Challenger tanks could arrive in Ukraine in the spring, British defense minister tells Reuters
From CNN's Michael Rios
Tank crews from Ukraine's armed forces, being trained to use a Challenger 2 battle tank by members of the British Army, prepare to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Lulworth Camp in Burngate, England, on February 8. (Hollie Adams/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Challenger 2 battle tanks could start to arrive in Ukraine in "the spring," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.
Britain could offer Ukraine more of its main battle tanks on top of the 14 already promised, but that would depend on the country's defense needs, Wallace told the news agency.
Wallace was visiting a training site in southwest England where Ukrainian soldiers are learning to operate the tanks in combat conditions. The UK defense ministry said in a statement that training was "continuing at pace" and would last several weeks.
"Ukrainians will continue to fight, and the UK, alongside our allies will not falter," Wallace said. "We will continue to provide the capabilities needed to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he added.
4:32 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
Putin pulling out of nuclear treaty "a trick to increase pressure," Lithuanian prime minister says
From CNN’s Isa Soares, Duarte Mendonca and Jaya Sharma in London
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė talks to CNN's Isa Soares on Wednesday. (CNN)
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said on Wednesday that Russia suspending its participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty is Moscow's "trick to increase pressure."
"It's in Putin's habit to use tricks like that, you know, to increase pressure. And there is no big surprise in this," the prime minister told CNN's Isa Soares in an interview.
Šimonytė demanded more NATO forces on the ground in the alliance's eastern flank, as well as higher investment in air defense to serve as “deterrence” against Russia.
"There should be an upscale of the military presence on the eastern flank from battalion up to brigade," she said.
Šimonytė urged Kyiv's allies to increase military support to Ukraine.
"How can you push back Russia’s military forces if you do not have heavy weapons?" she questioned.
The prime minister went on address the importance of getting resources to Ukraine quicker. In previous occasions, time was lost in conversations that led to weapons being delivered with a “delay of a couple of months.”
“This means that people's lives were being lost during those sorts of moments of, you know, of debate and hesitation,” the Lithuanian leader said, adding “it would be in the best interest of all the countries that can provide the relevant weapons or relevant means to make those decisions faster than later.”
Šimonytė admitted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a “wakeup call," which has created a “rush to review the policies towards the defense spending.”
“Countries in this region, of course, have changed their attitudes or have increased their spending on defense and security significantly since the Crimea invasion and are continuing to do so in recent years because our defense spending will be somewhere between 2.5, 3% of GDP this year,” she said.
4:07 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
Pentagon warns of consequences for China if it provides lethal aid to Russia
From CNN's Haley Britzky
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh speaks to reporters on Wednesday. (Pool)
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Wednesday there “will be consequences for China” if it were to provide lethal military aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
“[W]e haven't seen them give lethal aid to Russia at this time, for the war, but they haven't also taken that off the table,” Singh said. “And so we have been consistent from here, and I believe Secretary Blinken also met with his counterpart in Germany just last week, we reinforced there that … there will be consequences for China should this partnership with Russia, further deepen.”
Singh added that China providing lethal aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine would “certainly be a miscalculation.”
Officials previously told CNN that there are signs Chinese officials want to “creep up to the line” of providing lethal military aid to Russia. The United States ambassador to the United Nations previously said that China doing so would be a red line.
3:05 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
Russians accused of crimes against humanity likely to "enjoy impunity" in Russia, US State Department says
From CNN's From Kylie Atwood, Michael Conte and Saba Haroon
While Russians involved in crimes against humanity in the Ukraine war could be prosecuted before the war is over, the main challenge will be getting them in custody while they reside in Russia, US State Department said.
“While individuals remain within Russia, they will probably enjoy impunity because there is no international police force who can go and make those arrests,” said Beth Van Schaack, State Department ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice.
Van Shaack said the US is “trying to support accountability wherever it is being pursued" without commenting on whether the US has shared its evidence used to determine the crimes against humanity.
