Russia Ukraine war: Western nations vow to send more, bett​er arms to Ukraine

EAM to visit Slovakia, Czech Republic amid Ukraine war

Civilians sheltering under chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk: Governor

A number of civilians are sheltering from Russian shelling under a chemical plant in the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk and it is possible there are still stocks of dangerous chemicals at the facility, the regional governor told Reuters on Wednesday. "There are civilians there in bomb shelters, there are quite a few of them, but it will not be a second Azovstal as that (plant) had a huge underground city … which isn’t there at Azot," Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said, referring to the prolonged siege of a steel plant in Mariupol.

Governor of Ukraine's Luhansk region says there are some stockpiles of food, medicine and water in Sievierodonetsk but Ukraine has lost control of the hospital

Poland boosting its infrastructure to help Ukrainian exports

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wednesday his country is improving its transport infrastructure to ease the export of grain and other key products from neighboring Ukraine that has been severely restricted by Russia's invasion.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday he will convene a meeting in Brussels in the coming days with senior officials from Sweden, Finland and Turkey to discuss Turkey's opposition to Sweden and Finland joining the defense alliance.

Biden says US sending medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine

The Biden administration says it will send Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems, a critical weapon that Ukrainian leaders have been begging for as they struggle to stall Russian progress in the Donbas region. The rocket systems are part of a new $700 million tranche of security assistance for Ukraine from the US that will include helicopters, Javelin anti-tank weapon systems, tactical vehicles, spare parts and more, two senior administration officials said Tuesday. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the weapons package that will be formally unveiled on Wednesday.

Russia says it is facing difficulties exporting grain due to sanctions on ships

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow is facing difficulties exporting grain due to sanctions against its ships. "There are also problems with the export of Russian grain... Vessels that carry Russian grain have fallen under sanctions," Lavrov said during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Germany's FM urges long-term Ukraine support

Germany’s foreign minister says the West must give Ukraine long-term support, and is defending the time it’s taking to deliver weapons systems to Kyiv. Annalena Baerbock told the German parliament that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “fundamentally changed” his strategy after failing to take Ukraine quickly. She said that “he is now counting on having more staying power than we who support Ukraine.”

West promises Ukraine more, better arms to fend off Russia

Western nations promised more and more advanced arms to bolster Ukraine's defense as its troops battled a grinding Russian offensive that was closing in on capturing a key city in the east. Germany said Wednesday it will supply Ukraine with modern anti-aircraft missiles and radar systems, and the U.S. will unveil a new weapons package later in the day that will include high-tech, medium-range rocket systems.

Pro-Russia separatists claim gains outside Ukraine's Avdiivka

Kremlin-backed separatists in Ukraine on Wednesday claimed they were edging closer to completely encircling the eastern town of Avdiivka after cutting off one of its two main roads. Together with pro-Moscow separatists, Russian troops have been ramping up attacks on Ukraine's eastern Donbas region that has seen heavy fighting since the start of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

Russian forces advance in factory city, US to send precision rockets to Ukraine

Russian troops on Wednesday pressed closer to the centre of a factory city in their drive to grab a swathe of eastern Ukraine, while the United States said it would supply advanced rockets to Kyiv to help it force Moscow to negotiate an end to the war.

West's "irrational fear" of Russia driving ceasefire push- Ukrainian negotiator

A Ukrainian presidential advisor and peace talks negotiator accused Europe and the United States of having an "irrational fear" of Russia in an interview released on Wednesday by news agency Interfax Ukraine. Mykhailo Podolyak, a key negotiator for Ukraine during previous talks with Russia, said the political elites of the West "want to return to the pre-war period and do not want to solve problems," adding that their financial priorities took precedence in decision-making.

Head of Sievierodonetsk says just 20% of city in Ukrainian hands

Ukrainian forces are holding just 20% of the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk but there is still hope that they can prevent Russia taking full control, the head of the city administration told Reuters in a telephone interview on Wednesday. Russian forces control 60% of the city, while the rest has become "no-man's land", said Oleksandr Stryuk, the Ukrainian head of the city administration, who declined to give his location.

Ukraine war blamed for fuel hikes in South Africa, continent

South Africans are feeling the bite of fuel price increases as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine and the rise in the Brent crude oil price. Neighbouring Zimbabwe and other African countries are also grappling with increasing fuel prices. South Africa, the continent's most developed economy, saw gas prices go above 24 rand (USD 1.50) per litre, more than USD 5.80 per gallon. Diesel prices also went up.

Polling stations opened in Denmark for voters to decide Wednesday whether to abandon their country's 30-year-old opt-out from the European Union's common defense policy.

The United States announced Tuesday it is sending advanced missile systems to Ukraine, but the jury is out on whether they will be the game-changer hoped for in Kyiv's war with Russia. The new weapon is the Himars multiple launch rocket system, or MLRS: a mobile unit that can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles.

Biden explains providing Ukraine with rockets

President Joe Biden said in a guest essay Tuesday evening in The New York Times that he’s decided to provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield. The expectation is that Ukraine could use the rockets in the eastern Donbas region, where they could both intercept Russian artillery and take out Russian positions in towns where fighting is intense, such as Sievierodonetsk.

Germany will deliver to Ukraine an air defence system capable of shielding a "large city from Russian air raids", Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, rejecting accusations that his government was slow to arm Kyiv. Berlin will be "sending more weapons" to Ukraine, Scholz told parliament.

Ukraine reports battle gains and challenges

A regional governor in southern Ukraine says Russian troops are retreating and blowing up bridges to obstruct a possible Ukrainian advance. Mykolayiv region governor Vitaliy Kim claimed Wednesday on the Telegram messaging app that Russia was on the defensive.