February 22, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

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.”

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.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda said Russia needs to leave behind its 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.

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 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.   

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. 

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. 

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.

The White House released a brief readout of President Joe Biden’s meeting with the Bucharest Nine in Warsaw Wednesday.

According to the readout, the leaders reaffirmed their “unwavering support for Ukraine and underscored their shared commitment to stand with the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes.” 

Biden departed Poland after a critical 72 hours on the ground in Europe.

Air Force One took off from Warsaw at 5:51 p.m. local time (11:51 a.m. ET) and is now heading back to Washington.

Biden is flying aboard the usual modified Boeing 747 back home after arriving secretly in Europe on a smaller plane before taking a train into Ukraine Monday.

Switzerland has announced plans for a new $150 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine and Moldova, according to a government statement published Wednesday. 

The Swiss parliament will now have to approve the package to provide approximately $123 million to Ukraine and $28 million to neighboring Moldova.  

Since the beginning of the war, Switzerland has allocated around $1.4 billion in aid for Ukraine. This includes over $291 million as support for Ukraine in cooperation with allies, as well as about $1.12 billion for hosting people from Ukraine seeking asylum, the statement said.  

Switzerland has already taken in more than 75,000 asylum seekers from Ukraine following Russia's invasion, and citizens have housed around 25,000 Ukrainians in their residences, according to the government.

The Swiss government on Wednesday reiterated its “condemnation of the attack in the strongest possible terms“ and called for the “cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine.” 

Remember: Last year, Switzerland broke with its tradition of neutrality in favor of adopting sanctions against Russia, which it said was in line with those adopted by the European Union.  

Weapons deliveries are still exempt due to the neutrality legislation.

Switzerland also prohibited Germany to transfer Swiss-made ammunition for German Gepard anti-aircraft systems Berlin provided to Ukraine.  

European Union ambassadors “remain confident” that an agreement will be reached on Thursday for the bloc’s 10th round of sanctions against Russia, an EU diplomat told CNN on Wednesday.  

The diplomat spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the confidentiality of the negotiations between the 27 EU ambassadors.  

EU ambassadors made progress on a number of technical issues Wednesday afternoon, the diplomat said, but there are still some elements to be clarified, notably on reporting requirements and import quotas for certain goods.  

The bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this month that the new round of sanctions against Moscow will target Russian trade and technology fueling the war in Ukraine.  

Speaking during a press conference in Kyiv, von der Leyen said the bloc aims to have published the package, which will have a volume of $10.8 billion (10 billion euros) by this Friday.  

Parts of Ukraine will heighten security this week for the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of the country, according to local officials.

Additional safety measures will be implemented in Ukraine's Kherson region, the region's military administration said in a statement Wednesday. 

From February 23 to 25, additional security measures will be implemented "in connection with the possible escalation of hostilities by the enemy," the regional military administration said. 

Most public offices and businesses will work remotely, with the exception of critical infrastructure facilities, it said. 

The distribution of humanitarian aid and cash payments at post offices will be limited. Law enforcement officers will intensify patrols in places where possible crowds can gather, the administration said. 

However, the so-called invincibility points, where people can warm up and charge their devices, will work around the clock, it said. 

"We urge you to take care of your own safety and the safety of your family during this period," the administration added. 

More on safety measures: The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said Wednesday that security measures in the city will also be strengthened on February 23 and 24.

"A lot of people now ask: what will happen? I cannot say what will happen, because it depends on our opponent, our enemy. Nobody understands what is in his head, nobody knows," Terekhov said in a video address. 

"For those who are not afraid, we are operating in the mode we always have," he added."

Ukraine has suffered at least 802 attacks on health care facilities, resulting in the deaths of 101 doctors and patients, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing on Wednesday.

Ghebreyesus said the war has exacerbated the need for mental health support, rehabilitation, treatment for diseases such as cancer, HIV and tuberculosis, and vaccines for measles, polio, pneumonia, and Covid-19.

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