West arms Ukraine to fend off Russian invasion

Denmark, Sweden and Germany among countries to have pledged to donate military supplies to Kyiv in a bid to deter an attack from its neighbor; Berlin hikes defense expenditure amid conflict
Ynet, news agencies|
Western countries on Sunday mobilized to supply Ukraine with weapons in an attempt to fend off a Russian invasion, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.
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  • Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters her country will donate 2,700 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
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    דונצק חיילים אוקראינים מסיירים מפטרלים ברחוב משבר אוקראינה רוסיה מלחמה
    דונצק חיילים אוקראינים מסיירים מפטרלים ברחוב משבר אוקראינה רוסיה מלחמה
    Ukrainian troops patrolling through the streets of Donetsk, Ukraine
    (Photo: AFP)
    Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson send her country will send military aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, helmets and body armor.
    "Sweden is now proposing direct support for Ukraine's armed forces. It includes 135,000 field rations, 5,000 helmets, 5,000 body shields and 5,000 anti-tank weapons," Andersson told a news conference.
    On Saturday, Germany announced it will send weapons and other supplies directly to Ukraine, including 500 Stinger missiles, which are used to shoot down helicopters and warplanes, and 1,000 anti-tank weapons.
    Berlin also said it was committing 100 billion euros ($113 billion) to a special armed forces fund and would keep its defense spending above 2% of GDP from now on, in one of the most significant shifts in European security policy in decades.
    Meanwhile, European nations and Canada moved on Sunday to shut their airspace to Russian aircraft, an unprecedented step aimed at pressuring President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine.
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    פולין פליטים אוקראינים חוצים את הגבול מ אוקראינה רוסיה מלחמה משבר
    פולין פליטים אוקראינים חוצים את הגבול מ אוקראינה רוסיה מלחמה משבר
    Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border
    (Photo: Reuters)
    The ban on Russian jets comes as the airline industry continues to grapple with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic that is still undermining global demand for travel.
    Germany, Spain and France joined Britain, the Nordics and Baltic states in declaring bans on Russian use of their airspace, a major escalation in a tactic by mostly NATO allies to wage economic war against Putin in retaliation for the invasion.
    Furthermore, Russia's defense ministry said on Sunday Russian soldiers had been killed and wounded during an offensive in Ukraine, but added its losses were far lower than those suffered by Ukraine without specifying a number, the Interfax news agency reported.
    Since the start of what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, armed forces have hit 1,067 Ukrainian military sites, Interfax cited the ministry as saying.
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