Page 67 - Ukraine

UK, allies looking to arm Ukraine with new AI-enabled swarm drones

The drones could be sent to Ukraine within months, they said, while warning the timeline could slip

Zelenskyy warns weapons shortage risks giving Russia breathing space

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned allies Saturday that an artificial deficit of weapons for his country risks giving Russia breathing space, hours after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka. Zelenskyy spoke to the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of security and foreign policy officials. Ukraine is back on the defensive against Russia in the nearly 2-year-old war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel. Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat, he said. We can get our land back, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin can lose, and this has already happened more than once on the battlefield." "Our actions are limited only by the sufficiency and length of range of our strength, he added, pointing to the situation in Avdiivka. Ukrainian commander Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said early Saturday that he was withdrawing troops from the city, where outnumbered defenders battl

After defending it for four months, Ukraine withdrawing from Avdiivka

Ukraine's military chief said early Saturday that he's withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months. The timing is critical as Russia is looking for a morale boost ahead of the second anniversary on Feb. 24 of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the March presidential election in Russia. In a short statement posted on Facebook early Saturday, Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had made the decision to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen." The commander-in-chief added that troops were moving to more favourable lines." Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment. We are taking measures to stabilise the situation and maintain our positions, the statement read. The withdrawal came a day afte

France, Ukraine to sign security pact in Paris in presence of Zelenskyy

French President Emmanuel Macron will sign a bilateral security agreement with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Friday in Paris to provide long-term support to the war-ravaged country which has been battling Russia's full-scale invasion for nearly two years. The French presidency said in a statement Thursday that Macron and Zelenskyy's bilateral meeting in late afternoon will be followed by a news conference and a working dinner at the Elysee presidential palace. It did not release specific details about the agreement. Macron said earlier this year that France was negotiating a bilateral deal on the model the one Ukraine recently agreed with the United Kingdom, which covers 10 years and provides a package worth 2.5 billion pounds (USD 3.2 billion) over the next fiscal year. It is the largest the UK has given to Ukraine since the war began. A French official, speaking anonymously because he was not allowed to disclosed the details of the deal, said the agreement aim

Ukraine needs $486 bn to rebuild after nearly 2 years of war: World Bank

Disruptions to economic output and trade, as well as other war-related costs, such as removing debris, would likely add another $499 billion, it said

France, Ukraine to sign security pact in Paris in presence of Zelenskyy

French President Emmanuel will sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday in Paris, the French presidency said in a statement. It did not release specific details about the agreement, to be signed at the Elysee presidential palace. This will be the third visit by Zelenskyy to Paris since Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago, following those in February and May 2023, the statement said.

Ukrainian military says it sank a Russian landing ship in Black Sea

Ukraine's military said Wednesday it sank a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea using naval drones, a report that has not been confirmed by Russian forces. The Caesar Kunikov large landing ship sank near Alupka, a city on the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, Ukraine's General Staff said in a Wednesday morning update. Ukraine's Military Intelligence, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, said its special operations unit "Group 13 sank the Caesar Kunikov using Magura V5 sea drones on Wednesday. The Russian military did not immediately comment on the claim, saying only that it downed six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight. It is the second time in two weeks that Ukrainian forces have said they sank a Russian vessel in the Black Sea. Last week, GUR published a video that it said showed naval drones assaulting the Russian missile-armed corvette Ivanovets.

Austin discharged from hospital, ends second stay since cancer treatment

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, ending his second stay since surgery to treat prostate cancer, and he has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said. Austin (70) has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December. He was taken back to Walter Reed on Sunday for a bladder issue and admitted to intensive care for a second time. He underwent a non-surgical procedure under general anaesthesia on Monday. Austin's doctors said on Tuesday that his bladder issue was related to the surgery. "The bladder issue was not related to his cancer diagnosis and will have no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis," Dr John Maddox, trauma medical director, and Dr Gregory Chesnut, director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research at the Murtha Cancer Center, said in a statement. On their advice, Austin will work from home before returning to the Pentagon later this week. His home has "full access to the ...

US Senate passes $95.3 bn aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

The Senate early Tuesday passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad. The vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to the $60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the US should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas. But 22 Republicans voted with nearly all Democrats to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security across the globe. With this bill, the Senate declares that American leadership will not waiver, will not falter, will not fail, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on the legislation. The bill's passage through the Senate with a ..

US Senate passes $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

The Senate early Tuesday passed a USD 95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and amid growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad. The vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to the USD 60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the US should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas. But more than a dozen Republicans voted with almost all Democrats to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security across the globe. It's been years, perhaps decades, since the Senate has passed a bill that so greatly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but also the security of western democracy, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who .

