Ukraine war: Germany says no to jets, Ukraine bombed, Baltics belong to Russia claim

Berlin will not join an international effort to provide Kyiv with sought-after fighter jets. 

This comes one day after the UK and Netherlands announced plans to help Ukraine obtain F-16 warplanes, which Kyiv says are essential to help beat back Russian forces. 

Germany said it will instead focus on delivering other forms of military aid, such as tanks and ammo. 

Though uncertainty surrounds the deal - with a spokesperson for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying there had been no concrete agreement - Germany has ruled out taking part. 

“We cannot play an active role in such an alliance, in such a coalition, because we have neither the training capacities, the competencies or the planes,” said German defence minister Boris Pistorius. 

Germany is not blocking the delivery of planes to Ukraine, recently greenlighting Poland's request to send Soviet-era jets to Ukraine. Berlin's permission was needed as they had previously belonged to communist East Germany. 

There are concerns supplying fighter jets to Ukraine could escalate tensions with Russia. 

Ukraine shot down 29 of 30 missiles launched by Russia in overnight air strikes, with loud explosions heard in the Ukrainian capital early Thursday morning. 

One person was killed in an attack on the southern city of Odesa, while falling debris caused a fire in a non-residential building in the capital Kyiv. 

It was the ninth time this month that Russian air raids have targeted Kyiv, a clear escalation after weeks of lull, and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced weapons. 

The attack was carried out by strategic bombers from the Caspian region, probably using cruise missiles, according to AP. 

All enemy targets were destroyed, according to