Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Brussels to attend a summit of European Union leaders, receiving a pledge from the head of the European Parliament to support his nation’s membership of the bloc.
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Brussels to attend a summit of European Union leaders, receiving a pledge from the head of the European Parliament to support his nation’s membership of the bloc.
President Joe Biden said in an interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “already lost Ukraine.”
Group of Seven member states are discussing whether to sanction companies in China, Iran and North Korea they believe are providing Russia with parts and technology that have military purposes, according to people familiar with the matter.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- Biden’s Top Russia Adviser Leaving as Ukraine Conflict Drags On
- Putin Likely Greenlit Missiles Used to Down MH17 Jet, Says Probe
- G-7 Mulls Sanctioning Chinese Firms for Aiding Russia’s Military
- Russia Survived a Year of Sanctions by Investing as Never Before
- Russia Will Fail to ‘Break’ Ukraine, Estonia’s Spy Chief Says
On the Ground
Russian forces have regained the initiative in Ukraine and have begun “their next major offensive” in the Luhansk region, the Institute for the Study of War said. The pace of Russian operations along the Svatove-Kreminna line in western Luhansk region has increased markedly over the past week with the army “making marginal advances” along the Kharkiv-Luhansk region border.
(All times CET)
Ukraine’s Future Is in the EU, Metsola Says (11:29 a.m.)
Ukraine needs to be granted the fastest possible accession process to join the EU, the president of the European Parliament said during a visit made by Zelenskiy to Brussels.
“Ukraine is Europe and your nation’s future is in the European Union,” Roberta Metsola told lawmakers, pledging the parliament’s support for Ukraine’s membership.
“We know the sacrifice your people has endured and we must honor it not only with words but with actions,” she said, adding that Ukraine needed funds and help for the reconstruction effort, as well as military training and equipment such as fighter jets.
Meloni Critical of Macron’s Dinner Invitation to Zelenskiy (10:40 a.m.)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dubbed French President Emmanuel Macron’s dinner invitation to Ukrainian President Zelenskiy as “inappropriate” as the European Union should show unity in its support to Ukraine. “Our strength is community and sticking together,” Meloni told reporters before an EU summit.
Meloni’s remarks come as Italian media reported she was left out of the Paris dinner Wednesday, also attended by Germany’s Olaf Scholz, due to a diplomatic spat with Macron on migration.
Macron told reporters in response to Meloni’s remarks that France and Germany have a special role in supporting Ukraine, and that it was up to Zelenskiy to choose the format he preferred.
Scholz Chides Allies Over Battle Tanks (10 a.m.)
Chancellor Scholz hinted at his frustration with some allies who he said “pointed the finger” at Germany over supplying weapons to Ukraine but have yet to commit to a plan to provide the government in Kyiv with battle tanks.
“Germany is making a very central contribution to ensuring that we provide rapid support,” he told reporters before the EU summit. “We are now trying to ensure that many others who have come forward in the past by pointing their fingers now also follow up with concrete action.”
Estonia Urges Allies to Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine (9:45 a.m.)
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas urged other countries to give fighter jets to Ukraine. “It’s my plea that everyone should do what they can because the price goes up with every hesitation, every delay,” she told reporters on arrival for a summit in Brussels. Kallas urged for more sanctions.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also called for more sanctions on companies including Rosatom and targeting the diamonds sector and more banks. This “would help to have more impact on the Russian economy,” he said.
Russia’s Wagner Group Stopped Hiring Convicts to Fight in Ukraine (7:49 a.m.)
Russia’s Wagner private military company has “completely stopped” recruiting convicts from the country’s jails, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a Telegram post, without explanation.
The mercenary group started hiring prisoners last summer, offering them early release from their sentences in return for completing a six-month contract to fight in Ukraine. The US estimated in December that Wagner had as many as 40,000 convicts deployed in Ukraine as well as 10,000 of its regular contractors.
Wagner has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US and is sanctioned by the European Union. Russian Telegram channels and opposition media outlets have reported recently that other private military companies have also sought to recruit prisoners, but faced declining interest from convicts aware of the high death toll among those who’d already been sent to Ukraine.
Biden Says US Aid Is Open-Ended, for Now (1:25 a.m.)
President Joe Biden said that US assistance to Zelenskiy’s government was open-ended for now, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “already lost Ukraine.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Judy Woodruff on PBS NewsHour Wednesday night, Biden added that he was proud that “I’ve been able to unite NATO completely” since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began nearly a year ago.
“There is no way Putin is going to be able to – he’s already lost Ukraine,” Biden said in the interview, which took place a day after his second State of the Union Address. In that speech, he called Putin’s invasion “a test for the ages, a test for America, a test for the world.”
Zelenskiy Uses European Tour to Request More Weapons (11:12 p.m.)
Zelenskiy, toward the end of a day that took him to the UK and France, met with Germany’s Scholz and French President Macron in Paris on Wednesday night, using the meeting to request more weapons, including long-range missiles and fighter planes.
Scholz and Macron both reiterated their support for Ukraine until it wins the war. “For as long as Russia attacks, it will be necessary that we continue, adjust and modulate the military support needed for the preservation of Ukraine and its future,” Macron told reporters in Paris, standing alongside the other two leaders.
Scholz also said Germany would continue to support Ukraine financially and militarily for as long as needed. “I am heading to the EU summit in Brussels with a very clear message: Ukraine belongs in the European family,” he said.
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