In annexed region – Zelenskyy: “Lyman is completely liberated”

The Ukrainian army had surrounded Lyman on Saturday and surrounded several thousand Russian soldiers – later the Russian Defense Ministry announced its withdrawal from the city. Lyman’s recapture marks Ukraine’s first major military victory in the Russian-annexed territories on Friday. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin completed the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, which the West labeled illegal under international law.

Several members express their support for joining NATO
With the annexation, the Russian leadership made it clear that it would regard future attacks on these regions as attacks on Russian territory. In this case, the number two of the Russian Security Council, ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, had threatened to use “strategic nuclear weapons”. Chechen leader and Putin confidant Ramzan Kadyrov has already called for a nuclear strike after the retreat from Lyman.

Meanwhile, the presidents of nine NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe expressed support for Ukraine’s desire to join NATO. In a joint statement, the heads of state of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Slovakia promised that they would “never recognize” Russian attempts to annex Ukrainian territory and called on NATO allies to “significantly increase its military aid to Ukraine”.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke positively about Ukraine’s recent successes. Combat operations are currently developing positively for the Ukrainian army, he said on CNN news on Sunday. The further course is difficult to predict, he limited himself. “But I would say that no matter which way this goes, we will provide security support to the Ukrainians for as long as it takes,” he said.

Russian ambassadors quoted at EU foreign ministries
Zelenskyy called French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. In doing so, he reaffirmed France’s determination to help Ukraine restore its full sovereignty and territorial integrity and to work with its European partners on new sanctions, the Elysée Palace said. Macron wants to discuss further steps with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a visit to Berlin on Monday. There are signs that sanctions against Russia will be tightened. In a joint action, the EU countries are calling on Russian ambassadors to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russian head of the mission in Vienna, Dmitrij Ljubinskij, will also have to protest at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday morning.