A recent report funded by the department on at least 6,000 Ukrainian children being deported or trapped within Russia could show evidence of genocide, she said, adding that the US would continue to watch for other indications of genocide in Ukraine.
2:10 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
Biden's visit to Kyiv sends an "incredibly powerful signal," Polish president tells CNN
Poland's President Andrzej Duda speaks to CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview. (CNN)
US President Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv on Monday sends “an incredibly powerful signal, a political and strategic signal” Polish President Andrzej Duda has told CNN.
It "sends a signal of the defense of the free world, of the defense of NATO, of the defense of every inch of the territory," Duda said in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in Warsaw.
He added this was a significant message to Polish people.
“To Poles, this American signal, this allied signal, not only within NATO, but first of all a signal sent by the greatest superpower in the world, a signal sent by our friend and ally today, is so significant,” Duda said.
1:55 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
Modern weapons are key to ensuring Ukraine's defense, Polish president says
From CNN’s Ken Olshansky and Alex Hardie
Poland's President Andrzej Duda speaks to CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview. (CNN)
Polish President Andrzej Duda told CNN modern weapons are key for Ukraine's defense against Russia.
Asked by CNN's Christiane Amanpour if that even includes fighter jets, he responded: “If there is such a need, of course, yes.”
He added, “We still have got MiG-29s, Ukrainian pilots are prepared to operate them today. The question is when will Ukrainian pilots be ready to fly modern aircraft at NATO standards, such as F-16s, or Mirage, French planes, or Eurofighters, or any other type of modern machines. This is a question mark, when the Ukrainian pilots will be ready to do that. Because the training of a pilot is much more complicated and much longer [than the training of a tank operator]."
Poland’s Leopard tanks are “ready to be sent” to Ukraine, Duda said, adding that Ukrainian soldiers are currently being trained in Poland to operate those tanks.
He said those Ukrainian soldiers would be ready “within one month to come back to Ukraine together with tanks.”
However, Poland has “serious problems” with getting spare parts to tanks from Germany, the Polish leader added.
“It’s not only us — these problems are quite common. Other countries also have problems with Leopards, because Germans have got a serious problem with providing spare parts. We do not understand this situation, but that’s the way it is. Now, our Leopard tanks are ready for Ukraine today. In our training center, there are Ukrainian tankers training on Leopard tanks, we are preparing them right now, there is a training cycle going on,” Duda said.
The Polish president recalled talking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on February 23, 2022, the day before Russia invaded Ukraine.
“When I said goodbye to Volodymyr, Volodymyr told me, ‘Andrzej, I do not know whether we would see each other again.’ That was a very powerful moment, a moving moment. And then he told me, ‘If Putin thinks that he would control Ukraine, conquer Ukraine, just as they did with Crimea in 2014, then he is mistaken. We have got eight years of combat experience and thousands of people who were fighting on the front. We are going to fight till the end, till we drop.’ And that is what has happened. And they’re fighting until today,” Duda said.
1:47 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
Russia needs to leave behind its imperial ambitions, Polish president says
Poland's President Andrzej Duda speaks to CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview. (CNN)
Poland's President Andrzej Duda said Russia needs to leave behind its imperial ambitions.
"Russia is destabilizing a lot of countries across the globe, and Ukraine has suffered this frontal attack from Russia. But this is a demonstration that Russia is restoring its imperial ambitions and Russia has to stop that. The free world has to force Russia to do that," Duda said when asked by CNN's Christiane Amanpour on what role Russia may have after the war in Ukraine is over. "This is our position, and that is why we are supporting Ukraine, because we believe that if Ukraine withstands those imperial ambitions of Russia, then Russia will have to stop those imperial ambitions."
Duda listed countries where Russia has attempted to force influence, including Georgia, Moldova and Syria. "Simply speaking, Russia is this kind of empire who has got colonial ambitions. It wants to subjugate other nations and other countries. It wants to profit from them. And the best example of that is Ukraine today," he added.
