The US released video footage it said showed Russian jets dumping fuel on a US surveillance drone in international airspace and apparently clipping the aircraft, challenging Moscow’s contention that it had no role in Tuesday’s downing.
(Bloomberg) — The US released video footage it said showed Russian jets dumping fuel on a US surveillance drone in international airspace and apparently clipping the aircraft, challenging Moscow’s contention that it had no role in Tuesday’s downing.
Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that “we do not seek armed conflict with Russia” in the wake of spy drone incident.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said his country will send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days. Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak had said earlier that Poland was in talks with Slovakia on transferring such Soviet-era planes to Ukraine as part of a “wider coalition” of countries.
Key Developments
- Austin Speaks to Russian Counterpart After Spy Drone Crash
- Microsoft Warns Russia May Plan Sandworm Attacks Beyond Ukraine
- IMF, Ukraine to Conclude War-Era Loan Talks in ‘Coming Days’
(All times CET)
Poland Detains Foreigners in Probe of Russia-Linked Spy Ring (1:48 p.m.)
Polish authorities detained nine foreign nationals accused of monitoring deliveries of weapons and aid to Ukraine, saying evidence indicated that the suspected operatives were receiving payments from Russian special services.
“The suspects were also preparing for sabotage activities, with the goal of paralyzing the transport of equipment, weapons and assistance for Ukraine,” Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski told reporters.
Read more: Poland Detains Nine in Probe of Russia-Linked Spy Ring
Russian Economy on Path to Steady Growth, Putin says (1:25 p.m.)
Russia’s economy is on track for “substantial” growth in the second quarter as domestic demand expands despite sanctions, President Vladimir Putin told a televised meeting with top business tycoons.
Inflation will drop close to the 4% target this month, he said, appealing to the executives to step up investments at home, filling niches left by foreign companies’ departures.
Poland to Send Soviet-era Jets to Ukraine (1:19 p.m.)
Poland will gradually transfer to neighboring Ukraine more Soviet-era MiG-29 warplanes, of which it has a dozen or so in its fleet, President Duda said at a press conference in Warsaw.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his military leadership have sought aircraft since the first days of the war. President Joe Biden’s administration has signaled support for NATO allies that opted to send air power, though the US leader has said delivering F-16 fighter jets isn’t on the cards for now.
Ukraine Keeps Key Rate Unchanged Amid IMF Talks (1 p.m.)
Ukraine’s central bank held borrowing costs steady as the government closes in on a deal with the International Monetary Fund for about $15 billion in financing.
The key policy rate remained at 25%, the level it’s been since the central bank raised the benchmark by 15 percentage points in June to halt a spike in inflation.
Read more: Ukraine Keeps Key Policy Rate Unchanged Amid Talks With IMF
US Releases Footage of Russian Fighter Jet/US Drone Intercept (11 a.m.)
The US military’s European Command released footage showing Russian Su-27 jets dumping fuel on a US MQ-9 Reader drone in international airspace and apparently clipping the drone, challenging Moscow’s contention that it had no role in Tuesday’s downing.
The 42-second video of what the US called the “unsafe/unprofessional intercept” was edited for length but the events were “depicted in sequential order,” the US said.
The drone crashed into the Black Sea after the encounter. US defense chief Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart about the incident on Wednesday. Russia said its planes didn’t make contact with the drone, which it claimed crashed on its own. Moscow didn’t release official video footage, however.
Military Orders Power Rheinmetall AG Sales (11 a.m.)
Germany’s largest defense contractor expects revenue to jump by as much as 19% this year on accelerating orders of military equipment as the war in Ukraine enters its second year.
“The epochal shift and the war in Europe has also ushered in a new era for Rheinmetall,” Chief Executive Officer Armin Papperger said in a statement. “Many countries have recognized the urgent need to step up their efforts for security.”
Shares in Rheinmetall, which makes parts for the Leopard 2 battle tank, have more than doubled since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
EU Will Broaden Efforts to Sanction Relatives of Russian Billionaires (9:42 a.m.)
The European Union will provide a clearer legal framework to target family members of sanctioned Russians after an EU court last week annulled penalties imposed on the mother of Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group and a close ally of Putin.
The bloc’s foreign service arm in charge of listings told member states on Wednesday that it will submit legislation soon, people familiar with the matter said. The idea was first floated before the court ruling, and has gained traction since.
Read more: EU to Expand Push to Sanction Relatives of Russian Billionaires
Latvian Premier in Kyiv For Talks (9:37 a.m.)
Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins is in Kyiv to discuss additional support Ukraine needs from NATO and the EU, he said in a statement.
The Baltic country has given Ukraine weapons and support worth 1.1% of GDP, and will continue to provide aid, according to the statement. Karins will discuss Ukraine’s goal of joining the EU, and will visit Bucha and Irpin during the visit.
Latvia’s leader has called for Ukraine to join both the EU and NATO after the war ends.
EU Leaders to Agree to Further Measures on Ammunition, Scholz Says (9:20 a.m.)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said European Union leaders will agree at a summit next week on further measures “to achieve an even better, continuous supply” of ammunition for Ukraine.
“We will continue to ensure that Ukraine receives weapons and equipment to hold out and defend itself,” Scholz said in a speech to the lower house of parliament in Berlin on Thursday morning.
He pledged that the EU will maintain its “sanctions pressure” on Russia, and said member states will work together to ensure that the measures “are not circumvented via third countries.”
Russian Defense Ministry Wants to Compete With Wagner Success: UK (9 a.m.)
The Russian defense ministry’s campaign to capture Vulhedar in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, may be driven “partially because it wants its own success to compete with Wagner’s achievements,” the UK defense ministry said in a Twitter update.
The UK said efforts to assault Vulhedar have slowed, potentially after Ukraine’s adoption of Remote Anti-Armour Mine systems, artillery shells which scatter anti-armor mines up to 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) away from the firing unit. Kyiv’s forces have launched the mines over and behind advancing Russian units, the UK said.
Glencore Won’t Renew Aluminum Contract With Rusal (8:30 a.m.)
Glencore Plc is willing to walk away from a $16 billion deal to buy aluminum from Russia’s No. 1 producer, in a move that would distance itself from one of its biggest rivals.
Under the company’s policy of not doing any new business with Russia, it won’t renew a deal with United Co. Rusal International PJSC when that expires next year, according to CEO Gary Nagle.
Read more: Glencore Won’t Renew $16 Billion Aluminum Contract With Rusal
Zelenskiy Meets With Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs (8 a.m.)
Ukraine’s president met Wednesday with billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and president of Emerson Collective, majority owner of The Atlantic magazine.
The meeting was also attended by Jeffrey Goldberg, the magazine’s editor in chief, and journalist Anne Applebaum, author of “Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine.”
They discussed the use of technology in war, counteracting Russian cyber-attacks, the further involvement of Ukrainian IT specialists and the technology sector’s role in the future reconstruction of Ukraine, according to a post on the presidential website.
Black Sea Grain Deal in Focus as Deadline Approaches (7 a.m.)
Wheat prices from the highest level in more than a week, with traders seeking clarity over the terms of renewing a key grain-export deal that allows Ukraine to ship crops from its Black Sea ports.
The pact, initially brokered by the UN and Turkey in July, currently runs through March 18. Russia suggested renewing it for 60 days, half of the initiative’s previous two terms, but hasn’t received official reactions from all parties, according to Tass.
Kyiv has pushed back on Moscow’s proposal, saying it contradicted the terms of the original agreement, and wants a four-month extension.
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