A new ‘iron curtain’ is descending between Russia and the west, Russia’s foreign minister says – as it happened 
From 30 Jun 2022 17.43 New ‘iron curtain’ already descending between Russia and the west, says Lavrov Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said, a new “iron curtain” was descending between Russia and the west, and that Moscow would not trust Washington and Brussels “from now on”.

Speaking to reporters, Lavrov said: As far as an iron curtain is concerned, essentially it is already descending. The process “has begun”, he said after talks with his counterpart from Belarus, AFP reports. Lavrov accused the EU of not being “at all” interesting in understanding Russia’s interests, adding: It is interested in what has been decided in Brussels. And what has been decided in Washington has been decided in Brussels.



30 Jun 2022 00.32 Satellite images shows smoke rising from Snake Island, off the coast of Ukraine, on Thursday. Ukrainian forces say they pushed Russian forces from the strategic Black Sea island. A satellite image shows smoke rising from Snake Island, off the coast of Ukraine. Photograph: Planet Labs Pbc/Reuters A general view of Snake Island purportedly taken by Ukraine Operational Command South. Photograph: Ukraine Operational Command South/Reuters



30 Jun 2022 23.52 Eva Corlett New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has assured Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy of her continued support in the country’s fight against Russia, just days after turning down an invitation to visit the country. Eva Corlett reports to us from New Zealand. Ardern had been invited to visit Kyiv during her trade mission in Europe but was unable to accept due to timing constraints. Instead, Ardern called Zelenskiy from Brussels on Thursday morning following the Nato Leader’s Summit in Spain: I passed on New Zealand’s solidarity, and our commitment to keep standing with Ukraine as they fight the illegal invasion of their country.” A spokesperson from the prime minister’s office says Ardern had also assured the president of New Zealand’s continued support through sanctions on those connected to the Russian government. In a statement on Twitter, Zelenskiy thanked New Zealand for its support and solidarity, particularly in security: Discussed further strengthening of sanctions on Russia and ways of bringing the aggressor to justice. Invited to join the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.”



30 Jun 2022 23.37 Erdoğan warns Turkey may still block Nordic Nato drive Just two days after agreeing to lift deal-breaking objections to Sweden and Finland’s Nato accession, Turkey’s president has warned that Ankara could still block the process if the two countries fail to fully meet his expectations. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at the close of the alliance’s summit in Madrid that the 10-article agreement with the Nordic pair was a victory for Ankara and addressed all its “sensitivities”. He particularly stressed the satisfying of Turkey’s demand for Sweden and Finland to extradite terror suspects with links to outlawed Kurdish groups or the network of an exiled cleric accused of a failed 2016 coup in Turkey. But Erdoğan added that if the two Nordic countries renege on their promises, Turkey’s parliament could refuse to ratify the deal reached on Tuesday. Nato accession must be formally approved by all 30 member states, which gives each a blocking right. This business will not work if we don’t pass this in our parliament,” Erdoğan said. First, Sweden and Finland must fulfil their duties and those are already in the text … But if they don’t fulfil these, then of course there is no way we would send it to our parliament.”



30 Jun 2022 23.27 US president, Joe Biden, accidentally announced that he had called the leader of Switzerland to discuss abandoning two centuries of neutrality to join Nato — before quickly correcting himself to say he actually meant Sweden. Speaking at a press conference in Madrid following a Nato summit, he let slip: Some of the American press will remember when I got a phone call from the leader of Finland saying could he come and see me, then he came the next day and said, ‘Will you support my joining — my country joining Nato?’ We got the telephone. He suggested we call the leader of Switzerland,” Biden said. Biden quickly clarified: Switzerland, my goodness, I’m getting really anxious here about expanding Nato — of Sweden.”

Updated at 00.05 BST

30 Jun 2022 23.02 Summary It’s 1am in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand: Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the finalization of the agreement to transfer 39 armored combat support vehicles to Ukraine. At the conclusion of the Nato summit in Madrid, Trudeau said that the ACVSs were originally supposed to be for the Canadian army and were in the process of being delivered but will instead be redirected to Ukraine.

At the conclusion of the Nato summit in Madrid, Trudeau said that the ACVSs were originally supposed to be for the Canadian army and were in the process of being delivered but will instead be redirected to Ukraine. A five-year-old Ukrainian refugee died Thursday after being hit by an electric scooter in Nice, French police said. The child and his mother were crossing the Promenade des Anglais, the famous palm-lined street overlooking the Mediterranean, at a pedestrian crossing when the accident happened on Wednesday.

The child and his mother were crossing the Promenade des Anglais, the famous palm-lined street overlooking the Mediterranean, at a pedestrian crossing when the accident happened on Wednesday. Estonian and Latvian defense ministers signed a letter of intent on Thursday at the Nato summit in Madrid for joint procurement of medium-range anti-aircraft systems. “The aggression of Russia in Ukraine clearly shows the need for air defence systems,” Latvian defence minister Artis Pabriks said in a statement.

