Russian oil banned by US, UK; McDonalds, Starbucks, Coca Cola suspend sales in Russia; NSW weather softens, NSW flood cleanup continues, Manly Dam overflows, Scott Morrison to travel to northern NSW
If you just joined us, here’s what you might have missed from Ukraine (where it’s now nearly 8am).
- Late on Tuesday night (Ukrainian time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked US and UK leaders for signaling they would ban Russian oil imports (Britain will phase out Russian oil imports from here the end of the year).
“It’s a powerful signal to the whole world,” Zelensky said, according to an English translation of his remarks.
“Either Russia will respect international law and not wage wars, or it will have no money.”
An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being evacuated from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine on Tuesday.Credit:Vadim Ghirda/AP
- The Pentagon has rejected Poland’s offer to give the United States its MiG-29 fighter jets for use in Ukraine, in a rare public display of disharmony by NATO allies seeking to bolster Ukrainian fighters while avoiding being drawn into a wider war with Russia.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Poland’s offer to deliver the jets to the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany raised the worrying prospect of jets departing from a US and NATO base to fly in contested airspace with Russia in the Ukraine War.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian troops were short on food and supplies.Credit:PA
“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies on this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is tenable,” he said in a statement. a statement.
Any move to supply the MiGs would boost Ukraine’s morale as Russian attacks on its cities deepen the humanitarian catastrophe. But it would also increase the risks of a wider war.
- Starbucks has become the latest mega-brand to join the corporate exodus from Ukraine in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and General Electric – all ubiquitous global brands and symbols of American corporate power – have joined more than 200 companies that have suspended operations in Russia in recent days.
- Britain has banned all Russian planes from entering its airspace, following similar moves by US authorities and the European Union in recent weeks.
British Transport Minister Grant Shapps said in a tweet on Tuesday (GMT) that it would now be a “criminal offence” for any Russian aircraft to enter British airspace.
“I have criminalized ANY Russian aircraft entering UK airspace and now HMG [Her Majesty’s Government] can hold these jets,” Shapps said.
Britain previously banned Russia’s biggest airline Aeroflot and other Russian carriers from entering its airspace. Russia quickly retaliated, banning virtually every country in Europe from its own airspace.
with AP, Reuters