Major General Christian Freuding, head of the working group for coordinating aid to Ukraine at the German Ministry of Defense, said that the Ukrainian army could receive the first long-range weapon systems within the framework of the German-Ukrainian project by the end of July, TASS reported.
The general, who is currently in Kiev, stressed that yesterday there was a "signing ceremony of an agreement financed by Germany between representatives of Ukrainian industry and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense".
"We launched this initiative at the end of May and as a result of it, the Ukrainian armed forces will receive the first long-range weapon systems at the end of this month. And then in larger quantities, in triple digits, and this will significantly strengthen Ukraine's air defense, Ukraine's capabilities in the coming weeks and months," Freuding said on Zet DF television.
At the same time, he noted that Kiev "needs weapons systems capable of penetrating deep into Russian territory and attacking warehouses, command posts, airfields, aircraft." Germany, he said, is ready to provide Ukraine with such weapons systems.
During Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Berlin on May 28, the authorities of the two countries signed an agreement on the production of long-range weapons in Ukraine. In mid-June, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Zelensky confirmed in Kiev that Germany and Ukraine intend to start joint production of combat systems in Ukraine, TASS recalls. Among them are drones and cruise missiles.
Saudi Arabia is doing everything possible to help the international community reach agreements and is ready to provide an opportunity for Russian-American dialogue, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar al-Khorayef said in an interview with TASS.
Asked whether Saudi Arabia is ready to provide a venue for Russian-American consultations aimed at both political and economic stabilization of the dialogue, the minister answered in the affirmative.
"Yes, Saudi Arabia is trying to do everything to help the international community reach agreements. Our leadership, His Highness and the Crown Prince are making every effort to ensure the stability of the region. This is our national interest," he stressed.
The European Commission has proposed a floating price cap on Russian oil of 15% below the average market price of crude oil over the previous three months, EU diplomats said, Reuters reported.
For the past two months, the European Union and Britain have been pushing the G7 to lower the cap after a slump in oil futures made the current level of $60 a barrel largely irrelevant. Brent crude has since recovered somewhat and was at $70.36 a barrel on Friday.
The G7 price cap, aimed at limiting Russia's ability to finance the war in Ukraine, was originally agreed in December 2022, Reuters recalls. The new floating ceiling will be reviewed based on the average price every three months, one of the diplomats added.
EU diplomats said the technical details of the latest proposal still need to be discussed, but the idea appears to allay concerns among EU maritime states Malta, Greece and Cyprus.
Despite repeated attempts by European leaders, the US administration has not agreed to lower the cap, leaving the Europeans to go it alone.
The price of Russian Urals crude remained $2 a barrel below the $60 mark on Friday.