Air raid sirens went off again in various parts of Ukraine on Thursday evening. According to the authorities, the air defense was also active near the capital Kiev. In particular, the population was warned of drone attacks and asked to remain in protective facilities until everything was safe. Ukrainian media reported explosions in Kiev and western regions of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has high hopes for the prospect of US F-16 fighter jets. They would not only strengthen the country’s defenses, but also send a strong signal that Russian aggression would fail, Zelensky said in his evening speech on Wednesday.
On the fringe of the G7 summit of leading democratic economic powers last week, US President Joe Biden effectively paved the way for a coalition of allies to supply F-16 jets to Ukraine. Ukrainian fighter pilots will be trained to fly the machines.
The current developments in the live ticker:
Zelenskyy also appealed to the people of Iran not to support the delivery of Iranian kamikaze drones to Russia. Although Ukraine has learned to stop most attacks with the Shahed attack drones, hits are still being made. The drone attacks on civilians are carried out by Russia, “but with their weapons,” he told the Iranians. According to Selesky, about 900 of the approximately 1,160 Shahed drones sent by the Russian military were shot down. The flying robots, most of which are equipped with explosive charges, are designed to attack their targets in a manner similar to missiles.
Russian civil defense officials rejected a report of a fire at the Ministry of Defense building in Moscow on Thursday evening. The fire brigade had not discovered a fire, a civil protection spokesman told the Tass news agency. Shortly before, the government had reported a fire on a balcony of the building, citing a representative of the emergency services. Smoke could be seen on the building in a video posted online. Messages on online platforms also mentioned a pungent odor in the neighbourhood.
Earlier this month, according to Russian sources, two drones were shot down over the Kremlin – the official residence of President Vladimir Putin. The Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for this.
According to a report, the United States suspects that a special forces unit of the army or secret service in Ukraine was likely responsible for the drone incident on the Kremlin grounds. The US intelligence services did not know which unit carried out the attack, the New York Times reports based on anonymous sources within the US government. It is also unclear whether the Ukrainian president or his top officials knew about the action.
According to the newspaper report, the US secret services reached their preliminary assessment through intercepted messages, among other things. However, there is only a “low” degree of certainty. In early May, Russia announced that two drones had crashed as they approached the Kremlin site.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged differences among the allies over possible moves to include Ukraine in the defense alliance. “I admit that there are different views in the alliance on this issue,” Stoltenberg said Wednesday at an event of the American foundation German Marshall Fund (GMF) in Brussels.
He also recalled that decisions in the defense alliance are made according to the consensus principle. This means that steps towards admitting Ukraine can only be taken if no one objects. President Selenskyj had recently called on alliance states to pave the way for his country’s entry into the Western military alliance at the next NATO summit in July.
As compensation for tank deliveries to Ukraine, the German Bundeswehr will receive 18 new Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks. According to participants, the budget committee of the Bundestag released about 525 million euros on Wednesday. At the end of March, Ukraine received 18 modern Leopard 2A6 tanks from Germany. The Leopard 2 is considered the main weapon of the German armored forces. It has been in series production since 1978 and is constantly being modernized.
The situation in the disputed areas of Ukraine and the Russian airstrikes are likely to continue to be of interest. The international contact group for the coordination of military aid to Ukraine meets virtually. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chief of Staff Mark Milley hold a press conference in the United States. (con/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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