Ukraine, 4-21-23

The five links below are to reports from Agence France-Presse, Tass, the Associated Press, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

   

Allies’ backing for Ukraine ‘strong and true’: U.S. defence chief. From  AFP. RAMSTEIN AIR BASE / KYIV — International support “for the forces of freedom in Ukraine holds strong and true,” U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said today. The meeting of dozens of Kyiv’s supporters in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base would “focus on three key issues: air defense, ammunition, and enablers,” he said, referring . . . READ MORE . . .

   

All NATO allies agree Ukraine should be member, but after victory – NATO chief. From Tass. BRUSSELS — All NATO member countries have agreed that Ukraine should join the alliance, but a meaningful discussion of the issue is possibly only after it wins in the armed conflict with Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today. He spoke as he arrived at U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany before a meeting of . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Kiev’s extremism, crimes confirm that special operation must go on – Russian MFA. From Tass.MOSCOW — The Kiev regime’s extremist statements and crimes confirm the need to continue the special military operation until all of its objectives have been achieved, the Russian Foreign Ministry said today. It drew attention to “the latest portion of extremist statements by some Ukrainian officials,” in particular, Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, who, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s air force accidentally bombs own city of Belgorod. From AP. MOSCOW — Russia’s military acknowledged that a bomb accidentally dropped by one of its warplanes caused a powerful blast in a Russian city, injuring two and scaring local residents. Belgorod, a city of 340,000 located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the Russia-Ukraine border, has . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin pushed for pro-Russian coalition in Germany – WP. From the Moscow Times. The Kremlin attempted to sway German politicians to form an anti-war coalition as part of a broader strategy to weaken European backing for Ukraine, The Washington Post reported today. Citing documents dated between July and November last year that were obtained by an unidentified European intelligence service, . . . READ MORE . . .