German Chancellor Warns of Western Arms Race


(Bloomberg) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned of a Western arms race in Ukraine and said he’s ready to talk to President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24 with Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.

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A North Korean official denounced the US decision to send Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine.

A suspected Russian surface-to-air missile slammed into a residential building in Kharkiv, causing a fire and casualties, the city’s mayor said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies to provide long-range missiles and his defense minister made a plea for aircraft.

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On the Ground

Russian army carried out three air strikes including one at Kharkiv, and shelled from multiple launch rocket systems, General Staff said in Facebook. Russian forces continue offensive in the direction of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka.

(All times CET)

Scholz Said Talks of Fighter Jets Isn’t Helpful (1 am)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said discussing the possibility of sending fighter jets to Ukraine does not help the country in the fight against Russia.

“It’s strange that this debate is happening,” Scholz told reporters in Santiago, Chile. He suggested that domestic politics might be the reason after Saskia Esken, the co-leader of his Social Democratic Party, earlier Sunday left the door open to providing the aircraft in an interview with German broadcaster ARD.

North Korea Could Get Lifeline From Arms Sales (1:00 am)

Russia’s hunt for weapons to fire at Ukraine could provide a lifeline for North Korea, where even a relatively modest arms deal would help lift the cash-starved and stagnant economy into growth.

One thing Kim Jong Un has in abundance is weaponry, especially the crude 20th-century artillery experiencing something in Ukraine. North Korea possesses untold stores of munitions to supply what the International Institute of Strategic Studies estimates is an arsenal of more than 21,600 artillery pieces.

Some North Korean items likely on Putin’s wish list would be 122-millimeter and 152-mm artillery rounds as well as 122-mm rockets. A major deal could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and a sale of about $320 million would be equal to about 1% of North Korea’s annual economy.

North Korea Could Get a Vital Lifeline From Arms Sales to Russia

Russian Missile Strike on Kharkiv Reported (10:27 pm)

A residential building in downtown Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city, was hit by a suspected Russian S-300 missile Sunday night, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that a fire broke out and preliminary reports indicated there were civilian casualties.

Two weeks ago, a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the city of Dnipro killed 45 people, according to an official Ukrainian count.

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