Russia has continued a nearly 19-month-long invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Recently, though, the Ukrainians have gone on a counteroffensive, fighting to reclaim occupied territory.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jul 13, 2023, 6:03 PM EDT
US cluster munitions have arrived in Ukraine, official says
U.S. cluster munitions have arrived in Ukraine, according to Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims.
Sims said that in contrast to Russia, Ukraine is aware of the possible danger to civilians, and does not intend to use them near population centers.
In this Feb. 28, 2023, file photo, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, Director for Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attends a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters, FILE
"I don't think that Ukrainians have any interest in using the cluster munitions anywhere near the civilian population, unlike the Russians," Sims told reporters.
-ABC News' Matt Seyler
Jul 13, 2023, 12:16 PM EDT
Putin has 'already lost' the war in Ukraine, Biden says
Coming off a "very productive summit" with NATO allies, President Joe Biden offered a forceful dismissal of Vladimir Putin’s efforts to capture Ukraine during a joint press conference in Helsinki with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
"There is no possibility of him winning the war in Ukraine. He's already lost that war," Biden said.
Biden has made similar statements before about Putin’s chances of success, though it’s particularly notable coming off of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top military officials Wednesday.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto shake hands at the end of their joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, July 13, 2023.
Lehtikuva/Antti Aimo-Koivisto/via Reuters
Biden wouldn’t give a timeline for how long he thinks the war can continue, but he ruled out a yearslong offense.
"I don't think the war could go on for years for two reasons. No. 1, I do not think that Russia could maintain the war forever -- No. 1 in terms of their resources and capacity. No. 2, I think that there is going to be a circumstance where eventually, President Putin is going to decide it’s not in the interest of Russia economically, politically or otherwise to continue this war," Biden said.
"But I can't predict exactly how that happens," he continued. "My hope is and my expectation is you’ll see that Ukraine makes significant progress on their offensive and that it generates a negotiated settlement somewhere along the line."
3:39
‘Putin has already lost the war,’ Biden says
President Joe Biden held a joint news conference with Finland President Sauli Niinisto after the NATO summit.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Cheyenne Haslett
Jul 13, 2023, 7:37 AM EDT
US official talks Russian mutiny and potential impact on Ukraine war
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that "it remains to be seen" whether Russia has recovered from last month's brief but chaotic mutiny and if it will have any notable effect on the fighting in Ukraine.
"We don't exactly know what transpired every minute of that event and we don't really know what kind of impact it's going to have on the war in Ukraine," Kirby told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos during an interview on "Good Morning America."
"As we speak, there hasn't really been that much of an effect on the fighting in Ukraine," he added. "The Russians are dug in. The Ukrainians are trying to claw back territory. We're still trying to help them win."
Ukrainian forces are in the midst of a counteroffensive, "all the way from the Donbas area down toward Zaporizhia to the south," according to Kirby.
"They're making halting progress, not as fast [or] as far as they'd like to go, but we're going to do everything we can to give them the tools and capabilities to succeed," he said. "It could be weeks, it could be months of hard fighting here as they try to claim back the rest of their country."
2:36
National Security Council spokesman on Biden’s commitment to Ukraine
John Kirby comments on Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia and the Chinese hackers that breached U.S. government email accounts.
Jul 12, 2023, 5:51 PM EDT
Russian intel director claims he had call with CIA director
Russian Foreign Intelligence Director Sergey Naryshkin claims he had a phone conversation with CIA Director William Burns in late June, according to the Russian state media outlet TASS.
"The bulk of the conversation was focused on discussing Ukraine and events around it. We gave some thought to and deliberated on what should be done about Ukraine," Naryshkin claimed to the outlet.
The CIA declined to comment about the alleged call.
The alleged conversation lasted "about an hour," according to Naryshkin.
The Russian intel chief noted that arranging an in-person meeting between him and the CIA leader remained a possibility.
