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LIVE UPDATES: Macron Not Ruling Out Possibility of Aircraft Deliveries to Ukraine

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Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, after Ukraine intensified attacks against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

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special military operation, donetsk and lugansk people’s republics, intensified attacks

French President Emmanuel Macron listens to US President Joe Biden speak during a joint press conference on December 1, 2022. - Sputnik International

LIVE UPDATES: Macron Not Ruling Out Possibility of Aircraft Deliveries to Ukraine

04:41 GMT 30.01.2023 (Updated: 00:02 GMT 31.03.2023)

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, after Ukraine intensified attacks against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

Precision strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have been carried out by Russian armed forces since October 2022, in response to Ukraine's terrorist attack on Russian territory and the bombing of the Crimean Bridge carried out by Ukrainian intelligence.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said in November of last year that about 50% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure had been damaged. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in December that, at that time, it was impossible to restore the country's energy infrastructure to 100%.

The United States and western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation.

On January 25, Germany pledged to send 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine, after being repeatedly urged to do so by some of its EU and NATO allies. The United States said it would send Ukraine 31 Abrams tanks and eight M88 recovery vehicles, noting, however, that the delivery would take considerable time.

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Table of contents

New firstOld first

03:52 GMT 31.01.2023

A serviceman of DPR People's Militia looks out of a tank in the city of Volnovakha - Sputnik International, 1920, 31.01.2023

Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine

Special Operation Will Definitely End in Russia's Victory, Acting DPR Head Says

31 January 2023, 03:56 GMT

01:30 GMT 31.01.2023

US Air Force F-16C and F-16D fighters assigned with the 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, arrive in Kallax, Sweden on 17 May to support the Arctic Challenge Exercise 21 drills. - Sputnik International, 1920, 31.01.2023

Americas

F-16s Not Needed in Ukraine With US Already Sending New Capabilities, White House Says

31 January 2023, 01:32 GMT

00:49 GMT 31.01.2023

Ukrainian recruits take part in a live fire training exercise at a military base with UK Armed Forces in Southern England - Sputnik International, 1920, 31.01.2023

World

New Court Filings Reveal Ukraine is Jailing Draft Dodgers Now, MP Says

31 January 2023, 00:51 GMT

21:23 GMT 30.01.2023

Истребители ВВС Южной Кореи F15K и ВВС США F-16 на военных учениях - Sputnik International, 1920, 30.01.2023

Military

Biden Reveals US Will Not Provide Ukraine With F-16 Fighter Jets

30 January 2023, 21:27 GMT

19:18 GMT 30.01.2023

Macron Not Ruling Out Possibility of Aircraft Deliveries to Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not rule out the possibility of delivering aircraft to Ukraine.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky's office reported it had begun to request assistance in the form of aircraft and missiles after Western countries announced their intention to supply tanks to Ukraine.

"By definition, we do not rule out anything," Macron said at a press conference following talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte when asked about possible deliveries of aircraft to Ukraine.

Macron said that Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov would arrive in Paris on Tuesday, and that they would hold a meeting.

17:50 GMT 30.01.2023

Ukraine Hopes to Raise $10Bln at G7's Pledging Conference

Ukraine hopes its Western donors will pledge $10 billion at the March meeting of the G7-led multilateral financial facility, the chairwoman of the Ukrainian parliament's Committee on Budget, Roksolana Pidlasa, said on Monday.

Last week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the G7 countries had created a multi-donor coordination platform dubbed Financial Ramstein. According to him, the platform will operate in three main areas: continuous short-term and long-term support to Ukraine, international financing and coordination of reforms, and development of the private sector.

"Ukraine has achieved the creation of a donor coordination platform, the so-called Financial Ramstein. The first substantive meeting will take place in March. The government will discuss with partners the sources of financing the budget deficit of $10 billion," Pidlasa said on the YouTube channel of the Ukrainian parliament.

Ukraine's state budget deficit in 2023 was $38 billion, Pidlasa noted, adding that the Ukrainian government had already negotiated in a targeted way the provision of $10 billion from the United States and 18 billion euros ($19.5 billion) from the European Union.

According to Pidlasa, at the meeting of Financial Ramstein, the main partners, including representatives of the G7 states, the European Commission, and international financial organizations, will discuss "who can provide assistance in this amount."

16:21 GMT 30.01.2023

British Tanks Challenger May Arrive on Front Line in Ukraine Before Summer, Defense Minister Says

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that British tanks Challenger 2 could arrive on the front line in Ukraine before the summer, in May or closer to Easter.

"Obviously, for security reasons, I can’t tell exactly the timings. But what I can say is: it starts with training on individual operations or platforms, then on training on being able to join together with formation units to fight as a formed unit, because that's important, and then from where in those tanks will be put in. What I can say is will be this side of the summer, or May, or probably towards Easter time," he said, answering the lawmakers' question, when British tanks would appear on the front line in Ukraine.

Earlier, UK Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence Alex Chalk said that the UK planned to supply Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine at the end of March, and training of the Ukrainian military to service them was to begin on Monday this week.

