A Russian Su-34 military jet accidentally fired on the city of Belgorod north of the Ukrainian border, the Russian defense ministry said, leaving a massive crater and damaging homes and cars.
(Bloomberg) — A Russian Su-34 military jet accidentally fired on the city of Belgorod north of the Ukrainian border, the Russian defense ministry said, leaving a massive crater and damaging homes and cars.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, host a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday.
The gathering comes a day after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a surprise visit to Kyiv, his first since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in NATO, he told reporters. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late Thursday that a “well-deserved political invitation” should be extended to Ukraine to join NATO at the alliance’s summit in Lithuania in July.
Key Developments
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- US, Ukraine Allies Consider Near-Total Ban on Exports to Russia
- Macron’s Diplomatic Push on Ukraine Threatens Unity, Allies Warn
- Tanker Company Moving Russian Oil Loses Insurance on G-7 Cap
- Russian Arms Sales to India Stall Due to Fears Over US Sanctions
(All times CET)
Russia Accidentally Strikes City Near Ukraine Border (8:30)
A Russian warplane accidentally fired on the city of Belgorod, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, Tass reported, citing the defense ministry.
“As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod, there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition,” Tass reported, citing the defense ministry.
An unspecified number of buildings were damaged, the state-run Tass news service reported, citing the ministry. Local authorities reported at least three injuries. The regional governor said on Telegram said the bomb left a 20-meter-wide (66 feet) crater on a main street.
Russian Equipment in ‘Dreadful State’: Germany (8:30 a.m.)
Some of the materiel the Kremlin is resupplying its forces in Ukraine with is in “a dreadful state” and “literally from the stone age,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, citing tanks he said were from the 1950s and 60s.
At the same time, it’s difficult to make an accurate assessment of Russia’s capacity to produce more modern equipment, which makes it all the more important that allies continue to support the government in Kyiv, above all with air-defense systems like the Patriot, Pistorius told public broadcaster ZDF. Germany this week delivered a Patriot to Ukraine and has also supplied the advanced IRIS-T air-defense system.
Ukraine Shoots Down Russian Drones (8 a.m.)
Ukraine’s air defense shot down eight out of 10 Iranian-made loitering “Shahed-136” drones launched by Russia overnight at infrastructure cargoes, its General Staff said.
Drones hit some civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s central Poltava region and air defenses were also working in the Kyiv region, local authorities said on their Telegram channels.
It was a second consecutive night of drone attacks, after 10 of 11 of the UAVs were downed the previous night.
Zelenskiy Says He Expects NATO Invitation at July Summit (12:11 a. m.)
Ukraine wants to get an invitation to join NATO in July, when the military alliance’s summit is held in Lithuania, said President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“Neither the majority of Ukrainians, nor the majority of Europeans, nor the majority of the inhabitants of the entire NATO space, will understand” if a “well-deserved political invitation” isn’t offered in Vilnius, Zelenskiy said late Thursday in his daily video address. “Ukraine did everything to ensure that our application was approved.”
Zelenskiy also repeated a call for Russian athletes to be banned from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “It is obvious that a terrorist state will do everything to justify itself through sports or to use the international Olympic Movement to support its aggression,” he said.
Ukraine’s Rightful Place Is in NATO, Stoltenberg Says (2:03 p.m.)
Stoltenberg said he discussed NATO’s multi-year support package, which leaders are due to sign off this summer, when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The initiative aims to help Ukraine’s armed forces transition from Soviet era equipment to those with NATO standards, calling this “a testament to NATO’s long-term commitment to Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy, speaking alongside the NATO chief, stressed Ukraine is “not looking for a compromise,” adding, “we need something more than the current format of relations. We want to understand when Ukraine will join NATO.”
Stoltenberg travels next to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, Germany, on Friday. “I expect that NATO allies and partners will make new announcements of concrete military support to Ukraine,” he said.
US, Ukraine Allies Consider Near-Total Ban on Exports to Russia (2 p.m.)
Some of Ukraine’s key allies including the US are considering moving closer to an outright ban on most exports to Russia, a potentially significant tightening of economic pressure on President Vladimir Putin over his war.
Group of Seven officials are discussing the idea ahead of a leaders summit in Japan in May, according to people familiar with the matter, and the aim would be to include European Union member states in the crackdown. The proposal is still being debated and could change, the people said.
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