US over Ukraine joining Nato, on the politics live blog.
12:58 PM BST
"No optimism" from Russia over Black Sea deal renewal
Russia’s RIA news agency has reported, citing an unnamed person close to the negotiations, that “there is no optimism” for an extension of the deal that is set to expire next week.
The expected negotiations with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are the “only hope”, the unnamed source said. Moscow has repeatedly said that it is unlikely to be extended. Erdogan said over the weekend that he was pushing Moscow to extend the grain deal by three months and said that he was expecting a visit from Putin in August. The Kremlin responded that there was no certainty of a meeting and there is no call scheduled between the leaders.
The International Rescue Committee on Monday cautioned of the “catastrophic ripple effects for the world’s most food insecure should a deal not be reached”.
12:28 PM BST
Germany to provide "substantial" arms to Kyiv but no Nato invitation, report says
Germany plans to pledge a “very substantial” pledge of military equipment to Ukraine at this week’s Nato summit, a senior government source has told AFP news agency.
The German official reportedly said that they would not offer a membership “invitation” to Kyiv, because they preferred to offer “specific aid” rather than “symbols”. Germany is Ukraine’s second largest arms supplier after the US, who are also against offering the country Nato membership in the middle of a war.
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz later said that the US’ idea of an Israeli style security guarantee is one of several options that are on the table, but that the talks are far from over. US President Joe Biden had told CNN that it was ready to provide guarantees along the lines that it does for Israel: “the weaponry they need, the capacity to defend themselves”.
12:08 PM BST
Kremlin warns against Kyiv Nato membership
The Kremlin has said that allowing Ukraine into the Nato military alliance would have very negative consequences for Europe’s security architecture, Reuters reported. Russia would consider the step a threat that would demand a harsh response.
The Nato summit, from which Kyiv wants a formal invitation of admission, has been fortified with advanced weapons. Tomorrow’s summit will take place just 20 miles away from Lithuania’s border with Russian-ally Belarus. Sixteen Nato allies are sending troops and many are providing air defence systems.
11:48 AM BST
Ukraine 'advancing on Bakhmut'
Ukrainian forces are advancing on the south of Bakhmut, Kyiv’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, has said.
Ukraine’s counter-offensive has focused on recapturing villages in the southwest of the country as well as the areas surrounding Bakhmut, a city to the east that was captured by Russian forces in May.
Their forces have registered a “definite advance” on the southern flank of Bakhmut, but there has been no change in position to the northern part of the city, the statement released on Telegram read.
While the statement did not go into details on where the advance would happen, there has been a lot of attention in recent days on the village of Klishchiivka, which lies to the south of Bakhmut.
The British defence ministry over the weekend assessed that Russian forces are struggling to hold Bakhmut. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said in a Telegram post that Russian troops are getting “trapped” in some areas near Bakhmut, while the Ukrainians are “making progress” in the gradual counter-offensive.
11:25 AM BST
Nato clears the way for Ukrainian membership, Kyiv claims
On the eve of the Nato summit Ukraine’s foreign minister has claimed that the alliance has decided to drop a requirement for them to meet certain targets before joining.
The Membership Action Plan (MAP) which had set out key targets that Kyiv had to reach before joining, has been dropped, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Monday.
“Following intensive talks, Nato allies have reached consensus on removing MAP from Ukraine’s path to membership. I welcome this long-awaited decision that shortens our path to Nato,” the tweet read.
Nato did not immediately comment.
The announcement came as Joe Biden – who last night said that Nato should wait until the Russia-Ukraine war is over before voting to admit Kyiv to the military alliance – was meeting Rishi Sunak.
10:54 AM BST
Joe Biden arrives at Downing Street with Ukraine high on the agenda
US President Joe Biden has arrived at Downing Street to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Dominic Pella on the Telegraph’s political team has you covered over on the politics liveblog. We’ll keep you up to date here with anything Ukraine related that arises from the meeting.
10:46 AM BST
Photos released of the alleged Russian air strikes on Orikhiv
10:22 AM BST
Ukraine recaptured 14 square kilometres of land
Ukraine has recaptured 14 square kilometres (five square miles) of land from Russia in the past week, a military spokesperson has said, as the slow and gradual counter-offensive continues.
“Over 10 square kilometres of Ukrainian land had been recaptured in the south of Ukraine last week. In the Bakhmut sector last week, the Ukrainian military liberated four square kilometres of territory from the Russian invaders,” Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Kovalyov told state media.
In total, Ukraine has now said they have taken 193 square kilometres of land since the counter-offensive began last month.
10:16 AM BST
Biden set to meet the PM and King Charles amid Ukraine disagreements
US President Joe Biden is in the UK today to meet with both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles. The war in Ukraine is expected to be high up on the agenda with Mr Sunak, as well as at the Nato summit that both will be attending later this week.
