Ukraine latest: Poland may transfer MiG29 jets in coming weeks

Poland may send its Soviet-era MiG-29 jets to Ukraine in four to six weeks, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference in Warsaw on Tuesday, without elaborating.

Russia’s Finance Ministry proposed issuing “patriotic” bonds to help sustain the country’s financial markets amid sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, according to a report by Interfax.

Rheinmetall AG, Germany’s largest munitions manufacturer, said Europe’s defense industry can’t meet Ukraine’s artillery ammunition needs unless nations boost spending to double production capacity.

Key Developments

• Most Russian Oil Still Sold Outside G-7 Price Cap, Treasury Says
• Wheat Whipsaws Amid Conflicting Signals on Grain Deal Extension
• Xi Reboots Statesman Image in Push to Counter US on World Stage
• DeSantis Assails US Policy in Ukraine, Breaking With Much of GOP

(All times CET)

Poland May Transfer Fighter Jets to Ukraine (1:30 p.m.)

Morawiecki said Poland may send its MiG29s to Kyiv soon, but it remains unclear whether Warsaw has made a final decision. If Poland decides to support Ukraine’s air forces with Soviet-era fighter jets, it would be the first NATO country to offer such aircraft.  

Poland Says Ukraine to Get Fighter Jets Sooner or Later

Ukraine and One NATO Member State Extend Shell Production (1:15 p.m.)

The state-run Ukroboronprom said it started making 125mm shells for tanks and has already delivered the first shipment to the frontline, the company said on Telegram.

It’s the second type of shell that is being made in cooperation with a NATO member country, which was not identified for security reasons. The production is located outside Ukraine but Ukrainian designers and experts are involved in the process.

Most Russian Oil Sold Outside G-7 Priuce Cap, US Says (1 p.m.)

The bulk of Russian seaborne oil is still being sold outside the price cap imposed by the Group of Seven nations late last year, according to remarks to be given by a US Treasury official Tuesday in Washington.

“About 75% of the trade of Russian seaborne oil occurs outside of the price cap,” Assistant Treasury Secretary Ben Harris is expected to say, according to a copy of his remarks seen by Bloomberg and citing a report he didn’t identify. “That means no Western services are involved in the transaction and, therefore, these trades do not violate or evade sanctions.”

Russia’s Shoigu Orders Production of High-Precision Missiles Doubled (12:47 p.m.)

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told a major state-run producer of high-accuracy missiles to double output of the weapons, which have been in short supply as the war enters its second year.

“You can do it,” Shoigu told managers in televised comments during a visit to the Tactical Missile Corp. “The only task is to increase labor productivity.”

Russia has suffered chronic shortages of many of its most advanced weapons, in particular high-accuracy missiles, amid heavy use of them in the war in Ukraine, according to US and European intelligence estimates.

Russia Weighs ‘Patriotic’ Bond Issue as War Costs Mount, Interfax Says (11:40 a.m.)

Interfax said the preliminary idea was one of several points in a plan the ministry proposed to the government to help ensure Russia’s “financial sovereignty.” Interfax didn’t provide details.

Foreign investors have all but disappeared from the Russian bond market since the US and its allies imposed sweeping sanctions on the country over the invasion last year. The budget deficit is widening as spending increases. The government suspended issues of bonds aimed at retail investors shortly after the invasion; demand had always been limited.

Lithuania Labels Wagner Group as Terrorist Organization (11:17 a.m.)

In a resolution, lawmakers also unanimously condemned the use of any mercenary groups created under the auspices of Russia to commit crimes of aggression in Ukraine. Lithuania called on other countries to join in and label Wagner as a terrorist group.

Ukraine, Russia Offer Conflicting Signals on Grain Deal Extension (9:54 a.m.)

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry said there is no update yet on the grain deal, referring to a Monday Twitter post as its latest official position on the matter. 

That followed a Tass report which cited Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin had confirmed the deal’s extension for 60 days, without providing further details. 

That would only be half the length of the previous two terms of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July and extended in November. The agreement has significantly boosted Ukraine’s crop exports and helped to lower global food prices. Its current run is due to end on March 18.

Russian Missile Hits Kramatorsk (9:12 a.m.)

One person was killed and at least three others were injured when a Russian missile hit and damaged six apartment buildings on Tuesday morning, Donetsk regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram. 

Russian air strikes in the Donetsk region also occurred overnight, leaving two people killed, nine injured and dozens of residential buildings damaged.

Europe Must Double Shell Production for Ukraine, Rheinmetall Says (8:59 a.m.) 

“I need orders. Without orders, I won’t produce anything,” Rheinmetall Chief Executive Officer Armin Papperger said in an interview. “Any shortage of ammunition won’t be the defense industry’s fault. Industry can deliver what’s needed.”

Slow progress finalizing orders means Rheinmetall will produce shells at around two-thirds capacity this year, Papperger said. That’s despite repeated warnings from Ukrainian and European officials that sufficient supply of artillery munitions will prove a decisive factor in the ongoing war.

Russia Keeps Up Attempts to Capture Bakhmut, Ukraine Says (7:59 a.m.)

Russian troops aren’t giving up attempts to capture the besieged city of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Facebook.

There have been more than 100 Russian attacks along the main axes of the offensive in eastern regions of the country, while Russian troops shelled dozens of villages and towns with artillery and rockets in other areas along the front line, according to the post.

DeSantis Assails US Policy in Ukraine (5:35 a.m.)

DeSantis expressed strong misgivings over US support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion, breaking not only with the Biden administration but other prominent Republicans.

DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said in a statement, which was read by Tucker Carlson on his Fox News program, that protecting the US southern border, confronting China and bolstering the American military should take priority. 

“The Biden administration’s virtual ‘blank check’ funding of this conflict for ‘as long as it takes,’ without any defined objectives or accountability, distracts from our country’s most pressing challenges,” DeSantis added in the statement, which was confirmed by his spokeswoman.