Latest news with #SkyShield
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
European air forces could protect Ukraine from Russian aerial strikes, experts suggest
Military experts proposed to deploy European air forces to protect Kyiv and other non-front-line Ukrainian cities from Russian aerial attacks, the Guardian reported on March 6, citing the so-called Sky Shield plan. The plan could potentially work as part of the "truce in the sky" proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week, preventing missiles, long-range drones, and bombs from targeting civilian infrastructure. The project's supporters said it could be a European-led air defense zone involving 120 fighter jets that will operate separately from NATO. According to the plan, developed by former British Air Force planners in cooperation with Ukraine's Armed Forces, the protection zone would cover Ukraine's three operational nuclear power plants, as well as the cities of Odesa and Lviv in Ukraine's south and west. The country's east, where the fierce battles are ongoing in Donetsk Oblast, were not included in the zone. According to the authors, this step can be more tangible than the deployment of ground troops as peacekeepers. In February, the Washington Post reported that up to 30,000 European troops could be deployed in the country after a potential ceasefire. Among those who supported the Sky Shield plan are Philip Breedlove, former NATO supreme commander in Europe, Polish ex-President Aleksander Kwasniewski, and Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's former foreign minister. European defense ministries have considered the plan, but their leaders have been reluctant to authorize patrolling Ukrainian skies while Russia's full-scale war is ongoing, the Guardian wrote. In light of the U.S. policy shift and suspension of military aid to Ukraine, the initiative can be revisited, the news outlet noted. Yet, Western partners still fear an escalation if an aircraft from either side is attacked or shot down. Russian forces regularly launch drones and missiles against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, inflicting heavy civilian casualties. A Russian missile strike against a hotel in Kryvyi Rih late on March 5, carried out shortly after the U.S. paused vital intelligence sharing, killed four people and injured over 30. According to figures released by Kyiv, U.N. statistics, and open-source data published by BBC Russia, the total death toll of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers, as well as Ukrainian civilians, stood at over 148,000 as of mid-February. Read also: Trump's alignment with Russia derails Europe's push for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
China vows to ‘fight to the end' with US in ‘trade war or any other war'
Good morning. China's ministry of foreign affairs has warned that China will 'fight to the end' against the US in a 'tariff war, trade war or any other war', in a stark escalation of rhetoric. The comments were made in response to Donald Trump introducing an extra 10% tariff on Chinese goods, taking the total duty to 20%. China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, warned that pressuring China was 'the wrong calculation', adding: 'If the US has other intentions and insists on a tariff war, trade war or any other war, China will fight to the end.' The line about 'any other war' was shared online by Lin and by the Chinese embassy in the US. How has China responded to US tariffs? It is imposing duties of up to 15% on a range of US agricultural products. A European air force of 120 fighter jets could be used to protect Kyiv and western Ukraine from Russian missile and drone attacks on cities and infrastructure, according to a plan drawn up by military experts that has gained urgency as the US has pulled away from Kyiv. The backers of the Sky Shield scheme say it could function as an air protection zone operated separately from Nato. It would cover Ukraine's three working nuclear power plants and the cities of Odesa and Lviv, but not the frontline or the east of the country. Concerns in political circles involve the west being drawn into a direct conflict with Moscow if a Nato member's jet was hit or attacked one of Russia's. But proponents of the plan claim the risk is low, as Moscow has not flown its combat jets beyond the war's frontlines since early 2022. EU leaders are meeting for an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday where they are expected to largely support the €800bn ($863bn) 'ReArm Europe' plan outlined by the European Commission, prresident, Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, after the US halted aid. What else has the US done? After pausing military aid to Ukraine this week, the US stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv. Donald Trump has threatened Hamas with a new ultimatum, telling the group to 'release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you' in an inflammatory intervention amid the shaky ceasefire. His intervention came hours after the White House confirmed the US had begun direct negotiations with Hamas. Fifty-nine hostages are still held by Hamas, though Israel believes just 22 are alive. Trump also referred to a recent decision to provide Israel with fresh funding, posting: 'I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say.' How has Hamas