- Dubois destroys Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Guardiola says critics want Man City wiped 'from face of the Earth'
- Biden says 'Quad' is 'here to stay' despite challenges
- Dubois knocks out Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Vinicius helps 'faster' Madrid overturn stubborn Espanyol
- Zelensky to press US on long-range missile strikes inside Russia
- PSG drop first points in draw at Reims
- Vinicius, Mbappe on target as Madrid crush plucky Espanyol
- Jeeno leads Ko by two at LPGA Queen City Championship
- Bottega Veneta goes for 'E.T.' chic as Madonna pops into D&G
- Messi, Miami frustrated by New York late leveler
- Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
- 'Business as usual' for Australia match-winner Carey amid boos
- Israeli jets pound Lebanon after deadly Beirut strike
- Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
- France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
- Cheika proud of Leicester grit after winning start as boss
- Profligate Man Utd pay price in 0-0 draw at Palace
- Kane, Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Man Utd held at Palace
- LIV champion Rahm out of LIV Team semis with severe flu
- Slot surprised by tearful Nunez's moment of magic
- Title rivals Norris, Verstappen on 'cool' front row for Singapore GP
- Biden talks China with 'Quad' leaders in hometown summit
- Juve and Napoli play out goalless draw in early Serie A title tussle
- Alcaraz fears tennis tour grind will 'kill us'
- Carey sparks recovery as Australia thrash England in 2nd ODI
- Leclerc, Sainz lament 'disappointing' Saturday in Singapore
- Bottega Veneta holds investors' aces as Madonna pops into D&G
- Beirut digs for victims at building flattened in Israeli strike
- Verstappen stages protest over 'ridiculous' swearing punishment
- Bayern boss Kompany lauds 'special talent' Olise
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Spurs bounce back
- Heavy fire over Israel-Lebanon border after deadly Beirut strike
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win despite Hogg scuffle
- Myanmar flood death toll jumps to 384
- Chelsea owners 'happy' with win at West Ham amid rift report
- Kane and Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win
- Norris pips Verstappen to dramatic Singapore pole after Sainz crash
- Carey takes Australia to 270 in 2nd ODI against England after collapse
- Two Hezbollah leaders killed in Israel's Beirut strike
- Hungary Danube waters reach decade high after Storm Boris
- Bagnaia cuts Martin's MotoGP lead with Emilia-Romagna sprint win
- Jackson double fires Chelsea to victory at woeful West Ham
- Fiji beat Japan to lift Pacific Nations Cup
- Kasatkina to face Haddad Maia in Korea Open final
- S.Africa snowfall closes roads, strands motorists overnight
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- President Museveni's son backs Ugandan strongman for 7th term
US: Ukraine needs surface-to-air missiles, not fighter jets
The US State Department on Thursday ruled out proposals to send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine via an American base, saying Kyiv's efforts to repel the Russian invasion would be better served by the supply of ground-based weapons.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged Washington and NATO to send aircraft or establish a "no-fly zone" over the war-torn Western ally to defend against Russian air strikes.
But State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington Ukraine had found ground-based defense systems more effective in hitting back at Russia's "formidable" air force.
"We will continue to provide our Ukrainian partners with the surface-to-air systems that they need to take on the threat that they face from Russian missiles, from Russian rockets, from artillery," he said.
Price added that Ukraine already has "several squadrons" of its own "fully mission capable" aircraft and that the United States sending more to Ukraine could pour gasoline on the conflict.
"The intelligence community produced an assessment that the provision of planes in this manner... could be viewed by Moscow as escalatory," he told the news conference.
"It is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to bring this conflict to a close to save as many lives as we can, and to do everything we can to see to it that this conflict does not expand."
Warsaw had expressed support for a plan in which Poland would have sent its Soviet-era MiG-29s to Kyiv via a US air base in Ramstein, Germany, with the suggested follow-on step that the United States backfill Poland's fleet with F-16 fighter jets.
But US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Poland's Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Wednesday that Washington had no desire to get involved in the plan.
Russian forces were encircling at least four major cities in Ukraine on Thursday, with armored vehicles rolling up to the northeastern edge of the capital Kyiv.
Washington has strongly backed Ukraine, leading the push for tough international sanctions and sending weapons and other aid.
The US House of Representatives green-lit a spending package including nearly $14 billion for Ukraine and allies in eastern Europe, which is due to be rubber-stamped by the Senate as soon as Thursday.
The United States this week also imposed a ban on Russian imports of oil and gas, a move followed by Canada and a pledge from London to end the imports within the year.
But it had already ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone for fear of being drawn into the conflict directly.
J.Horn--BTB