—The Russia-owned gas pipeline is not in use after Berlin vowed not to make it operational due to the war in Ukraine.

—The potential plans come as Europe faces an energy crisis after Russia began reducing gas supplies.

Germany is reportedly considering seizing parts of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to allocate for a liquefied natural gas terminal as Europe reels from an energy crisis.

Der Spiegel reported Friday that the economy ministry has discussed expropriating portions of the Russian-owned gas pipeline in German territory, according to Reuters.

The pieces would then be cut off from the rest of the pipeline and repurposed in an LNG terminal on the Baltic Sea. Europe has increasingly turned to LNG imports, especially from the US, as it looks for alternatives to Russian supplies.

Russia’s state-run energy giant Gazprom completed construction of the Nord Stream 2 at the end of 2021 but it has yet to be used. Germany vowed not to let it go into operation after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The potential pipeline seizure comes as Europe faces an energy crisis. Russia has slashed gas flows from a separate pipeline, Nord Stream 1, in recent weeks just as European countries build up inventories ahead of the winter season.

Energy storage in Europe is roughly half full, and the EU is worried that a harsh winter coupled with an already frustrated supply chain for energy will lead to shortages.

On Thursday, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck declared the country is now in the “alarm” phase of its gas emergency plan, signaling that businesses and households need to cut down on consumption and that the government foresees long-term risk of supply shortfalls.

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol told the Financial Times earlier this week that Europe should prepare for a complete cut-off in Russian gas exports.

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/germany-considers-seizing-parts-russian-162450590.html

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Western sanctions already had the perverse effect of increasing the energy profits financing Russia’s war in Ukraine — and the G7’s new plan to fix that by capping prices on Russian oil could also backfire.

On Tuesday leaders of the world’s advanced democracies put forward an idea that looks good on paper: Convince countries which so far haven’t been willing to boycott Russian oil to at least gang up and agree to only buy it at rock-bottom prices.

Moscow gets less cash, willing buyers still get cheap crude, and the overall global oil supply doesn’t shrink, meaning energy prices don’t spike.
G7 heads insist the price cap will punish Russia for invading its neighbor.

“We are working to make sure Russia does not exploit its position as an energy producer to profit from its aggression at the expense of vulnerable countries,” the G7 statement reads.

But such a scheme would be complicated to set up and onerous to enforce.

The idea is to allow Russia to earn enough to continue exporting, but too little to fund its war machine. Price cap proposals range from a few dollars above the so-called “break-even price” it costs Russia to produce a barrel of oil — which averages around $42, but for certain oil fields is as low as $10 — to using an average of last year’s global oil price of around $70 per barrel.

For comparison, the global benchmark Brent crude is currently around $112 per barrel, while Russian Urals crude trades at a $35 discount.

Making the cap work isn’t as simple as setting a price — it would involve dealing with insurance markets, oil distribution chains and a hefty dose of diplomacy with big buyers like India and China.

There’s also the risk of unintended consequences. Over the past four months, Western leaders have discovered that declaring Russian barrels off-limits — or just threatening to do so — has caused crude prices to skyrocket in anticipation of reduced global supply, leading to economic pain for countries respecting the ban.

Meanwhile, less-scrupulous buyers — notably India and China— have gotten the benefit of a discount on the shunned Russian barrels, while Moscow raked in record profits by selling less oil but at a higher overall price.

A cap could even make authorized cheap Russian oil a more highly sought-after commodity, which runs counter to the idea of shunning Moscow until it pulls out of Ukraine.

“Once you put a cap on Russian oil then you’re actually saying it’s not illicit, it’s legal, there’s no consequences for buying Russian,” said Brenda Shaffer, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and energy professor at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. “And if the price is lower, it’s the most attractive in the market and suddenly Russia is the darling of the ball everyone wants to dance with.”

Targeting tankers
It wouldn’t be enough to require open energy exchanges to sell Russian crude at the mandated price, because buyers and sellers could simply transact for Russian crude privately via confidential contracts.

