“No,” Joe Biden said when asked by a reporter about the possibility of F-16 shipments. The American president has ruled out any deliveries of fighter planes to kyiv, as the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine approaches. On the European side, Berlin is following in the footsteps of the United States, while Paris leaves room for doubt. “By definition, nothing is excluded”, said Emmanuel Macron, while stressing that the Ukrainians “are not making this request today”.
Biden does not want to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
Joe Biden on Monday categorically refused the idea of sending American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, whose list of arms assistance is growing to drive Russian forces out of its occupied territory. . “No,” said the American president when a journalist questioned him at the White House on the possibility of providing the devices demanded by the Ukrainian leaders.
As February 24 approaches, which will mark one year since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Joe Biden did not want to say if he would travel to Europe on this occasion. But he assured that he would go, without specifying a date, to Poland, a country which plays a key role in the response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Brazil, which is hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on a tour of the continent, will not send ammunition to Ukraine, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said.
On the side of the European bloc, Berlin has already categorically rejected the idea of sending combat planes, while French President Emmanuel Macron has cautiously estimated that “by definition, nothing is excluded”, while ensuring that the Ukrainians had not made any such request to him to date. Emmanuel Macron underlined “criteria” before any decision: a “request made” by Ukraine, that it “not be escalatory” and “not likely to touch Russian soil but to help the resistance effort” and that “it does not come to weaken the capacity of the French army”.
Gazprom to withdraw from Greek consortium Prometheus Gas
Gazprom will soon withdraw from the Greek consortium Prometheus Gas, whose Greek shareholder Copelouzos, which holds 50% of the capital, will buy the other half previously owned by the Russian natural gas giant, two concordant sources told AFP on Monday. aware of the file. “Gazprom’s board of directors has decided to terminate its participation in Prometheus Gas SA,” a source within Gazprom’s management told AFP.
“Russian gas is supplied to Greece in accordance with contractual obligations,” the source said. According to an official of the Greek group Copelouzos in Athens who requested anonymity, “it is a divorce by contentment mainly because of the war in Ukraine and European sanctions”. This decision puts an end to a partnership that dated back to 1991.
Nobel Peace Prize: Ukraine dominates nominations
From the head of NATO to the president of Ukraine, many of the candidates proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize 2023 before the deadline on Tuesday are tainted by the war in Ukraine – without that necessarily making them favorites. Among the individuals and organizations suggested to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the few names made public generally relate to actors in the conflict that has been tearing Ukraine apart for nearly a year or to the opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Nobel statutes, the list of candidates is kept secret for at least 50 years. But the thousands of sponsors (parliamentarians and ministers from all countries, former winners, certain university professors, etc.) are free to reveal the identity of their “foal”. The 2023 price will be announced in early October. Each year, several hundred names –343 in 2022– are proposed.
Paris and Canberra announce aid to kyiv
The French and Australian defense and foreign ministers attempted Monday in Paris to mend ties broken after the submarine crisis, also announcing the delivery to Ukraine of 155 mm shells manufactured jointly. The 155 mm shells are those fired by several Western artillery pieces supplied to Ukraine in its war against Russia, such as the French Caesars, the American M777s, or the German Panzerhaubitze 2000s.
“Several thousand 155 mm shells will be produced jointly,” declared Sébastien Lecornu, specifying that the first deliveries were expected in the first quarter of 2023. “Our armaments industries must produce faster by controlling costs and managing stocks”, he added, considering that the agreement made it possible “to do it together, by limiting the budgetary effort and not taking from the stock of our armies”.