After Ukrainian troops withdrew from Avdiivka, Russian forces cleared out any abandoned military equipment present.
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French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that NATO is not ruling out the possibility of sending its troops to Ukraine to assist in the fight against Vladimir Putin’s complete invasion.
During a meeting in Paris with 25 European leaders, which included UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Mr. Macron stated that the group is prepared to take all necessary actions to prevent Russia from winning the war.
When questioned about whether this also involved dispatching soldiers, which has been avoided due to concerns of escalation, Mr. Macron stated: “There is no agreement to officially send troops on the field. However, all possibilities remain open.”
The leader of France also declared that he will no longer hold onto his previous stance against procuring urgent artillery resources for Ukraine from a country outside of the European Union.
Earlier this year, the Czech Republic proposed an initiative in which they discovered 800,000 shells from an unidentified third-party country. They offered to acquire, transport, and deliver these shells to Ukraine with the support of the bloc, if the required amount of $1.5 billion could be raised.
Before, President Macron had prohibited the bill, stating that France favored purchasing artillery from European producers.
Macron has not dismissed the possibility of deploying Western troops in Ukraine.
Mr. Macron stated to reporters on Monday that there is currently no agreement to deploy troops on the field, and every option must be considered. He added that all necessary measures will be taken to prevent Russia from prevailing.
Ukraine says it destroys 11 Russia-launched drones, two missiles
Overnight, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had deployed 13 combat drones and an onslaught of missiles, resulting in the destruction of 11 drones and two guided missiles across multiple regions.
According to a statement on the Telegram app, the Ukrainian military reported a total of 13 instances of Russia deploying attack drones, four instances of the Kh-59 guided air missile being utilized, along with one instance each of the Kh-31P air-to-surface missile and ballistic missiles.
It was not immediately clear how many ballistic missiles Russia reportedly launched or what happened to the missiles and drones that were not downed.
Inside a frontline drone ‘laboratory’ creating new ways for Ukraine’s troops to hit Putin’s forces
Askold Krushelnycky connects with soldiers from a battalion in conflict-ridden Ukraine who are utilizing 3D-printed bomb casings in the creation of “bomber” drones, which are used to target artillery, armored vehicles, and tanks.
ICYMI: Robert De Niro, Emma Thompson and other stars send message of support to Ukraine
Ukraine’s defense minister has sounded an alarm, warning that nearly half of the arms deliveries from the West are being held up, putting lives and territories in danger. This delay has caused concern among soldiers, who attribute their crippling lack of ammunition to Kyiv’s withdrawal from the important town of Avdiivka.
At an event in Kiev commemorating two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Rustem Umerov stated that in the “battlefield calculations”, there are grave repercussions when promised military aid is not actually carried out.
He stated that it was unheard of in the past for a nation to be tasked with battling an adversary that had a significantly higher advantage in terms of air power and military spending. This news comes only a week after Kyiv was compelled to withdraw its troops from Avdiivka, located in Eastern Ukraine.
In case you missed it: Celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Emma Thompson have expressed their support for Ukraine.
Celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Emma Thompson have expressed their support for Ukraine through a heartfelt message.
A German minister’s visit to Ukraine was abruptly shortened due to interference from a Russian drone.
The foreign minister of Germany had to cancel her diplomatic visit to Ukraine on Sunday due to a drone flying over her.
Annalena Baerbock made a visit to a water treatment plant in Mykolayiv to commemorate the two-year mark of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Unfortunately, while on the scene, she was forced to leave by a Russian drone and had to head west towards Moldova, as reported by ZDF, a German broadcasting company.
Zelensky says Ukraine has lost 31,000 soldiers in war and Russia’s losses are six times greater
Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sunday, stated that a minimum of 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives while defending against the Russian intrusion that commenced two years prior. This is the first declaration of the official number of casualties from Kyiv in over a year.
During a news conference at the Ukraine Year Forum in Kyiv, it was stated that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives in this conflict, refuting the false numbers of 300,000 or 150,000 claimed by Russian president Vladimir Putin. Nonetheless, this toll has greatly impacted our country.
According to Kyiv’s calculations, Mr. Zelensky reported that the invasion of Russia resulted in a total of 500,000 casualties, including both injured and deceased individuals. Of these, 180,000 were Russian soldiers who lost their lives in the conflict.
The first of the US Abrams tanks have allegedly been destroyed by Russia.
Officials from Russia have stated that they successfully destroyed a US-provided Abrams tank in Ukraine, marking the first occurrence of such an event.
In September of last year, the US provided tanks to the Ukrainian military, leading to accusations from Russian officials that the tanks would “ignite”.
“Our soldiers have expressed from the start that these tanks would suffer the same fate as others,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, citing past incidents where Russia claims to have destroyed Western military equipment in Ukraine.
At this time, Reuters was unable to authenticate a video shared on social media which claimed to display a burning Abrams tank.
Observation: Ukrainian President Zelensky cautions that Ukraine’s existence is at stake should Russia triumph in the ongoing war.
Ukrainian President Zelensky cautions that Ukraine’s existence is at stake if Russia emerges victorious in the ongoing war.
Some countries in NATO are reportedly contemplating the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine.
The prime minister of Slovakia stated that some members of NATO and the European Union are contemplating deploying troops to Ukraine.
Prior to a gathering of European leaders in Paris on Monday, Robert Fico voiced his opposition to sending military resources to Ukraine.
Fico stated in a televised briefing after a meeting of Slovakia’s security council that certain NATO and EU members are contemplating sending their troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis in preparation for the Paris meeting.
“I am unable to specify the purpose or tasks they would be carrying out there,” he stated. He also mentioned that Slovakia, as a member of the European Union and NATO, does not plan on deploying soldiers to Ukraine.
According to Fico, there is a potential for a significant increase in the conflict in Ukraine and he stated that further details cannot be disclosed to the general public.
Even though NATO has provided Kyiv with large quantities of weapons, officials have made it clear that they are trying to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia.
Czech Republic’s Prime Minister Petr Fiala has reassured that there are no plans to deploy soldiers to Ukraine, alleviating any concerns.
NATO did not provide an immediate response to Fico’s statements.
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