Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday asked the US to approve the use of long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia as it conducts daily attacks from launching points currently out of Kyiv's range.
Speaking at the end of this week's Nato summit in Washington, Mr Zelenskyy praised the alliance for its pledges of military support to Ukraine as it fights Russia, but said battlefield restrictions must be lifted if his country is to succeed.
“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations,” Mr Zelenskyy said alongside Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Mr Zelenskyy's cabinet chief Andriy Yermak noted at a public forum that Russia had no restrictions on its use of weapons. He said it would be “a real game-changer” if Ukraine's allies could lift all limits on the use of weapons they supply to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden appeared unswayed by the appeal, suggesting long-range strike capabilities into Russia could lead to a sharp escalation of the conflict.
"If [Mr Zelenskyy] had the capacity to strike Moscow, strike the Kremlin, would that make sense? It wouldn't," Mr Biden told a highly anticipated news conference at the end of the summit.
"The question is, what's the best use of the weaponry he has?"
The summit, which marked Nato's 75th anniversary, saw member nations issue a declaration in support of Ukraine, promising additional aid and pledging to back its “irreversible path” to Nato membership.
US and European officials also announced that Ukraine's military will within weeks start flying American-made F-16 fighter jets that have been donated by the Danish and Dutch governments.
"At this summit, we are turning a corner and putting in place the foundations for Ukraine to prevail," Mr Stoltenberg said in a closing press conference.
"Allies have agreed to launch Nato security assistance and training for Ukraine with a command in the eastern part of the alliance and around 700 personnel."
Those key outcomes of the event were partly overshadowed by concerns over Mr Biden's physical and mental health and the growing likelihood that he will be ousted in November by Donald Trump, a Nato sceptic who has said he wants to see Ukraine make a deal with Russia.
Mr Biden met Mr Zelenskyy at the summit and announced an additional package of security assistance for Ukraine, which includes a Patriot air defence system, air defence interceptors, and artillery and Himars ammunition
Nato members have set different limits on how Ukraine can use the weapons they donate.
Some have made clear Kyiv can use them to strike targets deep inside Russia, but the US only allows its weapons to be used just inside the Russian border against sites supporting military operations in Ukraine.
Mr Stoltenberg said Ukraine should be able to hit inside Russia directly.
“Since Russia opened a new front … the only way to hit military targets, military launchers or airfields that attack Ukraine is to hit military targets in Russian territory,” he said.
The US and its allies have used this week's summit to try to project unity in the face of what they see as a rising threat to Europe from Russia and China.
A strongly worded communique on Wednesday from all 32 Nato members took aim at China over its support of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"China has become a decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine through its no-limits partnership and support for Russia's defence industrial base, this includes the transfer of dual use materials such as weapon components, equipment and raw materials," Mr Stoltenberg told reporters.
However, Nato member Hungary said it does not want the alliance to become an “anti-China” bloc and will not support it becoming so.
China's Foreign Ministry said the declaration was biased and “sowing discord”, and its mission to the European Union described it as being “full of Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric and China-related content full of provocations, lies, incitement and smears”.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his country would increase defence spending to the Nato target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product by 2032 after US pressure to up its contribution to the alliance.
Canada is projected to spend a little more than over 1.3 per cent of GDP on defence this year, making it an outlier in the military alliance: 23 of 32 members are set to hit or exceed the 2 per cent target in 2024.
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
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What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
RESULTS
Tottenham 1
Jan Vertonghen 13'
Norwich 1
Josip Drmic 78'
2-3 on penalties
More coverage from the Future Forum
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
