The British government is assessing the possibility of sending combat aircraft to Ukraine to help in the war against Russia as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a surprise visit to the UK.
(Bloomberg) — The British government is assessing the possibility of sending combat aircraft to Ukraine to help in the war against Russia as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a surprise visit to the UK.
While addressing lawmakers in Westminster, Zelenskiy praised the UK for supporting his nation in its fight against Russia since the first day of the invasion. He is due to meet the leaders of France and Germany later on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian leader’s speech came after US President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address that Vladimir Putin’s invasion “has been a test for the ages, a test for America, a test for the world,” adding that the US and its allies had risen to the challenge.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- Russia Survived a Year of Sanctions by Investing as Never Before
- Biden Calls Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine a ‘Test for the Ages’
- US to Sell Himars, Ammunition to Poland in $10 Billion Deal
- Ukraine to Get as Many as 178 Leopard 1 Tanks From EU Allies
- Russia’s Latest Information War Tactic: Spoofing Foreign Media
On the Ground
Russia struck the center of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine with at least six S-300 missiles, regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram overnight. An industrial facility and the city’s central park were hit, Interfax-Ukraine reported, citing Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Over the past day, Ukrainian forces repelled attacks near 22 settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook. Russian troops are continuing their offensive on several axes in the east, including near the towns of Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, Vuhledar and Kreminna.
(All times CET)
UK Assessing Possibility of Sending Jets to Ukraine (4:12 p.m.)
The UK is assessing the possibility of sending combat aircraft to Ukraine and aims to begin training Ukrainian pilots in the spring. Britain isn’t looking to send Typhoon jets in the immediate future, but rather sees the possibility of sending planes as a long-term solution, Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, told reporters.
Zelenskiy had earlier in the day urged Britain to provide planes, telling parliamentarians “We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.”
Zelenskiy, Scholz to Meet Macron in Paris (3:28 p.m.)
Zelenskiy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Paris later on Wednesday to meet with Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement from the French president’s office.
Zelenskiy Hails UK Support in London (2:25 p.m.)
Addressing lawmakers in English, Zelenskiy praised the UK for backing Ukraine from the very start of the war.
“London has stood with Kyiv since day one,” he said, insisting that Russia was destined to lose.
“The United Kingdom is marching with us toward the most important victory of our lifetime. After we win together, any aggressor, it doesn’t matter, big or small, will know what awaits him if he attacks international order.”
Read More: Zelenskiy Hails UK Support in London Ahead of Russian Offensive
Russia Won’t ‘Break’ Ukraine, Estonia’s Spy Chief Says (1:50 p.m.)
Estonia’s top intelligence official predicted a grinding conflict in Ukraine, with the war to be decided “on the battlefield,” though he expressed optimism that Kyiv will prevail against Russian forces.
Kaupo Rosin, director general of Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, spoke after the agency issued an annual report assessing that Vladimir Putin remains convinced time is on his side in the war. As NATO member states ramp up weapons deliveries with battle tanks – and potentially air power – the Kremlin will struggle to fulfill its war aims, he said.
Sunak Hopes to See First ICC Indictments Over Ukraine War Soon (1:25 p.m.)
UK Prime Minister Sunak said he expects the International Criminal Court will announce its first indictments relating to Russia’s war in Ukraine soon. Sunak told the House of Commons at Wednesday lunchtime that he discussed Britain’s work with the ICC with Zelenskiy during their meeting this morning, and that he hoped to see the ICC’s first indictments shortly.
Russia Asks Roger Waters to Speak at UN (10:18 a.m.)
Russia has invited Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters to address a UN Security Council meeting on the almost year-long invasion of Ukraine.
Waters sparked condemnation in September when he blamed “extreme nationalists” for setting Ukraine “on the path to this disastrous war” in an open letter to Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska. Planned concerts by the musician in Poland were later canceled.
Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, praised Waters’s letter as “a very emotional and wise message.” The Russian diplomat said on Telegram that Waters would take part in the Security Council hearing Wednesday on peace prospects “in the light of escalating Western arms supplies” to Ukraine, at Moscow’s request.
Russia Invests as Never Before to Survive Sanctions (7:45 a.m.)
Russia is trying to spend its way out of the self-inflicted economic crisis that threatened to deliver the deepest recession of Putin’s more than two-decade rule.
Roaring exports of commodities funneled capital into the coffers of the government and companies, feeding an upswing in business investment that was without precedent during previous economic contractions and proved crucial to powering the war effort in the year since the invasion of Ukraine.
Facing initial forecasts for a decline of up to 20% in capital expenditure, Russia instead saw it increase 6% in 2022, according to Bloomberg Economics.
Zelenskiy Meets New German Defense Minister Pistorius (7:45 a.m.)
Zelenksiy on Tuesday met new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who visited Ukraine in his first overseas trip in that post. Zelenskiy praised Germany for a long-expected decision to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine and allow third countries to do likewise.
“The recent decisions on the tank coalition and the initiative from our European friends in cooperation with our Ministry of Defense can really give us not advantages, yet parity on the battlefield,” the Ukrainian President’s Office said in a statement on its website citing Zelenskiy. “It is necessary to understand that it depends on time, on the quantity and modernity of the tank coalition’s equipment.”
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