TheVoiceOfJoyce As the War in Ukraine continues and Putin sends in missile barrages, bombs illegally dropped on a civilian population, balloons to fool defense weapons, Putin’s complaining that Zelensky might want to take out Russia’s weapons factory? Really? Putin has drawn western nations closer together with this invasion. Finland is preparing to join NATO. Odessa still has no power. Russia sought unsuccessfully to overthrow the Moldovan government. The UN must re negotiate grain passage for Ukrainians. Will Putin relent. The Allie’s , now more than NATO , consider the defense of Ukraine essential and support a robust counteroffensive by the Ukrainians. The only pragmatic and sensible next move is a unilateral retreat from Ukrainian soil by the Russians. They’ve gone a step too far when they employed Iranian drones. The Netherlands wants to hold them to account for downing MH – 17. War crimes are piling up against Putin and his mercenaries.

www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/17/russia-ukraine-war-at-a-glance-what-we-know-on-day-359-of-the-invasion

French President Emmanuel Macron urged allies to intensify their military support for Ukraine to help the country carry out a needed counter-offensive against Russia. “We absolutely need to intensify our support and our effort to the resistance of the Ukrainian people and its army and help them to launch a counter-offensive which alone can allow credible negotiations, determined by Ukraine, its authorities and its people,” he said at the Munich security conference.

Allies who can deliver battle tanks to Ukraine should do so now, Olaf Scholz of Germany said at the same event. Germany would facilitate this decision by providing logistics and stock replenishment and by training Ukrainian soldiers, he said, adding “For me, that is an example of the kind of leadership people can expect from Germany.”

Negotiations will start in a week on extending a UN-backed initiative that has enabled Ukraine to export grain from ports blockaded by Russia after its invasion, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. Yuriy Vaskov said “I think common sense will prevail and the corridor will be extended.”

Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne reports that the energy grid is working without consumption restrictions today across all of Ukraine, with the exception of Odesa, where “due to damaged infrastructure there are still restrictions” and “power outage schedules are applied.”


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