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☆ A muddy mess in Ukraine is making trouble for new howitzers so sensitive to dirt they come with their own vacuum cleaners
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Soldiers have to be very clean and careful when entering the vehicles, The New York Times reported. Germany has sent 14 Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, according to an inventory of its military support to Kyiv. Each howitzer even comes with a vacuum cleaner, and the barrels sometimes have to be cleaned with a long brush. That said, the Ukrainian forces operating the German-made howitzers have reportedly seen some successes against Russian tank and infantry units despite the current conditions on the ground. Ukrainian forces have been gearing up to launch a much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russia after receiving a massive influx of heavy armor and advanced military hardware from the US and its Western partners.

☆ Ukraine says it's wrapping up preparations for counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, April 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine is wrapping up preparations for a counteroffensive against Russian forces and is largely ready for it to go ahead, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday. He gave no date for when the counteroffensive would start but said: "Globally speaking, we are to a high percentage ready." Kyiv hopes its planned counteroffensive will change the dynamics of the war that has raged since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week that Kyiv's foreign allies and partners had delivered almost all their promised combat vehicles to Ukraine. Reznikov said Ukraine had received a lot of modern equipment, including arms that would serve as an "iron fist", and that training on some Western equipment was continuing.

☆ How Ukraine's artillery is doing more damage than Russia's, even with fewer rounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

While Ukraine has fewer guns firing fewer shells, it appear to be doing more damage than Russia. But while Ukraine has fewer guns firing fewer shells, they appear to be doing more damage even though, with some notable exceptions, they are using the same weapons as their Russian opponents. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated in February that Russia was firing around four times as many shells as Ukraine. This suggests an improvement of a factor of 7-10, which is roughly what we see in the ratios of artillery shells: casualties above. A vast number of Ukrainian drone videos show this process in operation.

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg reaffirms Ukraine to eventually join alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

RAMSTEIN, Germany, April 21 (Reuters) - All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will eventually become a member of the alliance but the main focus now is to ensure the country prevails against Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday. Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine defence contact group at Ramstein air base in Germany, he also told reporters that, once the war in Ukraine ends, Kyiv must have "the deterrence to prevent new attacks". Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Allies move to bolster Ukrainian tank forces ahead of counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine has pressed its allies for long-range weapons, jets and ammunition ahead of a counteroffensive to push back Russian troops that is expected in the coming weeks or months. Abrams battle tanks will arrive in Germany in the coming weeks for Ukrainian troops to begin training, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters. NATO member states and their allies have provided Ukraine with weapons and armour, but Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly asked for more powerful weapons and quicker supplies. "The Russians are cautious to come into Ukraine because of the effective use of the Ukrainian air defense system. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban poured cold water on Ukraine's NATO prospects, simply tweeting "What?!"

☆ Morning Bid: April boomlet mocks recession script
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike DolanThe signal is still lost in an awful lot of noise. With next week's Big Tech earnings reports hoving into view, the overall U.S. corporate healthcheck remains pretty mixed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the overall global stock market direction remains equivocal. Although Asia bourses had initially followed Wall St's Thursday swoon, European indexes and S&P500 futures were little changed on Friday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO reaffirms Ukraine will eventually join alliance; Russia accidentally strikes own city
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Once the war in Ukraine ends, Kyiv must have "the deterrence to prevent new attacks," he said in comments reported by Reuters. Ukraine's Western allies on Friday convene at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss further assistance to Kyiv, in the fourteenth month of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who unexpectedly undertook his first visit to Ukraine since Russia began its offensive in February last year, reaffirmed that Kyiv will eventually join the military alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 20 reiterated his long-standing call that his country should benefit from fast-tracked admission into NATO. NATO and EU allies have so far offered military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine.

☆ NATO's chief is talking openly about alliance membership for Ukraine as Putin's war continues to shoot Russia in the foot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine has long sought NATO membership, something Vladimir Putin deeply opposes. Ukraine has long sought NATO membership. As early as April 2008, NATO said it "welcomed" aspirations from Ukraine and Georgia — the latter was attacked by Russia later that year — to join the military alliance. Finland officially became the 31st member of the military alliance earlier this month, a huge setback for Putin. in a Friday tweet that included a link to a media report about Stoltenberg telling Zelenskyy Ukraine belongs in NATO.

