Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a rare public appearance with his much younger girlfriend of 14 years, Heather Milligan.
The “Terminator” star and former Governor of California, 78, stepped out with his 51-year-old date at the Austrian World Summit taking place in Vienna, Austria.
They were joined by former US Vice-President, Kamala Harris and Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen.
While Mulligan has successfully managed to stay out of the spotlight during her long-term relationship with the huge movie star, the notoriously private physical therapist was happily photographed by her man’s side in support of his he Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan pose for a photo with former Vice President Kamala Harris and Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen at the Austrian World Summit of the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative on June 16, 2026. AFP via Getty ImagesThe “Terminator” star and former Governor of California, with his 51-year-old date at the Vatican on Sept. 30, 2025. Getty Images
The last time the couple was spotted in public together was during a dinner date at Nobu Malibu in April.
Prior to that, they made a rare red carpet appearance together at the LA premiere of the second series of his Netflix show, “FUBAR.”
Schwarzenegger and Milligan’s relationship began in 2012 and originally stemmed from a medical referral.
As the actor was preparing to film the 2013 action thriller “Escape Plan” alongside Sylvester Stallone, he called for some physical therapy help to recover from a recent shoulder surgery.
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Milligan was recommended as an elite sports physical therapist who worked closely with professional athletes at the time.
While their relationship remained purely professional throughout his rehab, the actor reached out to his therapist once the film was wrapped and his treatment was over, asking for a “thank you” date.
While they prefer a life away from the cameras, the actor has gushed about his long-term girlfriend plenty of times.
Kamala Harris embraces Arnold Schwarzenegger at the end of a panel on June 16, 2026. AFP via Getty ImagesSchwarzenegger and Milligan’s relationship began in 2012 and originally stemmed from a medical referral. Getty Images
In 2023, he told People that he was madly in love with Milligan’s independence.
“I think the world of her. I love that she’s into working. She’s clearly independent. She just is driven as hell.”
In a separate YouTube video, Schwarzenegger again boasted about how talented his lady love was.
“Heather Milligan is not only my girlfriend, but she’s also a great, if not, the best physical therapist in the world. That’s actually how we met. She fixed my shoulder.”
One-third of American teens says have been victimized by deepfake nude images – and more than half admit to creating AI-generated pornography themselves, a staggering new survey revealed.
Parents of students who have been targeted by AI nude images say they have little recourse when classmates use apps to put their kids’ face on naked bodies.
Today, “anyone with a single image of themselves online” are at risk of having their identity used to create sexualized AI content, warned Hany Farid, a digital forensics professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
New Jersey mother Dorota Mani (left), whose then-14-year-old daughter Francesca (right), became a victim of a deepfake nude circulated at her high school in October 2023, has become an outspoken advocate for new legislation. NBC News
“It is disturbingly easy” to create such imagery, thanks to “many free and easy-to-use apps and services” now available online, said Farid.
“This issue is impacting young and old, famous and not, boys and girls, men and women…the harms are measurable and real and awful,” he added.
Of the 557 teenagers surveyed by researchers at George Mason University recently, an alarming 33% – or 185 respondents – said that a sexualized AI image of them had been shared without their consent.
Even more troubling, the use of “nudification” software appeared to be more rampant among 13- to 17-year-olds, with 55% of participants – or 308 teens – admitting to creating a deepfake nude and 54% – 303 respondents – fessing up to receiving at least one sexual AI photo.
Chad M.S. Steel, a digital forensics researcher at George Mason who led the study, said the troubling numbers reflect teens’ growing shift toward living and socializing online.
“This crop of kids are GenAI natives,” Steel told The Post. “Since they got their first phones, there’s been AI included and this is the way they’re operating across the board – whether it’s doing their homework or playing around.
“Plus, you have everything from camera filters to ‘try it on’ apps that make it normal to take a picture of themself and have it be modified. Those are things that they grew up with and are native to, which I think greatly influenced the numbers.”
The rise in deepfake nudes is “frustratingly predictable and getting worse year-to-year,” digital forensics professor Hany Farid warned, adding that containing the crisis is virtually impossible. AFP via Getty Images
Steel said he originally expected around 30% of teens to report using nudification software, but was “really shocked” by the final results – particularly how frequently sexual AI images were being spread without consent.
