Saturday, March 2, 2024

1541 GMT — The foreign minister of Luxembourg has warned that sending Western troops to Ukraine would bring us to the brink of a third world war.

Xavier Bettel spoke to Anadolu Agency at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum about Europe's stance on the Ukraine war, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the upcoming EU parliament elections.

"So, we should avoid sending troops and we should continue to support Ukraine and [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin should realise that they did an error," he said.

According to the minister, sending troops in aid of Kiev "would be really" the last thing to do.

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1735 GMT — Germany investigates after a recording of its officers discussing aid to Ukraine is leaked in Russia

German authorities on Saturday said they were investigating after an audio recording, in which German military officers purportedly discussed support for Ukraine, including the potential use of Taurus missiles, was published in Russia.

In the 38-minute recording, military officers discuss the question of how the Taurus long-range cruise missiles could be used by Ukraine.

A debate has been taking place in Germany over whether to supply the missiles as Ukraine faced setbacks on the battlefield after two years of war, and with military aid from the United States being held up in Congress.

Earlier this week Scholz said he remains reluctant to send the Taurus missiles to Ukraine, pointing to a risk of Germany becoming directly involved in the war. But in the purported audio recording, German officers discuss the theoretical possibility of the missiles being used in Ukraine.

Germany’s Ministry of Defense said it was investigating whether communications within the air force were intercepted by Russia.

1715 GMT — Ukraine Air Force Commander says Ukraine downed Russian Su-34 fighter bomber

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said Ukraine had downed a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber.

"The Eastern Air Command confirms the downing of an Su-34 fighter-bomber. Unfortunately, only one," Oleshchuk said in a post on his Telegram channel, where he earlier reported anti-aircraft missiles were deployed against an Su-34 and an Su-35.

1217 GMT — Four killed by Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa

Four people including a three-year-old child were killed and eight others wounded when a Russian drone hit an apartment block in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, authorities said.

"Russia continues to fight civilians ... One of the enemy drones hit a residential building in Odesa. Eighteen apartments were destroyed," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.

"This is impossible to forget! This is impossible to forgive," it wrote. It said five people including a child had been rescued alive.

According to Zelenskiyy, the drone was a Shahed supplied by Iran. Russia has launched several thousand of these long-range winged drones throughout the war at targets deep inside Ukraine.

1138 GMT — Zelenskyy urges more Western air defence systems to 'save lives'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the West to deliver more air defence systems after at least six people were killed in the latest Russian strikes.

Overnight aerial attacks claimed four lives in the southern port city of Odesa, including a three-year-old child, while shelling killed one person in the Kharkiv region near the Russian border and another in the southern frontline Kherson region, Ukrainian officials said.

"We need more air defences from our partners. We need to strengthen the Ukrainian air shield to add more protection for our people from Russian terror.

More air defence systems and more missiles for air defence systems saves lives," he said.

1132 GMT — Ukraine's commander-in-chief targets brigade commanders amid frontline setbacks

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that he holds brigade commanders responsible for the problems on the front in the eastern flank, where Ukrainian troops have ceded several key settlements to Russia.

The military chief announced in a statement on Telegram that he plans to make "personnel decisions."

"I continue to work on the eastern front. Within three days, it became clear why, in the case of identical staffing in weapons and military equipment, some brigades manage to deter attacks and hold positions, while others do not," he said.

First of all, he believed that it “depends on the brigade's commander, his level of training, experience, and his ability to make adequate and balanced decisions and understanding of the full responsibility for the fulfilment of assigned tasks."

Syrskyi said he sent "groups of specialists" to some brigades where commanders were experiencing problems.

1128 GMT — German Defence Ministry investigates alleged wiretapping of Ukraine war conference

The German defence ministry said it was checking whether a confidential videoconference on the Ukraine war had been wiretapped after a recording was posted on Russian social media, in a potentially huge embarrassment for Berlin.

The head of Russia's state-backed RT channel, Margarita Simonyan, on Friday posted a 38-minute audio recording of what she claimed were German army officers discussing striking Crimea.

"We are investigating whether communications in the air force sector were intercepted," a spokeswoman for the German defence ministry told AFP.

In the recording, discussions can be heard on the possible use by Ukrainian forces of German-made Taurus missiles and their potential impact.

1011 GMT — Macron's remarks expose Western military presence in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron's comments regarding the deployment of troops to Ukraine "unintentionally lifted the veil" on the presence of Western personnel on Ukrainian soil, according to local media.

Macron's remarks that sending troops to Ukraine should not be "ruled out," actually exposed the military presence of Western countries in Ukraine, Le Monde reported on Friday.

On Monday, following a summit in Paris in support of Ukraine, Macron said: “There is no consensus today that ground troops should be deployed in an official, accepted, and endorsed way. But nothing should be ruled out.”

He added: "We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war."

0032 GMT — Biden hails Italy PM's Ukraine stance as US aid fears mount

President Joe Biden has hailed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's "unwavering" support for Ukraine, as they held talks overshadowed by worries about the future of US aid for Kiev.

Despite their political differences, the far-right Italian leader and the veteran Democrat have had warm relations, particularly because of Meloni's strong stance on Ukraine as it battles Russia's offensive.

"I want to thank you for Italy's unwavering support for Ukraine," Biden, 81, said as he sat with Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House.

"We have each other's backs — we also have Ukraine's back," Biden added.

2000 GMT — Zelenskyy vows tostrengthen Kharkiv's defence

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is working to strengthen the defence of Kharkiv region and improve the security situation in the region.

"We understand all the challenges. The Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of Defence know what needs to be done. This defence is being strengthened," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine's partner knows what Kiev lacks and what it needs, emphasising the necessity to drive Russian troops further away from the region.

"Otherwise, fully protecting Kharkiv will be extremely hard, even if we strengthen it with modern air defence systems. We are looking for opportunities to strengthen Kharkiv's air defence anyway. This is our task for today," he added.

For our live updates from Friday, March 1, click here.