☆ Ukraine appeals to NATO chief for membership and more arms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NATO has supported Ukraine throughout the war, with member states supplying it with weapons, but Zelenskiy said more were needed. [1/6] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visits the Wall of Remembrance to pay tribute to killed Ukrainian soldiers, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich 1 2 3 4 5"Mr President, I am here today with a simple message: NATO stands with Ukraine," he said. Ukraine announced a bid for fast-track membership of NATO last September after the Kremlin said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions that its troops have partially occupied. The Kremlin reiterated to reporters on a conference call that Moscow opposed NATO admitting Ukraine, a former Soviet republic.

☆ NATO chief Stoltenberg visits wartime Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visits the Wall of Remembrance to pay tribute to killed Ukrainian soldiers, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichKYIV, April 20 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday paid his first visit to Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion, in a show of support for Ukraine as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive. The NATO chief got into a car and drove off after the event, the photographer said. Ukraine sees its future in NATO alliance and last September announced a bid for fast-track membership after the Kremlin said it had have annexed four Ukrainian regions that its troops have partially occupied. Moscow regards NATO as a hostile military alliance bent on encroaching on what it sees as its sphere of influence.

☆ NATO chief visits Kyiv: Jens Stoltenberg says Ukraine's "rightful place" is in the alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Luke Mcgee Alex Hardie Zahid Mahmood Victoria Butenko | Sana Noor Haq | Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday “Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” in his strongest remarks reaffirming ties with Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visits the Wall of Remembrance to pay tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv on April 20, 2023. Gleb Garanich/ReutersStoltenberg (left) and President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) meet during the alliance chief's historic trip to Ukraine on Thursday. Finnish public support for accession snowballed following the invasion of Ukraine, and also reignited calls from Kyiv to join. Speaking at a joint conference in Kyiv, Zelensky said he valued the support from the alliance but pressed Stoltenberg on when Ukraine would be invited to join NATO.

☆ A Ukrainian drone commander said Russian troops would sit around and get shot at the start of the war, but have learned from their mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian troops often made themselves easy targets at the war's start, a Ukrainian soldier said. But Petro told Weichert he noticed Russian forces — tanks in particular — moving more often as the war continued. They learn from their problems and mistakes," said the corporal, whose primary role is to spot Russian artillery or tanks. Their combat formations and targeting systems meant Russian troops were often vulnerable to friendly fire, the think tank added. Petro's unit spotted an anti-tank gun, but the responding Ukrainian artillery unit only fired one shot when six are usually needed to dispatch a target, Weichert wrote.

☆ US urges NATO vigilance for signs Russia could use nuclear weapon in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Johanna GeronWASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. and its NATO allies must remain alert for signs Russian President Vladimir Putin could use a tactical nuclear weapon in a "managed" escalation of his war in Ukraine, the second-highest U.S. diplomat said on Tuesday. Putin's March 25 announcement that Russia is preparing to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus "is his effort to use this threat in a managed way," Sherman said. Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for battlefield gains or for use against limited military targets. Putin denies having any intention of employing nuclear weapons in Ukraine, where his forces for months have been bogged down in fierce fighting that has been costly for both sides. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who joined Sherman in opening the conference, called Putin's plan to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus part of a years-long pattern of "dangerous, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric" that intensified with "the brutalization of Ukraine."

☆ Estonia PM focused on defence spending and same sex marriage law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas speaks to the media as she attends the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna GeronTALLINN, April 12 (Reuters) - Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday she was focused on her next term as Estonian prime minister despite media speculation she could be in the running to lead NATO, with plans including legalising same sex marriage and increasing defence spending. Taxes will be raised to fund the spending in a time of economic contraction, Kallas has said. The new government will also legislate same sex marriage equality "as fast as possible", Kallas said, becoming the first Central European country to do so. I'm the prime minister of Estonia, and I try to solve all the problems that we have here."

☆ Ukraine is forced to recycle unexploded bombs amid serious ammunition shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops are rationing their shells as they face ammunition shortages, The Washington Post reported. Western allies are struggling to keep up ammunition production to aid the country. "The current rate of Ukraine's ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production," he added, saying allies should invest and expand in the ammunition production for Ukraine. While the Biden administration promised to send Ukraine over 200,000 rounds of artillery, rockets, and tank rounds, the US is facing extremely high production shortages, Insider reported. Similarly, the European Union has created a plan to send one million rounds of ammunition but is facing challenges in meeting Ukraine's needs.