Joseph Daniels knows first-hand just how common and devastating these images are — his daughter had an “extremely explicit,” deepfake image of her shared around the school last August when she was just 13.
One day, after seeing the fake image being passed around on a school bus, the devastated teen snapped and slapped the boy who she claimed created it. She was soon expelled and forced to transfer schools, her father recalled.
“She’s faced anxiety, issues with depression, having to switch schools – it’s taken a big toll on her,” Daniels told The Post.
“It’s a scary feeling, especially seeing how these deepfakes look so real, and I can just see the effect it’s taken on my daughter, so I can imagine what it would do to other children and their families,” he lamented.
“The technology used to create fake nude images has become widely accessible, while awareness, safeguards and legal protections have struggled to keep up,” Mani told The Post Tuesday. AP
The dad declined to comment on “pending litigation” against the school, but he was planning to file a federal lawsuit against officials for failing to intervene before the situation escalated, he and his lawyers have previously claimed.
Daniels blasted the “lack of accountability” that often occurs for deepfake perpetrators at the school level – and insisted that parents must tune in.
“Parents need to be more aware of what’s on their kids’ phones and computers and maybe get up to date on the apps and the sites that they have these days, because it’s a lot more than we had,” he said.
“Of course kids are curious, and [teens] are at the age where they’re even more curious…but they can definitely get into trouble by doing things that they don’t understand the repercussions of, or how this can affect them in the future,” he added.
New Jersey mother Dorota Mani, whose then-14-year-old daughter Francesca became a victim of a deepfake nude circulated at her high school in October 2023, has since become an outspoken advocate for the law.
But far more needs to be done, she said Tuesday.
“The technology used to create fake nude images has become widely accessible, while awareness, safeguards and legal protections have struggled to keep up,” Mani said.
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“Regardless of who creates or shares these images, the harm is real, and it should be illegal.”
At the same time, schools and parents must do more to teach young people about digital citizenship, online ethics, consent and the consequences of misusing technology, Mani said.
The survey’s grim findings “should be a wake-up call: education must be at the center of prevention,” she said.
The Los Angeles Rams have become one of the NFL’s premier talent factories.
Under head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead, the organization has produced an impressive coaching and executive tree that now includes Jaguars general manager James Gladstone and Lions general manager Brad Holmes. Assistant general manager John McKay could soon be next as he continues to receive interest for top front-office openings around the league.
But according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, another rising Rams executive may be drawing just as much attention around NFL circles.
Nicole Blake.
Nicole Blake’s rapid rise inside the Rams organization has many around the NFL viewing her as a future general manager candidate. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Breer recently highlighted Blake’s growing influence inside the Rams organization, noting that she was among a very small group of executives trusted with details surrounding the franchise’s months-long pursuit of star pass rusher Myles Garrett.
For an executive whose official title is director of scouting, strategy and analytics, that level of involvement speaks volumes.
How Blake arrived there is a story in itself.
According to Breer, Blake first connected with the Rams during a Stanford class taught by former 76ers executive Sam Hinkie. Rams president Kevin Demoff was a guest speaker, and a message intended to privately recommend Blake accidentally went to the entire class. The awkward moment ultimately led to a connection with the top decision-makers in the Rams organization.
Rams GM Les Snead leads one of the best front offices in the NFL. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
After beginning her career in the NFL’s rotational program and earning an MBA from Stanford, Blake joined the Rams in 2021 and quickly climbed from scouting strategy analyst to director of scouting, strategy and analytics.
Since then, her rise has been rapid.
Her growing influence became more visible following the 2026 NFL Draft. Just days after McVay’s widely discussed post-draft press conference, Blake found herself helping explain one of the franchise’s most scrutinized decisions in recent memory.
Sitting alongside McKay after the draft, Blake offered a confident defense of first-round quarterback Ty Simpson. While much of the public debate centered on Simpson’s limited upside and starting experience, Blake pointed to his football intelligence, pro-style background and advanced understanding of the position.
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay speaks to the media during a press conference AP Photo/Kyusung Gong
In comparison to McVay, Blake was a breath of fresh air.
The appearance provided many Rams fans and media their first look at an executive who has become increasingly influential behind the scenes.
Blake has earned significant respect throughout the organization, particularly from McVay, and has become an important voice in personnel decisions.
