The US is working with two Ukrainian pilots in at a base in Arizona to determine how long it would take to train them to fly F-16 fighter jets, CNN reported, citing people briefed on the matter.
(Bloomberg) —
The US is working with two Ukrainian pilots in at a base in Arizona to determine how long it would take to train them to fly F-16 fighter jets, CNN reported, citing people briefed on the matter.
Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian troops are pursuing an attempt to cut off the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut. A US-based military analysis group said Ukraine may be planning a “controlled” withdrawal.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Russian troops in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to a video released by his ministry. Shoigu “paid special attention to the creation of necessary conditions for the safe accommodation of personnel in field conditions,” the ministry said.
Key Developments
- US Announces $400 Million in Ammunition and Supplies for Ukraine
- Putin Orders New Rules for Defense Firms in Case of Martial Law
- Russia Is Getting Round Sanctions to Buy Key Chips for War in Ukraine
(All times CET)
Russian Forces Unlikely to Encircle Bakhmut Soon, ISW Says (8:30 a.m.)
Russian forces haven’t yet forced Ukrainian forces to abandon Bakhmut and are unlikely to encircle the city soon, let alone take it by frontal assault, said analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War.
Moscow’s progress in the Donetsk city remains incremental, ISW said in an update. It threatens some of parts of the city, which had a pre-war population of about 70,000, while Ukrainian forces may be setting conditions for a controlled fighting withdrawal out of particularly difficult sectors, ISW said, adding that it’s not clear whether Ukraine’s commanders have decided to withdraw.
US Evaluates Ukrainian Pilots for Flight Training, CNN Reports (8 a.m.)
Two Ukrainian pilots are at a base in Arizona having their skills tested in flight simulators to evaluate how much time they would need to learn to fly various US military aircraft, CNN reported, citing three people briefed on the matter.
The effort was described by a US military official traveling with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as a routine part of military-to-military dialogue with Ukraine. The official said there were no immediate plans to expand the operation.
The effort comes as Ukrainian officials press Western allies to provide modern fighter jets as part of Kyiv’s defense against Russia. Austin left Washington on Saturday, en route to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
Shoigu’s Troop Visit Focused on Field Conditions, Ministry Says (7 a.m.)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in meetings with commanders in the Donetsk region, discussed the current situation and paid particular attention to conditions for Moscow’s troops, the ministry said in a statement.
That included “the safe accommodation of personnel in field conditions, the organization of comprehensive support for troops, and the work of medical and logistics units.”
The ministry on Saturday released a video of Shoigu’s visit, showing him in meetings with field commanders and presenting medals to Russian troops. It’s unclear when Shoigu’s trip too place.
Toll From Zaporizhzhia Missile Attack Grows to 13 (7 a.m.)
Ukraine’s emergency services said the death toll from Thursday’s Russian missile strike on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia has risen to 13, including an eight-month-old girl and her parents.
So far, 853 tons of debris have been removed from the site of the S-300 surface-to-air missile attack as rescue and recovery efforts continue.
Scholz Says Weapons to Ukraine Will Continue (11:08 p.m.)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged continued military support for Ukraine, saying allies led by the US and Europe will ensure that the country is able to defend itself.
“It is very difficult to judge what will be the next things to happen in Ukraine, but there is something which is absolutely clear,” Scholz said on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” in a transcript provided by the network. “We will continue to support Ukraine with financial, humanitarian aid but also with weapons.”
Scholz was interviewed during a visit to Washington on Friday to meet President Joe Biden, who praised German military aid to date for Ukraine.
Ukraine, EU Allies to Gather War-Crimes Evidence (7 p.m.)
Ukraine and six European Union countries agreed to set up a center at The Hague to collect evidence of possible war crimes in Ukraine, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin told reporters in Lviv. The EU launch countries are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The center will start its work this summer, Kostin said.
“Ukrainian prosecutors and prosecutors from other countries will work at the center, who will gather evidences of crimes of aggression,” Kostin said. It’s the “first practical step toward setting up a tribunal” that would prosecute Russians, he said.
Fighting Continues on Bakhmut Outskirts, Spokesman Tells CNN (3:42 p.m.)
Russia hasn’t taken control of the Donetsk city of Bakhmut, and fighting continues around villages to the north and the west, an official with Ukraine’s armed forces told CNN.
“The fighting in Bakhmut is more on the outskirts, with the city controlled by Ukrainian defense forces,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the eastern grouping of the armed forces, told the TV network.
Commenting on reports that Ukrainian units were withdrawing from the city, Cherevatyi said some controlled, planned rotations were underway.
Saudi Arabia Shipped Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine (3:22 p.m.)
Three airplanes with humanitarian aide for Ukraine, including 135 power generators, have been dispatched by Saudi Arabia, presidential aide Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram.
Ukraine and Saudi Arabia last weekend signed agreements worth a total of $400 million after the kingdom’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Kyiv.
Russia Is Getting Around Sanctions on Chips (9 a.m.)
Russia looks to be working around EU and G-7 sanctions to secure crucial semiconductors and other technologies for its war in Ukraine, according to a senior European diplomat.
Russian imports in general have largely returned to their prewar 2020 levels and analysis of trade data suggests that advanced chips and integrated circuits made in the EU and other allied nations are being shipped to Russia through third countries such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan, the diplomat said, pointing to those private assessments.
Read more: Russia Is Getting Round Sanctions to Buy Key Chips for Its War
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
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