Mr Biden last night told CNN that he thinks it is “premature” for Nato to discuss inviting Kyiv to join the alliance while in the middle of a war. “We’re determined to commit every inch of territory that is Nato territory. It’s a commitment that we’ve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we’re all in a war. We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.”
For some, it was seen as snubbing Rishi Sunak. Charles Hymas has more here.
The visit also comes after Mr Biden agreed to send controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. Mr Sunak has not directly criticised the decision yet – as other Nato allies have done – but has publicly reminded that the UK is one of the 123 countries signed up to the international treaty that bans the production and use of the indiscriminate weapons.
Mr Biden is expected to arrive at Downing Street in around 15 minutes.
09:39 AM BST
Russia has lost 50,000 troops, analysis suggests
Trying to uncover one of Moscow’s closest-kept secrets is a dangerous task, but two independent Russian media outlets have been working with a German data scientist to perform statistical analysis in a bid to find out the human cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Almost 50,000 Russian men have been killed, the first independent analysis suggests.
Russia has publicly acknowledged just over 6,000 troop deaths in the war, but neither side will give accurate data.
Working with BBC’s Russia service, media outlet Mediazona combed social media for photos of cemeteries across the country. They found 27,423 confirmed dead soldiers as of July 7. Then, alongside media outlet Meduza they obtained records of inheritance cases that had been filed with Russian authorities. Their analysis suggested that 25,000 more cases were opened in 2022 for military aged males than would have been expected in comparison to previous years.
The overall statistical analysis relied on the concept of “excess mortality”: how many more men under the age of 50 died between February 2022 and May 2023 than would normally be expected.
Earlier this year the British defence ministry estimated that between 40,000 too 60,000 Russians had likely been killed. The US put their estimate for the first year of the war at 35,000 to 43,000.
While the numbers largely line up, counting the dead in war can be an almost impossible task and excess mortality rates could be skewed by the pandemic.
09:07 AM BST
Russia strikes school in "war crime", Ukraine says
Russia has bombed a school in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, the local governor has said, killing four adults as they queued to pick up humanitarian aid.
Governor Yuriy Malashko said that Sunday’s attack in the town of Orikhiv killed three men and a woman, who were all in their 40s. He also said that 11 other people were injured in the guided aerial bomb attack, but did not provide any evidence for the allegation.
The attack has not yet been verified, with photos circulating social media showing markedly different buildings.
Malashko branded the attack a “war crime”.
08:57 AM BST
Poland detained member of Russian spy ring
Poland has detained another member of a Russian spy network, the country’s interior ministry said this morning, bringing the total number up to 15.
“The Internal Security Agency has detained another member of the spy network working for Russian intelligence,” Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski posted on Twitter.
“The suspect kept surveillance of military facilities and seaports. He was systematically paid by the Russians.”
Arrests have continued for months since Poland said it had become a target for Russian spies.
08:45 AM BST
Russia's Chief of General Staff seen for first time since Wagner's failed mutiny
In a military command room being briefed on Ukrainian missile attacks, Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s top general, has been seen for the first time since the Wagner mercenary group failed in its attempted munity on June 24.
The footage, released by the Russian defence ministry, showed Gerasimov giving orders to destroy Ukrainian missile sites.
It is the first confirmation that the country’s most senior general has remained in his position after the failed mutiny by Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The meeting appeared to be a response to Russian defence ministry claims this morning that they thwarted Ukranian missile attacks on Crimea and the Rostov and Kaluga regions on Sunday.
The footage confirmed that Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had remained in their positions. General Sergei Surovikin of the aerospaces forces was not present though, with Gerasimov referring to his deputy instead of him. Surovikin, who was the deputy commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine – underneath Gerasimov – had been repeatedly praised by the Wagner leader.
For the first time since the beginning of the #Prigozhin rebellion, the head of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, #Gerasimov, appeared in public.
In the Western press and among the Russian "military correspondents" it is alleged that he was removed after the… pic.twitter.com/pLYvVl9G5I— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 10, 2023
08:23 AM BST
Good morning
Welcome to today’s Ukraine live blog. Abbie Cheeseman here, guiding you through all of the latest updates from the Russia-Ukraine war.
US President Joe Biden is in London meeting with Rishi Sunak ahead of the Nato summit in Vilnius, where Ukraine is expected to feature high on the agenda. Biden yesterday told CNN that it is “premature” to call for a vote over whether to allow Ukraine to join Nato, saying that the war should end before the alliance allows Kyiv to consider joining.
Ukraine is “advancing” on the southern flanks of Bakhmut, according to the deputy defence minister, as both sides remain gripped in heavy fighting.
