11:16
American Abrams tanks are no longer on the front line due to the threat of Russian drones
The Ukrainian army is temporarily withdrawing the US-supplied Abrams tanks from the front line. Russian drones make it too difficult to operate without the risk of destruction, two anonymous US military officials told the AP.
Tanks are crucial to breaking through the Russian lines. But Ukraine is in dire straits, which means it currently needs the vehicles less.
In January last year, America agreed to the delivery of 31 https://twitter.com/USArmy/status/1458253835634417676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1458253835634417676%7Ctwgr%5E1b26ad99b1f874cf5b7e9e69f128328ca51eba00%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.volkskrant.nl%2Fnieuws-achtergrond%2Foekraine-snakt-naar-de-modernste-westerse-tanks-wat-maakt-de-duitse-leopard-en-de-amerikaanse-abrams-superieurb17169ae%2F – which, together with the German Leopard 2, are regarded as the world’s best tanks – to Ukraine. The Russians have since destroyed five of the American tanks, said to cost around $10 million each. Kyiv received eighteen Leopard 2 tanks from the Germans, of which only a small part would be active at the front. In addition, European countries sent hundreds of other types of tanks.
“There is no terrain you can just drive through without the fear of being spotted,” one of the US officials said yesterday about the presence of Russian drones in the air. The US is working with the Ukrainians on a way to deploy the tanks again, something the Americans certainly consider possible.
Jasper Daams
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10:04
Spain does not supply Patriot systems, but it does supply missiles to Ukraine
Spain will send a number of Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Anonymous sources report this to the Spanish newspaper El Pais. The Spanish are not sending Patriot anti-aircraft systems, of which they have three.
This summer, Russia seems to want to take full advantage of the shortage of manpower and equipment on the Ukrainian side. That is why NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called on member states last week to send anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. Zelensky wants to receive at least seven Patriots or similar anti-aircraft systems to defend against Russian air attacks.
On Monday, EU ministers said they were reviewing options for how to deliver more air defenses to Ukraine. However, no concrete commitments were made. Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte also stated that the Netherlands is looking at the options, but he did not consider it likely that the Netherlands will send one of the four Patriot systems to Ukraine.
Spain will not go that far either, and so Ukraine will have to make do with ammunition from Madrid. “We must increase our involvement in Ukraine,” a Spanish diplomatic source told foreign reporters yesterday.
Jasper Daams
07:38
Ukraine’s agriculture minister resigns over corruption allegations
Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky resigned on Thursday amid corruption allegations against him. After recent scandals in the judiciary and defense, this is the first time that a corruption investigation into a sitting minister of Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has been opened.
The anti-corruption agency Nabu suspects Solsky of tampering with the ownership rights of 2,500 hectares of land in the northern Sumy region from 2017 to 2021. This involved approximately $7 million.
Solsky, who worked as a lawyer at the time, represented veterans who had fought on the frontlines in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists rose up against Kyiv in 2014. According to Ukrainian law, war veterans are entitled to a piece of land, for example to build a house or grow vegetables.
Read the full article here.
04:02
Greece does not supply Patriots to Ukraine
Greece will not supply Patriot systems or S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday. According to Mitsotakis, Greece has already sent other defense equipment to Ukraine, but Athens cannot supply weapons systems that are crucial to Greece.
His statement comes after recent reports suggested that some leaders in the EU had put pressure on Greece to supply Ukraine with air defense systems. Mitsotakis confirmed that inquiries had been made and said Athens was ready to supply other goods. “If we can find such material, we will do so,” he added.
The Greek Prime Minister’s position may be due to the repeated escalation of tensions between Greece and Turkey over sovereign rights in the Aegean Sea and the presence of gas fields in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly questioned Greece’s sovereignty over several Greek islands, including Rhodes, Samos and Lesbos. (AP)
01:34
Zelensky wants foreign investment in Ukrainian defense
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to expand domestic defense production with help from the West, he said in his daily video address on Thursday. Zelensky said he is asking international partners that do not have their own production capabilities to invest in Ukraine’s defense sector, jointly produce weapons and strengthen the front.
Ukraine is largely dependent on Western arms supplies. Zelensky said the months-long delay in supplies from the United States had caused major problems at the front. This put Ukraine on the defensive and allowed the Russians to conquer more Ukrainian territory.
The US is likely to announce new arms purchases for Ukraine worth $6 billion (more than 5.5 billion euros) on Friday, a US official said on Thursday. This would include radar and Patriot systems, artillery, precision munitions and drones, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. (ANP)
00:00, Yesterday
Welcome to the live blog of Friday April 26
This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Thursday, April 25:
• Turkey is likely to support the candidacy of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become NATO’s new Secretary General. Bloomberg news agency reports this based on Turkish insiders. Rutte will visit Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, and it is expected that he will announce his decision within a few weeks.
• The Polish government wants to support Kyiv in repatriating conscripted men. This has been made clear through Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Polish Minister of Defense. This could even mean that Poland, which hosts the most Ukrainian refugees after Germany, sends conscripts back to Ukraine.
• Talks about a possible end to the war in Ukraine are pointless, according to a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russia has stated that it does not want to participate to the peace conference to be held in Switzerland on 15 and 16 Junebecause the government believes that Switzerland is not neutral in the war.
Read Thursday’s full live blog here.
