“Foreign wars that run counter to our national interests” – Update on the war in Ukraine on July 18

As right-wing US politicians met for the third day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) – the first day dedicated to the nomination of Donald Trump, the second day reserved for his former rivals to pledge their loyalty to him and satisfy his base with angry anti-immigration rhetoric – the conversations on stage on Wednesday revolved around foreign policy.

The first witty comment came from RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who effortlessly convinced the base that Russia had parked “a boat armed with nuclear missiles” in Cuba without providing any evidence.

“Where are we today? Russia attacked Ukraine,” he said. “They parked a nuclear missile-powered boat 90 miles off our coast in Havana, Cuba.”

In reality, the boats in question were part of routine naval exercises that Russia regularly holds in Cuba. CNN reported that Pentagon spokesman Major Charlie Dietz said in June: “Given the long history of Russian visits to Cuban ports, these are considered routine naval visits, especially in the context of increased U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO exercises.”

Richard Grenell, a former Fox News contributor who worked for the State Department under George W. Bush and later served as Trump’s director of national intelligence, followed with an isolationist message that reflected the current mood among Republicans.

“From 2001 to 2008, I was America’s spokesperson at the United Nations. Back then… we interfered in other countries’ affairs and signed treaties that only benefited other nations. We spent too many years ignoring America’s priorities.

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ISW assessment of the Russian offensive, July 17, 2024

The latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

“This is what happened when Washington is no longer the capital of the United States, but the capital of the world,” he said to cheers of approval.

And then he rolled out the Trump campaign script on Ukraine:

“Russia invaded Ukraine under both Obama and Biden, but Putin did not dare to escalate the situation under President Trump,” Grenell said, omitting, as did others, Russia’s four-year, unchallenged occupation of Crimea under Trump.

Grenell also failed to mention which treaties signed by Bush only benefited other nations, but at least one benefitted the United States, the Russian Federation, and the rest of the world. Bush signed the SORT (Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty), colloquially known as the Moscow Treaty, in which the United States and Russia agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenals, which was later ratified by the U.S. Senate.

New Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said the current administration has “abused our resources in foreign wars contrary to our national interests.”

She further claimed that Trump knew the sacrifices of war and was “willing to give his life in defense of this great nation.” In fact, the former president had evaded military service during the Vietnam War on the grounds that he had bone spurs, even though a military commission had deemed him fit for military service in 1968.

At the end of the evening, the keynote speaker, vice presidential candidate JD Vance, largely avoided discussion of Ukraine, as his opposition to aid to Kyiv is already well documented. But he took a final swipe at NATO members, saying they must “share the burden” of securing world peace.

Nearly 800 Marines and other soldiers are missing in a recently ceded village on the left bank.

On Wednesday, media outlet Slidtsvo reported that Ukrainian police believe 788 Ukrainian soldiers disappeared during the defense of Krynky, a fishing village on the left bank of the Dnipro River. Krynky was the site of a daring 10-month Ukrainian assault on Russian-occupied territory from October 2023 to July this year.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, Slidstvo spoke to about a dozen sailors and medics from various naval brigades who were either in Krynky themselves or had transported people there. The sailors described how difficult it was to defend Krynky, as resources were limited from the start.

“It was especially difficult to go there for the winter in October,” said one of the officials.

The soldiers reported that holding these positions became a “one-way street” for many when the village in the Kherson region was destroyed and by the end of winter not even its ruins remained. Ukrainska Pravda wrote that some veterans had defended this part of the left bank for at least three terms of service.

The search for 788 people missing there since October 2023 continues, while 262 have been buried.

On Wednesday, Ukraine coincidentally celebrated the return of 95 prisoners of war.

“We continue to bring our people home,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky. “These are soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard and border guards… No matter how difficult it may be, we are looking for everyone who may be in captivity. We must bring everyone back.”

Air defense picks up Russian drone over Kiev, but there are no casualties

On Wednesday evening, air raid sirens blared in the northern districts of the Ukrainian capital, but initial damage from an apparent drone attack was minimal to nonexistent, the city’s mayor reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on social media that air defense forces were deployed in Kyiv on Wednesday evening to intercept a Russian drone attack on the city’s left bank, where fires had been reported.

But at around 11:30 p.m., Klitschko reported that rescue workers had not found any fire at the scene of the incident in the Darnytskyi district after the Russian drone was shot down.

Tensions have risen in Kyiv after the capital was rocked by Russian missiles last week that devastated the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital and severely damaged the Isida Maternity Center, which was the target of separate attacks on July 8. Among the civilian casualties, at least 44 people were killed and 196 injured, including 10 children, Ukrainian State Emergency Service spokeswoman Svitlana Vodolaha said during a recent press conference on July 11.