“The aggression of Russia in Ukraine clearly shows the need for air defence systems,” Latvian defence minister Artis Pabriks said in a statement. The situation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk is “extremely difficult” as Russian forces’ continous shelling makes it impossible for civilian evacuation, the regional governor of Lugansk said on Thursday. “There is a lot of shelling and from multiple directions. The Russian army is approaching from different directions towards Lysychansk,” Serhiy Haidai said, adding that Russian forces remain on city outskirts where there is currently no street fighting.

“There is a lot of shelling and from multiple directions. The Russian army is approaching from different directions towards Lysychansk,” Serhiy Haidai said, adding that Russian forces remain on city outskirts where there is currently no street fighting. The United States on Thursday blocked a US-based company worth more than $1 billion linked to Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, saying the ally of President Vladimir Putin used it to funnel and invest shadowy funds. The Treasury Department said that Kerimov, a billionaire active in Russian politics, secretly managed the Delaware-based Heritage Trust which put its money into a number of large public companies.

The Treasury Department said that Kerimov, a billionaire active in Russian politics, secretly managed the Delaware-based Heritage Trust which put its money into a number of large public companies. French president Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will deliver six CAESAR howitzers and armored vehicles to Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent reports. Macron added that the Nato allies meeting in Madrid “unanimously decided” to boost humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine as it attempts to fight of Russian forces. That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as I hand the blog over to my colleagues in Australia who will bring you the latest updates. I’ll be back tomorrow, thank you.

Updated at 00.20 BST

30 Jun 2022 22.30 Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the finalization of the agreement to transfer 39 armored combat support vehicles to Ukraine. At the conclusion of the Nato summit in Madrid, Trudeau said that the ACVSs were originally supposed to be for the Canadian army and were in the process of being delivered but will instead be redirected to Ukraine. “The light armoured vehicles we will be sending over will be extremely effective,” Trudeau told summit reporters. “We’re just glad to help and we’re going to continue to look and respond to things that they need.” He reassured reporters that the Canadian army will continue to remain stocked, saying, “Stocks for the Canadian military will be replenished as quickly as possible... We need to make sure that the women and men of the Canadian Forces have the equipment they need to continue their mission and step up as necessary.” Trudeau added, “We also recognize that the best use, right now, of things like howitzers and sniper rifles and all of the other equipment we’ve been sending to Ukraine — the best use for Canadian security, for geopolitical stability — is to put them in the hands of Ukrainians.” Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference after the NATO Summit at the IFEMA Convention Center in Madrid, Spain on June 30, 2022. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Updated at 00.20 BST

30 Jun 2022 21.51 A five-year-old Ukrainian refugee died Thursday after being hit by an electric scooter in Nice, French police said. The child and his mother were crossing the Promenade des Anglais, the famous palm-lined street overlooking the Mediterranean, at a pedestrian crossing when the accident happened on Wednesday. The boy “was holding a bag that his mother was also holding, but was walking a bit ahead of her”, police said, adding they were “hidden by street furniture”. A 40-year-old on an electric scooter who was going “at excessive speed” could not avoid the child, they said. “Despite being injured and having fallen, the rider of the electric scooter immediately cared for the child,” they added. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi, on Twitter, expressed his “deep emotion” over the incident and opposition to self-service scooters. “We are studying all possible solutions for avoiding these tragedies,” he said. Immense émotion suite au décès du petit garçon renversé hier soir par une trottinette électrique à #Nice06. J'adresse mes pensées à sa famille et ses proches et leur souhaite beaucoup de courage dans cette terrible épreuve. https://t.co/FaNVWmmZIv — Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) June 30, 2022 The boy’s family had arrived in France at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the head of a French-Ukrainian association in the Riviera, Iryna Podyriako, told the Nice-Matin regional daily.

Updated at 00.21 BST

30 Jun 2022 21.27 Estonian and Latvian defense ministers signed a letter of intent on Thursday at the Nato summit in Madrid for joint procurement of medium-range anti-aircraft systems. “The aggression of Russia in Ukraine clearly shows the need for air defence systems,” Latvian defence minister Artis Pabriks said in a statement. He added that the move would support regional cooperation and common defense among Baltic countries as the region reacts to to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The Nato summit has sent a clear message that help will be given to those who are ready also to defend themselves,” added Pabriks’ Estonian counterpart Kalle Laanet.

Both Estonia and Latvia are EU and Nato members. A specific proposal on the procurement of the systems is expected to be unveiled at the end of July, but no details have yet been made public about the cost or delivery dates.

Updated at 00.22 BST