LIVE UPDATES: US Believes F-16s Not Key Capability for Ukraine's Offensive Yet - White House

The United States believes F-16s will not provide Ukraine with a key capability as it prepares for a counter-offensive against Russian forces, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a CNN town hall event.

"From our perspective, F-16s are not the key capability for that offensive," Sullivan said Thursday night.

Sullivan added that President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed this matter during their unannounced meeting in Kiev on Monday.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday night said the United States will provide Ukraine with a new $2 billion security assistance package.

"Today, the United States announced a further $2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine," Sullivan said during a CNN town hall event on Ukraine.

The United States is expected to announce on Friday an additional $2 billion in security assistance funding for Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of the launch of Russia’s special military operation in the country, US media reported

The funding will reportedly come through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to make new purchases and contracts with the defense industry and not procure equipment from existing US stocks.

The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

The resolution was adopted in a 141-7 vote, with 32 nations abstaining. China, India and Iran were among those countries that abstained.

The United States and G7 nations on Friday are also set to release a new round of sanctions on Russia, focused on addressing alleged sanctions evasion. The actions come on the one-year anniversary of the launch of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

USAID said in mid-January that the United States will provide Ukraine an extra $125 million to support its energy and utility infrastructure.

"In the coming weeks and months, we intend to see if we can increase the number of tanks to 10, that is from six to 10, and obviously help Ukrainian soldiers learn how to use these Leopard tanks," Sanchez said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.

At the same time, Wallace said that NATO aircraft would not be sent to Kiev in the short or medium term, as "NATO is not going to enter into this conflict."

"So far we have depleted our stocks, but this is not sustainable,” Stoltenberg said in a CNN interview. “So our main focus now is to ensure that we ramp up production because this is now a war of attrition, which is a battle of logistics. We need to supply the Ukrainians every day with what they need to be able to continue to make gains on the battlefield."

In December 2022, the US announced a $1.85 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, including a Patriot air defense system expected to arrive in coming months. Germany and the Netherlands followed suit and also pledged Patriots to Ukraine.

In addition, the country's defense ministry has hosted more than 1,000 Ukrainian refugees at its facilities, the report said.

▪️ The Russian Army destroyed six Ukrainian ammunition warehouses in the DPR.

Finland will send three Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and provide relevant training to Ukrainian soldiers as part of the 13th package of military assistance to the country, the Finnish Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"As part of international cooperation on Leopard armoured vehicles, Finland will hand over three Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, including training related to their use and maintenance. These three vehicles are included in the aid package now decided," the ministry said in a statement.

Helsinki decided not to provide any details regarding the supplies of tanks and other military equipment "for operational reasons and to ensure that the delivery reaches its destination," the statement read.

Finland's 13th military help package is worth over 160 million euros ($170 million). The country has so far provided a total of over 750 million euros to Ukraine in military aid since the start of Russia's military operation in February 2022, according to Helsinki's estimates.

Western countries have been supplying Ukraine with various types of weapon systems, including air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine. In late January, Germany committed to sending 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Kiev, with other states announcing similar steps or promising to chip in.

An explosion rocked the Ukrainian port city of Odessa on Thursday, Ukrainian media reported.

A Ukrainian news channel reported that the blast occurred in the city center.

Several local Telegram channels published photos purportedly showing fire and smoke following the blast, but there has not yet been any official confirmation of links between the blast and the fire. No air raid warnings were issued in the region.

Russia's nuclear energy and diamond industries will not be targeted by the the European Union's 10th sanctions package against Moscow due to opposition from Hungary and several other EU member states, media reported.

Proposals put forward by Poland and Baltic states to impose sanctions against Russia's nuclear industry were rejected by Hungary, a country that depends on cooperation with Moscow in this area, a Spanish newspaper said, adding that a number of other EU states, including France, Bulgaria and Belgium, were also against sanctioning Russian nuclear and diamond industries.

Meanwhile, US media reported, citing three diplomats, that the countries opposed to immediate sanctions against Russian nuclear industry due to their dependence on imports are working to find alternative suppliers. In the event restrictions are adopted in the 10th package, these countries would reportedly be given a loophole to continue importing fuel so long as they need it.

Earlier in the week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Budapest would not support any sanctions that would limit its nuclear cooperation with Russia. Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is one of the world's leading companies in nuclear energy and sanctions against it could threaten global nuclear security, Hungary's top diplomat said.

On Wednesday, media reported that the European Union failed to agree on the 10th sanctions package against Russia, with negotiations on this issue expected to continue on Thursday. All 27 EU member states have to approve these measures for them to go into effect.

The new sanctions package is expected to introduce export restrictions worth 10 billion euros ($10.6 billion), intending to damage Russia's military and technological industry, according to Spanish media. In addition to new trade restrictions, the EU is also discussing measures aimed to improve the implementation of sanctions.

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