Senate leader visits Ukraine amid US Congress aid impasse
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer arrived on Feb 23 in Ukraine, in an effort to put pressure on his Republican opponents in Congress to unlock crucial aid as Russia’s invasion of its neighbour enters its third year.
“We are here to show the Ukrainian people that America stands with them and will (continue) fighting to get the funding they so desperately need and deserve,” Mr Schumer said, in a statement from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. “We will not stop fighting until we gain the aid.”
Republican legislators in the House of Representatives have stalled the approval of US$60 billion (S$80 billion) in new aid for Kyiv, with Ukrainian forces running low on supplies and Russia recently scoring a key battlefield gain.
“We are here to learn in granular detail about the armaments Ukraine so vitally needs and the consequences of the failure to deliver them – the specific advantages Russia would gain if the arms are not delivered, and the advantages Ukraine would gain if the arms were delivered,” said Mr Schumer, who was accompanied by four Democratic senators.
Ukraine says it shot down Russian spy plane over Azov Sea
Ukraine said on Feb 23 it had shot down an A-50U Russian spy plane over the Sea of Azov, and shared a map appearing to show it had crashed over southern Russia.
Moscow made no official comment, but authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region said fire crews were at the scene of an air crash, without elaborating.
“Another valuable Russian A-50U aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov,” Ukrainian military intelligence said, in a post on social media.
French farmers plan tough welcome for Macron at farm show
French farmers were back on the streets of Paris on Feb 23, warning President Emmanuel Macron that he should expect a difficult welcome when he opens a major farm show on Feb 24, amid anger over costs, red tape and green regulations.
Dozens of tractors rolled into the French capital, loudly honking their horns. One tractor carried a sign that read: “Macron you’re sowing the seeds for a storm - be careful of what you reap.”
Farmers have been protesting across Europe, calling for better income, less bureaucracy and denouncing unfair competition from cheap Ukrainian goods to help Kyiv’s war effort.
Singapore Airshow draws record turnout of trade visitors
Nearly 60,000 trade visitors attended the first four days of the Singapore Airshow, eclipsing the previous record set in 2018 by 10 per cent, said organiser Experia Events.
“It clearly signals a renewed optimism and momentum driving the sector forward,” its managing director Leck Chet Lam said on Feb 23 in a statement to mark the end of the show’s four-day trade segment.
The ninth edition of the biennial aerospace and defence exhibition began on Feb 20, six years since the last full-scale show. Covid-19 disrupted the 2020 and 2022 editions.
Czech teen Jakub Mensik reaches first ATP final
Czech teenager Jakub Mensik on Feb 23 became the youngest ATP finalist since Carlos Alcaraz three years ago when he defeated French veteran Gael Monfils at the Qatar Open.
Mensik, 18, followed up his quarter-final win over fifth-ranked Andrey Rublev by seeing off 37-year-old Monfils 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
At 18 years and five months, Mensik is the fifth youngest ATP finalist since 2005 and youngest since Alcaraz went to the Umag championship match in 2021.
