The United States of America will begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets in October, the Pentagon announced.
Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said the training will begin after Ukrainian pilots complete English language training in September, and that it will take place in Arizona, Reuters reports.
Russia will return to the Black Sea grain agreement only if the West fulfills its obligations to Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, as reported by Reuters.
"Answering the UN Secretary General's question about the prospects for renewing the Black Sea Initiative, Lavrov reiterated Moscow's position on its readiness to return to participation only if all obligations towards the Russian side are truly fulfilled," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
At least one person was killed and 16 wounded in Russian attacks across Ukraine during Independence Day celebrations, local officials said.
The cities of Kherson and Dnipro, as well as the frontline town of Kurahovo, were hit by attacks that wounded civilians and killed a farmer in shelling in southern Ukraine, officials said, according to Reuters.
Norway, after the Netherlands and Denmark, will send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Norwegian media reported today.
For now, there is no official confirmation of the plan to send the plane, as reported by the Norwegian television stations NRK and TV.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gar Stere is visiting Kyiv today, and Norway has announced that it will send anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, stating that "air defense is key to Ukraine's ability to protect the civilian population and military units and infrastructure from any type of Russian air attack."
NATO member Norway would be the third European country to supply Ukraine with F-16s.
Ukraine has been looking for these planes for a long time in the hope that they could give it supremacy in the war. It recently launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces, but without air support, leaving its units at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.
In February, Norway announced that it would donate 7 billion dollars to Ukraine as part of a five-year support package. The money will be used for military and humanitarian aid.
(BETA)
Ukraine is not involved in the reported death of the head of Russian mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Thursday the statement of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Reuters reports.
Independence Day is celebrated in Ukraine today.
"We had nothing to do with it. Everyone understands who has something to do with it," Zelenski told reporters.
The plane crash in which Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private Russian mercenary army "Vagner" is believed to have died, is suspected to have been an assassination attempt after his army's rebellion damaged the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia's Civil Aviation Agency said Prigozhin and six of his senior officials were aboard a business jet with a crew of three that suddenly crashed Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Moscow. Rescuers quickly found all 10 bodies, and Russian media confirmed his death based on a source in Prigozhin's Wagner company.
Norway has decided to donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion, Norwegian broadcaster TV2 reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.
TV2 did not say how many planes Norway will provide, reports Reuters.
Norway's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
If confirmed, Norway would become the third nation – after the Netherlands and Denmark – to announce donations of US-made F-16s to Ukraine.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gar Stoere met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Kiev on Thursday and announced donations of anti-aircraft missiles and other equipment, but did not comment on the F-16.
F-16s have been on Ukraine's wish list for a long time due to their destructive power and global availability. The aircraft is equipped with a 20 mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.
Many NATO allies have F-16s – originally designed in the 1970s – which makes it easier to find spare parts compared to the Russian aircraft currently used by Ukraine.
Last year, the Norwegian Air Force retired its fleet of 57 F-16s and later agreed to sell 32 to then-NATO ally Romania in what Stoere said was a "fixed and negotiated" deal.
Another 12 planes are to be sold to a private company that provides training for the US Air Force, although the deal has yet to receive final approval and some analysts say the planes could be eligible for donation to Ukraine.
Of the 13 remaining F-16s, Norway's defense ministry said last year that many were too expensive or difficult to repair and could be placed in a museum, used for parts or sent for scrap.
Norway has replaced its F-16s with the F-35 successor model.
North Korea on Thursday blamed the United States for turning the Ukraine crisis into a global nuclear disaster by supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukrainian forces and said Washington had no right to criticize Pyongyang's military cooperation with Russia, Reuters reported.
Seven people were wounded early Thursday in a Russian missile attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, authorities said.
Six victims were hospitalized with moderate injuries, regional governor Sergej Lisak reported, and the traffic infrastructure was also damaged, reports Reuters.
A dozen other buildings were damaged, including a bank, a hotel and an administrative building, he said, adding that details were being verified.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
The Russian Defense Ministry said early Thursday that air defense systems shot down three Ukrainian drones over Russian regions.
Two drones were shot down over the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, and another - over the Kalushka region, which is closer to Moscow, reports Reuters.
The military top of the European Union expressed doubt that Ukraine will regain any territory lost in the war with Russia, writes the German newspaper Die Welt.
"It remains questionable whether Ukraine's full sovereignty can be restored with available resources," said Robert Briger, president of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), the EU's top military body of 27 member states, Reuters reports.
Regarding Ukraine's counter-offensive, which has been ongoing since June, Briger said that it would be "cautious to expect a breakthrough of Ukrainian forces through Russian defense lines."
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