14:42 GMT 30.01.2023

German Gov't Reiterates Stance Not to Send Warplanes to Ukraine

German government's refusal to supply Ukraine with fighter jets remains unchanged and any speculations on this topic are untimely, German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said on Monday.

"The Federal Chancellor already spoke on this topic in parliament last week. He also said yesterday during his trip to South America that everything had already been said on this topic and combat aircraft were out of the question," Hoffmann told reporters, adding that the stance outlined by Scholz "remains unchanged."

The spokeswoman also rejected speculations that there was "some kind of competition" among Western countries in the amount of military assistance provided to Ukraine, saying it was an "unnecessary debate at the present time."

"We made a decision on the Leopard tanks only last week. And now we are in the process of implementing logistics and training. And these are the issues that are now in focus and that first of all have to be resolved," Hoffmann noted.

13:43 GMT 30.01.2023

13:12 GMT 30.01.2023

Poland Can Transfer F-16 Fighters to Kiev Only in Coordination With NATO

Poland can hand over its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine only in coordination with NATO, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday.

"As it was a few months ago in the context of the MiGs, any other air force will be disposed and likely transferred in coordination with NATO countries. We will act in full coordination here," Morawiecki told reporters, answering whether Poland is ready to transfer its F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

On Sunday, the chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, spoke in favor of sending fighter jets to Ukraine, in particular, US-made F-16 fighters or Soviet-made fighters from the old stocks of the German Democratic Republic.

13:11 GMT 30.01.2023

Biohazard chemical cabinet - Sputnik International, 1920, 30.01.2023

Russian Military Has Gotten Its Hands on Over 20,000 Docs on US Biowarfare Program in Ukraine: MoD

30 January 2023, 12:45 GMT

13:04 GMT 30.01.2023

NATO Chief Urges South Korea to Provide Military Assistance to Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea on Monday to change its policy on the supply of arms to other countries and provide military assistance to Ukraine, following the example of Germany, Sweden and Norway, in "support of democracy."

"I urge the Republic of Korea to continue and to step up on the specific issue of military support. At the end of the day, it's a decision is for you to make, but I will say that several NATO allies who had as a policy never to export weapons to countries in conflicts, have changed that policy now," Stoltenberg said during a Q&A session at the CHEY Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul.

The NATO chief added that many countries, including Germany, Sweden and Norway, had changed their policies, as they "realized" that the delivery of military support was "the only way to stand up for democracy, to help Ukraine prevail and to create the conditions for a lasting peace."

Stoltenberg arrived in South Korea with a two-day visit on Sunday to discuss issues concerning the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the Ukraine crisis. Later in the day, the NATO chief will travel to Japan.

"Wrapping up two days in Seoul, deepening #NATO's close partnership with South Korea. We share values and concerns, including keeping pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its reckless missile & nuclear activities, and support for Ukraine. I look forward to doing even more together," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter, summing up the results of his trip to South Korea.

11:50 GMT 30.01.2023

Air Raid Sirens Go Off in Several Regions of Ukraine

10:55 GMT 30.01.2023

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Thales weapons manufacturer in Belfast, Monday May 16, 2022 - Sputnik International, 1920, 30.01.2023

World

Kremlin Says Johnson's Claim About Putin Threatening Him With Missile Strike is Bold-Faced Lie

30 January 2023, 10:42 GMT

10:55 GMT 30.01.2023

Ukrainian Pilots Need at Least 6 Months to Master Western Fighter Jets, Prime Minister Says

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday that Kiev expected to receive fighter jets from the West in the near future and it would take Ukrainian pilots at least six months to learn how to operate them.

In this regard, training of Ukrainian pilots should be started immediately or as soon as possible, Shmyhal told the Politico newspaper.

10:54 GMT 30.01.2023

Ukraine Has 'Ambitious Plan' to Join EU in 2 Years

Kiev has an "ambitious plan" for the country's accession to the European Union within two years, with the pre-entry stage of negotiations on the issue expected to take place already in 2023, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told the Politico newspaper on Monday.

"We have a very ambitious plan to join the European Union within the next two years. So we expect that this year, in 2023, we can already have this pre-entry stage of negotiations," Shmyhal was quoted as saying by the media outlet.

However, nobody in the EU considers such a plan realistic, the newspaper reported.

08:11 GMT 30.01.2023

Two People Injured in Russia's Belgorod Region As a Result of Ukrainian Shelling

07:44 GMT 30.01.2023

Beijing Calls US Main Initiator of Ukrainian Crisis, Says It Should Stop Supply of Arms

The United States is the biggest initiator of the Ukrainian crisis, and if Washington really cares about the Ukrainian people, it should stop the supply of arms, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.

"The United States is the main initiator and main driving force of the Ukrainian crisis, it continuously supplies heavy and offensive weapons to Ukraine, prolonging the conflict and making it more intense," Mao told reporters, adding that Washington "should stop sending weapons there and profit from the war."

07:05 GMT 30.01.2023