The most notable part of the report came near the end.
“Someone told me last week when I was asking around about her that she’d be the NFL’s first woman general manager,” Breer wrote.
That’s far from a guarantee. There are several highly regarded women currently working in NFL front offices. But the fact Blake’s name is already being mentioned in those conversations highlights just how quickly her profile has grown.
For an organization that has become one of football’s most successful executive incubators, Blake may be the next name to watch — and perhaps one that eventually makes NFL history.
A producer who was supposed to be on the doomed helicopter flight that killed “Alien Boy” singer Oliver Tree and five others in Brazil has revealed he pulled out at the “last minute” because he was too afraid to fly.
Instead of joining the group traveling by air, Victor Wao, who has a fear of flying, had a car hired for him by friend and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale – who was killed in the June 14 crash.
“I was supposed to be with you in that helicopter, but I didn’t go at the last minute. You told me that, since I was afraid of flying, you had gotten a car to take me to Angra,” he wrote in a touching tribute post on Instagram.
The sole survivor of the helicopter crash that killed Oliver Tree pays his respects to a friend he lost. Victor WAO / Instagram
“THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST FRIEND I COULD ASK GOD FOR! I will always remember you with that smile on your face that enchanted everyone! I love you, See you on the other side … I love you forever.”
“Life Goes On” singer Tree, 32, and everyone on board were killed when the helicopter the singer was on – a Bell 206B JetRanger III – crashed into a PR-DJJ aircraft, piloted by Charles Marsillac, 60, 300 feet above Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
Among those who died in the horrific accident were Vignale, YouTuber Gaspi, Lucas Brito Chaves, and the pilots of both craft, Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Victor Wao shared photos of Oliver Tree after the crash. Victor WAO / InstagramFirefighters work the site of a helicopter crash in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 14, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
The choppers collided over an electric car lot, setting 20 vehicles ablaze.
Authorities have not revealed the cause of the crash yet, but a police investigator said it’s believed human error may have been to blame.
A stately Cotswolds-inspired estate once owned by “Casablanca” director Michael Curtiz and Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman is hitting the market in Los Angeles on Wednesday for $5.99 million.
Known as the Canoga Estate, the nearly century-old Woodland Hills property, listed by Deanna D’Egidio of Harcourts Plus, sits behind mature deodar cedars, oaks and pines in the quiet Forest Hills neighborhood — an off-the-radar enclave marketed in the mid-20th century as “the Bel-Air of the Valley.”
Originally built in 1928 by Southern California developer Harold Ferguson, the dwelling was once the centerpiece of a more than 250-acre property that included stables and a carriage house. While the surrounding acreage was eventually subdivided, the main residence still occupies more than 2 private acres, all less than half an hour’s drive from Studio City and the beaches of Malibu.
Michael Curtiz, the director of “Casablanca.” Getty ImagesGene Hackman also once called the residence his home. Getty ImagesThe interiors are simply breathtaking. Will Myers
The ownership history reads like a who’s who of 20th-century Hollywood.
After Ferguson’s time as owner came to a close, the home was acquired by legendary filmmaker Michael Curtiz, the Academy Award-winning director behind “Casablanca,” “White Christmas” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” Blueprints dated to 1935 and bearing Curtiz’s name document modifications made during his ownership.
According to D’Egidio, Curtiz was likely drawn to the estate’s extraordinary scale and privacy, as well as neighboring colleagues. “Jack Warner lived nearby, and Curtiz worked closely with Warner Bros. throughout his career,” she said.
The property later passed through a succession of notable owners, including Gene Hackman, who owned the estate around 1970 and 1971.
Yet celebrity pedigree is only part of the story.
The home’s architectural significance was recognized almost immediately after it was built, earning feature in a 1930 edition of Architectural Digest. Copies of that issue remain displayed inside the residence today, and a quick scan of the photos makes it clear how much of the estate has been preserved in remarkably original condition.
The exterior is reminiscent of a storybook cottage. Will MyersA vaulted wood-beamed ceiling is one of many historical features inside remaining intact. Will MyersThe interiors fill with light. Will Myers
A granite brick cobblestone driveway leads to the main residence, where cathedral-style vaulted ceilings are accented with exposed wood beams. Original leaded-glass windows and doors remain intact, alongside copper gutters, hand-painted bathroom tiles, slate roofing and hand-honed wood floors that together give the house a storybook cottage-inspired feeling.
