Russian Invasion

International Response 

Ukraine to Purchase More Patriot Missiles from the US

The US State Department has approved the sale of 500 Patriot air-defense missiles to Ukraine, valued at the equivalent of over 20 billion Swedish kronor, Reuters reports.

Ukraine will pay for the missiles using contributions from Canada, Germany, and Norway, as well as a portion of the support loan provided by the EU.

Earlier this week, President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had been waiting nearly a month for a decision regarding the missiles, which are critical to their defense against Russian ballistic missile attacks.

New Slovak Investigation into Donation of Fighter Jets to Ukraine

The Slovak Prosecutor General has launched a new investigation into the military aid sent to Ukraine by the previous government in 2023, Reuters reports. The aid in question consisted of about ten MiG-29 fighter jets; the matter had previously been investigated, with no wrongdoing found. At that time, it was concluded that the aircraft were obsolete and in poor working condition.

The current government, led by pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico, has halted aid to Ukraine and has questioned the decision.

Fico claims that these actions have left Slovakia dependent on the air-defense capabilities of other nations, and one of his party colleagues has described the move as "sabotage."

Negotiations 

Minister: Zelenskyy ready to discuss territory with Putin

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prepared for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. This was stated by his Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, to the Finnish newspaper *Helsingin Sanomat* on Wednesday, following telephone conversations between the Prime Ministers of Finland and Norway and Putin.

"Zelenskyy is ready to discuss the most difficult and sensitive issues, including the question of territory," he says, without providing details regarding potential concessions.

This week, Russia once again proposed that Zelenskyy travel to Moscow for a meeting. Sybiha asserts that this is not a proposal the Ukrainian side takes seriously.

According to the minister, they are open to holding the meeting anywhere—except in Russia or Belarus.

"Or North Korea," he adds, jokingly.

Hundreds of residents evacuated from Oleshky

The humanitarian evacuation of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine has been completed, according to reports from both Russia and Ukraine cited by several media outlets.

According to Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, one convoy is heading toward Ukraine, while another is bound for Russia.

The Ukrainian-bound convoy consists of 25 buses with a total capacity of 750 passengers, along with several ambulances for individuals with limited mobility, states Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, as reported by *The Kyiv Independent*.

The convoy, which includes a Ukrainian delegation, will first travel to Anapa, in Russia’s Krasnodar region. From there, they fly to Belarus and continue by bus across the border into Ukraine.

Oleshky is located near Kherson, on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River. The town has been severely devastated by the war, and residents have raised the alarm about an acute shortage of food and medicine.