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The United States will host a meeting in Germany on Friday to discuss further support for Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed Western allies to send more fighter jets and long-range missiles. Representatives from around 50 countries will gather at the US Ramstein Air Base to coordinate their backing for Kyiv, as battles with Russia rage in the east of the country. Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
10:47am: Poland allows transit of Ukrainian grain
Poland on Friday allowed the transit of Ukrainian grain and other food through its borders, partially lifting a near week-long ban imposed in response to protests from farmers.
Poland and other European Union countries bordering Ukraine imposed temporary bans on Ukrainian grain exports after farmers protested a slump in prices related to the influx.
Ukraine has transported such exports across EU borders since Russia’s invasion disrupted its usual Black Sea shipping route.
10:39am: Austin seeks to stem discord with allies over document leaks
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought Friday to tamp down any discord between the U.S. and its allies over the massive US leak of classified documents, as he met with defense leaders from around the globe to coordinate additional military aid to Ukraine.
Acknowledging that the other nations have closely followed the issue, Austin hit the subject head on in his opening remarks to start the meeting. The move underscored the gravity of the situation, since many of the documents distributed online revealed details on the status of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukrainian forces in battle — intelligence matters the other defense officials are keenly involved in.
“I take this issue very seriously,” Austin said at the start of the daylong session at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. “And we will continue to work closely and respectfully with our deeply valued allies and partners. “
I’m here at @RamsteinAirBase where tomorrow I will be hosting the Ukraine Defense Contact Group with more than 40 allies & partner nations to continue our important work towards supporting Ukraine’s most urgent security assistance needs. pic.twitter.com/sfpvyxDn83
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) April 20, 2023
9:40am: Russia warplane ‘accidentally’ fires into city near Ukraine, injuring three
A Russian Sukhoi-34 supersonic warplane fired a weapon into the city of Belgorod near Ukraine late on Thursday, causing an explosion and injuring three people. The Russian defence ministry said the discharge was unintentional.
“As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition,” Russian news agency Tass cited the defence ministry as saying.
Video footage from the site showed piles of concrete on the street, several damaged cars and a building with broken windows. One shot showed what appeared to be car upside down on the roof of a store.
Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced a state of emergency overnight and said there was a crater measuring 20 metres (65 feet) across on one of the main streets. Four cars and four apartment buildings were damaged, he added.
9:39am: NATO’s Stoltenberg reaffirms Ukraine will eventually join alliance
All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will eventually become a member of the alliance but the main focus now is to ensure the country prevails against Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine defence contact group at Ramstein air base in Germany, he also told reporters that, once the war in Ukraine ends, Kyiv must have “the deterrence to prevent new attacks”.
8:04pm: Air alarms in Kyiv triggered by Shahid drones
Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine, FRANCE 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg said the Ukrainian air force is reporting having shot down eight out of ten Shahid drones believed to be flying over Ukraine last night. The air force said that an “infrastructure object” in Poltava region in the country’s centre was hit, with no casualties reported.
4:14am: G7 nations considering near-total ban of exports to Russia
Group of Seven (G7) countries are considering a near-total ban of exports to Russia, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday, citing Japanese government sources.
4:00am: China is not inflaming Ukraine situation, says Chinese FM
China is not inflaming the situation in Ukraine, and advocates a peaceful resolution of international disputes through dialogue and diplomacy, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Friday.
China has no intention to engage in a major power competition, Qin said at the Lanting Forum in Shanghai, adding that it opposes attempts to build walls and barriers to interrupt international supply chains.
1:15am: German defence minister says now is not time to discuss NATO membership for Ukraine
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius rejected a quick decision on Ukraine’s membership at NATO, the Western alliance that has supported Ukraine throughout its war with Russia, with member states supplying it with weapons.
Kyiv wants the military alliance to offer it membership.
“The door is open a crack, but this is not the time to decide now,” Pistorius said late on Thursday on ZDF’s Maybrit Illner program, adding that Ukraine was aware of the decision-making situation.
12:40am: Ukraine’s Zelensky urges Mexico to help deliver his peace plan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged Mexico to help make the case in Latin America for his peace plan for Ukraine, even as tensions persist within the country’s ruling party about offering support to Kyiv.
Mexico’s government has said it wants to remain neutral in Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Some Ukraine supporters have criticised leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for finding fault with European arms shipments to Kyiv.
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Key developments of Thursday, April 20
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on a visit to Kyiv Thursday that the alliance’s priority was to ensure Ukraine “prevails” in the war against Russia and that a membership plan for Kyiv will be discussed at a summit in July. “Let me be clear: Ukraine’s rightful place is in the euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help you to make this possible,” Stoltenberg told reporters during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Monday, Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. The diplomat said earlier this week that Lavrov and Guterres would discuss the Black Sea grain deal.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)