NATO may supply combat fighter jets to Ukraine
2023.02.08 13:38
NATO may supply combat fighter jets to Ukraine
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, started a European tour on Wednesday to get help. He got the British to promise to train Ukrainian pilots on cutting-edge NATO fighter jets, which is a big boost in Western military support.
On only his second trip abroad since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, he made his first stop in London. Later on Wednesday, Zelenskiy was expected to travel to Paris, and on Thursday, he was expected to travel to Brussels, where the European Union summit is taking place.
In an effort to overcome Western reluctance to take that action, Zelenskiy urged Britain and other nations to provide Ukraine with “wings for freedom” by sending combat aircraft to assist in turning the tide against Russia’s offensive.
Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, stated that the nation would accelerate the supply of military equipment, including longer-range capabilities, and that it would also include pilots in its Ukrainian military training. Kyiv asserts that Russia is intensifying its assault on parts of Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions that are held by the Ukrainian government and that Moscow has unilaterally declared to be now part of Russia.
“Strong indications” have been found, according to international prosecutors, that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the use of a Russian missile system in Ukraine, which brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over eastern Ukraine in 2014. A request for comment was sent to the Kremlin, which did not immediately respond. In the past, the Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement of the Russian state.
Three people who are familiar with the discussions told Reuters that Russian authorities are discussing a one-time budget contribution from businesses this year of approximately 200-250 billion roubles ($2.8-$3.5 billion), as Moscow tries to reduce its growing budget deficit.
State oil revenues have decreased significantly as a result of Western sanctions against Russia, and tens of billions of dollars have been diverted to shipping and refining companies, some of which have connections to Russia.
Before two OFZ treasury bond auctions, Russia’s rouble fell to a one-month low against the dollar, held back from a more dramatic fall by the government’s foreign currency sales. Russia is compensating for lower oil and gas revenues by selling 8.9 billion roubles ($124.48 million) worth of foreign currency each day, down 46.4% year-over-year in January.
According to Russian news agencies, a fire erupted at an oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region’s southern part, but it was eventually put out. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused it.
On Wednesday, while on a trip to the Polish capital, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Western partners could deliver the first battalion of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine within the first three or four months of this year.
A blog post written by a U.S. investigative journalist claiming that the United States was responsible for the explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines was “utterly false and complete fiction,” according to the White House on Wednesday.
Reporting what he described as the most intense shelling and attacks on the front line in eastern Ukraine thus far, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai stated on Ukrainian television, “We are repulsing all their attempts to break through.”
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force, demanded more missiles: The adversary is advancing in the east, achieving success in some areas, and amassing forces. Prepare yourselves.”