responded? Hamas said Trump's comments 'encourage' Israel to disregard the ceasefire's terms. Police are investigating the death of a 20-year-old student in Baton Rouge's Southern University as a possible act of fraternity hazing, school authorities said. The Broadway musical Hamilton has canceled its performance at Washington's John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts next year, blaming Donald Trump's interference into the institution. South Korea's air force has apologised after one of its fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight bombs on a village during a training exercise on Thursday, wounding 15 civilians and damaging several buildings. The Iranian protest singer Mehdi Yarrahi has been given 74 lashes as punishment for his song that spoke out against the country's strict dress code for women. Almost half (45%) of women in Africa will be obese or overweight by 2030, according to a study by the World Obesity Federation, raising concerns for related disease including diabetes and heart disease. For men, the forecast figure is 26%, a complex gendered gap partly attributed to a lack of safe exercise spaces for women, long working hours, and caring responsibilities. When the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, a collection of islands the size of Puerto Rico, won a bitter war against Papua New Guinea, it managed to secure the region's independence by 2027. But the war had other consequences, too, writes the journalist Sean Williams, who traveled to Bougainville in search of Noah Musingku, a conman who made a fortune through a Ponzi scheme and then lost it, and has since withdrawn to a remote armed compound and declared himself the islands' king. Planetary heating, fueled by humanity's consumption of fossil fuels, caused global sea ice to fall to a record low in February, scientists have said. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) found sea ice levels in the Arctic were at their lowest monthly level, at 8% below average, while the levels in the Antarctic were at the their fourth-lowest and 26% below average. Wildlife officials are encouraging people in California to switch up their diets and consider adding a rodent to their dinner rotation in an attempt to control an invasive species' numbers. The nutria, a large, semiaquatic rodent native to South America, is said to taste like rabbit or dark turkey meat. If that sounds tempting, you can find recipes for nutria dishes on Nutria chilli, anyone? First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
European-led Ukraine air protection plan could halt Russian missile attacks
A European air force of 120 fighter jets could be deployed to secure the skies from Russian attacks on Kyiv and western Ukraine without necessarily provoking a wider conflict with Moscow, according to a plan drawn up by military experts. Sky Shield, its proponents argue, would be a European-led air protection zone operated separately from Nato to halt Russian cruise missile and drone attacks on cities and infrastructure, potentially operating as part of the 'truce in the sky' proposed by Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this week. It would cover Ukraine's three operating nuclear power plants and the cities of Odesa and Lviv, but not the frontline or the east of the country – and, according to a newly published paper, it could 'achieve greater military, political, and socioeconomic impact than 10,000 European ground troops'. Supporters include Philip Breedlove, a former US Air Force general and Nato supreme commander in Europe, and Sir Richard Shirreff, a former British army general and deputy Nato supreme commander at the beginning of the last decade, as well as former Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski. Another backer, Gabrielius Landsbergis, a former Lithuanian foreign minister, said in a statement: 'The implementation of Sky Shield would be an important component of Europe's stepping up, guaranteeing Ukraine's security effectively and efficiently.' Though variants of the proposal have been discussed without making progress since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a fresh version of the plan has gained renewed impetus this week after Zelenskyy's acrimonious meeting with US president Donald Trump on Friday. Since then the US has halted military aid and curbed intelligence sharing with Kyiv, prompting a rapid realisation in Europe that the continent will have to take the lead in supporting Ukraine while the war continues and by providing security guarantees to the country as part of any peace deal. It is understood Sky Shield has been drawn up by former RAF planners working in conjunction with Ukraine's armed forces, and it has been canvassed before European defence ministries. However, there has been no real appetite from European leaders to sanction patrols of Ukrainian skies while the war is ongoing. Those involved believe the pace of events in the last week means that ideas about protecting some of Ukraine's airspace can now get a fresh hearing, though the plan also serves to highlight how important and efficient air protection would be as part of providing security guarantees to Kyiv in the event of a ceasefire. The concern in western political circles is that it would risk placing fighter jets from Nato member states directly in conflict with Russia, and could lead to a