US national security adviser Jake Sullivan says there would be “real costs” for China if it provides lethal weapons to Russia, as the Moscow-Kiev fighting rolls into its 369th day,
Ukrainian Army servicemen as troops fire an anti-tank grenade launcher towards a Russian position, near Bakhmut on February 23, 2023.
(AFP)
Monday, February 27, 2023
0220 GMT – Croatia to send 14 helicopters to Ukraine
Croatia plans to send 14 helicopters to Ukraine, a local newspaper reported.
The Jutarnji List daily said that preparations have begun for the donation of the helicopters from the Croatian Armed Forces.
The country will send 12 MI-8 MTV-1 and 2 MI-8T helicopters.
The helicopters underwent the necessary maintenance in the hangars and will be ready within 10 days.
They are expected to be delivered first to Poland and then to Ukraine.
The Croatian government has kept all military support to Ukraine secret. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic did announce in November that 14 helicopters would be sent to Ukraine but declined to provide further details.
President Zoran Milanovic, known for his opposing view on sending military aid to Ukraine, reacted by saying: “I don’t care.”
0001 GMT – Ukraine’s ground forces commander visits besieged Bakhmut
The commander of Ukrainian ground forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi visited besieged Bakhmut to boost morale and talk strategy with units defending the town and surrounding villages in eastern Ukraine, the military said over the weekend.
Military analysts expect that Ukraine’s forces will put their “maximum effort” in coming days into defending Bakhmut, which in recent months has seen some of the bloodiest attritional fighting of Russia’s year-old offensive.
Russia has made the capture of Bakhmut a priority in its strategy to take control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas industrial region.
The 57-year-old commander, one of Ukraine’s most experienced, has been regarded as the mastermind behind the defeat of Russian forces as they advanced on Kiev early in the war and in the Kharkiv region in September.
0010 GMT – China ‘considering’ sending lethal equipment to Russia, says CIA chief
China is considering sending lethal equipment to Russia to aid in its war with Ukraine, the CIA chief said.
“We’re confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment,” said CIA Director William Burns in an interview with CBS’ Face The Nation public affairs program.
“We also don’t see that a final decision has been made yet.
And we don’t see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment,” said Burns, adding it is important for Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden “to make very clear what the consequences of that would be to deter it because it would be a very risky and unwise bet.”
Asked why would Beijing risk its relations with the US and Europe, Burns said “It’s a good question, and that’s why I hope very much that they don’t.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday also said there would be “real costs” for China if it provides lethal weapons to Russia.
“From our perspective, actually, this war presents real complications for Beijing. And Beijing will have to make its own decisions about how it proceeds, whether it provides military assistance,” said Sullivan on CNN’s State of the Union program.
005 GMT – Zelenskyy fires a top Ukrainian military commander
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired a senior military commander helping lead the fight against Russian troops in the country’s embattled east but gave no reason for the move.
In a one-line decree, Zelenskiy announced the dismissal of Eduard Moskalyov as commander of the joint forces of Ukraine, which are engaged in battles in the Donbass region.
Zelenskyy mentioned Moskalyov in a daily address on Friday when listing the military commanders he had spoken to. Moskalyov had been in the post since March 2022, shortly after Russia attacked Ukraine.
Neither the joint forces’ Facebook nor Twitter accounts made any mention of the dismissal.
0002 GMT– Billionaire Ackman donates $3.25 million for ambulances in Ukraine
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has pledged $3.25 million to help buy more than a dozen ambulances for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s attack, according to a fellow investor who cited a conversation with him.
Ackman’s donation will cover the purchase of 15 specially equipped Toyota 4×4 Land Cruiser ambulances and the costs of operating them on the front lines, investor Whitney Tilson, who is on the advisory board of Ackman’s charity, Pershing Square Foundation, wrote in an email to his friends and professional contacts.
For our live updates from Sunday (February 26), click here.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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