 Norway will send 22 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Netava's and media outlet reported. The country will transfer 22 F-16s, as well as engines, support material, simulators, spare parts and other relevant equipment. Only 12 of these aircraft are already in a serviceable condition and some may be used for spare parts and repairs to other aircraft. The website reported that Norway had planned to sell them to the US company Draken International in line with the contract signed in December 2021. The sales agreement with Draken International does not seem to be implemented, and the planes that were supposed to be used for training in the USA will instead be used to defend Ukrainian airspace, Netavisen reported. Expert Lars Peder Haga told Netavisen that F-16 planes will help Ukraine gain technological advantage they have lost over time. How much combat power Ukraine gets out of this depends on what kind of weapons package they get and how well and quickly they succeed in mastering aircraft and tactics, Haga said. In the medium term, this is absolutely crucial for Ukraine to have a combat air force in a couple of years. The expert said Ukraine wants at least 100 Western fighter jets to replace its current fleet of old Soviet-made fighters. Haga emphasized that there is still a limit to how many planes Ukraine can receive in a short notice because air bases must be arranged and support equipment built up. This is very good news and an important milestone on the way for Ukraine to build a modern air force that can share weapons, parts and knowledge with air forces in the West. Russia's artillery advantage over Ukraine could soon reach 10 to 1 top US general. US general Christopher Cavoli, the supreme commander of NATO's Allied Forces Europe, has warned that without US support for Ukraine, Russia's artillery advantage on the battlefield will be further enhanced. According to Reuters, Cavoli said this at a hearing of the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. Cavoli said that Russia is currently firing five artillery shells for every one fired by Ukrainian forces. And this disparity could increase to 10 to 1 in the coming weeks. If one side can shoot and the other side can't shoot back, the side that can't shoot back loses, so the stakes are very high. They're really dependent this year on us, Mr. Chairman, and without our support they will not be able to prevail, he added. The top US general in NATO also warned that without further US support, Ukraine would run out of artillery shells and air defense interceptors in fairly short order. The US Congress has been unable to approve additional funding for military aid to Ukraine since last autumn due to disagreements over migration policy and pressure from far-right Republicans on House Speaker Mike Johnson. Amid the months-long dispute in Congress, Johnson announced that the aid package for Ukraine would include some important innovations, including the possibility of providing aid on credit. However, disputes between Republicans in the House of Representatives may lead to the long-awaited decision on funding to support Ukraine and other allies being postponed again. Almost two months have passed since the Senate approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies in a bipartisan 70-29 vote. Johnson has so far refused to bring that bill up for a vote, which some lawmakers have said would likely secure enough votes to pass, despite opposition by some hardline Republicans as well as growing democratic concern about providing more money to Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Russia and China are uniting against NATO, demanding that the Alliance leave Asia. Moscow and Beijing's top diplomats accuse NATO of seeking ways to enter the Asia-Pacific and warned the Transatlantic Alliance against stretching its hand to our common home. According to Newsweek, at the press conference following his meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said that the two had mooted a new security architecture in Eurasia as Euro-Atlantic mechanisms continue to decay and destroy themselves. Beijing views the prospect of NATO a Western military alliance extending its reach into Asia as a direct challenge to its regional influence as well as security concerns. It is also concerned about encirclement of fear already shared by Russian President Vladimir Putin who cited alleged NATO encroachment as a justification for launching his invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov talked a lot about the need to ensure security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, where the US continues to pursue a policy of private military and political alliances with limited membership that are clearly directed against China and Russia. Lavrov said he said the US and its allies also are promoting their block-based approaches here, particularly emphasizing the need for the North Atlantic Alliance to enter the region. In their meeting, Wang had proposed a policy of dual opposition to Western obstruction of a multi-polar world order and democratization and justice, according to Lavrov. Any remarks or deeds that cause division or add up to confrontation and not to welcome in the Asia-Pacific, and they have no future. Wang told reporters, Wang said both countries also oppose hegemonism, power politics and monopolies on global affairs by only a few nations, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been moving ever closer to China, which has provided its neighbor an economic lifeline to help it weather the West's crushing sanctions in retaliation for the war.