Live blog: Netherlands and Denmark to give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine

Sunday, August 20, 2023

1354 GMT - The Netherlands and Denmark have announced that they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, in a long-awaited announcement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an important motivation for his country's forces.

The timeline depends on how soon Ukrainian crews and infrastructure are ready for the powerful US-made jets, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Zelenskyy as the two visited a Dutch air base.

Zelenskyy welcomed the ‘’historic'' announcement and praised Rutte for making the Netherlands the first country to offer the planes.

The announcement came minutes after the two leaders inspected two grey F-16 jets parked in a hangar at the Dutch base in the southern city of Eindhoven.

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1349 GMT — Serbia offers more Russian gas to Hungary if Ukraine cancels transit

Serbia will provide Hungary with increased shipments of Russian natural gas if Ukraine follows through on ending a gas transit agreement with Russia, Hungary's foreign minister has said.

Speaking in a taped message, Peter Szijjarto said Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, had met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, and assured him that Serbia would be able to supply more Russian gas to Hungary if Kiev declines to extend an agreement allowing its transit across Ukrainian territory.

“Today, the Serbian president made it clear that if Hungary would like to increase natural gas shipments through Serbia to Hungary, then Serbia can ensure the necessary shipment capacities" Szijjarto said.

1202 GMT — Ukrainian drones shot down over Belgorod region: Russia

The Russian Defence Ministry has said that anti-aircraft defences prevented an attack by two drones on the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine and which is a regular target of Ukrainian drone attacks.

In a separate statement, Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that 12 airborne targets had been shot down on the approaches to Belgorod city.

1141 GMT — Germany expects to give Ukraine $5B in aid per year

Germany expects to provide Ukraine with around $5.45 billion (5 billion euros) in financial aid per year, Finance Minister Christian Lindner has said.

Germany has been one of the largest benefactors of Ukraine following the start of the conflict with Russia and has said it will continue to offer support as long as necessary.

In May, for example, Germany announced $2.94 billion (2.7 billion euros) of military aid to Ukraine in a package that included tanks and drones.

Germany was initially reluctant to provide heavy arms to Ukraine to help it counter Russia's invasion, fearing it might escalate the fight.

1019 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Netherlands in push to boost air defences

Zelenskyy has arrived in the Netherlands, two days after the country said the United States had given its approval for Dutch and Danish authorities to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine's air force.

Zelenskyy is meeting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a military air base in the southern city of Eindhoven. The Ukrainian leader was in Sweden a day earlier.

The US approval Friday for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver American-made F-16s to Ukraine was seen as a major boost for Kiev, even though the fighter jets won’t have an impact any time soon on the almost 18-month war.

0729 GMT — Russia 'thwarts' Ukraine drone attack on Moscow region

Russia has said it thwarted Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow and its region, the second such incident in two days as Kiev presses ahead with a counteroffensive.

"At around 4:00 am (0100 GMT), an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by drone on infrastructure in Moscow and the Moscow region was thwarted," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

The Moscow-bound drone was destroyed by "electronic warfare" and crashed into an uninhabited area after losing control, the ministry added, reporting no victims or damage.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin thanked Russia's military for their work on the Telegram messaging app.

0147 GMT – Ukrainian drone strike hits Russian city: governor

Ukrainian drone attack has hit a train station in the western Russian city of Kursk, injuring five people, the regional governor said.

"A Ukrainian drone attack in Kursk," Roman Starovoyt said on Telegram. "According to preliminary information, it crashed into the roof of the railway station building, after which a fire broke out on the roof."

"Five people were slightly injured by glass fragments," he added, saying emergency services were on the scene.

Kursk is only about 90 kilometres from Russia's border with Ukraine. Russia's Rostov regions, which also borders Ukraine, also reported drone strikes.

2245 GMT – UN condemns deadly Russian attack on Ukraine city centre

A Russian missile strike on Ukraine's northern city of Chernihiv has killed seven people and wounded 144, President Zelenskyy said, in what the UN denounced as a "heinous" attack.

The strike came during the Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord, as some attended morning church services in the city.

"It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians," said Denise Brown, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

"I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine… Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law," she added.

Audrey Azoulay, director general of the UN's cultural organisation UNESCO, said she was "appalled" by the attack, in a post on social media.

For our live updates from Saturday (August 19), click here.