Live: US to begin training Ukraine F-16 pilots in September
The Pentagon said Thursday it would begin training Ukrainian F-16 pilots in the United States starting next month so they can use the advanced aircraft against Russian forces. Ukraine has long sought these sophisticated fighter jets so as to better fight the Russian invasion, and is now engaged in a fitful counter-offensive aimed at retaking land held by Russian forces. Read our live blog for all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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![Scientists win Nobel Prize for looking at electrons in atoms during split seconds](https://s.france24.com/media/display/d32fa64e-61d4-11ee-b5af-005056a90284/w:1280/p:16x9/m:{"brand":"FRANCE24","lang":"EN","program":"","cartouche":"NOBEL%20PRIZE","hash":"45f359e7beb09ef4dcbea480135ac44c9d78f0e383d95056541d4d2b841b8bc0","title":"Anne%20L'Huillier,%20Pierre%20Agostini%20and%20Ferenc%20Krausz%20awarded","id":"5535ce5c-cd7e-11ed-854c-005056bf30b7"}/NobelPhysique.png "Scientists win Nobel Prize for looking at electrons in atoms during split seconds")
.jpg "US sends Ukraine 1.1 million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition")
4:37am: Russia blocked drone attack on Crimea, defence ministry says
Moscow said on Friday its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to attack Russia-annexed Crimea with 42 drones overnight.
Nine drones were “destroyed… over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,” the defence ministry wrote on Telegram early Friday.
Thirty-three others “were suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed without reaching the target,” it said, without specifying whether there had been any damage or casualties.
04:00am: Russia says thwarted missile strike in Kaluga
Russian air defences thwarted a Ukrainian missile attack in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow authorities said Friday, with no reports of damage or casualties.
A missile sent by Kyiv “was detected and destroyed by air defence systems over the territory of Kaluga region,” Moscow’s defence ministry said in a statement.
Kaluga borders the Moscow region, which has recently been targeted almost daily by drone attacks according to Russian authorities.
01:00am: Biden and Zelensky discuss F-16 training of Ukrainian fighter pilots
US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the start of training for Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, the White House said.
Biden and Zelensky also discussed expedited approval for other nations to transfer their F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the White House said.
Key developments from Thursday, August 24:
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin as a talented businessman on Thursday and said he wished to express sincere condolences to the families of those who died in a plane crash a day earlier.
Putin’s words came as Zelensky marked his country’s independence day with an address congratulating Ukrainians and praising the military personnel pushing back against Russian forces. The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the United States would begin flight training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft in October.
Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
Source: France24
![‘We think about American, Polish, Hungarian women’: French protest to defend abortion rights](https://s.france24.com/media/display/77ea3a20-5f0d-11ee-9aa6-005056a90284/w:1280/p:16x9/m:{"brand":"FRANCE24","lang":"EN","program":"","cartouche":"ABORTION%20RIGHTS","hash":"062ba50fb5b5f88547139a8a1aecdb6a900202b8627ae096dacdf366d47a1dad","title":"‘We%20think%20about%20American,%0APolish,%20Hungarian%20women’","id":"5535ce5c-cd7e-11ed-854c-005056bf30b7"}/montage.00_13_50_17.Still001.jpg "‘We think about American, Polish, Hungarian women’: French protest to defend abortion rights")
