International
Belgium prevents Ukraine from using the F-16s to attack Russian territory
The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, warned today that the F-16 fighter jets he will deliver to Ukraine, according to the agreement he signed on Tuesday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, can only be used in Ukrainian territory and not to directly attack Russia.
“Everything that this agreement covers is very clear: it is for use by the Ukrainian Forces in Ukrainian territory,” De Croo said in an appearance with Zelenski.
The Ukrainian president, on the other hand, insisted on the need to obtain permission from his allies to use the military equipment they deliver against Russian territory.
“They are shooting at you and you can’t respond, because we don’t have the right to use weapons. (…) You receive the satellite images of your intelligence service but you can’t do anything to respond, I think it’s unfair,” Zelenski said.
“But we cannot risk the support of our allies, so we are not using the weapons of our allies to attack Russian territory. That’s why we are asking, please, give us permission to do so,” stressed the Ukrainian leader.
De Croo and Zelenski signed an agreement today with which Belgium undertakes to support Ukraine militarily for the next ten years, with the commitment to deliver 30 F-16 fighter-bombers until 2028 and with the intention that the first ones will arrive before the end of this year.
Belgium is already part of the coalition to train Ukrainian pilots in the handling of the F-16, along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.
The agreement between Belgium and Ukraine also includes a financial package of 977 million euros of military aid, as well as industrial cooperation in defense, support for the Peace Formula of Ukraine, the strengthening of sanctions against Russia, compensation for damages, justice for the aggressor, the use of frozen Russian assets and economic recovery, Zelenski said.
NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenbnerg, is in favor of Ukraine being able to use the weapons donated to it by the West to attack targets within Russia, such as missile launchers, artillery or airfields, in the exercise of its legitimate defense.
“It will be very hard and difficult for Ukrainians to defend themselves if they can’t attack military targets right across the border. It may be missile launchers, artillery or airfields used to attack Ukraine,” Stoltenberg told the press upon his arrival at a meeting of Defense ministers of the European Union.
The Norwegian politician has been defending for days the possibility of the allies allowing Ukraine to use the weapons they have given to him to hit specific targets within Russia, something that countries like Germany have fully rejected.
“Ukraine has, in accordance with international law, the right to defend itself. The right to self-defence includes attacking legitimate military targets within Russia. And this is particularly relevant now, because the strongest fighting is taking place in the Kharkov region, near the border,” he said.
In any case, he made it clear that these are decisions that fall to the countries individually and not to NATO.
So far, the coordination of international military aid for Ukraine is centralized by the United States with a group of fifty countries, known as the “Rammstein group”.
However, at the meeting that the Allied Foreign Ministers held last April, they agreed to work for NATO to play a greater role in coordinating assistance and training for Ukraine’s security.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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