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Post by Admin on Jul 28, 2024 11:41:25 GMT
Ukraine would like the fighting with Russia to end as quickly as possible to stop the loss of life, Vladimir Zelensky has said.
The Ukrainian leader was speaking with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state visiting Kiev. Zelensky thanked the Holy See for a “strong signal” of support to Ukraine.
“I think all of us understand that we have to finish the war, as soon as possible of course, not to lose people’s lives,” Zelensky said in English, according to the video posted on his Telegram channel.
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Post by Admin on Jul 29, 2024 11:53:10 GMT
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Mr. Austin had spoken by phone with Russia’s defense minister only five other times, almost always at the Pentagon’s initiative and often in an effort to avoid miscalculations that could escalate the conflict.
In fact, Mr. Austin had reached out to Russia’s new defense minister, Andrei Belousov, just a couple of weeks earlier, on June 25, in an effort to keep the “lines of communication open,” the Pentagon said. It was the first phone call between the two men since Mr. Belousov, an economist, replaced Sergei K. Shoigu, Russia’s long-running defense minister, in a Kremlin shake-up in May.
Now on July 12, Mr. Belousov was calling to relay a warning, according to two U.S. officials and another official briefed on the call: The Russians had detected a Ukrainian covert operation in the works against Russia that they believed had the Americans’ blessing. Was the Pentagon aware of the plot, Mr. Belousov asked Mr. Austin, and its potential to ratchet up tensions between Moscow and Washington?
Pentagon officials were surprised by the allegation and unaware of any such plot, the two U.S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential phone call. But whatever Mr. Belousov revealed, all three officials said, it was taken seriously enough that the Americans contacted the Ukrainians and said, essentially, if you’re thinking about doing something like this, don’t.
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Post by Admin on Jul 31, 2024 16:28:36 GMT
(Bloomberg) -- The first delivery of F-16 fighter jets from NATO allies has arrived in Ukraine, in a long-awaited move that may boost the war-torn nation’s ability to repel Russian attacks. The deadline for the transfer of the US-made warplanes was the end of this month and it has been respected, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke under condition of anonymity. The number of jets is small, they said.
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Post by Admin on Jul 31, 2024 20:07:02 GMT
The first F-16 fighter jets are set to arrive in Ukraine from Nato member states, after many months of preparation and pilot training. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said they are essential to help Ukrainians push back against Russia's aerial dominance and “unblock the skies”. Russian forces have been preparing for the Ukrainian F-16s too. They have targeted a number of Ukrainian military airfields and there are growing concerns that these long-awaited jets will be attacked and destroyed soon after they arrive. In July alone, at least three airfields have come under attack: Myrhorod and Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine and one in southern Odesa region. Moscow claims it has destroyed five Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets and one MiG-29, along with a radar and valuable Patriot air defence launchers.
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Post by Admin on Aug 1, 2024 12:57:38 GMT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed a law allowing Kyiv to suspend its external debt payments until October 1. According to the database of the Ukrainian parliament, Zelenskiy signed the law on July 31. After Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv agreed with its creditors to freeze payments of around $23 billion until August 1, 2024. The adoption of the law allowing Kyiv to postpone payments means that Ukraine will enter a short-term debt default that will last until private bondholders agree to postpone Ukraine's debt payments until 2027. That option has been supported by foreign governments. Such a deal would have less of an impact on Ukraine's long-term borrowing than if no agreement is reached.
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