Ukraine war: US rules out 'high risk' transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine
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This was Wednesday's live blog. For the latest updates on Thursday click here.
The United States said on Wednesday it would oppose any plan for NATO nations to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, saying it would be seen as "escalatory" by Russia.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the US Department of Defence, told reporters that Secretary Lloyd Austin had stressed to his Polish counterpart and that the US "do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force at this time, and therefore had no desire to see them in our custody either."
"The intelligence community has assessed the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine may be mistaken as escalatory and could result in a significant Russian reaction that might increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO. Therefore, we also assess the transfer of the MiG 29 to Ukraine o be high risk," he said.
He added that they believe there are "alternative options that are much better suited to support the Ukrainian military in their fight against Russia."
His comments came after Russian troops carried out a "direct strike" on a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He said that people and children were under the rubble, calling the strike an "atrocity" as the Russian invasion continues.
A planned evacuation of the city — the third one — failed once more.
Here a recap of how Wednesday unfolded:
- Washington said it opposes any transfer of fighter jets from Ukraine by NATO members, arguing it is"'high risk".
- A Russian strike hit a children and maternity hospital in Mariupol on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
- Ukraine has banned the export of necessities including wheat, poultry and eggs in a bid to stave off shortages. The country is the fifth biggest exporter of wheat in the world.
- Another ceasefire attempt is underway to allow civilians to escape from Mariupol, Sumy in the northeast, Enerhodar in the south, Volnovakha in the southeast, Izyum in the east, and several towns in the Kyiv region.
- Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki has said the decision on whether to make the MiG-29 planes available to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion is now in the hands of NATO and Washington.
- The UN's nuclear watchdog says it sees "no critical impact on safety" after a power loss was reported at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
- More than one million children have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on 24 February, according to the UN's children's agency.
- The EU has announced more sanctions against Moscow and Minsk, targeting Belarusian banks and blacklisting another 160 Russian oligarchs and senators.
- For a summary of Tuesday's developments click here.
US slams 'preposterous' Russian claims of biological weapons in Ukraine
Russia 'starving' Ukrainian cities: Washington
'We won't abandon' Mariupol: Kyiv
He said that "Ukraine's proposals on humanitarian corridors were not accepted by the aggressor party," according to a statement.
Russian shelling hit a maternity hospital and children's wad in Mariupol on Wednesday, injuring at least 17 people and creating a 10-metre round crater by the building.
The Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry accused Moscow of using "civilians as human shields" and said it now had two options to evacuate civilians: attempt to strike a fourth ceasefire deal with Russia or evacuate people by sea.
US against transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine
Amazon to stop shipments to Russia and Belarus
The e-commerce giant said late Tuesday in a blog update on its website that it will also suspend Prime Video access for customers based in Russia and will stop taking orders for New World, the only video game the company says it sells directly in Russia. The retailer added new Russia and Belarus-based third-party sellers won’t be able to sell on its site.
The retailer had said earlier in the day that its cloud computing network, Amazon Web Services, will also stop allowing new sign-ups in Russia and Belarus. Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov had called on the company to stop providing AWS in Russia, suggesting in a letter sent to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos that not doing so could be supporting “bloodshed and disinformation that can be leveraged through digital infrastructures.”
