Live blog: US OKs possible sale of Apache helicopters to Poland – Pentagon

Monday, August 21, 2023

1934 GMT - The US State Department has approved the potential sale of AH-64E Apache helicopters and related equipment to Poland in a deal valued at up to $12 billion, the Pentagon said.

Poland has made boosting its military a priority following Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Poland has robustly supported US-led efforts to support Ukraine against the Russian onslaught, with a large portion of the billions of dollars in US weapons provided to Ukraine crossing the border through Poland.

Poland announced in January that it plans to spend four percent of its gross domestic product on defense this year –– well above the NATO target of two percent.

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2313 GMT - EU reiterates support for membership aspirations of Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova

European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended an evening dinner in the Greek capital Athens on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Thessaloniki Declaration, in which the bloc reiterated its full and unequivocal commitment to the EU membership aspirations of the Western Balkans and its support for the acceleration of the accession process and related reforms.

In 2003, the six countries of the Western Balkans were designated "potential candidates" at the EU Leaders Summit held in Thessaloniki, Greece.

While Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are still considered "potential candidates," Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia have acquired the status of "candidate countries" over the years.

Ukraine and Moldova were also declared candidate countries in June 2022.

1752 GMT - Greece offers F-16 training to Ukrainian pilots — Zelenskyy

Greece has offered to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 warplanes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an official visit to Athens.

"Today we have an important result for the air coalition: Greece will take part in training our pilots on F-16s. Thank you for this offer," Zelenskyy said, alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during statements to the media.

Kiev welcomed a US decision to alongside Denmark and the Netherlands hand F-16 fighter jets over to Ukraine once its pilots are trained to use them.

Training by an 11-nation coalition is to begin this month, and officials hope pilots will be ready by early 2024.

1810 GMT — Russian-backed court hands heavy jail terms to five Ukrainian soldiers

Russian-affiliated courts in Ukraine's eastern regions sentenced five Ukrainian soldiers to lengthy prison terms, Russia's Investigative Committee has said.

"The court sentenced (Andrey) Klementovich, (Artur) Sivitsky and (Ivan) Melnikovich to 20 years' imprisonment each, to be served in a strict regime penal colony," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

It published footage of three men handcuffed inside a court's defendant’s cage. The Investigative Committee said the three men were found guilty of "cruel treatment of the civilian population" and "attempted murder".

1713 GMT — Ukraine lines up destroyed Russian tanks in central Kiev

Ukraine has lined up the burnt-out husks of Russian tanks and fighting vehicles along the capital Kiev's central drag as Ukrainians prepare to mark their second wartime Independence Day this week.

The national holiday, which commemorates 32 years of post-Soviet independence from Moscow on Thursday, falls exactly 18 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its southern neighbour.

People walked along Kreshchatyk Street in the heart of the capital staring at the charred shells of armoured combat vehicles and other bits of hardware, arranged in a long line like a military parade of the dead.

1502 GMT — Russian high school pupils to learn how to use drones

Russian teenagers will learn how to operate and counter military drones in the upcoming school year, according to a curriculum published by the education ministry.

Moscow announced last November it was re-introducing Soviet-style military training for children from 2023, as it presses ahead with its nearly 18-month offensive in Ukraine.

The drone course, which will be offered to pupils aged 15 to 17, comes as Russian territory is targeted by almost daily Ukrainian drone attacks and as their use becomes pivotal in the conflict.

According to the education ministry's website, pupils will gain "an understanding of the ways in which unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used in combat".

1430 GMT — Top US general meets Pope Francis, discusses Ukraine war

Top US military officer General Mark Milley has met Pope Francis at the Vatican, discussing issues including the war in Ukraine.

The pope is "obviously very concerned about the hundreds of thousands of people who have been killed and wounded and the innocent civilian lives that have been lost", Milley told journalists aboard a US military aircraft following the audience.

"He's very interested in hearing my views on the state of the war and the status of the war, and the human tragedy that's unfolded in Ukraine," the general said.

1344 GMT — Ukraine may use new Black Sea route for grain shipments: producers

Ukraine is considering using its newly-tested wartime Black Sea export corridor for grain shipments after the first successful evacuation of a vessel along the route last week, a senior agricultural official has said.

Russia has blockaded Ukrainian ports since it invaded its neighbour in February 2022, and threatened to treat all vessels as potential military targets after pulling out of a Türkiye-backed safe-passage deal for Black Sea grain exports last month.

In response, Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" hugging the western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria.

1239 GMT — Ukraine plans to establish military police

Ukraine has announced that it will establish military police under the authority of the country’s Defence Ministry.

"The military police will become a military formation with law enforcement functions and will be part of the system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine," said a statement by the Ukrainian Defence Ministry on Telegram.

