Ukraine updates: Russia steps up attacks on frontline town

French defense contractor Thales said it has signed three agreements with Ukraine, including one to create a joint venture in the country that will boost the supply of military equipment.

"Domains of cooperation include Electronic Warfare, Tactical Communications, Air Defense Systems and radars, as well as Unmanned Aircraft Systems," the statement said.

The deals were signed under the auspices of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Ministry of Strategic Industries, Thales said.

France is one of Ukraine's main allies supporting Kyiv with military and humanitarian aid. 

In late May, Paris announced plans to send trainers to the country, despite concerns from some allies. And in June, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to send Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine. 

The European Commission will impose tariffs on Ukrainian egg imports within the next two weeks after a previously agreed annual threshold for those imports is reached, a spokesman said.

The Commission made the same decision on Tuesday regarding oat imports from Ukraine.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has benefited from a special mechanism set up to boost trade flows with the EU, its main export market. 

However, the EU set import caps after farmers across the bloc protested against cheap Ukrainian imports as unfair competition.

Ukraine's presidency said it would soon sign a security agreement with the European Union, the latest in a series of deals it hopes will secure military aid for years to come as it battles Russia.

"The Ukrainian and EU negotiating teams have finalized the text of the security agreement and agreed to sign it in the near future," the Ukrainian presidency said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week hailed an "unprecedented" 10-year security agreement with the United States as a "bridge" to NATO membership for his war-torn country.

In all, Ukraine has signed security agreements with more than 15 countries, including Germany.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it had detained a man recruited by Russian agents on an online dating site. He was trying to provide Moscow with sensitive details about Ukrainian troops, according to the service.

A pro-Kremlin resident of the northeastern city of Kharkiv had been recruited in a "dating chat" on the Telegram messenger service, the service added.

"SBU officers detained the informant red-handed when he was taking pictures of special vehicles of Ukrainian soldiers," the security service said, adding that the suspect faces eight years in prison.

It claimed that Russia had planned to use the data to launch targeted strikes and attack Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella said he supports Ukraine's right to defend itself against Russia. He said, however, that if he were elected prime minister, he would not provide Kyiv with missiles that would allow it to strike Russia's territory.

"I wish for Ukraine to have at disposal the ammunition and equipment it needs to hold the front, but my red line will not change, which is sending equipment that could have consequences of escalation in eastern Europe," Bardella told reporters at the
Eurosatory arms fair near Paris.

That's why Bardella said he had no plans to send long-range missiles or other weapons that would allow Ukraine to attack Russian territory. 

Bardella also said he would honor France's commitments to its partners, including NATO allies, to increase defense spending.

Bardella's National Rally (RN) party is leading opinion polls ahead of snap parliamentary elections on June 30 and July 7, raising questions about the foreign policy implications if it wins enough seats to form a government.

Even if the RN were to lead France's government, Emmanuel Macron would remain president and head of the French army. But the constitution also gives the prime minister a role in defense.

Russian drone strikes have damaged energy infrastructure in central Ukraine and injured at least two people in the western region of Lviv, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine's air force said it destroyed 19 of 21 drones launched by Russia over six Ukrainian regions.

The Energy Ministry said via the Telegram messaging app that emergency services had been dispatched to the sites of the attacks and that repairs were underway to damaged electrical equipment in the western Lviv region.

Russian forces launched five drones to attack the Lviv region, which borders NATO member Poland, injuring two men, according to Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi.

Kozytskyi said on Telegram that Ukrainian air defense systems destroyed all five drones. The damage and injuries were caused by falling debris.

The drone attack in the village of Malekhiv in the Lviv city district damaged a multi-story residential building, in addition to dozens of windows in other residential buildings, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Telegram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense treaty with North Korea's Kim Jong Un during a summit in Pyongyang, where Putin made his first visit in 24 years.

"It is really a breakthrough document," Putin said at a press conference in the North Korean capital, adding that it provided, "among other things, for mutual assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties to this treaty," Russian news agencies reported.

Kim called Putin the "dearest friend of the Korean people" and said his country "expresses full support and solidarity to the Russian government" over the war in Ukraine.

The two countries have been allies since North Korea's founding after World War II, and have grown even closer since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of providing ammunition and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Russian forces have escalated their attacks near Toretsk, a frontline town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.

The military said in a briefing late Tuesday that Russia had "intensified" its assaults near Toretsk and "launched five assault operations at once," targeting surrounding towns and villages.

The Ukrainian military said the increase in Russian attacks had begun "after a prolonged lull."

Russian troops have swung the battlefield initiative in their favor in recent months, advancing north and south of Toretsk, but the front line near the mining town has remained relatively stable.

dh/rc (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)