Syrian arab army captured the city of Khan Sheikhun

1 Syria

The Syrian army surrounded the terrorists in several villages to the south from the city of Khan Sheikhun. The terrorist supply routes were cut off — RIA NEWS reports while citing a Syrian military source. On Sunday, the Syrian army entered the city of Khan Sheikhun. On Monday, the mass media reported about taking control over the city. The Syrian troops blocked the supply lines to the terrorists thanks to the establishment of control over the »Damascus-Aleppo» highway. On Tuesday, the Syrian military cut off the supply routes to the »Jabhat al-Nusra» terrorist group in Hama.

2 France

The French President Emmanuel Macron announced that it is impossible to return Russia to the G8 without resolving the Ukrainian crisis, since it would be a «manifestation of weakness» of the G7. “I think that to say that Russia can return to the table without any conditions would be equal to admitting the weakness of the G7. It would be our strategic mistake”- RIA NEWS quoted his words. Macron added that it is necessary to resolve the crisis in Ukraine before Russia returns to the G7. Earlier, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during a joint press conference with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said that the conditions for the return of Russia to the G8 have yet to be met. He added that he agrees with the opinion of Angela Merkel that Moscow has yet to fulfill its obligations, needed to return to the G8.

3 Russia — Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the exchange of persons held in both countries. Moscow plans to exchage 22 Ukrainian sailors and 2 employees of the Security Service of Ukraine as well. They all were detained back in November of 2018, near the Kerch Strait, a source close to the negotiations explained and added that Russia and Ukraine reached the final stage of coordination of the exchange. Supposedly, the exchange may take place before the end of August. The sailors that were detained after the incident in the Kerch Strait will definitely return to Ukraine — the newspaper »Kommersant» reports while citing a Ukrainian diplomat. According to a source in the office of the Ukrainian president — the topic of the release of sailors was discussed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky during their first telephone conversation on 11th of July. They reached the agreement on this topic on that day.

4 Syria

The Syrian army recaptured the city of Khan Sheikhun in the province of Idlib — RIA NEWS reports while citing a Syrian military source. “This morning, the Syrian army took control over the city of Khan Sheikhun. At the moment the troops are engaged in demining and clearing operations” — the source specified. As it was previously reported — the Syrian army took control over the city. The army blocked the terrorist supply lines via the ‘Damascus-Aleppo’ highway, and also in Hama. The SANA agency reported that the Syrian authorities opened a humanitarian corridor in the village of Suran, in the province of Hama, for those wishing to leave the territories controlled by the armed Syrian opposition at the north of Hama province, and at the south of Idlib province.