President Biden ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “for now,” saying the U.S. military deemed other military support such as tanks and air defense more crucial at this stage.
Kyiv has ramped up pleas for fighter jets since the United States and European countries pledged to send heavy tanks, but as Ukraine’s allies rallied to mark one year of war, Biden told ABC News that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “doesn’t need F-16s now.”
Zelensky didn’t comment on Biden’s remarks during his evening address Saturday. Instead, he focused on other kinds of support the West has provided by praising a “powerful” set of sanctions against Russia that the European Union approved Friday. “Sanctions against Russia will continue to be introduced so that nothing remains of the potential of Russian aggression,” Zelensky said.
The package marked the body’s 10th round of sanctions against Russia since the start of the war. It includes measures against Russian disinformation, tighter export restrictions for advanced technology and measures against individuals and entities supporting the war.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Cybersecurity has improved for all in wake of Ukraine-Russia war: Russia’s cyberspace attacks on Ukraine may have helped inoculate the country against more devastating incursions, experts say. The end result could even help destroy the myth of Russia as an unstoppable cyber superpower, reports The Post’s Joseph Menn.
The lessons are also resonating in Europe and the United States, Menn reports, both of “which have worked closely to protect Ukraine and now are importing strategy and intelligence in defense of their own cyber networks.”
“The Russian invasion did prompt greater cyber cooperation between the U.S. and key allies, particularly in Eastern Europe,” said Brandon Wales, executive director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and coordinator of the American interagency defensive response. “When it comes to work across domestic critical infrastructure sectors, the war turbocharged the operational collaboration that we had kicked off.”
The latest: The Ukrainian military has launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces, opening a crucial phase in the war aimed at restoring Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and preserving Western support in its fight against Moscow.
The fight: Ukrainian troops have intensified their attacks on the front line in the southeast region, according to multiple individuals in the country’s armed forces, in a significant push toward Russian-occupied territory.
The front line: The Washington Post has mapped out the 600-mile front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
How you can help: Here are ways those in the United States can support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating.
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