Russia launched an in a single day drone assault on Ukraine, with 17 of the unmanned autos directed to areas in northern, central and western Ukraine, Ukraine’s air pressure mentioned Saturday.
The Ukrainian air pressure mentioned it was in a position to shoot down 15 of the 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones. It was not clear what occurred to the 2 drones that weren’t shot down.
Ukraine in the meantime hailed a U.S. determination to permit allies Denmark and the Netherlands to ship F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov referred to as the event Friday ‘nice news from our mates within the United States.’
It was not instantly clear when Ukraine may obtain the jets, and Ukrainian pilots will want intensive coaching earlier than they’ll fly them.
The fighter jets will not be more likely to have an effect on the trajectory of the struggle anytime quickly, in line with U.S. officers.
Air Force General James Hecker instructed reporters at a digital assembly with the Defense Writers Group on Friday that there aren’t any prospects at the moment for both Ukraine or Russia to achieve the higher hand within the air.
‘I do not suppose anybody’s going to get air superiority so long as the variety of surface-to-air missiles keep excessive sufficient,’ Hecker mentioned, responding to a query from VOA.
Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa, did observe that if Ukraine runs out of its built-in air and missile protection ammo, ‘then it turns into an issue.’
‘Both Ukraine and Russia have superb built-in air and missile protection techniques,’ he mentioned. ‘That alone is what has prevented [Russia or Ukraine] from getting air superiority.’
In a publish on X, the platform previously generally known as Twitter, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra mentioned: ‘We welcome Washington’s determination to pave the best way for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.’
Camp David
At a trilateral summit Friday, the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea pledged to ‘stand with Ukraine in opposition to Russia’s unprovoked and brutal struggle of aggression.’
Meeting on the U.S. president retreat of Camp David, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol mentioned their nations would proceed to supply help to Ukraine.
They additionally pledged to proceed their sanctions on Russia and to speed up their nations’ ‘discount of dependency on Russian power.’
Kishida mentioned “the free and open international order based on the rule of law is in crisis,” and pointed the blame at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the persevering with North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and a “unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas” – referring lastly to China.
Ukraine grain
Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta has emerged as one of the best transport route for Ukraine’s grain exports since Russia left the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal, leaving ships touring the Black Sea hall susceptible to Russian assaults.
‘We hope that over 60% of the entire quantity of Ukrainian grain exports will transit Romania,’ Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu mentioned after assembly Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Bucharest.
Constanta has been among the finest various seaports for Ukrainian grain transport even earlier than the Black Sea grain deal was canceled.
Ukraine exported 8.1 million metric tons of grain by Constanta within the first seven months of this yr, and eight.6 million metric tons all through 2022.
While Romania is boosting the transit of Ukrainian grain by Constanta to worldwide markets, additionally it is methods to guard native farmers from a surge of Ukrainian grain that might depress native grain costs.
Protests from farmers in Romania and 4 different japanese EU nations prompted the EU to approve momentary commerce restrictions of Ukrainian grain imports to the nations.
The import ban expires Sept. 15, and the 5 states have requested for it to be prolonged, at the very least till the top of the yr.
Climbing casualties
The variety of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 is nearing 500,000, The New York Times reported Friday, citing unnamed U.S. officers.
The officers cautioned that casualty numbers will not be correct as a result of Moscow is believed to routinely underreport its struggle lifeless and injured, and Kyiv doesn’t present official figures, the newspaper mentioned.
However, the newspaper estimated that Russia’s army casualties are approaching 300,000, together with as many as 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 accidents. Ukrainian deaths have been near 70,000, with 100,000 to 120,000 wounded, it mentioned.
The Times cited the officers as saying the casualty rely had risen after Ukraine started its counterattack earlier this yr.
The Ukrainian army on Thursday claimed positive factors in its counteroffensive in opposition to Russian forces on the southeastern entrance. Kyiv mentioned its forces had liberated the village of Urozhaine, about 90 kilometers north of the Sea of Azov and about 100 kilometers west of Russian-held Donetsk metropolis.
The advance is a part of a drive towards the Sea of Azov and an effort to separate Russia’s occupying forces in half.
However, Kyiv says its counteroffensive is advancing extra slowly than it had hoped for due to huge Russian minefields and closely fortified Russian defensive strains.
‘Nothing ever goes in addition to you’d hope. They put mines in every single place. In a sq. meter, they’re [Ukrainian soldiers] discovering 5 and 6 mines,’ U.S. Air Force General James Hecker mentioned Friday.
U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer and VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this story. Some data for this report got here from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.