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"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."

This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.

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CNN: US signals to allies that it won’t block them from exporting F-16 jets to Ukraine

2 min read

Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the Biden administration has conveyed to European allies its willingness to permit them to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The move comes in response to mounting pressure from Congress members and allies urging the White House to assist Ukraine in acquiring the aircraft as Russian aerial attacks intensify.

However, administration officials are not currently aware of any formal requests from allies to export F-16s, and the State Department officials responsible for processing approvals for such third-party transfers have not received any instructions to proceed.

Several European countries possess a supply of F-16 jets, including the Netherlands, which has indicated its readiness to export some of them to Ukraine. Nevertheless, given the sensitive U.S. technology incorporated in the aircraft, the U.S. would need to grant approval for the third-party transfer.

In recent months, high-ranking Ukrainian officials have amplified their public advocacy campaign for U.S.-made F-16s, emphasizing the urgent need for these aircraft to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.

Yahoo News also reported on May 18 has exclusively obtained an internal U.S. Air Force assessment that concludes it would take only four months to train Ukrainian pilots to operate the fighter jets, a far shorter time frame than what has been repeatedly cited by Pentagon officials.

The assessment, written by Lt. Col. Jared P. White of the 162nd, concludes that the Ukrainian pilots were able to carry out a number of “relatively technical” maneuvers in their simulated environments such as landing the aircraft after losing an engine in a scenario called a “flameout.”

Ukraine war latest: Russian missile attack kills civilians; Ukrainian brigade reports small gains near Bakhmut
Key developments on May 18: * Russian attacks kill 2, injure 5 in Odesa, Kharkiv oblasts * Ukraine’s military reportedly makes gains in Bakhmut * Russian troops forcibly conscript locals in occupied territories, says official * African leaders expected to visit Moscow with ‘peace mission’ in Ju…
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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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