The US is sending Ukraine a new $2.1 billion weapons package, the Pentagon said Friday, including a new ground-launched, bomb-tipped rocket.
(Bloomberg) —
The US is sending Ukraine a new $2.1 billion weapons package, the Pentagon said Friday, including a new ground-launched, bomb-tipped rocket.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he wanted to begin accession talks to the European Union this year after meeting with the bloc’s leaders in Kyiv, urging EU member states to rapidly deliver weapons ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive.
Russia said 63 of its servicemen were returned from detention in Ukraine after mediation by the United Arab Emirates, including some from a “sensitive category” it didn’t specify. Ukraine said 116 of its soldiers were released in the swap.
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Key Developments
- US Is Sending Ukraine Additional $2.1 Billion in Military Aid
- As Europe Bans Russian Diesel, Traders Plot Ways Around It
- China-Russia Ties Growing, Ministry Says After Official’s Visit
- G-7, EU Set $100 Price Cap on Russian Diesel as Import Ban Looms
- US Raises Pressure on Turkey and UAE to Curb Russia Trade Ties
On the Ground
Ukraine struck Russian troop bases in occupied territory at least eight times over the past day, while Russian troops suffered “heavy casualties” in a continued offensive near Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka in Donetsk, Ukraine’s military staff said on Facebook. Over the past day, Russian forces conducted 20 air and three missile strikes, including, on civilian infrastructure of Kharkiv and Mykolayiv regions. Kremlin authorities have resumed evacuation of residents from occupied areas of Ukraine, the military staff said. Two civilians were killed in Toretsk and Bakhmut over past 24 hours with 14 people injured, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the region’s military administration.
(All times CET)
Ukraine, Russia in Year’s First Prisoner Swap (11 a.m.)
Ukraine said 116 of its service members were returned in exchange for 63 Russian prisoners of war. The Russian defense ministry said earlier that its returning soldiers included some in an unspecified “sensitive” category.
The Ukrainians released include soldiers who captured in Mariupol in the spring and others who served in Kherson, Bakhmut and other areas, said Andriy Yermak, chief of the presidential office.
Ukraine also received the remains of two British volunteers — Christopher Perry and Andrew Bagshaw — and of Yevhen Kulyk, a Ukrainian who served in the French Foreign Legion before returning after Russia’s invasion.
‘Sensitive’ Russian Servicemen Among New Prisoner Swap (10 a.m.)
A prisoner swap involving 63 Russian servicemen included an unnamed number from a “sensitive category” released after mediation efforts involving the United Arab Emirates, Russia’s defense ministry said.
“A complicated negotiations process resulted in 63 Russian servicemen returned from Ukrainian territory,” the ministry said.
The UAE was also involved in the swap of US basketball player Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December.
Poland Now Training Ukrainian Troops on Leopard 2 Tanks (11 a.m.)
Poland is already training select Ukrainian soldiers on German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks, defense minister Mariusz Blaszczak said in Kyiv on Friday. The first round of training is expected to be completed within weeks, as Ukraine and its allies brace for a potential new attack by Russian.
Countries that have issued firm declarations have also started the procedure of handing over the tanks, Blaszczak said during a joint appearance with Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense chief.
The joint efforts of allies to create a Ukrainian tank battalion is “gathering pace,” he said, adding that final declarations from states willing to donate the Leopards are expected at the next meeting of the Ramstein group in Brussels in mid-February.
Widespread Blackouts in Odesa (9:30 a.m.)
Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa and a part of the Odesa district have been without power since Friday night after what were termed two large-scale accidents at one of the local power facilities, according to unit of power company DTEK.
Social media images showed what was said to be an electrical substation in flames.
US Aid Volunteer Killed Near Bakhmut (8 a.m.)
American volunteer aid worker Pete Reed was killed in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Thursday according to a statement from Global Response Medicine, the humanitarian group he founded.
