What happened on 30 June 2022 after Madrid?

What was the political picture in Europe on 30 June 2022? The days before that date were crowded with pledges of support for Ukraine, a deadly missile strike and a rare foreign trip by the Russian president.

Support from the G7

On 27 June 2022, leaders at the G7 summit in Germany issued a statement promising more financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine. The statement followed a video message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had called on allies to supply more heavy weapons.

The Kremenchuk strike

The same day, two missiles hit a crowded shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk. As reported at the time, at least 13 people were killed and at least 50 injured. Zelenskyy said more than a thousand people were inside when the missiles struck. Later accounts put the toll higher, at least 20 dead and at least 59 injured, and said the missiles were Kh-22 cruise missiles that also hit the adjacent Kredmash road machinery plant. According to those accounts, Russian media and officials gave conflicting stories about the attack.

Putin travels

On 26 June 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin set off for Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It was his first foreign trip since the invasion of Ukraine.

A permanent U.S. presence in Poland

On 29 June 2022, at the NATO summit in Madrid, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that a new permanent U.S. military base would be established in Poland. It would house the 5th Army's Headquarters, which had had a forward command post in Poznań since the previous year. Poland's government had long requested such a base.

The picture on 30 June

By 30 June 2022, the sequence was clear. Western leaders had committed to continued backing for Kyiv, and Washington had announced a lasting military footprint in Poland. Russia, meanwhile, had struck a crowded civilian site in Kremenchuk, while its president made his first trips abroad since the invasion began.