The Russian army’s stocks of cheap Iranian drones are apparently only small. Zelenskyy repeats his call for fighter jets for Ukraine. The USA and France are at least not ruling out a delivery. What happened at night in the war against Ukraine.
All reports on the Ukraine war can be found in the Newsticker.
Experts have repeatedly analyzed in recent months that Russia’s missile supplies are running out. But according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Putin’s army has hardly any stocks of cheap drones from Iran. According to the ISW, the supplies after the large-scale attack on Thursday are only sufficient for “a few” such attacks – unless Iran delivers new supplies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his country’s need for further arms deliveries in addition to the battle tanks that have now been promised. “Russian aggression can only be stopped with adequate weapons,” said Zelenskyy in his evening video address on Thursday.
“The terror state will not understand it otherwise,” Selenskyj justified his demand for further arms deliveries. The most recent wave of Russian attacks that killed at least 11 people a few hours earlier had shown this again, he stressed.
On Wednesday, the federal government decided that Germany would hand over 14 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces as a first step. Other countries should also receive permission to pass on the tanks made in Germany to the attacked country. In addition, the United States wants to contribute Abrams main battle tanks.
Selenskyj thanked Chancellor Scholz and US President Joe Biden for this – but also insisted on the additional delivery of long-range missiles, fighter jets and more artillery. However, Scholz has ruled out the delivery of combat aircraft or even the deployment of ground troops.
Poland’s government, on the other hand, says it would support it if NATO decided to deliver combat aircraft to Ukraine. “I think we, NATO, have to be braver,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told French broadcaster LCI. But of course it could only be a decision by NATO as a whole, said the head of government.
The United States and France are not ruling out the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia. Asked whether the US is considering supplying fighter jets, US President Biden’s Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said on MSNBC that no particular weapon system had been ruled out. Support will be tailored to what Ukraine needs. “We will discuss this very carefully,” Finer said on Thursday (local time) with regard to requests from Ukraine.
According to British media reports, the chairman of the Defense Committee of the French National Assembly, Thomas Gassilloud, said similarly on Thursday in London: “We must examine requests on a case-by-case basis and leave all doors open.”
In his most recent speech, Zelenskyy thanked Canada in particular, which had announced a few hours earlier that it would also be supplying four Leopard tanks. The tank coalition – as he called it – now consists of twelve countries, said Selenskyj. The delivery of the main battle tanks will take place “in the coming weeks,” said Canada’s Defense Minister Anita Anand. In addition, Canadian soldiers should support their Ukrainian counterparts in commissioning the tanks. Canada is considering sending more tanks at a later date.
The first Ukrainian soldiers have arrived in Germany for training on the Marder infantry fighting vehicle. The group landed in Cologne on Thursday and should start training on the weapon system promptly, security circles told the German Press Agency in Berlin. The training is part of the military aid for Ukraine, which is also to be given 40 martens. The USA are sending Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
The US government has said the delivery of Abrams main battle tanks is not a “symbolic” act. It has heard statements that the US announcement was only intended to clear the way for allies to ship tanks, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. However, this is not the case. The US main battle tanks would give Ukraine an advantage on the battlefield, Singh said. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine could drag on for years. The spokeswoman emphasized that the provision of the Abrams tanks shows the long-term commitment of the United States.
In view of the war in Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has unanimously called for the establishment of an international war crimes tribunal. The tribunal in The Hague should prosecute the political and military leaders of Russia and its ally Belarus who “planned, prepared, initiated or carried out” the war of aggression against Ukraine, the Strasbourg assembly said.
Japan freezes the assets of other Russian individuals and organizations because of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. As the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Friday, citing the government in Tokyo, this affects 36 people and 52 organizations, including Russian politicians, officers, businessmen and companies. In addition to freezing funds, the additional sanctions also include export bans.
