Ukraine and Belgium sign a security agreement
Ukraine and Belgium signed a bilateral security and long-term support agreement on Tuesday that includes the delivery of 30 F-16 fighter jets and Belgian military aid worth at least 977 million euros ($1.06 billion).
The agreement was reached in Brussels during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Belgium.
The F-16s will be delivered to Ukraine by 2028, with the first aircraft arriving this year. The two countries also pledged to deepen their cooperation in the field of intelligence, cybersecurity and combating disinformation, Zelensky said in a post on the social media platform X.
“The agreement guarantees Belgium’s timely security assistance, modern armored vehicles, equipment to meet the needs of the Ukrainian air and air defense forces, maritime security, mine clearance, participation in the artillery ammunition coalition, and military training,” Zelensky said.
-April Roach
Netherlands pledges Patriot parts, proposes international effort to build system for Ukraine
The Netherlands has proposed contributing essential parts of its existing stock, in an effort to assemble the Patriot air defense system in cooperation with other countries and deliver it to Ukraine, the Dutch government said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We are engaged in talks with partners to assemble the Patriot system, including training Ukrainian crews,” Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said. “Through our offer and consultation with partner nations that provide many key parts and munitions, we can provide Ukraine with at least one fully operational system in a short time frame.”
The Netherlands said it had already identified countries that could provide spare parts and additional munitions for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system, which is primarily used by the United States and its allies.
Ukraine currently operates a small number of Patriot systems, and is requesting more donations for such systems, amid enhanced long-range bombardment of its infrastructure by invading Russian forces. The United States has committed to supplying Ukraine with more Patriot munitions under the $60 billion military air package for Ukraine agreed to earlier this spring.
-Roxandra Iordas
Zelensky is visiting Belgium on Tuesday, Reuters reports
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) shake hands at the end of a press conference at Moncloa Palace on May 27, 2024 in Madrid, Spain
Pablo Blasquez Dominguez | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to visit Belgium on Tuesday and sign a security agreement with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Reuters reports.
The diplomatic trip follows the Ukrainian leader's visit to Spain, which has pledged to provide Ukraine with military support worth 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) this year under a newly signed agreement.
“In this context, where it is necessary to increase support for Ukraine, your visit to Spain allows us to reaffirm our firm commitments in all areas with Ukraine,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during a press conference on Monday alongside Zelensky. Translated by CNBC.
The Ukrainian head of state also met with the Spanish King Felipe VI as part of his visit.
-Roxandra Iordas
A drone was shot down in Balashikha, Moscow region
Last night, a Russian air defense system shot down a drone in the city of Balashikha, east of the Russian capital, Moscow, according to the regional governor of the Moscow region.
Andrei Vorobyov said in a post translated by Google on the Telegram application that the accident occurred at nine o’clock in the evening local time in the Kuchino region and led to debris falling on a private residence.
He added, “The people of the house were able to evacuate the house, and no one was hurt,” noting that the residents of Balashikha heard “popping sounds.”
CNBC was unable to independently confirm the attack.
-Roxandra Iordas
Russian officials say Russian-controlled Luhansk is under attack
A fire broke out in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine last night, after a cluster munition attack, according to a Russian official.
“Ukrainian nationalists launched another missile attack on Lugansk with cluster munitions. The attack led to a fire,” Russia-appointed Governor Leonid Pasichnik said in a telegram post translated by Google.
He added, “Employees of the Ministry of Emergencies, law enforcement agencies and doctors went to the scene of the accident. Information about the damage and losses is now being clarified.”
Rodion Miroshnik, a senior Russian diplomat, suggested that a second bombing of Luhansk may have been carried out.
He noted in an update on the Telegram application, translated via Google, without providing further details: “A second strike on the place where rescuers are working cannot be ruled out to remove the effects of the recent missile attack.”
Russia annexed Luhansk in September 2022, along with the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
CNBC was unable to confirm developments on the ground.
-Roxandra Iordas
“Drone Wall” against Russia: six NATO countries announce a plan to defend the borders
Drones in possession of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on May 2, 2024 in Lviv, Ukraine.
Global Pictures Ukraine | Global Pictures Ukraine | Getty Images
The Lithuanian Interior Minister announced on Friday that six NATO countries neighboring Russia are uniting their efforts to build a “drone wall” to protect their borders.
“This is something completely new, the drone wall extends from Norway to Poland, and the goal is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders,” Lithuanian Interior Minister Ani Bilotaite said in an interview with local news agency BNS.
“Not only through physical infrastructure and surveillance systems, but also through drones and other technologies, which will allow us to protect against provocations from unfriendly countries and prevent smuggling,” she added.
Other participating countries are Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania's neighbors in the Baltic region, in addition to Poland, Finland and Norway. Details such as financing, timeline and technical aspects of the project were not provided.
—Natasha Turak