That’s why G7 leaders are focusing on a “comprehensive prohibition of all services, which enable transportation of Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products globally, unless the oil is purchased at or below a price to be agreed in consultation with international partners,” the statement reads.

A senior EU official said the measure would target the finance, insurance and transportation of oil.

That would mean forbidding shipping insurers, the vast majority of which are in the EU and U.K., from extending protection to Russian oil cargoes.

“The way these crude purchases are transacted is that typically, a buyer doesn’t shell out $100 million for a cargo purchase — they put down a bit of a deposit themselves but the rest is provided by a bank in the form of a credit note,” said Ajay Parmar, senior oil market analyst with ICIS.

Banks won’t issue that credit note if the cargo isn’t fully insured.

“And if you go to London for insurance and they say, ‘Oh it’s Russian crude, I can only insure it by X amount,’ a buyer is not going to be willing to pay above the price per barrel that it can get insurance on because otherwise it is at massive financial risk,” Parmar added.

Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, warned of the possibility of a black insurance market, where the insurer “gets a piece of paper corresponding to the cap, but in reality the buyer pays the Russians into a separate bank account somewhere to get the oil.”

Market meddling
But even if all goes well, there’s still the matter of allocating the heavily discounted oil.

“Let’s say there’s this price cap of X, and it actually works — which buyers get access to this cheap Russian crude and which buyers have to go off and still pay the market price? How does that get decided?” asked Laurent Ruseckas, executive director at S&P Global Global Commodity Insights. “Or, if you’re selling this capped crude oil at the price that’s still being set by the market, that’s a huge margin and a lot of money. Who’s going to make a lot of money? I just think it doesn’t fit easily with normal market principles.”

There has been talk of using such profits to set up an aid fund for Ukraine — but a major obstacle to the price cap’s success will be getting buyers of Russian crude — notably India and China— to participate in the scheme.

The senior EU official acknowledged the price cap only “works under certain conditions: if it’s applied globally, if it’s comprehensive, if you have those who control the markets [on board] … China is quite an important actor.”

Parmar said India appears more willing to play along, but China “has not been willing to engage so far, and is obviously pretty unlikely to be joining in on any agreement with the West.”

That would lead to a three-tier marketplace, according to the Atlantic Council’s Shaffer. Buyers would choose between the normal global benchmark price, a low authorized Russian crude price, and what Shaffer called a “gray market” price for illicit Russian barrels at an intermediate price, delivered and paid for using subterfuge tactics perfected by Iran and Venezuela to obscure the origin of the oil.

David Herszenhorn and Victor Jack contributed reporting.

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/g7-olaf-scholz-germany-summit-russia-ukraine-war-to-cap-the-price-of-russian-oil/

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General Sir Patrick Sanders, who took over on Monday from General Sir Mark Carleton Smith as the professional head of the Army, said his “singular duty” would be to “make our Army as lethal and effective as it can be.”

He told troops in a message: “We are the generation that must prepare the Army to fight in Europe once again. There is now a burning imperative to forge an Army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle.

“I am the first Chief of the General Staff since 1941 to take command of the Army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underlines our core purpose – to protect the UK by being ready to fight and win wars on land.”

The Government set out plans last year to reduce the size of the regular Army, lowering the target size from 82,000 personnel to 72,500 by 2025.

It comes after the Prime Minister returned from Ukraine with a warning that “we need to steel ourselves for a long war”.

After visiting Kyiv, Boris Johnson said Vladimir Putin’s invasion is “entering a new phase” and if Russian advances are successful he “would not stop at dismembering Ukraine”.

Writing in The Times, Mr Johnson said: “I am afraid that we need to steel ourselves for a long war, as Putin resorts to a campaign of attrition, trying to grind down Ukraine by sheer brutality.

“The UK and our friends must respond by ensuring that Ukraine has the strategic endurance to survive and eventually prevail.”

“Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack,” he added.

“Our task is to enlist time on Ukraine’s side.”

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/british-troops-must-prepare-to-fight-in-europe-once-again-says-new-army-chief/ar-AAYD9Vv?ocid=uxbndlbing

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—Sweeping sanctions imposed by Western powers in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with countermeasures from Moscow, have effectively ostracized the country from the global financial system.

