Ukraine war in the live ticker: +++ 03:48 French fighter jets are being converted for Ukraine +++

19.09.2024

Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:48 French fighter jets are being converted for Ukraine +++

French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets destined for Ukraine are being modified to hit ground targets, according to the French newspaper Sud Ouest. A report describing the detailed work being carried out at the Cazaux air base says that modifications to the aircraft are also being made at the facility. The Mirage 2000 is a multi-role aircraft developed in the late 1970s and introduced in 1984. The 2000-5 version has improved radar systems and can carry fuel tanks, which significantly increases its range.

+++ 02:48 Trump: Will “probably” meet Zelensky +++
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announces that he will “probably” meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will travel to the United States next week to speak at a UN Security Council meeting about Russia’s war in his country. “Probably yes,” Trump says when asked by a reporter whether he will meet the Ukrainian president. Trump does not provide any further details.

+++ 01:39 USA increases oil reserves +++
The US government under President Joe Biden will increase strategic oil reserves. Given the low prices, the US is aiming to buy up to six million barrels of oil, the Energy Department said. It will be the largest replenishment of the stockpile after a historic sale in 2022. The oil is to be delivered from February to May 2025. In view of high gasoline prices as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the US government sold massive amounts of crude oil from its strategic reserve in 2022 to depress the market price. It was the “largest release of oil reserves in history”.

+++ 00:34 Selenskyj urges speed in air defence +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling on Western partners to speed up the promised deliveries to strengthen air defense. “Not all of the promises made at the summit in Washington regarding air defense have yet been implemented,” he warned in his evening video address. However, it is particularly important to have an efficient air defense system at the beginning of autumn, he said, with a view to the systematic Russian attacks on energy and heat supplies.

+++ 00:02 Eastern Europeans want NATO reaction to Russian airspace violations +++
Defense ministers from NATO’s eastern member states are calling for a joint response from the defense alliance to airspace violations by Russian drones and missiles. Representatives of nine states on NATO’s eastern flank expressed their “deep concern” at a meeting in Bucharest about the repeated intrusions of Russian missiles into their airspace and called for a “collective response within NATO.” The ministers also say it is necessary to increase the ability to detect, identify and, if necessary, shoot down low and slow-flying objects.

+++ 23:25 Putin’s troop increase: Military districts Moscow and Leningrad to be reinforced +++
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has ordered an increase in troops to 1.5 million active soldiers. It must be ensured that the armed forces have well-trained soldiers, Putin said at a meeting with defense experts. At the beginning of the week, he signed a decree to increase troops by 180,000 soldiers. According to the head of state, the newly established military districts of Moscow and Leningrad are to be reinforced in particular. This is the third troop increase ordered by Putin since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

+++ 22:24 British military adviser: War is “military disaster” for Kremlin +++
Russia’s war in Ukraine is a “military disaster for the Kremlin,” says British military adviser Nicholas Aucott at the Forum for Security Cooperation in Vienna, according to a report by Ukrinform. Factors such as the Ukrainian raid in Kursk and the destruction and damage of a quarter of the Russian Black Sea Fleet led to an “overwhelming Russian military failure,” says Aucott. The effective use of Ukrainian maneuver warfare was in stark contrast to Russia’s “meat grinder tactics.”

+++ 22:04 Selenskyj: The “victory plan” is fully prepared +++
All points of the “victory plan” that Ukraine wants to present to the US have been worked out, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksky. He plans to discuss the plan with US President Joe Biden during his visit to the US at the end of the month. Although Zelensky did not reveal all the details, he explained that the plan consists of four main points and a fifth point related to the post-war situation. Ukraine’s advance into the Russian Kursk region is also part of the strategy, Zelensky said.

All previous developments canYou can read more here.