International Glance
In an interview on French national television TF1 and France 2, Macron was asked about the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine, which he publicly raised last month in comments that prompted pushback from other European leaders who stressed they had no plans to do so.
French President Macron doesn’t rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine
Refineries in Russia burn as Ukrainians go after Kremlin’s lifeline
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Ukrainian drones have attacked several oil refineries in Russia, hundreds of kilometres from the frontline in regions including Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Leningrad. The continuing attacks are part of a strategy to hurt Russia’s economy.
The Ryazan oil refinery, Rosneft’s biggest refinery, was set ablaze, a regional governor said on Wednesday. It shut down two damaged primary oil refining units. Rosneft did not comment. The plant handles about 5.8% of Russia’s total refined crude, according to industry sources.
A fire broke out at Norsi, Russia’s fourth-largest refinery, after a Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials said on Tuesday. Its main crude distillation unit was damaged, which means that at least half of the refinery’s production is halted, according to industry sources. Norsi handles nearly 6% of Russia’s total refined crude. Before the latest drone attack, one of its two catalytic crackers had already been put out of action.
With aid headed to Gaza, hurdles remain to getting food to its starving population
Airdropping aid packages from planes, U.S. military and NGO boats working independently to deliver aid by sea, and now the U.N. food agency has finally managed to get aid in by land. Multiple international efforts are afoot to bring desperately needed food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, but significant hurdles remain in the way.
Last week, President Biden announced the military will build a floating pier for aid deliveries off Gaza's coast, as his administration has grown frustrated urging the Israeli government to enable humanitarian relief to reach the population in the enclave. But the pier won't be ready for several weeks.
Israeli strike kills aid worker in Gaza, damages relief center
At least one aid worker was killed and 22 others wounded when Israeli forces struck a humanitarian aid distribution center in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, U.N. officials said Wednesday.
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians, said the agency provided the Israeli Army with coordinates of the facility a day earlier so it would not be hit.
“Today’s attack on one of the very few remaining UNRWA distribution centers in the Gaza Strip comes as food supplies are running out, hunger is widespread and, in some areas, turning into famine," Lazzarini said in a statement. "Every day, we share the coordinates of all our facilities across the Gaza Strip with parties to the conflict."
Ukraine-based Russian armed groups claim raids into Russia
Three Ukraine-based Russian paramilitary groups say they have crossed into Russia and are now fighting government troops there.
The Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and Siberian Battalion (SB) posted videos purportedly showing their fighters in Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions.
The FRL and an exiled Russian politician claimed two villages were now in control of "liberation forces".
Russia's defence ministry said the breakthrough attempts were thwarted.
It claimed more than 234 Ukrainian troops had been killed and several tanks had been destroyed.
According to Belgorod's regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, one member of Russia's territorial defence forces was killed and 10 civilians were injured.
Navalny’s former policy chief brutally attacked in Lithuania
Leonid Volkov, former chief of staff to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has been brutally attacked outside his home in Vilnius.
“They broke the window in his car and sprayed tear gas in his eyes, after which the attacker began to beat Leonid with a hammer,” wrote Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson, on X — the site formerly known as Twitter — shortly after 10 p.m. local time.
Yarmysh retweeted graphic pictures from another account that appear to show Volkov with a wound on his leg and damage to his car.
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis, confirming the attack, tweeted: “News about Leonid’s assault are shocking. Relevant authorities are at work. Perpetrators will have to answer for their crime.”
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White House announces $300m stopgap military aid package for Ukraine
The Pentagon will rush about $300m in weapons to Ukraine after finding some cost savings in its contracts, even though the military remains deeply overdrawn and needs at least $10bn to replenish all the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv in its desperate fight against Russia, the White House announced on Tuesday.
It’s the Pentagon’s first announced security package for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it was out of replenishment funds. It wasn’t until recent days that officials publicly acknowledged they weren’t just out of replenishment funds, but $10bn overdrawn.
The announcement comes as Ukraine is running dangerously low on munitions and efforts to get fresh funds for weapons have stalled in the House because of Republican opposition. US officials have insisted for months that the United States wouldn’t be able to resume weapons deliveries until Congress provided the additional replenishment funds, which are part of the stalled supplemental spending bill.
More Articles...
- CNN: Russia producing three times more artillery shells than US and Europe for Ukraine
- India announces steps to implement a citizenship law that excludes Muslims
- Pope provokes outrage by saying Ukraine should ‘raise white flag’ and end war with Russia
- Stars wear red Gaza ceasefire pins at Oscars as protest delays arrivals
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