Russia could be entering its first major foreign debt default for over a century, after a grace period on two international bond payments lapsed on Sunday night.

Interest payments totaling $100 million were due on May 27 and subject to a grace period which expired on Sunday night. Several media outlets have reported that bondholders have not yet received the payments, after Russia’s attempts to pay in its ruble currency were blocked by international sanctions.

Sweeping sanctions imposed by Western powers in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with countermeasures from Moscow, have effectively ostracized the country from the global financial system, but so far the Kremlin has managed to find ways to get payments to bondholders on multiple occasions.

Attempts to circumvent sanctions took a further blow in late May, however, when the U.S. Treasury Department allowed a key exemption to expire. The waiver had previously allowed Russia’s central bank to process payments to bondholders in dollars through U.S. and international banks, on a case-by-case basis.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov suggested earlier this month that Russia may have found another means of payment. Moscow wired the $100 million in rubles to its domestic settlement house, but the two bonds in question are not subject to a ruble clause that would allow payment in the domestic currency to be converted overseas.

Reuters reported early on Monday, citing two sources, that some Taiwanese holders of Russian eurobonds have not received the interest payments due on May 27, indicating that Russia may be entering its first foreign debt default since 1918, despite having ample cash and willingness to pay.

Siluanov reportedly told Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti that the blockage of payments does not constitute a genuine default, which usually come as the result of unwillingness or inability to pay, and called the situation a “farce.”

A further $2 billion in payments is due before the end of the year, though some of the bonds issued after 2014 are permitted to be paid in rubles or other alternative currencies, according to the contracts.

Although the signals are that payments have indeed been held up by international sanctions, it may take some time to confirm the default.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/27/russia-on-the-brink-of-historic-debt-default-as-payment-period-expires.html

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The German military will contribute considerably to the strengthening of NATO’s east flank, the country’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has announced. He also promised major investment that would turn the Bundeswehr into the largest military force among European members of the US-led military bloc.

Speaking before the German parliament on Wednesday, Scholz assured fellow lawmakers that Berlin would “defend every square meter” of NATO territory, if necessary. The chancellor added that the bloc’s members in Eastern Europe could count on Germany. The country would increase its military presence in the region, including in and around the Baltic Sea, Scholz revealed.

Among the countries where the Bundeswehr will be permanently stationed as part of NATO forces is Lithuania. The Baltic state’s already strained relations with Moscow further escalated last week when Vilnius decided to block the transit of sanctioned goods to Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. The Kremlin warned it would retaliate severely.

Commenting on Germany’s and NATO’s relations with Russia, Scholz pointed out that a partnership with the eastern neighbor is “unimaginable in the foreseeable future” now that an “imperialist Russia” has attacked Ukraine.

The German head of government warned, however, against terminating any of the fundamental agreements currently existing between the military alliance and Russia.

“We will campaign more than ever for the preservation of an international order that is based on law rather than force,” the German chancellor clarified.

Scholz also said that the sight of destruction in the towns of Irpin and Bucha outside of Kiev, which he had recently visited, reminded him of pictures of destroyed German cities after WWII.

“And just like the war-ravaged Europe then, today Ukraine needs a Marshall Plan for [its] reconstruction,” the chancellor argued, referring to the famous US-sponsored program for European post-war recovery.

The chancellor called it Europe’s “duty” to provide Ukraine with assistance.

To this end, Berlin has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to join via video link the upcoming meeting of G7 leaders, which will take place in Bavaria from June 26 until June 28.

Scholz also said that he intended to hold a special conference of international experts, aimed at raising additional aid for Ukraine.

Speaking in the Bundestag, the chancellor revealed that German self-propelled howitzers had already been supplied to Kiev, with Ukrainian troops also currently undergoing training in the use of self-propelled anti-aircraft Gepard guns, and will start getting acquainted with US-designed M270 multiple launch rocket systems and the German-made IRIS-T air defense system. All of these weapons systems will be provided to Ukraine by Germany.

