American vets likely captured in Ukraine, families fear
The families of two Alabama men are holding out hope that Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Alex Drueke are safe after going missing in Ukraine.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
Russia’s war in Ukraine could go on for years and the effort requires Western support, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview published Sunday by the German publication Bild.
“We must prepare for the fact that it could take years,” he said.
International leaders have repeatedly shown their support for Ukraine in recent days, including recommending the country join the European Union. The Group of Seven pledged to support Ukraine “for as long as necessary,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with Germany’s dpa news agency.
He said he wants to discuss the issue with fellow G-7 leaders in a scheduled meeting this week, saying they intend to disrupt Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans.
“Putin obviously hopes that everything will fall into place once he has conquered enough land and the international community will return to business as usual,” Scholz said. “That is an illusion.”
Also, in a second surprise visit since the war began, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Kyiv on Friday to offer continued aid and military training.
JUNE 18 RECAP: 900 Ukrainian kids dead or injured since start of war; Zelenskyy visits troops
Latest developments:
►Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops and health care workers on the front lines in south Ukraine on Saturday during a trip to the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.
►A celebrated Ukrainian medic whose footage was smuggled out of the besieged city of Mariupol by an Associated Press team was freed by Russian forces on Friday, three months after she was taken captive on the streets of the city.
CAPTURED: Two US military veterans felt compelled to fight Russia. They’ve been captured in Ukraine.
Germany’s economy minister said Sunday that the country will limit the use of natural gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a cut in supplies from Russia. Robert Habeck said Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel.
“That’s bitter, but it’s simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage,” said Habeck, a member of the environmentalist Green party.
Russian gas company Gazprom announced last week that it was sharply reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for technical reasons. Habeck said the decision appeared to be politically motivated.
Germany, which has long relied heavily on energy imports from Russia, began significantly scaling them back because of the war in Ukraine.
– Associated Press
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Bild that Western backing of Ukraine’s fight against Russia must remain strong.
“We must not let up in supporting Ukraine,” he said. “Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, but also because of rising energy and food prices. But that is no comparison to the price that the Ukrainians have to pay every day with many lives.”
Stoltenberg emphasized that while NATO is supporting Ukraine with weapons and stronger defenses on its eastern flank, troops would not set foot in Ukraine.
He also said a nuclear attack appears unlikely. “We do not see a higher level of readiness in the Russian nuclear forces,” Stoltenberg said.
The British Defense Ministry’s Sunday update on the war in Ukraine indicated morale is waning on both sides.
“Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, however, Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled,” the ministry tweeted. “Cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.”
On the Russian side, morale is depressed because of poor leadership and few opportunities for soldiers to rotate out of combat units, the ministry said.
“Many Russian personnel of all ranks also likely remain confused about the war’s objectives,” it said. “Morale problems in the Russian force are likely so significant that they are limiting Russia’s ability to achieve operational objectives.”
The European Union’s executive arm recommended Friday putting Ukraine on a path to membership, a symbolic boost for a country fending off a Russian onslaught that is killing civilians, flattening cities and threatening its very survival.
The possibility of membership in the EU, created to safeguard peace on the continent and serve as a model for the rule of law and prosperity, fulfills a wish of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Western-looking citizens.
The European Commission’s recommendation that Ukraine become a candidate for membership will be discussed by leaders of the 27-nation bloc next week in Brussels. The war has increased pressure on EU governments to fast-track Ukraine’s candidacy, but the process is expected to take years, and EU members remain divided over how quickly and fully to welcome new members.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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