Live: F-16 jets in Ukraine will be seen as ‘nuclear’ threat, says Russia

Issued on: 13/07/2023 – 06:55

4 min

11:01am: Serbia bans anti-Putin activist from entering country

Serbian police on Thursday banned Petr Nikitin, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, from entering the country, a Belgrade-based lawyer said.

Nikitin, a founder of the Russian Democratic Society, which opposes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was denied entry to Serbia where he has lived since 2016. Cedomir Stojkovic, a lawyer who represents Nikitin, said the decision was made following a request to police from Serbia’s Security and Information Agency (BIA) seeking “a protective measure of expulsion of a foreigner”.

“This is unlawful as Nikitin’s children are here, this is a separation of a family, he is a resident, but the police can nevertheless deport him,” Stojkovic said.

9:14am: ‘I have not heard new proposals on grain deal,’ says Russia’s Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that he had not heard any new proposals on the Black Sea grain export deal, which is set to expire on Monday.

The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July, aimed to prevent a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain blocked by the conflict to be safely exported.

Russia has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the deal unless what it calls obstacles to its own grain and fertiliser exports are lifted.

9:08am: Russia says F-16 jets in Ukraine will be seen as ‘nuclear’ threat

Russia will regard Western F-16 fighter jets sent to Ukraine as a “nuclear” threat because of their capacity to carry atomic weapons, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

“We will regard the very fact that the Ukrainian armed forces have such systems as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by the Russian foreign ministry.

7:13am: Ukraine says downed 20 Russian drones, 2 cruise missiles in third night of attacks

Ukraine said Thursday it had downed 20 Russian attack drones and two cruise missiles overnight in a third night of strikes on Kyiv and elsewhere in the country.

“We have a successful air defence operation,” air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said. “Twenty Shaheds were destroyed – all those flying were downed. Two Kalibr cruise missiles were also destroyed.”

6:40am: Russian general dismissed after accusing top brass of failing soldiers

A Russian general said he had been dismissed as a commander after telling the military leadership about the dire situation at the front in Ukraine where he said Russian soldiers had been stabbed in the back by the failings of the top military brass.

Major General Ivan Popov, who commanded the 58th Combined Arms Army, said in a voice message published by a Russian lawmaker that he had been dismissed. There was no immediate comment from the defence ministry.

4:01am: Australia says ‘complicated’ to supply Ukraine with planes

Australia’s defence minister on Thursday cast doubt over a proposal to bolster Ukraine’s military with retired fighter jets, saying Kyiv’s request for extra air power posed a “complicated question”. 

Australia ramped up its support for Ukraine on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lithuania overnight, pledging to send an additional fleet of 30 armoured Bushmaster infantry vehicles at a cost of US$67 million. 

But Kyiv has also asked Australia about the condition of dozens of retired F-18 fighter jets, which could provide a major boost against the might of the Russian air force. 

Defence Minister Richard Marles said conversations about providing aircraft were “ongoing”, but were much more difficult than other forms of military support.

2:40am: One dead in overnight air strike on Kyiv

Air strikes on Kyiv killed one person and wounded at least four others, authorities said on Thursday, with explosions heard across the Ukrainian capital in the third night of attacks. 

Emergency services were responding to calls in Solomyansky, Shevchenkivsky, Podilsky and Darnytsky districts following “explosions in the capital”, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

00:15am: Zelensky expresses confidence in Ukraine joining NATO 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed a commitment by G7 nations to support Ukraine for as long it takes to defeat Ukraine, insisting it was a step on the road to Kyiv eventually joining NATO.

Zelensky insisted that the promises from the Western leaders amounted to a “significant security victory” that he could take home to Kyiv.

But he did not disguise the fact that he would have preferred the 31-member Atlantic alliance to have agreed a firm timetable for Ukraine to join its ranks once the 16-month old Russian invasion has been defeated and peace restored.

“The best guarantee for Ukraine is to be in NATO,” Zelensky said, expressing confidence that once the war is over Ukraine would be welcomed, but warning that the G7 commitments should be seen “not instead of NATO, but as security guarantees on our way to integration”.

Key developments from Wednesday, July 12:

US President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed “US readiness to begin negotiations with Ukraine on bilateral security commitments”, during a meeting at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to a White House readout.

The pair also discussed continued US assistance to help Ukraine’s “ongoing counteroffensive” against Russia, the statement said.

Russia’s foreign ministry said the latest NATO summit showed that the Western alliance is returning to “Cold War schemes”, adding that the Kremlin is ready to respond to threats by using all necessary means.

Read yesterday’s live blog to see how all the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)