dangerous escalation of hostilities if a jet from either side was attacked or shot down. However, backers of the scheme argue the 'risk to Sky Shield pilots is low' because Moscow has not dared to fly its combat jets beyond the existing front lines since early 2022. The de facto separation from Russian aircraft would be 'more than 200km' according to the scheme's designers. Russia routinely attacks Ukraine with missiles and long range drones and the belief is that fighter patrols could help Kyiv eliminate them. Knocking them out is a burden on Kyiv's existing air defence, some of which – most notably Patriot interceptors – are manufactured in the US and whose resupply is covered by the White House ban. On Wednesday, Ukraine's military said 181 drones and four missiles had been launched by Russia. Though most of the drones were shot down, one person was killed in the southern city of Odesa and infrastructure was targeted in the region, the local authorities said. Ukraine has fewer missiles than Russia but has used US Atacms and Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets inside Russia since the autumn. It has also conducted a string of long range drone attacks on military and other infrastructure, such as refineries.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austria sticks to Euro Sky Shield under moderate coalition government
BERLIN — Austria will remain in the European Sky Shield Initiative and increase its defense expenditures to 2% of the country's GDP annually under a new government, the incoming coalition announced on Thursday. Previously it had appeared as though Austria would exit the German-founded Sky Shield air defense project under a far-right government. The negotiations between the extreme-right Freedom Party and the conservative People's Party have since failed, paving the way for a more moderate coalition. Elections were held in September of 2024. On Thursday, the incoming government, led by the conservatives and with participation of the social democrats and the economic liberals, announced that they had arrived at a coalition agreement, which includes a detailed plan of proposed policies and some appointments. The three-way coalition – a historic first in Austrian history – is expected to present a relative continuation of the preceding Austrian government, which was made up of the conservative and green parties. This also applies to defense policy, where most of the coalition's positions reflect those of the previous government. The chancellorship will remain with the conservative people's party though it was unclear at the time of writing whether the defense ministry, too, would remain the People's Party's domain. Under the previous government and defense minister Klaudia Tanner, Austria had decided to join the European Sky Shield Initiative, which to date counts 23 countries stretching in a continuous bloc from Scandinavia to Turkey. The military initiative seeks to coordinate the procurement and interoperability of air-defense systems among its members to protect against the threat of Russian missiles and drones. The far-right and Russia-friendly freedom party had made exiting Sky Shield a campaign promise, claiming that it is not compatible with Austria's constitutionally enshrined 'perpetual neutrality.' With the euroskeptic party in charge, it was also expected that Austria would be a stumbling block for consensus in the European Union and would drop or significantly reduce its support from Ukraine on the international stage. In accordance with its neutrality policy, Austria does not send weapons to Kyiv – but it does support the country in the diplomatic arena and send non-lethal aid. The government that ended up being formed, however, reaffirmed its support for Ukraine and called out Russia for its invasion of its smaller neighbor in their coalition document. In a trend also started by the Ukraine war, Austria will continue to invest in its military, sticking to the 'construction plan 2023+,' which seeks to invest around €17 billion ($17.7 billion) in additional funds into its armed forces by 2032. A novelty, however, is the mention of a specific goal of 2% of the country's GDP going toward the military by the same year. Although the same number as the goal for military spending among NATO members, Austria remains outside the alliance. Additionally, Vienna intends to set up a so-called standby force to 'be able to respond quickly to unexpected threats.' It is supposed to be manned by a combination of professional soldiers and parts of the country's militia. Austria maintains mandatory conscription for all men at age 18. Another major piece of news is expected in the near future, with the government reiterating their intention of phasing out the country's fleet of 15 Eurofighter Typhoons which currently form the backbone of the Alpine republic's air force. A 'decision of principle' is to be taken 'soon' on this question, officials said. Austria intends to procure 36 new jets with both the American F-35 and the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen reportedly being in the running. The Austrian air force has in the past been a significant operator of Saab aircraft, flying a custom-made variant of the Saab 105 until recently, when it was retired in favor of the Italian M-346. Austria also operated the Saab Gripen, Tunnan, B17A and Safir airframes in the past.
