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    Wednesday, November 13, 2024

    Ukraine gets more military aid from Europe but Putin gives warnings if Russian soil is hit

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy steps down from a plane on arrival at the military airport in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

    Lisbon, Portugal — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a second $1 billion promise of military aid in as many days Tuesday during a whirlwind tour of three European Union countries, while President Vladimir Putin warned that hitting Russian soil with Western-supplied weapons could set the war on a dangerous new path.

    The aid pledge for 2024 came from Belgium, which topped up the money with a commitment to give Ukraine 30 F-16 fighter jets in the next four years.

    “Our task is to use the first F-16 on the battlefield this year and in such way fortify our positions,” Zelenskyy said.

    He later traveled to Portugal, where he said it was important that Ukraine’s supporters don’t allow themselves to be misled by Russia and that “we don’t grow tired of the war.”

    The onslaught by the Kremlin's better-equipped forces that is unfolding in eastern and northeastern Ukraine as summer approaches has brought Ukraine its biggest military test since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

    Slow deliveries of support by its Western partners, especially a lengthy delay in U.S. military aid, have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russia’s bigger army and air force.

    European countries have been discussing the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine in support roles, while talk of giving seized Russian assets to Ukraine has further angered Moscow.

    Putin has repeatedly warned the West against deeper involvement in the fighting, holding out the specter of a nuclear conflict.

    The use of Western-supplied long-range weapons by Ukraine to strike Russian territory could bring a dangerous escalation, Putin said Tuesday, speaking to reporters while on a trip to Uzbekistan.

    The use of such weapons would rely on Western intelligence data and imply the involvement of NATO military personnel, Putin said, warning the alliance that they should be aware of the possible consequences.

    “Representatives of countries that are NATO members, particularly in Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with,” he said, adding that “countries with small territory and dense populations” should be particularly careful.

    The Netherlands promised to quickly assemble with key EU partners a Patriot air defense system, which Zelenskyy sees as key in stopping Russia from hitting Ukraine's power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets, with devastating glide bombs.

    NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the move but insisted much more work was needed.

    “We have seen some progress, but more progress and more air defense systems are urgently needed in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said as he headed into a meeting of EU defense ministers.

    Before returning to Ukraine, Zelenskyy visited Portugal and signed another bilateral agreement. Portugal is one of Western Europe’s poorest countries and has a small military compared with its bigger EU partners. Montenegro said Portugal is sending a further 126 million euros, or roughly $137 million, in military and financial aid to Kyiv as part of a broad cooperation plan.

    On Monday, Zelenskyy signed a security agreement with Spain that allocates 1 billion euros, or roughly $1.1 billion, of military aid to Ukraine in 2024, and 5 billion euros, or approximately $5.4 billion, by 2027.

    The bilateral aid is essential since the 27-nation bloc is again struggling to overcome Hungary's objections to the EU itself providing billions of euros in military aid to Kyiv.

    An estimated 6.5 billion euros, or approximately $7 billion, are stalled by the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, considered Russia’s staunchest ally in the EU. Single member states have wide veto powers, and Hungary has long held up funds aimed at boosting Ukraine’s defenses.

    “That’s the sad thing that we have the cash, we have the capacity, but we are still pending decisions to implement” aid decisions for Ukraine, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

    Zelenskyy met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and as well as the immediate money, he obtained a security agreement aimed at providing guarantees of military help until Ukraine joins NATO.

    Since Russia launched a spring offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Zelenskyy has insisted Ukraine urgently needs seven more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems.

    Putin says the Kremlin's forces are seeking to establish a “buffer zone” in Kharkiv to prevent Ukraine launching attacks across the border there.

    Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, meeting with her EU colleagues, said a Patriot system will be built “in a short time frame.” The Netherlands has the core components for a Patriot system and other EU nations will contribute other key parts and munitions.

    “Ukraine is also fighting Europe's fight,” she said.

    Zelenskyy was to visit Belgium and Spain earlier this month but postponed all his foreign trips after Russia launched its Kharkiv offensive and left Ukrainian forces reeling.

    In other developments, the U.N.'s atomic agency’s chief was in Russia's westernmost territory of Kaliningrad to talk about safety issues involving the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

    The plant has been occupied by the Russian forces since early in the war, and all of its reactors have been in a cold shutdown. Frequent shelling around Europe's largest nuclear plant has raised global concerns over nuclear security.

    International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi met with Alexei Likhachyov, head of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom. The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Grossi as saying that “common understanding” has been reached on the steps that are necessary to enhance the plant’s security, but restarting it “seems impossible” at the moment.

    Likhachyov echoed his sentiment on restarting the plant, but also vowed its current state is “absolutely safe.”

    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo sign a bilateral security agreement during their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center is welcomed by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, left and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro at the military airport in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, is welcomed by Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo prior their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo shake hands after signing a bilateral security agreement during their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo pose after signing a bilateral security agreement during their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool Photo via AP)
    Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, right, looks at Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they talk to journalists during a joint news conference following their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, shakes hands with Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to a question as he talks to journalists during a joint news conference with Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo following their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, talks to journalists during a joint news conference with Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo following their meeting at the prime ministers' office in Brussels, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy steps out of a plane on arrival at the military airport in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, center, and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro listen to the national anthems after Zelenskyy landed at the military airport in Lisbon, for a official visit to Portugal, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Tiago Petinga, Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disembarks from his airplane after landing at the military airport in Lisbon, for a official visit to Portugal, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Tiago Petinga, Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukrainian servicemen search a target with a US Stinger air defence missile launcher on the front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
    International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks to the media after his talks with Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev in Kaliningrad, Russia, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Alexandr Podgorchuk, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation via AP)
    International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, left, and Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev speak to the media after their talks in Kaliningrad, Russia, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Alexandr Podgorchuk/Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation via AP)
    A Portuguese airforce helicopter hovers above the motorcade with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the military airport in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center is welcomed by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, center left and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, center right at the military airport in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy steps down from a plane on arrival at the military airport in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
    Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates Russian Border Guards troop celebrations their service holiday in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, meets with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro at the Sao Bento Palace, the premier's official residence in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Antonio Cotrim, Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, speaks with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, center, and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro after landing at the military airport in Lisbon, for a official visit to Portugal, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Tiago Petinga, Pool Photo via AP)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, meets with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro at the Sao Bento Palace, the premier's official residence in Lisbon, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Antonio Cotrim, Pool Photo via AP)

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