Victorious news on 478th day of war: Germany to provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles, Biden supports Ukraine's accession to NATO under simplified procedure

Missiles for Patriot from Germany

Germany will provide Ukraine with 64 more guided air interceptor missiles for the US Patriot air defense system, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on the second day of a meeting of NATO chiefs of defense in Brussels. 

"This is a very important sign of sustained support for the successful efforts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to ensure air defence, especially now, at this particular stage of the war," Pistorius said.

Ukraine currently has two Patriot air defence systems: one was provided by the United States and the other by Germany and the Netherlands.

Ukraine's accession to NATO without MAP

US President Joe Biden supports removing one of the hurdles for Ukraine's accession to NATO. This will mean a certain easing of the accession procedure, CNN reports.

According to the report, Biden is willing to drop the requirement for Ukraine to fulfill the Membership Action Plan (MAP), provided for in the 2008 agreement.

The MAP is described as "the program of advice, assistance and practical support tailored to the individual needs of countries wishing to join the Alliance" and is the process that all countries must go through to join NATO.

The MAP’s removal means some relief for Ukraine in the NATO accession process, the agency said. The source confirmed that the proposal to cancel the MAP stage came from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a meeting with Biden in Washington earlier this week.

Ukrainian Armed Forces destroy Russian forces with all types of artillery fire

Ukrainian Armed Forces have eliminated 85 Russian soldiers in the Bakhmut direction on June 15, wounded 141 more, destroyed a Grad MLRS and an ammunition warehouse. There were 2 clashes in the Bakhmut direction on June 15, and one on June 16. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are eliminating Russian forces with all types of artillery fire.

"Over the last day, we managed to eliminate 85 invaders, wound 141, capture 4, destroy 3 cannons, Grad, Strela-10, and a field ammunition warehouse," emphasized Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Military Group.

Ukrainian military "lure out" Russian reserves 

In the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian troops are forcing Russians to move their reserves from the third line to the second and first, Defense Express CEO and military expert Serhiy Zgurets said.

“Now the Ukrainian side is acting in several directions, 'luring' the enemy's reserves. The Vostok group, which holds the section of Zaporizhzhia region controlled by the enemy, is beginning to transfer reserves from the third line to the second and first,” he noted.

According to the expert, this is a sign that the Russian Federation is trying to restrain the advance of our probing units or to recapture the positions occupied by Ukrainian troops.