Reed, 33, a US Marine veteran, was “killed while rendering aid” for another group, Global Outreach Doctors, GRM said in a statement posted on social media first reported by CNN.
“This is a stark reminder of the perils rescue and aid workers face in conflict zones as they serve citizens caught in the crossfire,” GRM said.
Russia Absorbs Occupied Areas Into Military District, UK Says (7 a.m.)
Russia “has formally integrated occupied areas of Ukraine into its southern military district,” the UK defense ministry said.
Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, “are being placed under the three-star command headquartered in Rostov-on-Don” in Russia, the UK said, citing Tass.
The move comes as Ukraine’s president has warned that the next phase of Russia’s invasion is likely to include new attacks launched from occupied regions.
Beijing-Moscow Ties Growing, Chinese Ministry Says After Lavrov Meeting (6:28 a.m.)
China’s strategic partnership with Russia has strong momentum and will continue to grow, the government said in a statement that confirmed Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited Russia this week. Ma was in Russia for two days ending Friday and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to the ministry.
Ukraine Expected to Extend Mobilization Period (6 a.m.)
Ukraine’s parliament will likely extend martial law and mobilization for another 90 days from Feb. 19, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on his Telegram channel. The two laws will be submitted to the Parliament “shortly” and the assembly will discuss them next week, he said. It will be the sixth extension since Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24.
Latest US Weapons Package Includes New Hybrid Rocket/Bomb (7 p.m.)
The US is sending Ukraine a new $2.1 billion weapons package, the Pentagon said, including a new ground-launched, bomb-tipped rocket.
The latest aid includes $425 million in equipment drawn from existing US stockpiles and $1.75 billion in contracts to the defense industry, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Defense Department spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon.
The new rocket from Boeing Co. combines two proven devices: an Air Force Small-Diameter Bomb guided by GPS satellites that’s currently in wide use and an Army rocket already being operated by Ukraine’s forces. An industry official said it would take about nine months for the first deliveries once the Air Force issues a contract.
EU Backs $100 Price Cap for Russian Diesel as Import Ban Looms (6:20 p.m.)
European Union member states agreed to impose a cap of $100 per barrel on sales of Russian diesel to third countries as part of an effort to limit Moscow’s revenues, according to people familiar with matter.
The price cap mechanism is tied to an EU ban on seaborne imports of Russian refined fuels that kicks in Sunday. The bloc agreed to the $100 level for petroleum products that trade at a premium, including diesel. It backed a cap of $45 for those that sell at a discount, such as fuel oil and some types of naphtha.
France and Italy to Provide Their Air-Defense System (6:10 p.m.)
France and Italy plan to deliver the SAMP/T air defense system, also known as MAMBA, to Ukraine in the spring, the French defense ministry said in a statement after the French and Italian ministers spoke by phone.
MAMBA is the first long-range anti-missile system made by French and Italian companies and will help Ukraine to defend itself against drone, missile and jet attacks, the statement said.
Ukraine Gathers War-Seasoned Volunteers to Spearhead Future Offensive (5:32 p.m.)
Ukraine began to assemble a network of eight brigades tasked with leading the future effort to liberate all of the country’s territory from Russian occupiers. Regional authorities and police chiefs started a nationwide call-up for volunteers with combat experience, including men and women, to join the so-called Guard of the Offensive.
Reporting to the Interior Ministry, the units will be preparing to liberate the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as well as occupied territories, including Crimea, according to a statement on the campaign’s website.
Zelenskiy Calls for Fast Path to EU as Russia Plans Offensive (3:12 p.m.)
The Ukrainian leader urged deeper integration into the European Union as he tries to rally his country to face an anticipated military offensive from Russia.
Zelenskiy and his government held two days of talks with von der Leyen and her commissioners, who traveled to Kyiv to deliver a strong signal that Europe will stand up for Ukraine, but made no promises on the next steps for the country’s efforts to join the EU.
Read More: Zelenskiy Calls for Fast Path to EU as Russia Plans Offensive
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