The main residence spans 4,847 square feet and includes five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two powder rooms. Additional living space includes a guest house with two full bathrooms that also serve the pool and dressing areas, along with a separate recreation room.
Rose gardens — with more than 160 manicured rose bushes on the grounds — unfold across the property, while winding pathways weave through mature landscaping that has been cultivated over generations. A koi pond, a tennis court, an expansive lawn and a pool complex with dedicated changing rooms add to the estate’s resort-like atmosphere.
Today, the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets remain one of the area’s defining characteristics.
The kitchen comes with industry-grade fixtures. Will Myers
“The community literally feels like a forest,” D’Egidio said. “You have these hundred-year-old cedar trees, pine trees and oak trees everywhere. It’s one of those places people stumble upon and can’t believe exists.”
That was the experience of one previous owner, television producer Sandy Stewart, whose family created game-show staples including “The Price Is Right” and “The $100,000 Pyramid.” According to D’Egidio, Stewart discovered the neighborhood by chance while driving to a friend’s house and immediately fell in love with it.
The estate’s carriage house, which was separated from the property decades ago and sold independently in the 1950s, has its own Hollywood pedigree. Once owned by Jodie Foster, it sold in 2020 for $1.93 million.
A barrel-vaulted ceiling hovers over this bedroom. Will MyersA pool graces the grounds. Will Myers
Inside the main residence, current furnishings were carefully selected to complement the home’s historic architecture rather than compete with it.
“Our vision was rooted in European vintage glamour,” D’Egidio said. “The owner had assembled an incredible collection of antique furnishings, and we wanted everything to honor the architecture and the home’s history,” and designer Francesca Grace layered antique pieces, nostalgic textiles and custom furnishings throughout the residence.
In an era when many historic properties are demolished or stripped of their original character, D’Egidio believes the home’s preservation may be one of its greatest assets.
“Buyers today are craving authenticity,” she said. “They’re looking for homes with history, character and craftsmanship. You simply can’t recreate something like this.”
IRVINE, Calif. — Brooklyn’s Mike Tyson said “everybody has a plan until they get hit.” But for the U.S. national team, they changed the plan after getting hit.
In the first half of their last meeting with Australia, they got bullied by the Socceroos on the field and then lambasted by manager Mauricio Pochettino in the locker room. He yelled, slapped his hands, got on them for a lack of toughness.
The physicality and fight they showed in the second half of that 2-1 come-from-behind win is exactly what they’ll need in Friday’s high-stakes rematch in Seattle, a World Cup clash with first place in Group D on the line.
“They were laying in tough challenges and then we had to match the intensity,” Haji Wright said. “I remember going to halftime coach wasn’t too happy with letting them punch us in a way without punching back. So yeah, going into this game, we’ll be able to prepare a bit more knowing how they’re going to be.”
The U.S. players look across the field at the Aussies as a team that will challenge them and bring out their best.
“It’s gonna be a great game,” Sebastian Berhalter said. “They’re gonna fight. You like teams that have that brotherhood, that when you go against them you can see they’re hungry and want to fight, because it makes you raise your level that much more.”
Their last meeting Oct. 14 in Colorado was competitive and combative, but it ended up being constructive and instructive, as well.
“It was a really combative game,” Tyler Adams said. “So we know a little bit of what to expect; we need to be prepared for it.”
The U.S. was subjected to tough tackle after tough tackle, with star Christian Pulisic forced off in the first half with an injury after multiple heavy challenges.
In Pochettino’s halftime chastisement of his team — shown in both U.S. Soccer’s “Behind the Crest” series and HBO’s docuseries “U.S. Against the World” — he implored his team to get tougher.
“They come and they fight,” Pochettino said. “When are we going to fix that? … Match their aggressiveness.”
Folarin Balogun, who scored two goals in the USMNT’s World Cup-opening win over Paraguay, moves the ball up the field during Team USA’s friendly win over Australia this past October. The two teams meet again on Friday. ISI Photos via Getty Images
It’s been a recurring mantra from Pochettino, one that’s sunk in. They actually had more fouls (16-10) in that game, got a brace from Wright, and found their fight.