☆ After the next round of major fighting with Russia, Ukraine may be living 'paycheck to paycheck' with Western gear, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US and its NATO partners have provided Ukraine with heaping military aid to start the year. But after the next round of fighting with Russia, Ukraine could find itself hamstrung by support. With more intense fighting on the horizon, there are doubts about whether Western countries will be able to maintain that level of support. "However this offensive goes, Ukraine is going to lose personnel, it's going to lose equipment, and it's going to spend a lot of ammunition," Kofman said. After a future offensive, Ukraine's military will have to replenish its stocks of artillery ammunition and replace its troop losses.

☆ Russia's Belarus nuclear threat shows "empty promises" of China statement: Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, April 5 (Reuters) - Russia's announcement that it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus shows that a Russia-China joint statement days earlier amounted to "empty promises", NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement came just days after Russia and China jointly declared countries should not deploy nuclear weapons outside their borders, Stoltenberg told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. He said this showed such statements are "empty promises and what we need to watch closely is what Russia is doing." Stoltenberg said NATO had not seen any signs so far that Russia was following through on Putin's announcement. Also at his news conference, Stoltenberg reiterated his call for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested last Thursday in Russia.

☆ An emboldened NATO provides a bittersweet moment for war-torn Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Congratulating Finland, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Finland now has a "reliable guarantee of safety – a collective guarantee." At the heart of NATO is the tenet that an attack on one member is an attack on all members. Finland and Sweden both applied to join NATO last May, prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and their membership bids were fast-tracked. To do so would have triggered NATO members' commitment to protect one another and Moscow would have faced the collective might of the alliance's armed forces. That's not to say that NATO didn't see the war coming in Ukraine in the run up to the invasion.

☆ Ukraine’s NATO Future Sparks Debate as Finland Joins Alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Daniel Michaels | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to welcome Finland to the alliance. BRUSSELS—North Atlantic Treaty Organization foreign ministers meeting here Tuesday are looking beyond the battlefield in Ukraine to the country’s future relations with the alliance. The issue is taking priority because when President Biden and NATO’s other national leaders gather for their annual meeting in July, they will face intense pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for progress on Kyiv’s membership bid.

☆ Putin said Finland joining NATO didn't pose a threat, but now that it's a done deal, Russia is warning it will have to take action
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Finland joining NATO is one of the most significant consequences of Russia invading Ukraine. Putin said at that time that Finland joining NATO didn't pose an "immediate threat" to Russia. Less than a year ago, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that Finland joining NATO wouldn't make "much difference." Finland joining NATO marks one of the most significant geopolitical consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to date and represents a dramatic realignment of Europe's security framework. But now, as a result of invading Ukraine, Russia has seen its land border with NATO double in size.

HELSINKI/BRUSSELS, April 4 (Reuters) - Finland will become a member of NATO on Tuesday, completing a historic security policy shift triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while neighbour Sweden is kept in the waiting room. "It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday. Sweden underwent a similar transformation in defence thinking and Stockholm and Helsinki applied together last year to join NATO. Moscow said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland joining NATO. Stoltenberg said he was "absolutely confident" that Sweden will become a NATO member.

☆ Explainer: After Finland joins NATO, why is Turkey making Sweden wait?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BACKGROUNDRussia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year convinced Sweden and Finland to ditch long-held policies of military non-alignment. WHY DOES TURKEY OBJECT TO SWEDISH NATO MEMBERSHIP? Unlike Turkey, Hungary does not have a list of demands, but says grievances need to be addressed before it can ratify Sweden's accession to NATO. WHEN WILL TURKEY AGREE TO SWEDISH NATO MEMBERSHIP? NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said it would be inconceivable that the alliance would not support Sweden if it were threatened.

☆ Stoltenberg: Finland will join NATO on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsStoltenberg: Finland will join NATO on TuesdayPostedFinland will join NATO on Tuesday, marking the completion of a swift journey into the military alliance for the Nordic nation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

"Tomorrow we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO making Finland safer and our alliance stronger," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, hailing the move as "historic". Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year pushed Finland and its neighbour Sweden to apply for NATO membership, abandoning decades of military non-alignment. [1/2] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a news conference before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium April 3, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron 1 2"President Putin went to war against Ukraine with the clear aim to get less NATO," Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg pledged to work hard to get Sweden into NATO as soon as possible.

☆ Finland will join NATO on Tuesday - Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a news conference before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium April 3, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna GeronBRUSSELS, April 3 (Reuters) - Finland will join NATO on Tuesday, a step that will make Finland safer and the alliance stronger, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. "We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," he told reporters in Brussels. Reporting by Sudip Kar Gupta, Sabine Siebold and Andrew Gray; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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