Ukraine War Update NEWS: Military Aid News
Table of Contents 📖
Russia's close to developing missiles as effective as the Kinzhal. Well, why not the Kinzhal? It's like, right, we've got a fridge and I've developed something as effective as a fridge.
Hello Team
🎦 00:00-00:30⏩
Jonathan welcomes viewers to the second part of his Ukraine War update for 17th December 2024. He apologises for the high volume of content, explaining that he's producing a daily live stream with Jonathan Fink and this results in more content than usual.
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Kaya Kallas: EU must provide Ukraine with everything to win
🎦 00:31-01:17⏩
Jonathan reports that former Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, now part of the EU hierarchy, has emphasised that the EU must supply Ukraine with everything necessary to win against Russian aggression. Kallas believes Putin will not stop unless he is stopped and that Russia is weakened, citing the fall of Assad's regime as evidence that Russia does not support its allies when needed.
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Italy to unveil 10th military aid package for Ukraine
🎦 01:17-02:28⏩
Italy's Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, has confirmed that Italy is prepared to unveil its 10th military aid package for Ukraine. The package's contents remain confidential, but Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has given it the green light. Tajani emphasised Italy's support for a just peace that excludes Ukrainian capitulation.
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Belgium delays F-16 deliveries to Ukraine
🎦 02:29-03:12⏩
Delivery of the first batch of F-16 fighter jets from Belgium to Ukraine has been delayed until 2025. Belgium's Defence Minister attributes the delay to a lack of trained Ukrainian pilots and issues with spare parts. Jonathan notes the US has an agreement with Ukraine regarding the F-16s' maintenance and spare parts. He compares the F-16's air intake to that of the Gripen, highlighting the latter's ability to take off from rough terrain, such as roads, due to its design.
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Germany to send 20 more Marder 1A3s to Ukraine
🎦 03:12-04:27⏩
Germany will supply Ukraine with an additional 20 Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles. Delivery is scheduled for the second quarter of 2025. This brings the total number of Marder 1A3s delivered or pledged to Ukraine to 160. Jonathan praises a recent video by Perun, which analyses Russia's military stockpiles and production capacity, noting that Russia will likely face significant challenges in 2025. He believes these struggles are already evident in Russia's use of suboptimal equipment like golf buggies, motorcycles, garden sheds and civilian vehicles, due to supply chain issues and losses on the battlefield.
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Ukraine produces thousands of decoys to deceive Russian forces
🎦 04:27-05:47⏩
Jonathan reports, citing Shashank Joshi from The Economist and an organisation called chacr.org, that Ukraine is producing thousands of inexpensive decoys of Ukrainian and Western military equipment. These decoys cost a fraction of the real thing. For example, a real M777 howitzer costs $3.7 million, while a decoy produced by Ukrainian company Metinvest costs under $1,000. Jonathan notes that the decoys are made of metal, allowing them to mimic the heat signature of real equipment, making them harder to detect using thermal imaging, particularly during the summer months. He suggests that Ukraine aims to place a decoy howitzer in every treeline, forcing Russian forces to waste valuable time and resources identifying and targeting them.
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Ukraine and Czechia develop jet engine for drones
🎦 05:48-06:06⏩
Ukraine and Czechia have successfully co-developed a new jet engine for drones. Jonathan welcomes this development, hoping it will lead to the production of more powerful drones for Ukraine's military.
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Estonia urges NATO allies to boost defence spending
🎦 06:06-07:00⏩
Estonia has called on NATO allies to increase their defence spending to counter the threat posed by Russia. Citing a Reuters report, Jonathan highlights that only 23 out of 32 NATO members are currently on track to meet the alliance's target of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defence. However, he notes that in 2014, when this target was set, only three or four nations met this goal, suggesting that progress has been made. Despite this, Jonathan stresses the need for NATO members to reach the 2% target, especially in light of discussions to raise it to 3% of GDP.
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UK provides £1 million in aid and sanctions Russian 'shadow fleet'
🎦 07:00-07:10⏩
The UK has provided Ukraine with £1 million in emergency aid to help repair its energy grid, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian strikes. The UK has also imposed new sanctions on 20 vessels and two companies involved in Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet', which illegally transports Russian oil to circumvent international sanctions.
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France commits €5.7 million to Ukraine Energy Support Fund
🎦 07:10-07:25⏩
France has signed an agreement with the Energy Community Secretariat committing €5.7 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund (UESSF). This fund, established by the Energy Community in April 2022, provides financial assistance to Ukraine to maintain its energy security amidst the ongoing war. Jonathan welcomes the contributions made by both the UK and France.
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EU to train 12,000 Ukrainian soldiers by end of winter
🎦 07:25-08:03⏩
The EU plans to train 12,000 Ukrainian soldiers by the end of February 2025. This will bring the total number of EU-trained Ukrainian troops to 75,000. As of November 2024, 63,000 Ukrainian soldiers, approximately 10 brigades, had received training from the EU. Jonathan notes the importance of providing equipment to these newly trained troops.
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Ukraine's parliament approves multiple citizenship bill
🎦 08:04-09:14⏩
Ukraine's parliament has given preliminary approval to a bill allowing multiple citizenship for Ukrainian citizens. The bill must pass a second reading to become law. Jonathan believes this is significant as it could encourage foreigners to join the Ukrainian armed forces, by allowing them to gain Ukrainian citizenship without renouncing their existing citizenship. This would remove their mercenary status, providing legal protections. He cites the case of British citizen, Sean Pinner, who fought for Ukraine and was captured by Russian forces, as an example of how dual citizenship could be beneficial.
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Russia developing missiles "as effective as Kinzhal", says commander
🎦 09:14-10:12⏩
Jonathan expresses confusion over recent statements by Russian officials regarding the Kinzhal (Killjoy) hypersonic missile. On November 28th, 2024, Russia claimed it was mass-producing Kinzhal missiles. However, just yesterday, they announced plans to scale up Kinzhal production. Now, Strategic Missile Forces Commander Sergei Karakev has stated that Russia is close to developing missiles "as effective" as the Kinzhal. Jonathan questions the logic of developing a new missile with similar capabilities to one already in production, drawing an analogy with inventing a "box that keeps things cold" when you already have a refrigerator.
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Russia deploying T-62 tanks to Ukraine
🎦 10:12-11:29⏩
Jonathan reports that Russia is deploying T-62 tanks, some of which are 60 years old, to the front lines in Ukraine, based on images shared by open-source intelligence analyst Igor Sushko, showing the tanks on a train in Rostov. He notes that this is not unusual as Russia has previously deployed outdated military equipment. However, he points out the significance of Russia relying on older T-62s instead of more modern T-90 tanks, suggesting potential equipment shortages or production issues.
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Update on the CAR for Ukraine fundraiser
🎦 11:29-13:44⏩
Jonathan provides an update on the CAR for Ukraine fundraising campaign, announcing that the ATP Geopolitics community has already raised over €20,000. He expresses gratitude to everyone who has contributed. Originally aiming to raise enough money to purchase two vehicles, the campaign has exceeded expectations. After consulting with viewers, Jonathan announces that all donations from this point forward will be used to support other channels' fundraising efforts for the campaign, specifically smaller channels that would benefit most from the assistance, while continuing to fundraise for a third truck. Jonathan highlights the transparency and impact of the CAR for Ukraine campaign, emphasizing its direct role in providing vehicles to those in need in Ukraine.
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