Â鶹´«Ã½

World

    • Ukraine gets more military aid from Europe but Putin warns of consequences if Russian soil is hit

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disembarks from his airplane after landing at the military airport in Lisbon, for a official visit to Portugal, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Tiago Petinga, Pool Photo via AP) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disembarks from his airplane after landing at the military airport in Lisbon, for a official visit to Portugal, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Tiago Petinga, Pool Photo via AP)
    Share
    LISBON, Portugal -

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a second US$1 billion promise of military aid in as many days Tuesday during a whirlwind tour of three European Union countries, while President Vladimir Putin warned that hitting Russian soil with Western-supplied weapons could set the war on a dangerous new path.

    The aid pledge for 2024 came from Belgium, which topped up the money with a commitment to give Ukraine 30 F-16 fighter jets in the next four years.

    "Our task is to use the first F-16 on the battlefield this year and in such way fortify our positions," Zelenskyy said.

    He later traveled to Portugal, where he said it was important that Ukraine's supporters don't allow themselves to be misled by Russia and that "we don't grow tired of the war."

    The onslaught by the Kremlin's better-equipped forces that is unfolding in eastern and northeastern Ukraine as summer approaches has brought Ukraine its biggest military test since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

    Slow deliveries of support by its Western partners, especially a lengthy delay in U.S. military aid, have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russia's bigger army and air force.

    European countries have been discussing the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine in support roles, while talk of giving seized Russian assets to Ukraine has further angered Moscow.

    Putin has repeatedly warned the West against deeper involvement in the fighting, holding out the specter of a nuclear conflict.

    The use of Western-supplied long-range weapons by Ukraine to strike Russian territory could bring a dangerous escalation, Putin said Tuesday, speaking to reporters while on a trip to Uzbekistan.

    The use of such weapons would rely on Western intelligence data and imply the involvement of NATO military personnel, Putin said, warning the alliance that they should be aware of the possible consequences.

    "Representatives of countries that are NATO members, particularly in Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with," he said, adding that "countries with small territory and dense populations" should be particularly careful.

    The Netherlands promised to quickly assemble with key EU partners a Patriot air defense system, which Zelenskyy sees as key in stopping Russia from hitting Ukraine's power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets, with devastating glide bombs.

    NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the move but insisted much more work was needed.

    "We have seen some progress, but more progress and more air defence systems are urgently needed in Ukraine," Stoltenberg said as he headed into a meeting of EU defence ministers.

    Before returning to Ukraine, Zelenskyy visited Portugal and signed another bilateral agreement. Portugal is one of Western Europe's poorest countries and has a small military compared with its bigger EU partners. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said Portugal is sending a further 126 million euros ($137 million) in military and financial aid to Kyiv as part of a broad cooperation plan.

    On Monday, Zelenskyy signed a security agreement with Spain that allocates 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) of military aid to Ukraine in 2024, and 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027.

    The bilateral aid is essential since the 27-nation bloc is again struggling to overcome Hungary's objections to the EU itself providing billions of euros in military aid to Kyiv.

    An estimated 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion) are stalled by the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, considered Russia's staunchest ally in the EU. Single member states have wide veto powers, and Hungary has long held up funds aimed at boosting Ukraine's defences.

    "That's the sad thing that we have the cash, we have the capacity, but we are still pending decisions to implement" aid decisions for Ukraine, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

    Zelenskyy met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and as well as the immediate money, he obtained a security agreement aimed at providing guarantees of military help until Ukraine joins NATO.

    Since Russia launched a spring offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Zelenskyy has insisted Ukraine urgently needs seven more U.S.-made Patriot air defence systems.

    Putin says the Kremlin's forces are seeking to establish a "buffer zone" in Kharkiv to prevent Ukraine launching attacks across the border there.

    Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren, meeting with her EU colleagues, said a Patriot system will be built "in a short time frame." The Netherlands has the core components for a Patriot system and other EU nations will contribute other key parts and munitions.

