Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy renewed an appeal to allies to take their support to the next level by supplying his country with advanced fighter jets to help repel Russia’s invasion.
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy renewed an appeal to allies to take their support to the next level by supplying his country with advanced fighter jets to help repel Russia’s invasion.
In his evening address, Zelenskiy said an attack by what he called “Iranian drones” which killed two emergency workers on Monday showed that Ukraine urgently needs the modern combat aircraft that the US and its partners have so far declined to provide to compliment its air defenses.
“We will be able to fully protect the sky when the aviation taboo in relations with our partners is lifted,” Zelenskiy said. President Joe Biden has resisted sending Ukraine F-16 warplanes due to concerns the move could further escalate the war, and has highlighted other advanced weapons systems the US and its NATO allies have provided.
Big Take Podcast: How Does Ukraine Continue to Beat Back Russia?
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(All times CET):
War to Continue Through 2023: Latvia (11:30 a.m.)
Russia has the necessary resources to continue its war on Ukraine through this year, while the government in Kyiv has “the will power” combined with “growing western support” to mount a successful defense, according to Latvia’s security service.
Ukraine could also gradually recover some occupied territory, the service said in its annual report, adding that Russia’s mobilization has still not provided enough troops to carry out attacks outside the eastern Donetsk region close to the frontier. The Kremlin isn’t ready for negotiations to end the war and any signals of such intent are a “bluff,” according to the report.
Europe Needs 2-3 Years to Replace Russian Gas (11 a.m.)
Europe has a lot more work to do before it can fully replace Russian natural gas and prices could rise again, according to Eni SpA Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi.
“It is going to take two to three years for Europe to be able to replace completely Russian gas,” Descalzi told Bloomberg TV. Europe’s total imports of the fuel from Russia this year will be about 60 billion cubic meters less than in 2022, Descalzi said.
Gazprom CEO in Tehran: Tasnim (11 a.m.)
Gazprom PJSC Chief Executive Officer Alexey Miller arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji or his deputies, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Miller plans to discuss a “road map for cooperation” in Iran’s energy sector, according to the report.
Russia Briefly Closes St. Petersburg Airport (10 a.m.)
Russian authorities briefly closed the international airport in St. Petersburg and the airspace in a radius of 200 kilometers (124 miles) around the city, citing an “unknown object,” state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Tass, another state news agency, later said the restrictions had been lifted. Flights were diverted, but no further details were provided.
Bakhmut Defense ‘Running Out of Options’ (8 p.m)
Ukraine’s defense of besieged Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region is running out of options, Zelenskiy said, after signaling last week his forces wouldn’t seek to hold the city at any cost.
“The enemy is gradually destroying everything which can be used to protect our positions,” Zelenskiy said in his address, stopping short of announcing a pullout.
‘We Do Want Ukraine to Win’: US (6:30 p.m.)
The US has every intention of helping Ukraine to achieve victory over Russia even though the Biden administration has resisted demands to supply F-16s, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
“At no time have the Russians ever achieved air superiority over Ukraine,” Kirby said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. Ukraine’s greatest need currently is for air defenses and a better capability for combined-arms maneuvers ahead of an expected counteroffensive in the spring, he said, adding that “we do want Ukraine to win.”
Listen to our special conversations from last week marking one year of war, including our Twitter Space analyzing Zelenskiy’s press conference as it happened. We also discussed the military strategies of the war, the impact on energy and the environment, the effect of sanctions including on the wealth of Russia’s oligarchs and what the future holds for Ukrainian refugees.
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