🔄 Click here for the latest updates
5 posts
4 mins ago
German government announces delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
The German government confirmed this Wednesday that it will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, a measure demanded by the NATO allies.
7 mins ago
Ukraine wants longer-range missiles as Russia learns from its mistakes
By Tim Lister, Fred Pleitgen
General Valery Gerasimov speaks during a security conference in Moscow on May 23, 2013. (Photo: Mikhail Metzel/AP)
Ukrainian authorities say the Russians are learning from their mistakes on the battlefield and making it harder for Ukrainian missiles to hit their ammunition depots and logistics centers.
That is why, they say, Ukraine needs longer-range missiles that can reach inside Russia.
They also believe that the appointment of General Valery Gerasimov as commander of the Russian offensive in Ukraine is a final roll of the dice for the Kremlin after multiple reshufflings of its military hierarchy.
The deputy head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Vadym Skibitsky, told CNN on Monday that the Russians have begun dispersing military supplies "throughout the territory of the Russian Federation."
In particular, he said, "everything is moved to the southern regions via the Crimean peninsula" from logistics centers in Russia's Rostov region.
"If you are wondering what is critical for the Russian Federation, the centers of gravity are these very centers, and they need to be attacked in order to disrupt supply systems of all kinds," Skibitsky said.
And this requires strikes against facilities not only in Russian-occupied Crimea, "but also in the Russian Federation," Skibitsky said.
He described Russian logistics systems as being located 80-120 kilometers (50-75 miles) from the front line, which means Ukraine needs longer-range strike systems to attack them.
Another reason for the long-range artillery: Several Ukrainian officials have told CNN that Ukraine wants to launch a counteroffensive before Russian reinforcements are equipped and ready to move.
But for that, Kyiv needs to be able to go further.
"To prepare a counteroffensive or an offensive operation it is necessary to destroy many installations, not only on the front line, but also in the rear, 100-150 kilometers behind enemy lines," Skibitsky said.
"Especially now, to form strong strike groups we need tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, heavy weapons that allow rapid counter-offensive operations against the enemy."
8 mins ago
Kremlin spokesman claims US and German tanks will bring 'more suffering' to Ukraine
By Fred Pleitgen
US and European tank donations to Ukraine will bring "more suffering" to the country and "more tension to the continent," a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, more NATO weapons bring more suffering to the people in Ukraine. It also brings more tension to the continent. But it cannot stop Russia from achieving our goals," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN.
His comments come as the German Parliament prepares to debate on Wednesday the controversial issue of the possible shipment of German-made Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US officials familiar with the negotiations said the Biden administration is finalizing plans to send about 30 US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Peskov said that any approval by Berlin of tank deliveries to Ukraine would inevitably affect relations between Russia and Germany, which are already at a "pretty low point."
"Of course, such deliveries do not bode well for the future of relations. They will leave an imminent trail," Peskov added during a regular press briefing.
10 mins ago
US finalizes plan to send 30 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, officials say
By Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand
The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send about 30 US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine and could make an announcement as soon as this week, according to two officials familiar with the deliberations.
The US will also send a small number of recovery vehicles, one of the officials said.
Tracked vehicles are used to help repair tanks on the battlefield or remove them for maintenance.
The delivery schedule for the tanks is unclear and it typically takes several months to train troops to use them effectively, according to the officials.
The announcement about the main battle tanks could be part of an attempt to break the diplomatic blockade with Germany, which last week told the US it would not send its Leopard tanks to Ukraine unless the US agreed to send them as well. their M1 Abrams tanks.
Senior US national security officials have been considering what steps they might take to convince Germany to send the Leopards.
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Tuesday that she suspects the matter "will be resolved relatively soon."
"I think in the next few days some of these issues will be resolved," he said.
Some background
: The Biden administration has never completely ruled out sending US tanks, but last week US officials said publicly that now is not the right time to send the M1 Abrams 70-ton tanks because they are expensive and require a significant amount. training to operate them.
Instead, tanks have been repeatedly raised as a long-term option, though critics say the time is right now, as Ukraine braces for the possibility of Russia mobilizing more troops and launching a new offensive.
Sky News Arabia was first to report that the United States is considering sending the tanks.
CNN's Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
13 mins ago
The German Parliament will debate this Wednesday the shipment of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine
By Stephanie Halasz
A Leopard 2 tank during a demonstration in Munster, near Hannover, Germany, on September 28, 2011. (Photo: Michael Sohn/AP)
The German Parliament will debate this Wednesday the controversial issue of the possible shipment of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine.
The opposition parties Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Christian Union (CSU) have requested the debate, arguing that they want to "put an end to the blockade of the federal government by the Leopards."
The opposition parties affirm, according to the parliamentary website, that the German government "should be afraid of losing the confidence of its allies."
The discussion will begin at 9:05 a.m. ET.
Some Background
: Poland formally asked Germany for permission to transfer Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
So far, Germany has resisted calls by Poland, the United States and other NATO countries to transfer the tanks to Ukraine or allow other countries to send some of their Leopards to Kyiv.
What are and how do Leopard 2 tanks work and why are they important for Ukraine?
However, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier that the country would make a decision on the tanks "very soon".
As reported by Der Spiegel on Tuesday night, attributing the news to anonymous sources, Germany is willing to send its coveted Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help bolster the country's war effort.
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has decided to hand over the tanks after "months of debate", according to exclusive information from the German media.
war in ukraine