It also said that the body will be given certain powers related to operational and investigative activities, as well as pre-trial investigation of "war crimes" in conflict zones.

1230 GMT — Turkish president might hold face-to-face meeting with Putin on Black Sea grain deal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that next month, facing a busy schedule, if given the chance he might hold face-to-face talks with his Russian counterpart to discuss the Black Sea grain deal.

"In September, there is the G20 meeting in India and the UN General Assembly in the US. If we find the opportunity in this busy environment, we will meet and talk with (Vladimir) Putin face to face," Erdogan told reporters late Sunday on the presidential plane while returning from a visit to Hungary.

1058 GMT — Zelenskyy 'confident' Russia will lose war

Zelenskyy has said he was "confident" Russia would lose the war in Ukraine.

"Today we are confident that Russia will lose this war... I'm sure that we will win because the truth is on our side," Zelenskyy said in a speech outside the Danish parliament, as a large crowd cheered and waved Ukrainian flags on Monday.

Zelenskyy made his remarks a day after Denmark, along with the Netherlands, announced they would provide American F-16 jets to strengthen Kiev's Soviet-era air force, as it pursues a grinding counteroffensive against Russian forces in the east.

"The main thing is what we prove with our victory, with our cooperation... Together we prove that life is a value, that people matter. Freedom matters, Europe matters," the Ukrainian leader said.

1027 GMT — Danish F-16s for Ukraine an 'escalation': Russian envoy

Denmark's decision to supply Ukraine with American F-16 fighter jets to fend off Russia's attacks represents an "escalation" of the conflict, Russia's ambassador to Denmark has warned.

During a visit by Zelenskyy to Denmark on Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her country would deliver 19 of the jets, six of them by the end of this year, eight next year and five in 2025.

"The fact that Denmark has now decided to donate 19 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine leads to an escalation of the conflict," Russian ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin said in a statement to AFP news agency.

1019 GMT — Ukraine says it repels Russian attacks in east, reports small gains

The battlefield situation in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine is "difficult", but Ukrainian forces are repelling Russian attacks and have regained some territory in the east in the past week, Kiev said.

"The situation in the Kupiansk direction is difficult. The enemy is not abandoning plans to move forward, the enemy is pulling up additional forces," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told national television on Monday.

"We are confident in our defenders, but it is very difficult for them there and the enemy is not advancing there."

0820 GMT — Ukraine recaptured three square kilometres near Bakhmut

Ukrainian forces have also recaptured a clutch of territory around the eastern war-battered town of Bakhmut but made no major advances on the southern front, the deputy defence minister said.

Kiev launched a counteroffensive against Russian troops in June after stockpiling Western weapons and building up offensive infantry units but has conceded that progress has been slow.

Ukrainian forces began pushing back immediately around its flanks and have also been pushing towards the southern city of Melitopol under Russian control.

"In the south, the situation has not undergone significant changes. Our defenders continue to advance in the Berdyansk and Melitopol sectors," Malyar said.

0810 GMT — Nearly 50 flights disrupted after Ukraine drone attack in Moscow

At least two people were injured when parts of a Ukrainian drone destroyed by Russian air defences fell on a house in the Moscow region, the regional governor said.

Nearly 50 plane flights in and out of the capital were disrupted after Russia said it jammed a Ukrainian drone in the Ruzsky district west of the capital and destroyed another one in the Istrinsky district nearby.

Arrivals and departures from Moscow's four main airports - Vnukovo, Domodedovo, She remetyevo and Zhukovsky - were restricted, disrupting 45 passenger planes and two cargo planes, Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.

Russian officials have repeatedly cautioned that military drones flying over Moscow - which along with its surrounding region has a population of nearly 22 million people - could cause a major disaster.

0510 GMT — Ukraine nears deal with insurers to cover grain ships

Ukraine is finalising a scheme with global insurers to cover grain ships travelling to and from its Black Sea ports, the Financial Times reported, citing Ukraine's Deputy Economy Minister Oleksandr Gryban.

Gryban told the newspaper the deal was "currently being pursued and actively discussed" between the relevant ministries, as well as domestic banks and international insurance groups including Lloyd's of London.

0520 GMT — Russia says thwarted Ukraine drone attack near Moscow

Russia's defence ministry has said it had thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region, with no casualties reported.

An attempt by Kiev to carry out an "attack with an aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicle was thwarted" on Monday morning, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The drone was "suppressed by means of electronic warfare" and crashed in Odintsovo district, it said, adding there were no casualties.

Odintsovo is to the southwest of the capital.

In recent weeks, two drone attacks were repelled over Moscow's financial district, each causing minor damage to the facades of high-rise buildings. In May, drones were shot down near the Kremlin.

For our live updates from Sunday (August 20), click here.