Later in the day, Chancellor Scholz was quoted by several media outlets as promising to make the German military the “biggest conventional army” among European NATO member states. According to the chancellor, this would have a positive effect not only on Germany’s security but also on that of its allies.

To this end, a special fund to the tune of €100 billion has been earmarked, which will help to considerably upgrade the German military’s capabilities, he reportedly also noted.

After weeks of talks, the ruling traffic-light coalition and the conservative opposition agreed in late May to allocate the money.

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/557679-german-chancellor-military-eastern-europe/

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Leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states are meeting for the second day of a summit on Friday to address the bloc’s inflation-hit economy.

The first day of the summit ended on a high note. The leaders agreed in Brussels on granting Ukraine and Moldova official status as candidates for EU membership — a move hailed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as “historic.”

But the display of support for Kyiv comes amid wider economic consequences of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Russia blamed for economic woes
A spike in inflation and lagging economic growth across the world has been blamed on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The West also accuses Moscow of “weaponizing” grain supplies and natural gas deliveries.

On Thursday, the European Commission said gas supply cuts from Russia affected a dozen EU countries. Germany, which is heavily reliant on Russian gas, triggered the second phase of an emergency gas plan.

The squeeze of Russian oil is pressuring the EU to find alternatives to prevent an energy crisis.

Germany running into gas supply issues is likely to have EU-wide repercussions, Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned ahead of Friday’s meeting.

“If Germany gets into trouble, it will also have an enormous impact on all other European countries, including our own,” he said.

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), is joining the EU leaders on Friday to address growing inflation and soaring prices.

According to the EU stats agency Eurostat, inflation in the 19-country eurozone is at a record high of 8.1%.

The ECB has pledged to raise interest rates in July — for the first time in more than a decade — in a bid to curb inflation.

The European Commission also cut its economic growth forecast for this year from 4% that had been expected before the war in Ukraine to 2.7%.

fb/kb (dpa, Reuters)

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-leaders-talk-economy-as-russia-slashes-gas-supplies/a-62243088

The post EU leaders talk economy as Russia slashes gas supplies first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The war has receded into the background, but represents a catastrophe not only for Ukraine, but for the United States and the Western world. The implications for the world economy, for international security, for the future of NATO and for America’s superpower standing are immense, arguably dwarfing the catastrophic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last August.

Caroline Glick: The U.S. and NATO are losing catastrophically in Ukraine (video)

Glick and Goldman analyze the situation on the ground, where Russian artillery and air superiority are annihilating Ukrainian forces and preventing resupply from the United States and NATO member states.

They then widen the lens to look at U.S. options for managing the war going forward, and the widening rifts between the views of NATO members.

From there, they discuss the global economic implications of the Western sanctions on Russia.

Finally, they move to Israel and how it must minimize the risks it faces from a collapsing U.S. international security infrastructure in Europe, the Middle East and beyond.

Join us for a riveting and important discussion of the war from a key perspective the media have largely ignored.

Source: https://www.jns.org/us-and-nato-are-losing-catastrophically-in-ukraine/

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—3 European leaders go to Kyiv, expected to meet with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy
—10,000 civilians remaining in Sievierodonetsk, governor says
—Germany says can deliver weapons to Ukraine ‘end of July or the start of August’

This was last updated at 07:22 UTC/GMT

Governor says 10,000 civilians still in Sievierodonetsk
Serhiy Gaiday, the governor of the eastern Ukrainian Luhansk region, said that around 10,000 civilians are still in the key city of Sievierodonetsk, where fighting has been raging amid a dire humanitarian condition.

“Out of 100,000 residents, around 10,000 remain,” Gaiday said on the Telegram messaging app.

He said Ukraine’s army is “holding back the enemy as much as possible.”

Earlier this week, Ukraine said Russian forces destroyed all bridges connecting the city, making it difficult to evacuate civilians or deliver humanitarian aid.

Russia is believed to be now in control of at least the majority of the city.

European leaders arrive in Kyiv
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv on Thursday, the French presidential palace said.

Scholz said the three leaders wanted “to show their support for Ukraine and the citizens of Ukraine.”

