UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
Head of EU Diplomacy Borrell warned at the Munich Conference that the situation in Ukraine will be resolved on the battlefield within three months. He emphasized Europe's lack of realization about living in a state of war, stressing the need for a fundamentally different approach from political leaders, intermediaries, and public opinion, stating that the situation cannot be addressed with a casual attitude of "let's see next month at the Council of Foreign Ministers."
German Defense Minister Pistorius urged Europe and NATO to brace themselves for the "worst-case scenario" of a war with Russia. Despite his reluctance to make predictions, he suggested that an attack on NATO territory could potentially occur within the next five to eight years.
The head of Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Landsbergis, has issued a warning that Russia might initiate a surprise attack on NATO countries.
"The most pressing issue is our uncertainty about the timeframe. The fact remains that Russia has the capacity to mobilize an additional 400,000 troops. They are actively manufacturing new tanks and weapons. We are dealing with an extremely assertive neighbor determined to challenge NATO. We must ready ourselves for such a scenario," Landsbergis emphasized.
According to The Washington Post, the Hungarian government declined to receive a delegation of US senators who had traveled to Budapest for a meeting. The bipartisan group of senators had arrived in Hungary's capital to encourage the government to promptly approve Sweden's NATO membership bid.
Following a meeting with a Ukrainian delegation, Japan has pledged to provide Ukraine with over $10 billion in financial aid as a demonstration of solidarity with Kyiv, coinciding with the approaching second anniversary of Russian aggression, according to Reuters.
Specifically:
▫️ An intergovernmental convention on the avoidance of double taxation.
▫️ More than a dozen agreements aimed at supporting Ukraine's reconstruction with influential Japanese organizations such as JICA, JETRO, the Export Credit Agency NEXI, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
▫️ Grant agreements for the implementation of recovery programs, along with several documents between the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine and Japanese companies. These agreements outline the provision of various agricultural machinery and equipment to Ukraine.
☢️ The situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is growing increasingly perilous. The six-year period permitted by the manufacturer for the use of nuclear fuel in the reactors is expiring. Continued operation with such fuel violates technical specifications established to ensure safety standards, and it may result in the breakdown of fuel cell integrity, potentially leading to a radiation accident. Notably, no entity worldwide has previously surpassed the six-year deadline set by manufacturers. T
After the capture of Avdiivka, the Russians are actively trying to take Lastochkino.
The United States has begun preparing a plan to respond to the threat posed by Russia in space, said Mike Turner, Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
According to him, the threat to the country's national security is "serious" and he is glad that the Biden administration has begun to take action.
"The US should approve a new aid package to Ukraine to avoid deploying its troops," says Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the UN and Republican Party presidential candidate.
France will hand over experimental kamikaze drones to Ukraine in the coming weeks. France wants to test them in combat conditions. The minister did not say what kind of drones they are.
Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who flew the Mi-8AMTSh helicopter into Ukraine, has been discovered deceased in Spain. The spokesperson for the Main Intelligence Directorate of Yusov confirmed the death.
According to reports from Russian mass media, the banks in the United Arab Emirates have started to restrict payments with Russia and are in the process of closing the accounts of both companies and individuals. This trend has been corroborated by tax and legal consultants. While the Russian government is aware of the issue, they perceive it as non-critical and believe it can be resolved.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia is not an ally of the Russian Federation in its aggression, and the people of Ukraine are "our friendly people."
🇭🇺 Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán spoke in favor of closing the European market for Ukrainian agricultural products