An explosion destroyed Russian cruise missiles being transported by rail in Crimea, Ukraine’s military intelligence said on Facebook. The “mysterious” blast in Djankoi “continues the process of Russia’s demilitarization,” it said.
(Bloomberg) — An explosion destroyed Russian cruise missiles being transported by rail in Crimea, Ukraine’s military intelligence said on Facebook. The “mysterious” blast in Djankoi “continues the process of Russia’s demilitarization,” it said.
Russian officials said anti-aircraft batteries downed drones in the area, where a state of emergency was declared.
Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off the second day of his state visit to Moscow with talks with Russia’s prime minister. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kyiv for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Key Developments
- Xi Hails Ties With Russia as He Starts More Talks With Putin
- Japan Leader Kishida Visits Ukraine for Talks With Zelenskiy
- Xi Meets Russian Prime Minister After Long Chat With Putin
- Hungary Blocked Joint EU Statement on Putin’s Arrest Warrant
(All times CET)
Ukraine Approves $14 Billion Boost in Defense Spending (1:21 p.m.)
Ukraine’s parliament approved an increase in the state budget for defense by 518 billion hryvnia ($14 billion), lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said on Facebook. The money will be used for military needs, including compensation for servicemen, purchases of food and equipment including drones.
US Seeks to Speed up Delivery of Abrams Tanks (12:55 p.m.)
The US is working to get Abrams tanks to Ukraine a little bit faster than previously expected, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on MSNBC on Tuesday.
“We’re working on that,” he said. “There’s some changes that you can make to the process to sort of speed that up.”
Russia Flies Bombers Over Sea of Japan (11 a.m.)
Russia sent two strategic bombers on a planned flight over international waters of the Sea of Japan as Kishida was scheduled to visit Zelenskiy in Ukraine on Tuesday.
The flight lasted more than than seven hours and was carried out in compliance with international rules, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in its Telegram channel.
Xi Meets Russian Prime Minister After Long Chat With Putin (9:40 a.m.)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a major topic for the leaders, according to both sides, with Putin saying before the meeting that he’s ready to discuss China’s initiative for ending the war. Xi also invited President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to visit China, Interfax reported.
The US and its allies have rejected those proposals as biased toward Russia, and Ukraine has been cool, as well. Xi is expected to speak to Zelenskiy for the first time since the February 2022 invasion after his Russia visit. Xi had more than four hours of conversations the day before with Putin.
Russian Missiles Destroyed in Crimea Explosion (8:20 a.m.)
Russian missiles being transported by rail in Crimea were destroyed in an explosion, Ukraine’s military intelligence said on Facebook. The “mysterious” blast in Djankoi which hit Kalibr missiles “continues the process of Russia’s demilitarization” and prepares Crimea for “deoccupation,” it said.
Russian officials said anti-aircraft batteries downed drones in the Djankoi area, where a state of emergency was declared. The wreckage injured one person and damaged a home and a store but didn’t affect the railway network, officials said.
Japan Leader Kishida to Visit Ukraine for Talks With Zelenskiy (8:10 a.m.)
Kishida intends to show his support for Ukraine during the visit, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Japanese premier had been on a trip to India, where he condemned Russia’s invasion in a policy speech and sought to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi closer to the G-7 nations’ position on the war.
The visit is the most visible symbol yet of support from Tokyo for Zelenskiy, who has spoken with Kishida at online conferences and addressed Japan’s parliament through a video link in March of last year.
(A previous version was corrected to say that the NSC’s Kirby spoke to MSNBC.)
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