“[That] ‘we’re American; we don’t take s–t,’ that’s something he really drilled into us. Even though he’s Argentinian, he has that mindset of ‘look, this is what we do, this is who we are, this is what America’s about,’ ” Berhalter said. “That’s something that has helped us this last cycle.”
Especially the tail end of it.
It’s too simplistic and reductive to suggest that the U.S. had an epiphany that night against Australia, that the comeback against the Socceroos was the single turning point. But it was certainly a turning point.
Every match of the FIFA World Cup will air on either FOX or FOX Sports 1. If you don’t have cable, you can take advantage of a DIRECTV free trial to stream it all.
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“Yeah, the game in Colorado was fun,” Tim Weah said. “It was our first experience with Australia, my first game against Australia. So we were kind of just feeling them out, feeling how aggressive they were. We know that they’re a World Cup quality team, a high-quality team.
“So, that experience was fun. It was aggressive. And from that game in Colorado, we’ve changed a lot. We’ve gotten a bit more aggressive as well. So, it’s going to be a wonderful clash. It’s gonna be a wonderful game. … It’s gonna be an amazing match. And we just have to come out more aggressive, more prepared.”
In ways, the U.S. has been preparing for months, learning lessons from their March beatings at the hands of Portugal and Belgium, or playing well but coming up a hair short in their tuneup finale against Germany on June 6.
Though perhaps there were no more lessons learned than against Australia.
Tyson’s famous quote actually went “Everybody has a plan until they get hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.”
The last time the U.S. got hit in the mouth by these Aussies, they finally unfroze and fought back. It’s a lesson that they’ll likely have to remember when they have to fight Friday.
Every week, The Post will bring you our picks of the best one-liners and stories from satirical site the Babylon Bee to take the edge off Hump Day. Want more of a chuckle? Be sure to click the links.
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With 99.9% of votes in favor, the adoption of Freddy has secured more bipartisan support than any other ballot measure in modern American history. READ MORE
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“I love African Americans, but Mr. Musk is rich and that makes him the only bad African American,” Senator Bernie Sanders said in an appearance on CNN. READ MORE
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In the latest venture between the streaming service and the mystery-thriller genius,I Will Find You, a man desperately finds himself searching for his son, who he believed has been dead for the last five years. What’s more, that man — played by Avatar‘s Sam Worthington — has been wrongfully imprisoned for the last half a decade as the world believes he brutally killed the young boy in the middle of the night.
Now, the race is on to try and locate the boy — or find out if he’s even really still alive — after a small glimmer of hope reignites a father’s (and a family’s) drive to figure out the truth of what happened one fateful night. And, if the young boy is still alive, who took him and why? Will they be able to crack the case in time?
These are the questions that surround the new show, which already has a ton of buzz thanks to its incredible cast and the fact that it’s adapted from one of Coben’s bestselling novels. Yeah, that’s right, this show could end up being huge.
So, given the interest, you might be wondering how you can binge it to be part of the conversation when it inevitably enters the zeitgeist. Well, we’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know about I Will Find You, including when it drops, who stars in it, and what the series is about…
Photo: Netflix
When Does I Will Find You Drop on Netflix?
I Will Find You releases Thursday, June 18, on Netflix.
What Time Does I Will Find You Release on Netflix?
All episodes of I Will Find You drop on Netflix at 12 a.m. PST on Thursday, June 18.
How Many Episodes Are There In Harlan Coben’s I Will Find You?
In total, there are eight episodes in I Will Find You on Netflix, each ranging from around 40 minutes to an hour. That’s right, you can watch the entire thing in one weekend… or one day if you’re really into it!
What Is I Will Find You About?
“Wrongfully imprisoned for murdering his own son, a father sets out on a desperate rescue mission after learning the boy may still be alive,” a description from Netflix reads.
Photo: Netflix
Who Stars In I Will Find You?
It’s an all-star cast! Here’s a quick list of some of the big-name actors you will see as you watch I Will Find You…
Sam Worthington as David Burroughs
Britt Lower as Rachel Mills
Logan Browning as Sarah Greer
Chi McBride as Max Williams
Milo Ventimiglia as Hayden
Madeleine Stowe as Gertrude Payne
Aaron Ashmore as Ronald Dreason
Erin Richards as Cheryl Dreason
Clancy Brown as Nicky Fisher
Jonathan Tucker as Adam Mackenzie
Peter Outerbridge as Phillip Mackenzie
Hugh Thompson as Lenny Burroughs
I Will Find You streams on Netflix Thursday, June 18.