“But we don’t just want to demonstrate solidarity, we also want to assure that the help we organize — financial and humanitarian, but also when it comes to weapons — will be continued,” he said. Support will continue for as long as is necessary, he said.

The trio took an overnight train to Kyiv from Poland. They are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Major German and Italian media outlets, including Germany’s ZDF and Italy’s Repubblica, had earlier published a photo of the three leaders on the train.

It is the first time the three travel to Kyiv since the war started in Ukraine.

There had been speculation earlier this week that Scholz would be part of the joint trip ahead of a G7 summit at the end of June.

The visit also comes a day before the European Commission is set to make a recommendation on Ukraine’s status as an EU candidate.

The three leaders have come under criticism over their response to the war. Critics say France and Germany, and, to a lesser extent, Italy, have been slow to deliver weapons to Ukraine. Scholz and Macron have also been criticized for maintaining contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

German minister: Weapons can be delivered to Ukraine by August
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said three multiple rocket launchers could be delivered to Ukraine in July or August after Ukrainian forces receive adequate training on them.

Kyiv has complained that weapons that Germany pledged to Ukraine were not delivered. Berlin says Ukrainian troops must first be trained to use them.

“The training on these multiple rocket launchers can begin at the end of June, meaning they can be delivered at the end of July or the start of August,” Lambrecht told reporters as she arrived for a second day of talks with her NATO counterparts in Brussels.

German ex-chancellor seeks to recuperate parliamentary office
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has sent a letter to the Bundestag budget committee that challenges the decision to revoke his right to a parliamentary office.

Schröder was Germany’s chancellor from 1998 to 2005. After leaving office he was involved with Russian energy firms Gazprom and Rosneft. Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, he has drawn criticism for his ties to Moscow.

The committee voted in May to wind down his office. The office was allocated more than €400,00 ($418,000) last year.

In a letter to the committee’s chair, Schröder’s lawyer said that the former chancellor had learned “via the media” that his office was being “put on hold.”

“This decision is based on the determination that he no longer has any ‘continuing obligations arising from the office,'” Schröders lawyer said in the letter, adding that this determination is not substantiated and that it was unclear what these “continuing obligations” would constitute.

The letter also argues that a resolution taken from the media is “evidently illegal and unconstitutional.”

Schröder’s lawyer said that he hopes for “the chance to reach a mutually acceptable settlement by way of conversation on an even playing field.”

Gazprom cuts gas supply to Germany by around 60% in 2 days
Russian energy giant Gazprom has begun reducing the volume of gas it supplies to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to a daily maximum of 67 million cubic meters early on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Gazprom announced it would reduce the maximum delivery volume to 100 million cubic meters of gas per day, down from 167 million cubic meters.

Overall, the cut represents an approximate 60% reduction in gas supplies to Germany in just two days.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck accused Moscow of attempting to create unease and increase gas prices. He added that it was still possible to source alternative gas supplies on the market, albeit at a high price.

Report: 2 US volunteers in Ukraine missing
Two Americans who volunteered to support Ukraine’s armed forces have reportedly gone missing.

The Telegraph newspaper cited an unnamed fellow fighter as saying that the two Americans were captured by Russian forces during a June 9 battle northeast of Kharkiv.

The two Americans are identified as Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, US military veterans who had been living in the state of Alabama.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said that he could not confirm the disappearance, but that “if it’s true, we’ll do everything we can to get them safely back home.”

Kirby went on to discourage Americans from volunteering to fight in Ukraine.

“It is a war zone. It is combat. And if you feel passionate about supporting Ukraine, there’s any number of other ways to do that that are safer and just as effective,” Kirby said.

Ukraine says Russian companies use Georgian entities to bypass sanctions
David Arakhamia, Ukraine’s chief negotiator with Russia, said Russian people and companies are circumventing Western sanctions by making use of Georgian entities to do so.

He told a German Marshall Fund event in Washington that Russians are “heavily” using “Georgian banks, Georgian financial system, Georgian companies and so on,” to dodge the West’s sanctions regime.

“If you are a sanctioned Russian person, you go to the Internet, you open up a Georgian company, open up remotely the bank account and start processing,” Arakhamia added.

