KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — In a day of mutual concessions, Western countries pledged to send more weapons to Ukraine after the European Union on Thursday introduced a blanket ban on imports of Russian coal, adding to sanctions against Moscow that intelligence says are hurting its defense exports. .
Germany, seen at the beginning of Russia’s invasion as an indifferent best friend of Ukraine, is operating what Chancellor Olaf Scholz described as a “massive” break with its afterlife by sending weapons to the war-torn country.
Scholz said Germany “sends weapons, a very, very large, radical and very effective number. And we will continue to do so in the future. ” Her government has approved army exports of at least $710 million and plans to provide more monetary assistance to Ukraine, the foreign minister said.
At a convention in Copenhagen, Britain and Denmark also pledged to protect Ukraine from the Russian invasion, which devastated the country and reverberated around the world.
“We will disappoint them,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the opening of a one-day foreign donor conference. of $500 million. She called it “a massive gift. “
By comparison, Ukraine’s biggest donor, the United States, has committed $9. 1 billion in security since the invasion by Russian troops on Feb. 24.
To put more pressure on Russia, Britain announced it would send more rocket and guided missile launch systems to Ukraine. The missiles can hit targets of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) with excessive accuracy, the British government said.
The new weapons, the number of which is not specified, are in addition to several rocket launch systems provided through Britain this year after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to be sent to Ukraine.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the top military shows the West “will stand shoulder to shoulder, offering defensive military aid to Ukraine to help it protect itself against Putin’s invasion. “
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking by videoconference at the assembly of countries basically from northern Europe, called for more help. “The faster we prevent Russia, the faster we can feel safe,” he said.
Britain said Moscow was already pressured by the need to produce armoured fighting vehicles for its troops in Ukraine and that “it is highly unlikely that it will be able to meet certain export orders,” in a sector it has long been proud of.
The British defense intelligence update, which highlights the “growing effect of Western sanctions,” is consistent with Western confidence that the series of measures imposed on the Kremlin since the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 is affecting the Russian economy.
The update states that, due to war and sanctions, “the commercial capacity of its military is now under pressure, and the credibility of many of its weapons systems has been affected by its arrangement with the poor functionality of Russian forces. “
As the war approaches part of the year, Russia faces other challenges. Amid reports that many Russian infantrymen refused to fight and would leave the army, secret recruitment efforts are underway, adding the use of prisoners to make up for the shortage of trained soldiers. army.
The credibility of Russia’s military was hurt on Wednesday when Ukraine said nine Russian warplanes had been destroyed following explosions at a Russian-controlled Crimean airbase that appeared to be the result of a Ukrainian attack.
Russia has denied that any aircraft broke down in the explosions, or that an attack occurred. But satellite images obviously showed that at least seven fighter jets at the base had exploded and others likely broke up.
The U. K. ‘s Wallace dismissed Russian explanations for the blasts, a whimsical cigarette butt, as an “apology. “
“When you just look at the images of two simultaneous explosions, not side by side, and some of the damage reported even by the Russian authorities, I think it’s transparent that this is not something that happens when someone drops a cigarette,” he said. Briton said. says the minister.
Ukrainian forces organizing a major counteroffensive in the south have retaken 54 settlements in the Kherson region, which was overrun by Russia at the start of the war, the governor said Thursday.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, Yaroslav Yanushevych also accused Moscow of bombing lost spaces in retaliation, creating a “catastrophic” humanitarian scenario in towns and villages along the region’s northern border. The governor said 92% of the Kherson region remained under Russian occupation.
In the east of the country, the Ukrainian military said it had repelled Russian attempts to advance on the city of Bakhmut, a key target of Moscow’s offensive in the Donetsk region. He also said Russian troops tried in vain to break through Ukrainian defensive lines. near the cities of Kramatorsk and Avdiivka, also in the Donetsk region.
The army also reported Russian shelling of dozens of villages in northern, southern and eastern Ukraine.
In his late-night video speech, Zelenskyy suggested that Ukrainians divulge the main points about the country’s army operations.
“If you need Ukraine’s victory, then that’s another matter, and you should feel guilty for every word you say about what our state is preparing in terms of defense or counteroffensives,” he said.
Russia, meanwhile, was taking steps to tighten its grip on the eastern Luhansk region after expelling the last Ukrainian troops last month. Luhansk and Donetsk shape the donbass, the commercial heartland.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president, said he joined a stopover in the region through senior Russian law enforcement and security officials, as well as the minister in charge of construction.
Medvedev, in a message on a messaging app, said he had met with Kremlin-backed local officials to discuss “restoring infrastructure, repairing hospitals and preparing schools for back-to-school, resolving social unrest and supporting civilians. “
In Thursday’s previews:
Funerals were held for another 11 unidentified bodies found in Bucha, the city outside the Ukrainian capital that saw many other people massacred under the Russian slogan at the start of the war.
The governments of Ukraine and Russia exchanged more accusations about those guilty of bombing the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Moscow and Kyiv to prevent army action around Europe’s largest nuclear plant to avert catastrophe. .
— The European Union’s embargo on coal imports from Russia came into force after a long advent phase that began in April. The 27-nation EU said this would account for about 25% of Russian coal exports and generate a loss of around $8 billion a year. The EU is also seeking to disengage from Russian gas imports, but is too dependent to impose a total ban.
And in the ultimate symbolic example of giving and receiving on Thursday, McDonald’s announced plans to begin reopening some of its restaurants in Ukraine in the coming months. The fast-food giant closed and sold many of its Russian restaurants in March.
Beyond an expected return to peace, Scholz said Germany is working with the EU to draw up plans to rebuild Ukraine.
“This is going to be a big, big task that can hardly be described as a Marshall Plan,” he said, referring to the U. S. aid plan for Europe after World War II. “It’s bigger. “
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