Russia Cites Failed Offensive Operations As Ukraine Claims Bakhmut Gains, Canada Pledges Missiles

Russia says Ukraine’s armed forces continued their "failed counteroffensive attempts" in different directions. However, British intelligence said Ukraine has broken through Russia’s first line of defence in several places. President Zelensky took a jibe at Russian counterpart Putin’s assessment of “significant” Ukrainian losses in a failing counteroffensive. A top Kremlin-installed official claims Russia’s air defences shot down two Ukrainian Grom-2 ballistic missiles over Crimea. Ukrainian forces claim to have advanced up to 1.4 km in "different sections" of the Bakhmut front over the past day.Meanwhile, Kyiv claims NATO members will agree on a "certain procedure" for Ukraine's potential accession at the July summit in Vilnius. Trudeau announced a fresh package of military aid worth $373 million for Ukraine and confirmed Canada will train Ukrainian fighter pilots. The US envoy to NATO told Politico that the alliance is working on a two-part package for Ukraine and its membership bid ahead of the Vilnius summit.