Ukraine Latest: NATO Allies Urged To Send More Battle Tanks
Zelenskiy called for a special tribunal to be set up to ensure Russia’s top political and military leaders are held responsible for the invasion of Ukraine.
(Bloomberg) -- NATO allies must send main battle tanks to Ukraine as soon as possible, as Ukrainian forces could use them to “revert the situation” on the ground now while the ground is frozen, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told Bloomberg TV at a ministerial meeting in Bucharest.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for a special tribunal to be set up to ensure Russia’s top political and military leaders are held responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. He said that Ukraine and its partners have to “ensure justice after this war in the same manner as it was done after World War II.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Bucharest, on the sidelines of the gathering of foreign ministers from the military alliance.
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Key Developments
- EU Proposes Special Court to Probe Russian Actions in Ukraine
- NATO Allies Warn on China With Eye on Beijing’s Ties to Putin
- Senior House Republican Vows to Keep Money Flowing to Ukraine
- US Weighs Terrorism Label for Russia’s Wagner Group Mercenaries
- How Putin’s Spooking Japan Further Away From Pacifism: QuickTake
On the Ground
Russian missiles hit a settlement in the Kharkiv region and the city of Slovyansk in the Donetsk region, and conducted air strikes near Avdiyivka, Ukraine’s General Staff said in its regular update. Russian attacks near six settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions were repelled over the past day, according to the statement. A Russian missile hit a gas distribution point in a settlement in the Zaporizhzhia region overnight, governor Oleksandr Starukh said on Telegram, adding that several streets were left without gas but there were no casualties. The situation at the front is “difficult” with Russian troops still trying to advance in the east and “planning something in the south,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly address.
(All times CET)
Ukraine Embassy in Spain Reports Injury (1:40 p.m.)
A worker at the embassy in Madrid was slightly injured by a letter bomb, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said in a statement. He was able to reach a hospital on his own, according to the statement. Further details weren’t immediately available.
Petraeus Expects Negotiated End to War (1:00 p.m.)
Former Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus said he expects the war to end with a negotiated settlement rather than victory for Ukraine.
“Until then, the US, NATO and western allies should do everything possible to enable Ukraine to liberate its country and defend its people and infrastructure against Russian missiles and Iranian drones,” Petraeus, who is also a former US general, was quoted as saying by Germany’s Tagesspiegel newspaper. The aim should also be to keep Ukraine’s economy running “and accelerate Putin’s realization that the Russian mission in Ukraine cannot be sustained,” he added.
Ukraine ‘Will Win’ War Against Russia, Top Czech Envoy Says (12:15 p.m.)
Ukraine will be victorious in fending off an invasion based on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperialistic ambitions, which has stumbled on his miscalculations, a top European diplomat said. “Ukraine will win this war,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the NATO meeting.
The European Union and NATO are united in their stance against Moscow, even if member states have to “work hard to achieve unity” at times, Lipavsky said.
Ukraine Seeks to Use Part of US Financial Aid for Gas Purchase (10:30 a.m.)
Ukraine is seeking to use part of the $500 million financial assistance provided by the US, via the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to purchase natural gas for the winter, Naftogaz said on website.
Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov discussed Ukraine’s needs to buy gas and provide electricity, water and heating to Ukrainians with Brian McCauley, a deputy assistant secretary at the US Treasury. Part of a new $1.1 billion support package proposed by the White House can also be spent onr gas, according to Chernyshov.
Ukraine’s Power Shortage at 27% on Wednesday (10:25 a.m.)
Ukrainian national grid operator Ukrenergo said that electricity producers cover 73% of needs with a 27% deficit, according to a statement on its Telegram channel. That compares with a 30% shortage on Tuesday. The shortage follows Russia launching seven waves of missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, forcing energy distributors to limit power supply to consumers.
Dutch Government Calls for More Military Help to Ukraine (9:45 a.m.)
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra urged NATO allies to boost military help to Ukraine. “The war will continue so we need to step up helping the Ukrainian army,” Hoekstra told Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Bucharest.
Hoekstra also said allies must respond to what he called “horrific war crimes in Ukraine.” He added: “We have to show that justice will be done, through the International Court of Justice and other measures.”
EU Proposes Special Court to Probe Russian Actions in Ukraine (9:15 a.m.)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed creating a special international court to probe Russian actions in Ukraine and using frozen Russian assets to help rebuild the nation. The head of the European Union’s executive arm said the bloc would try to gather international support for “specialized court backed by the United Nations to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression.”
In a video address posted on Twitter, von der Leyen also said the bloc would “find legal ways” to use money seized from Russia to help fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. The EU has blocked €300 billion ($311 billion) in Russian central bank reserves and frozen some €19 billion in assets held by sanctioned Russian businessmen.
NATO Allies Must Send Main Battle Tanks Soon, Lithuania Says (8 a.m.)
Lithuania’s top envoy is urging his NATO allies to send Kyiv main battle tanks as soon as possible, as Ukrainian forces could use them to “revert the situation” on the ground now while the ground is frozen.
“If we talk, delay, do not make up our minds and deliver them later in the spring, then they’re less useful,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told Bloomberg TV’s Maria Tadeo on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest.
Asked about whether counter-attacks by Ukrainian forces in Crimea could prove escalatory, Landsbergis said “this is a theory that Putin wants us to believe.” He added he hopes allies have learned lessons from dependencies on Russia to not repeat the same mistake with China.
Zelenskiy Urges Special International Tribunal on War Crimes (7:55 a.m.)
Russia’s top political and military leaders must be held responsible for the aggression against Ukraine and this requires a special tribunal in addition to the existing International Criminal Court, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday night.
“We are already cooperating with many countries and international organizations so that each Russian murderer is punished,” he said. “We have to unite the majority of the global community to support the UN General Assembly resolution on the special tribunal.” Ukraine and its partners have to “ensure justice after this war in the same manner as it was done after World War Two,” he said.
Chinese Support Is Crucial to Pressure Russia on Peace, Italy Says (7:50 a.m.)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said it’s crucial to get support from China to pressure Russia into a peace deal. “At this moment, China is very important for a peace agreement” between Russia and Ukraine, Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of the NATO meeting. Tajani said both China and Turkey “can play a role in restoring peace” in Ukraine.
Sweden Sees Progress in Talks With Turkey on NATO Bid (7:45 a.m.)
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told reporters at the NATO meeting that progress is being made on convincing Turkey to ratify bids by Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance.
“We had a very good meeting with Turkey, there is progress in line,” Billstrom said Wednesday, a day after foreign ministers of the three countries met in Bucharest. “Felt progress, moving forward.” Billstrom expressed hope for a “fast ratification” by the Turkish parliament but added that no time frame has been set at this point. He confirmed plans for a trip to Turkey soon to hold further discussions on the process.
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