Ukraine's air defence system destroys 14 of 17 Russia-launched drones

He said that according to preliminary information, there were no casualties, but the facades of some non-residential buildings were damaged

'World is watching', say Senators as Republicans oppose to Ukraine aid

As a growing number of Republicans oppose US aid to Ukraine, the Senate's leaders are arguing in strong terms that the money is crucial to pushing back against Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintaining America's global standing. In the Capitol for a rare weekend session, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky issued stark warnings about the consequences of abandoning longtime US allies in Europe. Today it's no exaggeration to say that the eyes of the world are on the United States Senate, McConnell said. Our allies and partners are hoping that the indispensable nation, the leader of the free world, has the resolve to continue. A test vote Sunday on the $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other countries comes as former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is trying to kill the assistance and has escalated his attacks on the NATO military alliance. Trump said Saturday

Russian forces using Musk's Starlink internet in occupied areas: Ukraine

Starlink said on Feb. 8 that its terminals were not active in Russia and that SpaceX had never sold or marketed the service in Russia, nor shipped equipment to locations in Russia

Parl highlights: Lok Sabha adjourned sine die as Budget session concludes

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Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, kills 7

A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, killed at least seven people overnight, including three children, Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Saturday. He said the Iranian-made Shahed drone hit civilian infrastructure in the Nemyshlyan district on the city, causing a massive fire that burned down 15 private houses. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said more than 50 people had been evacuated and that emergency workers had contained the blaze by Saturday morning. The Ukrainian air force said air defense systems destroyed 23 out of 31 Iranian Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight. The drones primarily targeted the northeastern Kharkiv region and the southern province of Odesa, the statement said. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said four people were injured there by the overnight drone attacks. The attacks came in three waves, he said. The first targeted the regional capital the port city of Odesa. All nine drones were shot down, but

US military drills in Philippines unaffected by focus on Ukraine, Gaza

Combat exercises between the United States and the Philippines involving thousands of forces each year will not be affected by America's focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a US general said Thursday. The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to build deterrence and to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea. But there have been concerns that the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict could hamper America's pivot to Asia and the Pacific and divert military resources intended for the region. "Certainly, it does not affect our presence, Maj. Gen. Marcus Evans, commanding general of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division, told The Associated Press in an interview late Thursday when asked to comment on those concerns. "If anything, it drives an increased sense of urgency to focus on these partnerships that we've developed decades ago and it'

US Senate votes on package of wartime funding for Ukraine, Israel

The Senate on Thursday voted to begin work on a package of wartime funding for Ukraine and other U.S. allies, but doubts remained about support from Republicans who rejected a carefully negotiated compromise that also included border enforcement policies. A vote to begin work on the new package cleared on a 67-32 vote, but the legislation's path remained uncertain. Senate leaders had not agreed to a process to limit the debate time for the bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the vote a good first step" and pledged that the Senate would keep working on this bill -- until the job is done. The New York Democrat has tried to salvage $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, as well as roughly $35 billion for Israel, other allies and national security priorities, after the collapse this week of a bipartisan agreement to tie border enforcement policies to the package. Republicans are divided about how to proceed, and GOP leaders were still scrambling to find a plan that their senators

Ukraine aid collapses despite Biden's plea for Congress to show some spine

A Senate deal on border enforcement measures and Ukraine aid suffered a swift and total collapse Tuesday as Republicans withdrew support despite President Joe Biden urging Congress to show some spine and stand up to Donald Trump. Just minutes after the Democratic president's remarks at the White House, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell emerged from a GOP luncheon at the Capitol and acknowledged that the deal was dead. It looks to me and to most of our members that we have no real chance here to make a law, the Kentucky Republican told reporters. The split-screen moments in Washington represented a rapid turn of events that showed McConnell's slipping control of his GOP conference, Trump's growing influence, and Biden's ability only to look on as a cornerstone of his foreign policy halting Russian President Vladimir Putin's advance into Europe crumbled in Congress. Out of funds, the Pentagon is sending no more arms shipments to Kyiv just as the war entering its third year

US envoys write to Congress to pass emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel: WH

American envoys in nine countries, including India and Japan, wrote to the Congress Tuesday urging it to act quickly to pass the President's National Security Supplemental Funding request, including the aid it contains for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, the White House said. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters that nine US ambassadors to countries across the Indo-Pacific have sent the letter. "The ambassadors wrote about how... 'many countries in the Indo-Pacific are intently focused on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East'," Kirby said quoting from the letter. The ambassadors signing the letter included Philip Goldberg of South Korea, Rahm Emanuel of Japan, Caroline Kennedy of Australia, MaryKay Carlson of the Philippines, Eric Garcetti of India, Nicholas Burns of China, Tom Udall of New Zealand, Edgard Kagan of Malaysia and Marc Knapper of Vietnam. "Governments are watching what we

Biden tells Congress to 'show some spine' as Ukraine aid faces defeat

President Joe Biden on Tuesday acknowledged that a bill to provide security funding for Ukraine and for the US border with Mexico is stalled in Congress. The Democratic president blamed the situation on former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner and told Congress to show some spine and stand up to Trump. A bipartisan Senate deal intended to curb illegal crossings at the US border with Mexico faced almost certain defeat Tuesday as Senate Republicans signalled their opposition, stranding President Joe Biden with no clear way to advance aid for Ukraine through Congress. The Democratic president has urged lawmakers to embrace a bipartisan Senate deal that pairs border enforcement measures with USD 60 billion in wartime aid for Ukraine, as well as tens of billions of dollars more for Israel, other US allies in Asia, the US immigration system and humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and Ukraine.