Netflix offers three subscription plans to fit your streaming needs. The plans start at $7.99/month for standard with ads and go up to $24.99/month for unlimited ad-free streaming in up to 4K UHD quality.
LONDON — UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday accused the crew of a Russian warship of acting recklessly when they fired warning shots near a British yacht in the English Channel, though he downplayed the seriousness of the incident.
The owners of the 40-foot (12-meter) sailboat Bright Future say the shots were fired Tuesday morning when they encountered a Russian warship while crossing the English Channel to Cherbourg in France. Russia says the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired shots into the air after the sailboat failed to respond to warnings to change course.
No one was injured but the incident underscored heightened tensions between the U.K. and Russia.
Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Starmer said the incident was “deeply concerning,” even though British defense officials have concluded the shots weren’t “anything more sinister” than an effort to avoid a collision.
“That doesn’t take away from the fact that clearly Russia is aggressive across Europe,” Starmer said.
The British couple aboard the Bright Future, Jane Kelvey, 68, and her husband Alan, 70, reported that the shots were fired about 20 nautical miles (23 miles, 37 kilometers) south of the Isle of Wight, outside U.K. territorial waters.
“It was a bit scary,” Jane Kelvey told the i Paper. “I crouched down. I didn’t think our safety was in danger. But it was certainly unusual. As we sailed away, we said to each other, what the hell just happened?”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the crew of the frigate tried to contact the yacht when it was seen sailing on a “dangerous course in close proximity with the warship.” It said the ship’s crew launched flares and issued sound signals when the yacht did not respond.
“After the distance had closed to 150 meters (500 feet), the frigate’s commander decided to fire warning shots across the vessel’s bow using small arms,” the ministry said. It said the yacht then changed course and sailed away.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine has won key pledges of further support for its fight against Russia from world leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in France, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
The leaders of the world’s leading industrial economies promised to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and ensure its energy supply, as well as step up international economic pressure on Moscow, as Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s all-out invasion stretches into its fifth year with no end in sight.
“The G7 Summit in France delivered important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense,” Zelenskyy, who attended the gathering, said on X.
“Our partners will ensure support for our defense and energy resilience,” he said, adding they will also introduce new sanctions on Russia.
The Ukrainian leader has spent a lot of time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 trying to secure international support for his country and diplomatically isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy was expected to attend a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday. Ukraine on Monday officially started EU membership negotiations, launching a process that could take years even as it fights Russia.
The Iran war has distracted Washington from its largely fruitless yearlong effort to stop the fighting in Ukraine, and Zelenskyy sought to engage with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 gathering where key European leaders were also present.
Putin has tried to cut out Europe and Kyiv and negotiate Ukraine’s future directly with Washington.
The leaders of Japan, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the U.S. threw their support behind Ukraine in a joint statement published overnight.
“We commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasize there is now a new momentum” in Kyiv’s resistance, it said.
Ukraine’s battlefield performance against Russia’s bigger army has markedly improved in recent months, Western officials and analysts say.
High-tech Ukrainian drones are pinning down Russian troops on the front line, choking Russian supply lines in occupied regions of Ukraine and disrupting oil production deep inside Russia that provide vital revenue for Moscow. That has made the war, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation,” more visible to Russians and increased pressure on Putin.
But Ukraine is short of American-made Patriot air defense missiles, in part because of U.S. stocks being depleted by the Middle East conflict, leaving it vulnerable to the ballistic missiles that Russia uses in its strategic bombing campaign.
The G7 statement promised Ukraine more air defense capabilities, without specifying what type of weapons.
The leaders also said they would consider granting Ukraine licenses for it to manufacture Western weapons. Kyiv has asked for permits to make Patriot missiles itself.
In attacks reported Wednesday, a Russian drone struck an equestrian sports school for children in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, hitting a stable and killing horses, a regional official said.
Staff at the school were not hurt in the nighttime attack, according to preliminary information, said Oleh Hryhorov of the Sumy regional military administration.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 157 Ukrainian drones from late Tuesday until early Wednesday.
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AP reporters Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this story.
