US speeds up issuance of licenses for shipments of firearms and ammunition to Ukraine

WASHINGTON: The US Commerce Department said on Wednesday the United States is speeding up processing of Americans' requests to export firearms and ammunition to Ukraine .

The Americans are collecting weapons for Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his citizens to defend their country against invading Russian forces and vowed to arm them.

The US Commerce Department said it imposed restrictions on exports to Russia "to impair its ability to pursue military aggression" and that Americans should review regulations to see if a license is required to export certain firearms to Ukraine.

"The ministry is speeding up the process of processing requests for the export of firearms and ammunition to Ukraine under existing processes and authorities, " a ministry spokesman said .

The Americans have donated thousands of body armor and millions of bullets in response to Ukraine's appeals.

Equipment donors to Ukraine's armed forces must pass US export licensing requirements for items such as military-grade flak jackets.

Two Americans shipping military supplies to Ukraine, who asked not to be identified, said they noticed the rapid issuance of approvals for export licenses.(Reuters)

Ukraine's delivery of Polish MiGs faces German objection and American skepticism, and negotiations in Turkey today

London - Agencies: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Westerners to send MiG-29 aircraft that Warsaw had proposed to provide despite the Kremlin’s warning and Germany’s reservations, on the fourteenth day of the Russian invasion, and while condemnations emerged for targeting a Russian plane, Children's Hospital in Mariupol, Turkey will host today, Thursday, talks between Kyiv and Moscow.

“They made a decision as quickly as possible, they sent us the planes,” Zelensky said, in a video clip broadcast on his channel on “Telegram,” calling for the Polish proposal to be studied “immediately.”

On Tuesday, Poland expressed its readiness to place its Soviet-made MiG-29 aircraft, "immediately and free of charge", at the disposal of the United States and transfer them to the Ramstein base in Germany. But Washington considered the proposal "not viable." White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said logistical challenges remained regarding the possibility of using Polish MiGs to help Ukraine. On Wednesday, the Kremlin condemned Poland's proposal, considering this measure a "dangerous scenario" if it materialized. Also, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his opposition to the supply of the MiG to Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Germany provided yesterday 1,000 anti-tank weapons, and 500 American-made “Stinger” missiles. Canada also confirmed that it will continue to send equipment and weapons to Ukraine.

While British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that his country will increase its arms supplies to Ukraine, the United States has deployed two new Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland, in implementation of its pledge to defend the territories of NATO countries, according to what a senior official in the US Department of Defense announced.

On the ground, a Russian air strike severely damaged a children's hospital in the city of Mariupol, which prompted widespread condemnation. "So far, there are 17 wounded among the medical staff," the governor of the southern Donetsk region said in a video posted on Facebook. "So far, no child has been injured," adding that "no deaths." The deputy mayor of Mariupol also said that 1,170 civilians had been killed in the city since the invasion began and 47 were buried in a mass grave.

At the same time, thousands of civilians managed to flee the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine agreed on Wednesday to a ceasefire to allow for the establishment of humanitarian corridors around the affected areas.

Politically, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, received a call from the Ukrainian president and “discussed with him the Ukrainian crisis and ways to solve it diplomatically,” Al Jazeera reported. Today, Turkey will also host the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, in their first meeting since the start of Moscow's attack on Ukraine. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will receive in Antalya his Russian counterparts, Sergey Lavrov and Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "We are working to prevent the crisis from turning into a tragedy." Kuleba stressed, that he will do everything to make the "talks as effective as possible," while noting that his "expectations are limited," while the Kremlin described the meeting as "very important."