Russia has recently alleged that Ukraine is planning to stage a nuclear incident on its territory in order to blame Moscow ahead of a key United Nations meeting. The Russian Defence Ministry claims that radioactive substances have been transported from an unnamed European country to Ukraine, and that Kyiv is preparing a large-scale “provocation”. Ukraine and its allies have dismissed these accusations as cynical attempts to spread disinformation, and have accused Moscow of planning incidents itself in a bid to blame Ukraine.
The allegations came as Ukrainian officials urged United States politicians to press US President Joe Biden’s administration to send F-16 fighter jets, saying the aircraft would boost Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian missile units. The lobbying took place over the weekend at the Munich Security Conference, where Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Democrats and Republicans from the US Senate and House of Representatives discussed the issue. Biden last month said “no” when asked if he would approve Ukraine’s request for F-16s. However, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that discussions will continue in the coming weeks and months.
Support is growing on both sides of the Atlantic for providing Ukraine with advanced NATO-standard jet fighters. The United Kingdom has said it would provide training, while Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said US lawmakers broadly support training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and said he believed the Biden administration would soon agree to do so.
The conference came days before the February 24 anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The sides have been locked in grinding battles, mostly in the eastern Donbas region, following a string of Russian defeats. Washington has provided some $30bn in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of what Moscow calls its “special military operation”.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a stark warning about Ukraine’s dwindling supplies of bullets and similar munitions as it fights back against Russia’s invasion. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken alleged China is considering providing weapons to Russia, warning Beijing that any supplies would “cause a serious problem”.
As the debate over weapons supplies intensifies, Russian attacks continue. Ukrainian troops near the small town of Siversk, in the country’s east, said they were preparing to defend one of the possible targets of a new Russian offensive. Capturing Bakhmut would give Russian forces a stepping stone to advance on two bigger cities further west, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. However, Ukraine and its Western allies say success there would be a largely symbolic victory for Moscow, given the time taken and losses sustained.