Ukraine War Update NEWS: Military Aid News - Starlink Info, More Aid Packages
Table of Contents 📖
"Trump believes that Xi Jinping and Putin will cut the military budget in half at his request. This is just insane that he would think this."
Hello Team
🎦 00:00-00:19⏩
Jonathan welcomes viewers to the third part of his Ukraine War Update, focusing on military aid. He notes that a lot has happened in recent days and promises to cover as much ground as possible.
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US Aid to Ukraine
🎦 00:19-02:32⏩
Jonathan analyses recent statements from Donald Trump regarding the total value of US aid to Ukraine. While the actual value is closer to $100 billion, Trump has repeatedly cited a figure of $350 billion, even after being corrected. Jonathan considers the reasons for this discrepancy, suggesting that Trump may be deliberately inflating the figures to further his own agenda or simply reverting to an incorrect figure due to cognitive bias. Jonathan criticises both possibilities as irresponsible.
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Trump Criticises European Leaders
🎦 02:32-03:18⏩
Trump has criticised the leaders of France and the UK for not doing enough to support Ukraine. Jonathan argues that this is hypocritical, as the US contribution to Ukraine is relatively low as a percentage of GDP and per capita. He views Trump's remarks as an example of "the pot calling the kettle black".
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Trump's Defence Spending Plans
🎦 03:18-05:13⏩
Jonathan expresses disbelief at Trump's claim that he could convince Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin to cut their military budgets in half. This, while simultaneously planning to cut the US defence budget significantly. Jonathan highlights the negative economic and geopolitical implications of this approach at a time when both Russia and China are increasing their military spending. He concludes by describing Trump's statements as "ridiculous".
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Global Implications of US Unreliability
🎦 05:13-06:12⏩
Jonathan discusses concerns, raised by Rory Stewart amongst others, that Trump's policies could damage the reputation of the US as a reliable ally. He predicts that other countries, including France, will seek to reduce their dependence on the US, leading to greater opportunities for China, Russia, Germany and Turkey.
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European Shift Away from US Defence Systems
🎦 06:12-07:53⏩
Jonathan reports on the growing momentum behind the development of the Tempest, a sixth-generation fighter jet being jointly developed by the UK, Italy and Japan. He cites David Deptula, a prominent Republican, who argues that European nations should abandon the F-35 program and switch to the Tempest as a way of reducing their reliance on the US. Jonathan notes the potential impact on US defence companies, with an estimated $1 trillion in lost sales. He also observes that the subscription-based maintenance and support model favoured by US defence companies is increasingly unpopular.
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EU Appoints Defence Commissioner
🎦 07:53-08:24⏩
Jonathan reports that the EU has appointed its first ever Defence Commissioner, Andreas Kubilius, a veteran Lithuanian politician. Kubilius' role will be to strengthen European defence cooperation in light of Trump's policies. Jonathan notes that Kubilius has already rejected Trump's claims that Europe is not doing enough to support Ukraine.
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New EU Aid Package for Ukraine
🎦 08:24-08:56⏩
The EU is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine worth €20 billion. The package will include artillery ammunition, air defence systems and missiles. However, there is some resistance from Hungary, Slovakia, Italy and France, who have cited budgetary constraints and diplomatic concerns.
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UK Announces New Aid Package and Sanctions
🎦 08:56-09:17⏩
The UK government is expected to announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine, along with new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions are expected to be far-reaching.
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UK to Send Typhoon Fighter Jets
🎦 09:17-09:42⏩
The UK is reportedly preparing to send Typhoon fighter jets to Ukraine to support a future air policing mission. Jonathan expresses concern that the RAF is already overstretched and that committing to further missions without additional aircraft could create further strain.
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Netherlands to Send More F-16s to Ukraine
🎦 09:42-10:20⏩
Ukraine is expecting the delivery of more F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands this year. This follows a delay in the delivery of F-35s to Belgium, which has had a knock-on effect on the transfer of Belgian F-16s to Ukraine.
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Estonia Sends Aid to Ukraine
🎦 10:20-10:44⏩
Estonia is sending 10,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, 750,000 food packages and over €100 million worth of defence industry products to Ukraine.
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Germany Reaffirms Support for Ukraine
🎦 10:44-11:29⏩
A high-level German military delegation visited Ukraine and reaffirmed Germany's commitment to providing ongoing support. Jonathan notes that there was further discussion about the current military situation and the organisation of the Ukrainian military, which he intends to cover in more detail in a future video.
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Italy Sends B-1 Centauro Tank Destroyers to Ukraine
🎦 11:29-12:39⏩
Italy is sending an unspecified number of B-1 Centauro wheeled tank destroyers to Ukraine. These eight-wheeled vehicles are similar to the French AMX-10RCs already in service with the Ukrainian armed forces, but with heavier armour.
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Ukraine Develops Long-Range Weapons
🎦 12:39-13:03⏩
Jonathan reports that Ukraine has been developing its own long-range weapons, which are already capable of striking targets 1,700 km inside Russia. He quotes General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who says that Ukraine will continue to hit the enemy hard.
