Liveblog: +++ Another air raid on Kiev +++

According to Ukrainian sources, Kiev was again the target of a Russian air raid during the night. Great Britain has announced another aid package for Ukraine. All developments in the live blog.

At the summit in Vilnius today, a NATO-Ukraine Council meets for the first time as a sign of rapprochement with Ukraine. The heads of state and government of the NATO member countries and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj are expected at the founding meeting in the afternoon.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in June that the new Council should enable negotiations on transatlantic security “at eye level”. Up until the attack on Ukraine, NATO also had a similar format for talks with Russia.

Selenskyj apparently wants to use the meeting to promote further strengthening of his country’s defense capabilities. “Our defense has top priority,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Tuesday evening. He had previously arrived in Vilnius. “I am grateful to our partners for their willingness to take new steps. More weapons for our soldiers means more protection for everyone’s life in Ukraine,” he said.

According to Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, the latest NATO aid to Ukraine increases the risk of a third world war and has no impact on Russia’s goals. “The completely insane West couldn’t think of anything else (…) In fact, it’s a dead end. World War III is approaching,” wrote the Vice Chairman of the National Security Council on Telegram. “What does all this mean for us? It’s all obvious. The special military operation will continue with the same goals.”

According to Ukrainian sources, the capital Kiev was again the target of a Russian air raid during the night. “The enemy has launched another airstrike on the capital,” Kiev military administrator Serhiy Popko wrote on Telegram.

For more than two hours, there was an air alert in Kiev and the entire Ukraine. Witnesses report explosions resembling the sound of anti-aircraft systems hitting targets. According to preliminary information from the Ukrainian military, there were no immediate reports of casualties or critical damage. All drones were intercepted before they hit their targets.

The night before, Russia fired 28 drones at Kiev and the southern port city of Odessa.

The renewed NATO accession pledge to Ukraine without a timetable has met with mixed reactions. “The decision in Vilnius is undoubtedly an important intermediate step towards Ukraine’s NATO membership,” former Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin Andriy Melnyk told the Tagesspiegel. At the same time, “the disappointment in Kiev is palpable that our allies were not prepared to make a bold decision about our accession as soon as possible,” added Melnyk.

Christoph Heusgen, the former security adviser to former Chancellor Angela Merkel, told the “Tagesspiegel” that the disappointment of the Ukrainians was understandable. “They wanted an invitation from NATO that would have led directly to membership at the end of the war,” Heusgen said. “Allianz was not prepared to take this step.”

The SPD foreign policy expert Michael Roth also told the newspaper that Kiev’s NATO membership was the “best option for Ukraine and for the entire alliance in order to secure lasting peace throughout Europe”. Although the outcome of the summit fell short of his expectations, “Ukraine has taken a big step towards NATO,” he said.

Great Britain has announced another aid package for Ukraine. Around 58.7 million euros will be made available for the repair of equipment and the establishment of a military rehabilitation center in Ukraine, the British government said.

Training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets is scheduled to start in Romania in August. According to President Macron, France will deliver long-range missiles to Ukraine. Tuesday’s developments to read.