He also urged Washington to take action to close the loophole.

What happened in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said defending the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine was “vital” as the outcome would indicate “who will dominate in the coming weeks” of the war.

Serhii Haidai, the governor of Luhansk province, said that the fighting around the contested city of Sievierodonetsk and other places in eastern Ukraine “is getting more difficult.” By contrast, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said that Russian forces were now in control of the city of Sievierodonetsk.

The United States will provide Ukraine with another $1 billion (€963 million) to help the country amid Russia’s assault in the eastern Donbas region. The latest boost of aid will include major weapons systems that the Ukrainian government has appealed for such as howitzers, anti-ship missile launchers and rounds for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

The US will also send an additional $225 million in humanitarian aid to provide assistance for drinking water, food, shelter and other essential items.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its missiles had destroyed a warehouse in the Lviv region, which was being used to store ammunition for weapons donated by NATO members.

Germany will only be able to deliver three instead of four planned rocket launchers to Ukraine, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country is ready to host four-way talks with the UN, Russia and Ukraine in order to unblock the passage of grain through the Black Sea.

A UN panel investigating possible human rights violations said they are collecting evidence, but that it is too early to say whether the allegations constitute war crimes.

Chinese state media reported Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin by phone and said his country would continue to support Russia’s “sovereignty and security.”

You can revisit our updates from Tuesday, June 15, here.

fb, ar, sdi/jsi (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-german-chancellor-scholz-arrives-in-kyiv-live-updates/a-62146502

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The package of $1 billion worth of arms includes more artillery, coastal anti-ship defense systems, and ammunition for artillery and advanced rocket systems that Ukraine is already using, Biden said.

In the phone call with Zelensky, Biden said he “reaffirmed my commitment that the United States will stand by Ukraine as it defends its democracy and support its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression,” according to a US statement.

Biden also announced $225 million worth of humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.
————————————————

President Biden@POTUS

United States government official
This morning, I spoke with President Zelenskyy to discuss Russia’s brutal and ongoing war against Ukraine. I reaffirmed our commitment to stand by Ukraine and shared that the United States is providing over $1.2 billion in additional security and humanitarian assistance.
——————————————————–

The money will go toward supplying food, drinking water, medical supplies, and other critical goods.

“The bravery, resilience, and determination of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire the world,” Biden said.

The Pentagon detailed the new supplies as including 18 more 155mm howitzers and 36,000 rounds of ammunition for them; two land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems; and additional rockets for the four Himars precision rocket systems that Ukraine is soon to put in the field.

With ranges of up to around 80 kilometers (50 miles), the Himars rockets potentially give Ukraine a greater ability to attack Russian targets, with greater precision, in the ongoing artillery battle along the front lines.

US officials said that the first batch of Ukrainian troops were completing training on the Himars on Wednesday.

Also in the new package are thousands of secure radio and night vision devices and thermal sighting systems, the Pentagon said.

This package takes to $5.6 billion the value of arms the United States has provided Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.

Source: https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/06/16/biden-1b-military-aid-ukraine/

The post Biden Announces $1B in New Military Aid for Ukraine first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The decision clears the way for the government to move ahead with a massive procurement drive that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Parliament’s upper house, which represents Germany’s 16 state governments, signed off on the plan a week after the lower house gave its blessing. Scholz’s governing coalition held lengthy negotiations with the main opposition Union bloc to secure wide backing ahead of the votes.

Scholz announced the fund on Feb. 27, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, and said that Germany would now spend over 2% of its gross domestic product on defense — a NATO target on which it has long lagged. The government and the opposition agreed that defense spending would meet the 2% target “on a multi-year average,” with help from the special fund.

Officials acknowledge that the German military, the Bundeswehr, has for years suffered from neglect and in particular from aging, poorly functioning equipment.

Among other things on the shopping list, the defense ministry says it will buy 60 Chinook CH-47F transport helicopters, made by Boeing. The government also wants to buy up to 35 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets to replace aging Tornado aircraft.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Source: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-sports-germany-230ba0d176b095606861f70578375513

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