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Ukraine Showcases New Military Technologies
🎦 13:03-13:44⏩
Jonathan highlights some of the innovative military technologies being developed in Ukraine, including a fixed-wing drone that can carry smaller drones on its wings and a kamikaze drone that uses TM-62 anti-tank mines as wheels.
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Ukraine Develops Long-Range Naval Drone
🎦 13:44-14:09⏩
The SBU has released footage of a new machine-gun equipped naval drone with a range of 1,700 km. Jonathan notes that this will help Ukraine to protect its Black Sea coastline from Russian naval drones.
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Ukrainian Missile Strike on Sevastopol
🎦 14:09-15:09⏩
Jonathan discusses the recent Ukrainian missile strike on the port of Sevastopol in Crimea, which resulted in the destruction of five Russian ships. It is thought that the ships may have been sunk by mines laid by Ukrainian naval drones.
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Ukraine Increasing Domestic Drone Production
🎦 15:09-15:24⏩
Despite challenges in obtaining weapons and military equipment, Ukraine is increasingly reliant on domestically produced drones. General Syrskyi has stated that 96% of the drones used by Ukraine are either produced or purchased within the country.
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Bulgaria Votes Against Sending Troops to Ukraine
🎦 15:24-15:40⏩
The Bulgarian parliament has voted overwhelmingly against a proposal to deploy troops to Ukraine.
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Switzerland Considers Sending Peacekeepers to Ukraine
🎦 15:40-15:55⏩
Switzerland is considering sending up to 200 soldiers to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission, if requested to do so by the Ukrainian government. However, these are only preliminary discussions and no decision has been made.
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Danish Public Support Sending Peacekeepers to Ukraine
🎦 15:55-16:10⏩
A recent poll has shown that 53% of Danes would support sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, once the war with Russia is over.
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Japan Treats Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers
🎦 16:10-16:29⏩
Japan has expanded its programme to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers, with a second hospital now accepting patients.
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China's Stance on the War in Ukraine
🎦 16:29-16:52⏩
China is interested in a swift end to the war in Ukraine, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Jonathan notes that this is likely driven by China's desire for stability in the region, which is important for its economic interests in the European market.
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North Korea Supplies Missiles to Russia
🎦 16:52-17:18⏩
Speaking at a recent conference, Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov claimed that North Korea will deliver 148 KN-23 ballistic missiles to Russia this year. Jonathan notes that Budanov also made a number of other claims, which he plans to cover in more detail in a future video.
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North Korean Ammunition Supplies to Russia
🎦 17:18-17:32⏩
Budanov has also claimed that North Korea is supplying Russia with significant quantities of ammunition, potentially meeting as much as 50% of Russia's needs. Jonathan sees this as further evidence that North Korea is playing a much larger role in supporting the Russian war effort than many had previously realised.
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Starlink Threatened with Disruption
🎦 17:32-18:17⏩
Jonathan discusses the possibility that the US government may have threatened to disrupt or block Ukraine's access to Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk. He speculates that this threat may have been used as leverage in negotiations with Ukraine, potentially relating to access to critical minerals. However, Jonathan acknowledges that this is just speculation on his part.
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Poland's Starlink Contract Protects Ukraine's Access
🎦 18:17-19:14⏩
Poland has pushed back against any suggestion that Starlink could be disrupted in Ukraine, confirming that it has purchased a significant number of Starlink terminals and is paying for the monthly subscriptions on behalf of Ukraine. This makes Poland a party to the contract with Starlink, making it legally difficult for the service to be terminated. Jonathan highlights that Ukrainians themselves also pay for their own Starlink terminals and subscriptions, making this a commercial service rather than a charitable donation.
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US Pressure on Ukraine Over Critical Minerals
🎦 19:14-19:30⏩
Citing sources familiar with the matter, journalist Robbie Gramer has reported that the US government has been pressuring Ukraine to provide access to its critical minerals in exchange for continued support. Jonathan notes that it is likely that threats to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink were made as part of these negotiations.
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Ukraine Denies Starlink Disruption, But Confirms Russian Outages
🎦 19:30-19:54⏩
While Budanov has denied that Ukraine's access to Starlink has been disrupted, he has confirmed that some Russian Starlink terminals have stopped working. This is something that Jonathan has previously reported on.
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Ukraine Develops Starlink Contingency Plans
🎦 19:54-20:18⏩
Jonathan emphasises the importance for Ukraine to have contingency plans in place should Starlink be disrupted in the future. He reports that Ukraine is already working on alternative satellite communications solutions.
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Jigasport Interview and Fundraising Campaign
🎦 20:18-21:30⏩
Jonathan encourages viewers to watch his recent interview with Irina, the founder of Jigasport, a company that supplies drones to the Ukrainian armed forces. He also highlights the fundraising campaign he is running with Jigasport to purchase thermal drones for Ukrainian troops, which has already raised over 7,000 of its 17,500 goal. He thanks viewers for their generosity and reminds them to include the reference "ATP for Triad" with any donations.
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Wrap up
🎦 21:30-21:30⏩
Jonathan thanks viewers for watching.
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