U.S. to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by end of year

U.S. officials say that F-16 fighter jets will likely be sent to Ukraine by the end of this year. Kyiv has been asking for the jets at every opportunity since the war started. The Ukrainian port city of Odesa has been the target of Russian air attacks for the fourth night straight. This time, the Russians made a painful mistake: they damaged the consulate of one of their biggest allies, China. Elsewhere, German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall remains undeterred by threats from Russia and is sticking to its plan to build a tank factory in Ukraine. The factory is expected to be operational within a few months and manufacture up to 400 tanks a year.

For the last few days after withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal Russia has been bombing Ukrainian ports and grain storages. What will it lead to? To answer this question, we’re joined by Pavlo Kukhta, Economist, Former Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture.