Ukraine war with russia

Ukraine Ukraine's defence minister is expected in Paris on Tuesday to meet President Emmanuel Macron amid a debate among Kyiv's allies over whether to provide fighter jets for its war against Russia, after U.S. President Joe Biden ruled out giving F-16s. Ukraine planned to push for Western fourth-generation fighters like F-16s after securing supplies of main battle tanks last week, an adviser to Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Friday. Asked at the White House on Monday if the United States would provide F-16s, Biden told reporters: "No." But France and Poland appear to be willing to entertain any such request from Ukraine, with Macron telling reporters in The Hague on Monday that "by definition, nothing is excluded" when it comes to military assistance. In remarks carried on French television before Biden spoke in Washington, Macron stressed any such move would depend on several factors including the need to avoid escalation and assurances that the aircraft … [Read more...] about Western allies differ over jets for Ukraine as Russia claims gains

The US decision to supply tanks is part of a package that includes 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 90 Stryker armoured combat vehicles, and 350 Humvees. (Representative image) The recent decision of some NATO countries to supply Ukraine with tanks and other higher level equipment raises two questions. First, will this significantly enhance Kyiv’s capabilities and allow it to snatch back the initiative in the conflict; and second, could this result in escalation that leads to NATO’s direct involvement in the war or worse? Germany and the United States announced last week that they would supply their main battle tanks (MBTs) to Ukraine . Germany will provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks, while the US will send 31 Abrams M-1 tanks. Several European countries – Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Norway and Finland – have also said that they will give some Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. In addition, the United Kingdom has said it would supply a few Challenger tanks. Too Few For Offensives Although … [Read more...] about Why battle tanks from NATO countries for Ukraine may not spark an immediate NATO-Russia confrontation

(Representative Image: AP) The head of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Tony Estanguet said on Friday it was for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can participate in the Games next year. Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the governing body to ban them from the sporting extravaganza, stating that allowing Russia to compete at the Games was tantamount to showing that "terror is somehow acceptable". Three-time Olympic champion and President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee Estanguet told Reuters that he was "in favour of maintaining this symbol of universality for the Games" when asked about Russian and Belarusian participation. Yet he said the decision rested with the Games' governing body. "It's not in the charge of Paris 2024 to decide who is allowed to participate, it's about the IOC, it's about the IPC, it's about the international federations who will decide which delegations … [Read more...] about Up to IOC to decide if Russia can compete in Paris 2024, says Paris Olympic head

Ukraine The European Union offered strong support for Ukraine at a summit held in Kyiv as air raid sirens wailed on Friday, but set "no rigid timelines" for its accession to the wealthy bloc. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had hoped the EU would put Ukraine on a rapid road to membership. But he used the summit to step up calls for his allies to deliver long-range weapons to help repel Russian forces besieging the city of Bakhmut and occupying much of the Donbas region in the east of the country. "If weapons (supplies) are quickened, specifically long-range weapons, we not only will not leave Bakhmut, but we will also begin to deoccupy Donbas, which has been occupied since 2014," he told a joint news conference after the summit. Ukrainian forces have held out for months in Bakhmut, where fighting has been fierce. "Nobody will give away Bakhmut. We will fight for as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress," Zelenskiy said. Read More Air raid sirens … [Read more...] about Ukraine wins EU pledges of support, no promise of fast-track accession

The decisions by Germany and the United States to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine represent a weighty show of Western political support for Kyiv that could also help its military breach Russian invaders' lines. After weeks of pressure from Ukraine and other allies, Berlin finally agreed to send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks, seen as among the best in the world. The move also opens the way for other European nations that operate Leopards to send tanks from their own fleets to Ukraine, further building up the combined-arms arsenal Kyiv needs to launch counter-offensives. "From offering 5,000 helmets to sending the Leos into Ukraine," commented German Marshall Fund researcher Bruno Lete, referring to a widely-mocked early German contribution to Ukraine's war effort. "In less than a year, Germany deconstructed seven decades of pacifist policy" since World War II. "Perhaps reluctantly -- but still a major Zeitenwende (turning point) in its own right." Read More … [Read more...] about Western tanks: Political and military boost for Ukraine

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 345. As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation. Russian artillery fire hit a residential building in the town of Barvinkove, Kharkiv region, killing two at 4:30 a. m. local time Feb. 3 , announced Kharkiv regional Governor, Oleh Synehubov. The victims were brothers, aged 49 and 42; their father was also injured and hospitalized, Synehubov added. The Kharkiv region came under massive Russian fire over the past 24 hours, with homes hit in the towns of Vovchansk, Kupiansk, Dvorichna and others, injuring a 51-year-old woman. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Feb. 2, ahead of the Ukraine-European Union summit, on Ukraine’s admission to the EU, with 489 votes in favor , its press service announced. According to the resolution, the EU should … [Read more...] about Friday, February 3. Russia’s War On Ukraine: Daily News And Information From Ukraine

Russia - Ukraine war A Russian missile destroyed an apartment building and damaged seven more in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Wednesday night, killing at least three people and injuring 20, regional police said. Local authorities initially said Russia had fired a rocket but the police force later said an Iskander-K tactical missile had struck at 9.45 pm local time (1945 GMT). "At least eight apartment buildings were damaged. One of them was completely destroyed," police said in a Facebook post. "People may remain under the rubble." At least 44 people were killed last month when a Russian missile hit an apartment building in the eastern city of Dnipro. "This is not a replay of the past, it is the daily reality of our country - a country with absolute evil on its borders," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram messaging app. Read More In a separate tweet, Zelenskiy wrote: "The only way to stop Russian terrorism is to defeat it. By … [Read more...] about Russian missile destroys Ukrainian apartment building; 3 dead, say police

(CTN NEWS) – The Pentagon opted not to shoot down a suspected Chinese Spy Balloon over U.S. airspace for two days owing to hazards to ground personnel, officials said Thursday. The balloon finding exacerbates U.S.-China tensions. The U.S. has “very high confidence” it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon collecting intelligence over key sites, a senior defense official told Pentagon reporters. Montana’s Malmstrom Air Force Base has one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields, where the balloon was sighted. The official discussed critical material anonymously. / AP Pentagon press spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the administration is tracking the Spy Balloon. He added it is “currently traveling at an altitude much above commercial aviation traffic and does not offer a military or physical threat to persons on the ground.” He noted comparable balloon activity in recent years. He said that the U.S. took precautions to avoid … [Read more...] about Chinese Spy Balloon Spotted Over Western U.S.

Bank of England, London (File image: Reuters) The Bank of England raised interest rates by half a percentage point Thursday as it sought to tame double-digit inflation that is fueling a cost-of-living crisis, public-sector strikes and fears of recession. The bank’s monetary policy committee voted 7-2 to push its key rate to 4%, approving the 10th consecutive rate increase since a post-pandemic surge in the world economy and Russia’s war in Ukraine drove inflation to 40-year highs. Economists suggest this may be the last big rate increase for Britain’s central bank as inflation begins to slow. “The extent to which domestic inflationary pressures ease will depend on the evolution of the economy, including the impact of the significant increases in Bank Rate so far,” the bank said in a statement. “There are considerable uncertainties around the outlook.” The U.S. Federal Reserve has already started tapering its response, boosting its key rate by just a … [Read more...] about Bank of England hikes rates by half-point to tame inflation

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will not be making his planned trip to China on Sunday due to a diplomatic spat over a Chinese balloon hovering in U.S. airspace, ABC News first reported Friday. Blinken was set to travel to Beijing on Sunday to meet with top Chinese Communist Party officials to discuss issues ranging from climate change to human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Pentagon, however, announced late Thursday it was tracking the presence of a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over “sensitive” sites in the U.S. Scoop: The Biden administration has decided to postpone Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming trip to Beijing after detecting a Chinese surveillance balloon that was lingering at high altitude over sensitive nuclear sites in Montana, according two officials. — Peter Martin (@PeterMartin_PCM) February 3, 2023 Now, that trip will reportedly be postponed to a later date. The State Department has not given any timetable for rescheduling … [Read more...] about Secretary Of State Blinken Postpones China Trip Over Spy Balloon Rift