Macron pledges to provide French armored fighting vehicles to help war-torn Ukraine

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French President Emmanuel Macron told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Wednesday, the Elysee said, that France would send light tanks to help repel the Russian invasion. Earlier on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over the launch of a warship armed with new hypersonic cruise missiles on an international training mission. Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. All times are in Paris time (GMT+1).

22:47: Bradley Fighting Vehicles are on the table for Ukraine

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that consideration was being given to sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine to help the country fight off the Russian invasion.

The armored vehicle, equipped with a powerful gun, has been used by the US military as a staple for transporting troops around battlefields since the mid-1980s.

The army has thousands of Bradleys, which can give the Ukrainians more firepower on the battlefield. However, Biden’s move falls short of sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which the Ukrainians have requested.

As the war progresses, more sophisticated weapon systems have been fielded, and the United States recently pledged to send a Patriot missile system to fend off Russian missile and drone attacks. The United States in particular has taken on the role of supporting Ukraine as the war has become a symbol of “global security,” in the words of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and democracy.

6:38 pm: France and Ukraine agree on future cooperation to significantly “strengthen” air defense, Zelensky says

Zelensky thanked French President Macron for his decision to send light armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

Zelensky added that he and Macron also agreed on further cooperation “to significantly strengthen it.” [Ukrainian] Air defense and other defensive capabilities.

Ukraine and France

He had a long and detailed conversation with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, about the current situation. Thanked for the decision to transfer Bastion light tanks and armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, as well as for intensifying work with partners in the same direction. 1/2

– Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) January 4, 2023 6:31 PM: Macron promises Zelensky armored fighting vehicles, says Elysee

The French presidency said that French President Emmanuel Macron told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Wednesday, that his country would send French-made light tanks to help repel the Russian invasion.

After the two leaders spoke on the phone, she said, “President Ziyadeh wanted … to help” Ukraine “by accepting the delivery of AMX-10 RC light tanks.” “It is the first time that the Ukrainian armed forces are equipped with tanks designed for the West,” he added.

5:54 p.m.: Death of Russian soldiers sparks calls for answers among civilians

The killing of 89 Russian soldiers after a Ukrainian attack on the town of Makievka sparked an unusual reaction in Russia, according to Daniel Hawkins, who reported to France 24 from Moscow.

Russia’s confirmation of its latest death toll is a rare acknowledgment by the country of the war’s losses, and a public memorial service was held on Tuesday in Samara, the birthplace of many of the dead soldiers.

We have not seen real criticism of the conflict and certainly not of Putin himself [in Samara] But the people there were certainly divided into two groups, Hawkins says. “The person who was looking to use the incident to unite behind the Kremlin, and the one who is really angry and demanding answers as to why no one is being held accountable and publicly punished.”

01:59 3:06 PM: Macron fires shrapnel that hits former Russian deputy prime minister in Ukraine

A former high-ranking Russian official wounded in Ukraine said Wednesday that he sent shrapnel from a French howitzer shell that he claimed hit him to President Emmanuel Macron.

Dmitry Rogozin, a former deputy prime minister, was injured last month during shelling in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city in eastern Ukraine.

Rogozin, an ardent supporter of President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine campaign, said he had written to France’s ambassador to Moscow, Pierre Levy.

“In this envelope with my letter, you will see a fragment of a shell from a French 155mm Caesar artillery piece,” Rogozin said in his open letter to Levy posted on Telegram.

He wrote, “It punctured my right shoulder blade and lodged in the fifth cervical vertebra just a millimeter away from either killing me or rendering me invalid.”

The state-run Russia 24 news channel reported at the time that he was celebrating his 59th birthday.

The same bombing killed two of his friends, Rogozin said, adding: “All our victims are on your conscience.”

“I ask you to give the part that surgeons cut out of the spine to French President Emmanuel Macron,” Rogozin wrote.

“And tell him that no one will escape responsibility for war crimes,” he added.

1:19 p.m.: Putin wants to destroy Ukraine, says Germany’s president, Burbock, urging more weapons

German Foreign Minister Analina Berbock said the European Union had tried everything to stop the war in Ukraine, but Russian President Vladimir Putin only wanted to destroy the neighboring country.

Speaking at a conference in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, Berbock said Putin’s position was the reason why “it is important to continue delivering weapons so that Ukraine can defend itself and protect people’s lives.”

12:45 p.m.: Putin has sent new hypersonic missiles to the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Mediterranean

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a frigate towards the Atlantic and Indian Oceans armed with supersonic Zircon cruise missiles, which he said are unique in the world.

Putin, at the ceremony of launching a warship armed with hypersonic missiles, said that he was “confident that such powerful weapons will make it possible to reliably protect Russia from possible external threats and help ensure the national interests of our country.” Agencies quoted the president as saying.

And at a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, commander of the frigate “Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR Gorshkov”, Putin said that the ship was armed with hypersonic Zircon weapons.

“This time the ship is equipped with the latest hypersonic missile system – the Zircon – which has no analogues,” Putin said. “I would like to wish the ship’s crew success in their service for the good of the motherland.”

Shoigu said the Gorshkov will sail to the Atlantic, Indian and Mediterranean oceans.

“This ship, armed with a zircon, is capable of delivering accurate and powerful strikes against the enemy at sea and on land,” Shoigu said.

12:03 am: Russia says 89 soldiers killed in New Year’s Eve attack, blames cellphones

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that 89 servicemen were killed in the Ukrainian attack on Makevka in the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, adding that the main reason for the attack was the unauthorized use of mobile phones by mobile forces.

“It is already clear that the main reason for what happened was the operation and massive use – contrary to the ban – by personnel of mobile phones in the area of ​​influence of enemy weapons,” the ministry said in a statement.

The senior Russian military official, Lt. Gen. Sergei Severyukov, said Ukraine struck a temporary base in Makevka at 12:01 a.m. local time on January 1, using US-supplied HIMARS missile systems.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, The Associated Press and Reuters)

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