Ukraine receives new weapons from the US – the night update without photos Attack in Brussels: highest terror level lifted – probably lone perpetrator

New ATACMS missiles

Ukraine has been supplied with new heavy weapons from the US. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj confirmed the receipt and first use of US ATACMS missiles on Tuesday evening. At the same time, the Voice of America broadcaster reported that Kiev had now received the promised 31 heavy Abrams battle tanks from US stockpiles.

Zelenskyj thanked US President Joe Biden for his support and confirmed that the agreements made would be implemented “very carefully”. “The ATACMS have proven themselves,” he said in his evening video address. According to reports in Ukrainian and American media, the ATACMS were used for the first time this morning in attacks on two Russian-operated airports in eastern Ukraine.

Kiev had long ago requested the weapon system (English: Army Tactical Missile System). Nine helicopters were destroyed in attacks on airfields near the cities of Luhansk and Berdyansk on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian sources. In addition, special technology, an anti-aircraft launch platform and weapons arsenals were destroyed, the army’s special forces in Kiev told Telegram on Tuesday. The runways were also damaged. Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zalushnyj published a short video on Telegram in the evening, which he said showed the launch of the ATACMS missiles to attack Russian air bases.

According to the defense company Lockheed Martin, the ATACMS missiles, which are fired from the ground at targets on the ground, have a range of up to 300 kilometers and hit very accurately. As the New York Times and the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing US government officials, the missiles now being delivered to Kiev are choked models.

Equipping Ukraine with missiles raises concerns that targets in Russia could also be attacked. For this reason, the US and other Western partners have long responded very hesitantly to demands from Kiev. Zelensky claimed his country had no intention of using the missiles to attack Moscow or other targets on Russian territory.

Zelenskyj sees success at the front

After a meeting of the Ukrainian General Staff, Zelensky emphasized the successes of his troops in the fight against the Russian occupiers. “There are results,” he said on Tuesday, without giving details. Shortly before, the Ukrainian military leadership had reported new territorial gains in the central Ukrainian district of Zaporizhia. The Russian lines there were pushed back almost a kilometer. This information could not be independently verified.

Kiev expects early negotiations on EU membership

Kiev expects the first negotiations on Ukraine’s admission to the EU this year. President Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian parliament had passed the necessary resolution and that he was now waiting for the text of the law to sign it. “Our task remains unchanged: we want to be ready to start negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the EU this year,” he said. Ukraine expects that the heads of state and government of the EU countries will make a political decision to start negotiations.

Both Ukraine and its small neighboring country Moldova were granted EU candidate status in June 2022. It will be decided in December whether accession negotiations with the two countries will begin. EU Council President Charles Michel recently argued that the EU should be prepared to accept countries such as Ukraine by 2030.

The EU Parliament is in favor of EUR 50 billion in aid to Ukraine

The European Parliament supports plans for new billions in aid for war-torn Ukraine, but also wants Russian funds to be used for this purpose. This concerns an amount of 50 billion euros, which the European Commission recently proposed. The money will flow to the reconstruction and modernization of the country from 2024 to 2027, as the EU Parliament announced in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

That will be important on Wednesday

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit North Korea this Wednesday and Thursday. Lavrov is also expected there to prepare for a trip by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang. North Korea has been internationally criticized for supplying weapons for Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. (sda/dpa)