Ukraine Still Has ‘Significant Majority’ of Its Military Aircraft, Says US Official

Members of the Territorial Defense Force stand guard at a check point, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, at the Independence Square in central Kyiv, Ukraine, March 3, 2022. (Reuters)
Members of the Territorial Defense Force stand guard at a check point, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, at the Independence Square in central Kyiv, Ukraine, March 3, 2022. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Still Has ‘Significant Majority’ of Its Military Aircraft, Says US Official

Members of the Territorial Defense Force stand guard at a check point, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, at the Independence Square in central Kyiv, Ukraine, March 3, 2022. (Reuters)
Members of the Territorial Defense Force stand guard at a check point, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, at the Independence Square in central Kyiv, Ukraine, March 3, 2022. (Reuters)

Ukraine still has a "significant majority" of its military aircraft available nine days after Russian forces started their invasion of the country, a US defense official said on Friday.

Vastly outmatched by Russia's military, in terms of raw numbers and firepower, the fact that Ukraine's own air force is still flying and its air defenses are still deemed to be viable has surprised military experts.

"The Ukrainians still have a significant majority of their air combat power available to them, both fixed-wing and rotary wing as well as unmanned systems and surface-to-air systems," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official added that Ukrainian aircraft had suffered some loses, including being destroyed by Russian forces, but did not give details.

After the opening salvos of the war on Feb. 24, analysts expected the Russian military to try to immediately destroy Ukraine's air force and air defenses.

Russia has fired more than 500 missiles at Ukrainian targets since the start of the invasion, but is still flying through contested airspace.

Ukrainian troops with surface-to-air rockets are able to threaten Russian aircraft and create risk to Russian pilots trying to support ground forces.

Ukraine's ability to keep flying air force jets is a visible demonstration of the country's resilience in the face of attack and has been a morale booster, both to its own military and Ukraine's people, experts say.

'Answered the phone'

The Pentagon has established a new hotline with Russia's ministry of defense to prevent "miscalculation, military incidents and escalation" in the region as Russia's invasion of Ukraine advances.

The "deconfliction" hotline would be an open phone line based at the European Command's headquarters and would fall under Air Force General Tod Wolters, who leads all US forces on the continent.

"In our initial test of it, (the Russians) answered the phone," the official said.

Russian troops were still about 25 km (16 miles) away from Kyiv's city center, largely unchanged over the past few days.

The official compared an Odessa scenario to Russia's assault around Mariupol, where they used an amphibious assault to the southwest using naval infantry and also came down from the north with land forces out of Donetsk.

"So one could see a scenario where that's a similar play," the official said.

The United States cannot refute reports that Russian forces are in control of the port city of Kherson, the official said, but added the United States could not confirm the takeover.

Tanks entered Kherson, a provincial capital of around 250,000 people, and Russian forces occupied the regional administration building, regional governor Hennadiy Laguta said in an online post on Thursday.



Trump, China’s Xi Hold Call on TikTok, Trade, Taiwan

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)
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Trump, China’s Xi Hold Call on TikTok, Trade, Taiwan

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)

US President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed issues including TikTok, trade and Taiwan in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump takes office again promising tariffs that could ratchet up tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

Both leaders were upbeat about the call, with Trump calling it "a very good one" and Xi saying he and Trump both hoped for a positive start to US-China relations, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

It was the first phone call between the pair since Trump's election in November. There is an array of looming diplomatic and economic difficulties facing US-China relations.

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that mandates TikTok owner ByteDance divest TikTok's US assets by Sunday to a non-Chinese buyer, or be banned on national security concerns.

"The call was a very good one for both China and the USA. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.

"President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"

Xi raised China's concerns about Taiwan, which Beijing maintains is part of its territory, and said he hoped the US will handle it with great care.

"The Taiwan issue concerns China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and he hopes the US side will handle it with caution," according to CCTV.

Xi said the United States and China can have their differences but most respect each other's core interests, and that trade relations can be mutually beneficial without confrontation and conflict, comments similar to those he made during Trump's first term.

Trump offered strong support to Taiwan, including regularizing arms sales, in his first term. But during the campaign last year, Trump said Taiwan should pay the US to be defended.

The Republican president-elect, who upended trade relations in his first term, is about to embark on an even more aggressive effort in his second term, pledging to impose 10% duties on all US imports and 60% on goods from China.

Trump said on Jan. 6 that he and Xi have been communicating through representatives, expressing optimism about their relationship.