1:14 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
Air defense systems best solution to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure, energy minister says
CNN’s Zeena Saifi in Abu Dhabi
In this November 2022 photo, Ukraines Energy Minister German Galushchenko speaks during a joint press conference in Kyiv. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko on Wednesday pleaded with Kyiv's allies for air defense systems to help protect the country’s energy system.
“The most important issue for the protection of our energy system is the air defense system. That is really what we ask our partners to support us with. We already got from our partners, but it’s very important especially from the United States…it allows our army to hit a lot of missiles that are supposed to target the energy infrastructure. That is the best solution for us,” he told CNN’s Becky Anderson in an interview on Wednesday.
The minister accused Russia of attacking Ukraine's energy system daily since last October.
Around 50% of all energy systems in Ukraine have been hit by Russian attacks since the war began last year, he added.
Galushchenko said the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is currently occupied by Russian forces, is becoming “worse and worse,” but stressed that it's still safe because of Ukrainian presence.
Some background: Zaporizhzhia, with six reactors, is the largest nuclear power station in Europe. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) maintains a team of three rotating experts to oversee operations at the plant.
The agency’s Director General Rafael Grossi on Tuesday called on Russia and Ukraine to facilitate this month’s rotation of independent experts at the plant, which has been delayed for more than two weeks. He said the situation there continues to be “dangerous and unpredictable.”
“Of course, the station is not in operation from September, but now it’s a very difficult situation for the Ukrainian staff which is still maintaining the security systems there,” the energy minister told CNN.
“(Ukrainian staff at the plant) are under pressure, the Russians beat them and torture the people…the Russian military is still there and they use the plant to attack the Ukrainian army, so they put heavy vehicles there which is quite a challenging situation,” he alleged.
1:11 p.m. ET, February 22, 2023
"We have the right not to be killed in our own homes," Ukraine's first lady says in impassioned address
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska attends a special dialogue with CEO's meeting at the Congress center during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, on January 18. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska said Wednesday that victory for Ukraine would mean victory for human rights, and she reiterated a call for the establishment of a special tribunal for purported Russian crimes.
Via video, Zelenska joined a United Nations special session on human rights violations due to aggression against Ukraine.
"Ukraine's victory would mean the victory of human rights over lawlessness, torture and destruction. Therefore, justice for Ukraine is justice for the whole world," Zelenska said in an emotional address.
"Regardless of country or nationality, we have the right not to be killed in our own homes. However, Ukrainians are being killed in front of the whole world for already a year now," she said. "Ukrainians are being killed in their own cities, villages, apartments, hospitals, theaters."
Zelenska shared pictures of several Ukrainian cities that have seen some of the most intense fighting and large civilian casualties.
She first discussed the eastern city of Bakhmut, where her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky, said last Wednesday the situation is "the most difficult out of all" areas in Ukraine.
Zelenska said there were about 80,000 people living in Bakhmut before the start of the invasion, and now there are about 5,000 left — among them about 150 children.
"Every day, these people go for humanitarian aid and water under heavy shelling. And they die every day," she said.
"In any city of Ukraine, in London, Berlin or New York we have the right to live free, not to be killed or tortured. The right not to be blown to pieces by a Russian missile. Each of us has this right," she said, adding those rights of the residents of Bakhmut and other Ukrainian cities have been violated by Russia.
Zelenska also talked about the city of Dnipro, where a Russian missile slammed into an apartment building, killing dozens. She discussed the city of Mariupol, where she said the Russians demolished the ruins of the drama theater after they struck it while there were hundreds inside.
Zelenska also talked about Kramatorsk, where at least 50 people, including five children, were killed after Russian forces carried out a missile strike on a railway station as people were trying to evacuate. She also showed pictures of graves in Izium, Bucha and Irpin.
"A dead city is a terrible monument to human rights," she said.