    "Ukraine is also fighting Europe's fight," she said.

    Zelenskyy was to visit Belgium and Spain earlier this month but postponed all his foreign trips after Russia launched its Kharkiv offensive and left Ukrainian forces reeling.

    In other developments, the UN's atomic agency's chief was in Russia's westernmost territory of Kaliningrad to talk about safety issues involving the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

    The plant has been occupied by the Russian forces since early in the war, and all of its reactors have been in a cold shutdown. Frequent shelling around Europe's largest nuclear plant has raised global concerns over nuclear security.

    International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi met with Alexei Likhachyov, head of Russia's state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom. The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Grossi as saying that "common understanding" has been reached on the steps that are necessary to enhance the plant's security, but restarting it "seems impossible" at the moment.

    Likhachyov echoed his sentiment on restarting the plant, but also vowed its current state is "absolutely safe."

    ------

    Casert reported from Brussels.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

    Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton are apparently distant relatives

    Genealogy and family tree tracking site Ancestry announced on Monday that by using “billions of historical records and public family trees,†they’ve discovered that the two music powerhouses are actually seventh cousins, once removed.

    Canada

    • The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

    • The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.

    • A former Lethbridge pastor who bilked millions out of hundreds of southern Albertans has appealed his conviction and sentence.

    • Canada's grain farmers say a strike at Metro Vancouver terminals would cripple crop exports if it were allowed to take place.

    • A man accused of driving his truck into a march for B.C. residential school survivors two years ago has been found guilty of dangerous driving.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, season is just a few months away, but new vaccine options have already arrived for Ontario residents who may be vulnerable to the winter bug.

    • There are 'no restrictions' on the right to receive health services in Quebec for English speakers, according to a new clarification document issued by the Quebec Health Ministry on Monday.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • Cole Perfetti will suit up for the Winnipeg Jets for another two years.

    • The Boston Red Sox kept their playoff hopes alive on Monday by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 in the first of a three-game road series.

    Autos

    • The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.

    Local Spotlight

    Giant gourds took over a Manitoba community this weekend.

    Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

    Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

    A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

    A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

    Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    • Mounties say a suspected drug trafficker who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for being unlawfully at large was arrested over the weekend after he was found unconscious in a vehicle on Vancouver Island.

    • Temporary emergency room shutdowns have hit rural and urban hospitals, hundreds of cancer patients have been sent across the U.S. border for radiation therapy, and there's a shortage of nurses and doctors. Here's how B.C.'s major political parties plan to improve health care in the province.

    • The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will be going toe-to-toe next month for their first and only debate ahead of the provincial election.

    • Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, season is just a few months away, but new vaccine options have already arrived for Ontario residents who may be vulnerable to the winter bug.

    • One suspect is in custody and a second is still outstanding after Toronto police say cruisers were damaged while officers attempted to intervene in the theft of two luxury vehicles in an underground parking garage in the city’s downtown core.

    • A man is in critical condition following a shooting in the northeast Calgary community of Cityscape.

    • Faculty and staff at Mount Royal University will be demonstrating Tuesday morning to protest provincial legislation that they say could restrict research funding.

    • A former Lethbridge pastor who bilked millions out of hundreds of southern Albertans has appealed his conviction and sentence.

    • The Ottawa Police Service is seeking public assistance to identify a suspect who allegedly assaulted a passenger aboard an O-Train last month.

    • The Canada Revenue Agency has provided new data on the number of employees who were found to have received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • Police were busy pulling over stunt drivers in Ottawa's east end last week.

    • A fire in a container at one of the Port of Montreal's terminals prompted the city to issue a containment notice for the area adjacent to the port on Monday evening, in the Mercier--Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.

    • The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.

    • Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating after a man was stabbed shortly before midnight in the St. Henri neighbourhood.

    • Police have charged a former worker with Edmonton Public Schools with forgery and fraud over $5,000 for allegedly faking asbestos reports over two years. And Jason McCallum is still at large.

