Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended 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. Zelenskiy called for EU sanctions against Russia’s drone and IT industries.
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended 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. Zelenskiy called for EU sanctions against Russia’s drone and IT industries.
President Joe Biden said in an interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “already lost Ukraine” and that US aid for Kyiv is open-ended for now.
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
- Russia’s Biggest Wartime Dealmaker Feasts on Foreign Firm Exits
- Russia Blames US for Nord Stream Blasts, Threatens Consequences
- Biden’s Top Russia Adviser Leaving as Ukraine Conflict Drags On
- Rheinmetall in Talks to Supply Ukraine With Panther Battle Tanks
- Meloni, Macron Spar Over Zelenskiy’s Paris Dinner Invitation
- G-7 Mulls Sanctioning Chinese Firms for Aiding Russia’s Military
On the Ground
Russian forces 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 has increased markedly over the past week with the army “making marginal advances” along the Kharkiv-Luhansk region border. Russia is boosting troop numbers with the seizure of Donbas remaining its main goal at the front lines, Ukrainian Intelligence representative Andriy Yusov said in a televised interview. Russian strikes from other directions are also possible but may be mainly a bid “to distract or withdraw the Ukrainian forces and means,” he said.
(All times CET)
Ukraine PM Meets With JPMorgan on ‘Investment Environment’ (1 p.m.)
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal tweeted that he’d met with representatives of JPMorgan about the “favorable investment environment” that Ukraine is creating, including in the areas of energy, natural resources and digital technologies.
Rheinmetall in Talks to Supply Ukraine With Panther, Lynx Vehicles (12:47 p.m.)
Germany’s Rheinmetall is in talks to supply Ukraine with its most sophisticated battle tanks and fighting vehicles, said chief executive officer Armin Papperger.
“Ukraine is interested in the Lynx and the Panther, which are currently the most modern infantry fighting vehicle and battle tank,” Papperger was quoted as saying Thursday by the Handelsblatt newspaper.
Read more: Rheinmetall in Talks to Supply Ukraine With Panther Battle Tanks
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.
Russia Blames US for Nord Stream Blasts, Threatens Consequences (10:28 a.m.)
Russia blamed the US for blasts that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines and warned of a response, after American investigative journalist Seymour Hersch published an article alleging the Biden administration had attacked the gas transportation network.
“Our assumption was that the US and several NATO allies were involved in this disgusting crime,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow. He threatened unspecified “consequences” for Washington, state news service RIA Novosti reported.
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.
Mud Season in Eastern Ukraine to Peak in March, UK Says (6 a.m.)
Limitations to cross-country mobility (CCM) in eastern Ukraine are likely to be at their highest in mid- to late March, the UK defense ministry said.
“Commanders on both sides will highly likely seek to avoid scheduling major offensives at such times,” the UK added.
Ukraine has said it expects a renewed Russian attack this month. Conditions on the ground may be overridden by political considerations in terms of timing, the ministry said.
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.”
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