US President Joe Biden promised at the conclusion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit today, Thursday, to continue supporting Ukraine until it is sure that it is not defeated by Russia, and Ukraine confirmed the success of an “excellent” operation of its army in pushing the Russian forces to evacuate Serpent Island, while the loyal forces announced Russia has launched the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain in months.

At the conclusion of the 32nd NATO Summit held in Madrid, the US President said during a press conference, "We were united during the NATO summit to face the challenges posed by Russia and China... We are strengthening our presence everywhere and we will have a presence in the Baltic countries."

Biden stressed that the United States is gathering the world to support Ukraine, and that there are countries that have made new commitments to achieve that support, noting that his country has provided about $7 billion to Ukraine since the beginning of his administration's term, and that it will announce $800 million in military aid to Ukraine in the next few days.

Biden also pledged to support Ukraine to ensure that it is not defeated by Russia, and said, "Putin thought he could break us, but he gets the opposite of what he wanted...I told him that invading Ukraine would make NATO stronger and more united."

Biden considered that Russian capabilities were damaged thanks to the "valor" of the Ukrainian forces, pledging that Russia will not win over Ukraine because this is an "important position for the world."

The US president added, "We must put an end to the dependence on Russian fuel and energy," and that the food crisis was caused by the blockade imposed by Russia on Ukrainian ports.

Also at the conclusion of the NATO summit, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that his country would provide additional military support to Ukraine in the amount of one billion pounds ($1.2 billion) to enhance its defense capabilities against Russia.

"We will continue to stand squarely behind the Ukrainian people to ensure Putin's failure in Ukraine," Johnson said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted, "I am grateful to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allocating an additional £1 billion in military support to Ukraine... Britain is our true friend and strategic partner."

Plumes of smoke rise from Serpent Island, coinciding with the evacuation of Russian forces (Reuters)

Snake Island

On the military front, Andrei Yermak, Director of the Ukrainian President's Office, said today, Thursday, that the Russian forces had evacuated the Serpent Island located on the Black Sea, after an operation he described as excellent for the Ukrainian army.

For its part, the Ukrainian General Staff said that the Russian forces have left the island, but the final results of their operations on the island are still under investigation.

The commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zalogny also said that the Ukrainian-made Budana guns played an important role in the liberation of the island, thanking foreign partners for their support.

Satellite images published by Ukrainian media showed plumes of smoke rising from Snake Island after Ukrainian shelling on it, and the Ukrainian authorities said that the bombing continued from yesterday to today.

Ukrainian grain

In another context, the director of the Ukrainian president's office accused the Russian forces of bombing warehouses filled with Ukrainian grain, pointing out that they targeted a warehouse in Dnipro this morning.

Yevgeny Palitsky, head of the pro-Russian Zaporizhia Region Administration, announced that a ship loaded with 7,000 tons of grain left the port of Berdyansk - which was controlled by Russia - heading to "friendly countries" for the first time in months, explaining that its protection will be entrusted to the ships and boats of the Novorossiysk Naval Base of the Black Sea Fleet.

Balitsky stressed that Berdyansk Bay and the port itself are now completely safe, and port workers and their equipment are ready to reload the goods, after the mines are cleared.

Ukraine accuses the Russian side of stealing grain from the lands it has controlled since the start of its invasion in late February, while the Kremlin denies these accusations, and the Russian Defense Ministry previously announced this month that the Ukrainian ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol, which are under the control of Russian forces, are ready to resume shipment of grain.

On the other hand, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that it had lost remote contact with the safeguards control systems at the Zaporozhye nuclear plant in Ukraine.

In a tweet, the IAEA demanded that its inspectors be allowed to visit the station as soon as possible.

In Lugansk, the pro-Russian forces announced full control of the area of ​​the oil refinery in Lyschansk, and the Russian state news agency broadcast what it said was the control of the Russian forces over the refinery, after the Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the storming of the refinery area and the continuing battles southwest of the city.


Prisoners and abuse

"The total number of Ukrainian servicemen who have been captured or surrendered exceeds 6,000," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The spokesman confirmed the exchange of 144 Ukrainian fighters with a similar number of Russians or pro-Russian separatists.

In turn, the head of the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, said in a post on the Telegram application today that the members of the Ukrainian armed forces who were captured from the Azov battalion will be brought to trial, and described these prisoners as nationalists, not human beings, as he put it.

On the other hand, Amnesty International accused Russian forces of committing a war crime last March in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, noting that the bombing of the city's theater killed at least 12 civilians.

The organization said that the International Criminal Court and all other bodies with jurisdiction over crimes committed during this conflict should investigate this attack as a war crime, and demand that all those responsible for such "death and destruction" be held accountable.