U.S. President Joe Biden informed leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) main industrialized nations that Washington was ready to work with its allies to coach Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, in keeping with White Home sources, whilst G7 nations introduced recent sanctions towards Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In the meantime, Ukrainian officers confirmed on Might 19 that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is because of personally attend the G7 assembly in Hiroshima following his shock go to to the Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia.
A number of Western information businesses cited prime U.S. administration officers as saying that Biden informed his G7 counterparts that coaching on the F-16 fighter jets — that are far simpler than the Soviet-era jets Kyiv presently has — would happen in Europe and sure begin within the coming weeks.
The coaching will start even earlier than selections are made on when, what number of, and which nations will present the jets for Ukraine, in keeping with U.S. officers who spoke on situation of anonymity.
U.Ok. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated he welcomed Washington’s transfer on the coaching of Ukrainian pilots and tweeted that Britain will “work along with “the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark to get Ukraine the fight air functionality it wants.”
Denmark’s Protection Ministry stated it “will now have the ability to transfer ahead for a collective contribution to coach Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.”
Kyiv has urged the West to step up provides of army support, together with deliveries of the more-sophisticated F-16 fighters, because it prepares for its broadly anticipated counteroffensive.
On the sanctions entrance, the G7 leaders stated in a joint assertion that the recent sanctions will impression “exports of business equipment, instruments, and different know-how that Russia makes use of to rebuild its battle machine.”
The assertion stated the group would proceed to work to decrease Russian revenues from its commerce in metals and diamonds.
A U.S. announcement stated Washington was slapping new sanctions on Moscow to “improve prices” for Russia and those who assist it conduct its battle towards Ukraine.
“The US will proceed to take actions towards Russia till it ends its brutal and unlawful battle towards Ukraine. The US is implementing commitments made on the G7 Leaders’ Summit to extend prices for Russia and those that help its battle effort,” a press release stated.
“Amongst others, these commitments embody additional disrupting Russia’s capability to supply inputs for its battle, closing evasion loopholes, additional lowering reliance on Russian power, squeezing Russia’s entry to the worldwide monetary system, and maintaining its sovereign belongings immobilized.“
Earlier within the day, Britain introduced new sanctions towards 86 Russian residents and authorized entities aimed toward superior army applied sciences and imports of diamonds to chop Moscow’s “sources of earnings.”
G7 leaders stated that their “help for Ukraine is not going to waver” as they vowed “to face collectively towards Russia’s unlawful, unjustifiable, and unprovoked battle of aggression towards Ukraine.”
In Ukraine, a senior safety official stated Zelenskiy would attend the G7 summit in individual.
“Crucial issues will probably be determined there and it’s due to this fact the presence of our president that’s completely important to be able to defend our pursuits,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the Nationwide Safety and Protection Council, informed state tv.
Zelenskiy will attend the gathering on Might 21, the third and closing day of the summit, in keeping with two unnamed Ukrainian officers concerned within the preparations for the G7 cited by Reuters.
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In the meantime, Zelenskiy arrived on Might 19 within the Saudi metropolis of Jeddah to attend an Arab League summit.
He informed the gathering that “we’re pushing the occupiers out of our lands…we’ll by no means undergo any foreigners or colonizers.”
“Even when there are folks right here on the summit who’ve a unique view on the battle on our land — calling it a battle — I am certain that we will all be united in saving folks from the cages of Russian prisons,” Zelenskiy stated.
Al-Hadath TV, a Saudi-owned TV station reported that Zelenskiy traveled to Jeddah on a French authorities airplane.
Russia has continued to batter Ukrainian cities with air and missile assaults amid an obvious stalemate within the fierce combating for the management of the japanese metropolis of Bakhmut.
Kyiv was once more focused by Iranian-made drones in a single day — the tenth assault for the reason that begin of the month — however all of them have been destroyed by the capital’s air defenses, Serhiy Popko, the top of the Kyiv army administration, stated on Might 19.
“With such ways, the Kremlin is attempting to exhaust our air protection, in addition to to psychologically affect the civilian inhabitants,” Popko stated.
Individually, Ukrainian air protection stated on Might 19 that it had shot down 16 drones and one cruise missile in a single day, with out specifying the placement.
WATCH: A crew of RFE/RL journalists joined Ukrainian troops as they started attacking close to Bakhmut on Might 11 and fitted a soldier with a bodycam to file a firsthand view of battle.
Russia carried out 39 missile strikes and 39 air strikes as properly 50 salvoes from rocket techniques throughout the Ukrainian entrance line over the previous 24 hours, the Ukrainian army stated early on Might 19.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokeswoman stated {that a} Patriot missile-defense system broken in a Russian air strike on Kyiv a number of days in the past was repaired.
“What I can verify is that one Patriot system was broken, but it surely has now been fastened and is totally again and operational, Sabrina Singh informed a information briefing.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, CNN, and AP