    • Alberta is one of the few provinces without the ability to seize a vehicle traveling 50 km/h over the speed limit.

    • The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is urging the provincial government to implement a new compensation model for doctors and adopt a plan to stabilize acute care.

    • Public health officials in Prince Edward Island are investigating an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness reported among 50 people who attended a shellfish festival over the weekend.

    • A man in his 60s was struck by an SUV and killed while walking on Wheeler Boulevard in Moncton, N.B., late Monday afternoon.

    • The Halifax Regional Municipality is de-designating an encampment space on University Avenue due to snow-clearing safety concerns.

    • A dry, fly-in First Nation in northern Manitoba is putting drug and alcohol smugglers on notice.

    • The mayor of Lynn Lake, Man. is concerned about a bridge connecting to his community and what would happen if it became impassable.

    • Cole Perfetti will suit up for the Winnipeg Jets for another two years.

    • Health care is shaping up to be a major issue for this fall’s provincial election in Saskatchewan and on Monday both the Sask. Party and NDP announced plans on how they will work to improve the sector if elected this fall.

    • The Saskatchewan Government is in the province's highest court fighting to prevent a Court of King’s Bench judge from determining if its Parents' Bill of Rights actually violates the Charter.

    • Farmer are thinking about more than their crops this harvest. They're talking about the upcoming Saskatchewan election and how provincial and federal policies may impact their economic future.

    • Three people were killed Monday morning in a crash north of Wellesley.

    • Officials say Lixian, 29, is known to frequent Waterloo Region, Toronto and Niagara Falls.

    • Police say a toddler in Cambridge, Ont., who was reported missing early Monday morning, has since died.

    • The Saskatchewan Government is in the province's highest court fighting to prevent a Court of King’s Bench judge from determining if its Parents' Bill of Rights actually violates the Charter.

    • Fire crews are battling a blaze at the Candle Lake Golf Course clubhouse on Monday morning.

    • The Saskatchewan Ministry of Education says a woman facing an assault charge is no longer working at a private Christian school where the alleged incident took place.

    • We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

    • A Verner man, 35, is charged after a fatal crash on Highway 17 last month that killed one and sent another to hospital.

    • The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

    • Showers are expected to push into the region through the afternoon as a moisture laden system moves into the Great Lakes Basin.

    • 519 Meets organized a car rally in south London on Saturday in a Value Village parking lot, and it turned out to be their largest ever.

    • Casino Rama announced three new performances will hit the stage this winter.

    • Provincial police laid charges in a luring and child pornography investigation involving an Orillia man who worked at a local recreation centre.

    • Weather warnings and weather statements have been issued for central Ontario.

    • A man swimming across the Detroit River from Windsor to Detroit was rescued by a mail boat, according to the J.W. Westcott Company.

    • Windsor police say a 37-year-old man accused of attempted murder has been arrested and charged with violating his bail conditions.

    • A road in Essex County has reopened following a multi-vehicle crash. According to OPP, County Road 20 had been closed between Iler road and McCormick Road in Harrow.

    • Mounties say a suspected drug trafficker who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for being unlawfully at large was arrested over the weekend after he was found unconscious in a vehicle on Vancouver Island.

    • The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will be going toe-to-toe next month for their first and only debate ahead of the provincial election.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A former Lethbridge pastor who bilked millions out of hundreds of southern Albertans has appealed his conviction and sentence.

    • Farmers in southern Alberta are working to wrap up harvest, with 80 per cent of major crops in the bin, according to the province's latest crop report.

    • Monday marked the official start of Reconciliation Week in Lethbridge.

    • Opening arguments are expected to begin in the sexual assault trial of former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard at a northern Ontario courthouse Tuesday.

    • We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

    • Officials in the City of Timmins say the state of Municipal Road, which connects Timmins and Iroquois Falls, is well beyond the patch-up phase.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½